Extracurricular Activities are Important to College Applications
A successful college application has many elements needed to be effective, many we are aware of, including but not limited to:
- Official Transcript/Class Rank
- Essay/Statement of Purpose
- Letters of Recommendation
- Community Service/Outside Learning Opportunities
- Awards and Recognition
- Preparing for an Interview
- List of Extracurricular Activities
This is of course a partial list above, with more elements required depending on the college.
However, the list of extracurricular activities can be an element that often gets overlooked when planning during the formative years of a student’s schooling. The elements of awards and recognition, letters of recommendations, interviews, and outside learning opportunities goes hand in hand with extracurricular activities. While it is important to include extracurricular activities that are related to your chosen degree or area of academic interest, colleges also want to see you have a wide range of interests and versatility. Putting sports and creative related activities on your application is an effective way to show this accomplishment.
Dance is a strong choice for offering the future college student an activity that is a sport as well as an art form. Competitive dance offers a program with awards and recognition, trains students in teamwork abilities, and leadership. Dance and the arts bring communities together and introduces the college student to a diversity of backgrounds and lifestyles, which is also an element important to college applications.
A dance instructor is a great choice for a letter of recommendation, as they work hand in hand with the student for years helping to mold them and give them the life skills and emotional and physical strength needed to be a success. This developmental relationship between the student and the instructor gives the teacher a first-hand view and makes them a great choice for a recommendation.
Preparing for an interview becomes an easy challenge for a dancer who is comfortable in front of large audiences and being judged on a competitive level. Giving them an edge on handling the new experiences once at college.
We at FOCUS Dance Center are proud of the many competitive dancers who have been a part of our program and used it as a steppingstone in their college applications once they graduate with us at the end of their senior year in high school.
So, when creating your game plan to set your child up for success in college, don’t forget about competitive dance as an avenue toward that achievement!