Hello,
I am a freshman currently in Texas, and wish to apply for TAMS next year. I didn’t receive education in US prior to 9th grade, and I am very confused over the vague definition of “extracurricular activities” that TAMS, as well as universities, demand. Are there any recommendations that you guys can offer, that I can begin with and help my application?
Thanks.
Extracurriculars are activities that you do outside of school. Extra = outside/beyond curricular=school
So they can be things like:
Sports, played at school or in the community
Activities at your house of worship
Music…band, piano competitions
Theater: being in a play
Clubs - Debate, Service, Model UN, Chess, Spanish, Robotics, etc. etc. etc.
Volunteering in the community or school
Dance
Job
Academic competitions
In the USA, High School and colleges have sports teams and bands and drama and clubs…so they want people who will participate in the community. These activities also can allow you to show leadership. Also they see how you can do well in school and have 2 hours of soccer practice each day.
In other countries, this emphasis is not as strong. So I don’t think they would expect you to have done something that is not generally done in your previous country. But you could talk about what you might like to get involved with.
You are not expected to do all of these…but choose what you are interested in learning more about and getting involved in.
Hugely helpful for a newcomer. Thank you for these generous information. But… say, does Art class count for “extracurricular” here?
Hi, I’d say that art does count as an extracurricular, but you do have to do more than just be in the class. You can show your passion for it through volunteer work relating to it, or elaborate on it in your essays. Hope this helped!