Can We Count Hobbies As Extracurricular Activities? Difference + Hints

Do Hobbies Count As Extracurricular Activities? [Difference And Similarities]

We are different from each other, and we have different talents, skills, and interests. To measure our skills, most job applications and college entrance applications contain a separate field for extracurricular activities.

They play a major role in creating a good impression on you within the selection procedure since they are unique and interesting content than other exact and standard facts within an application.

Extracurricular activities can be simply defined as what we do outside of our academics. They are extra-academic activities which you engage with productive outcomes. Then, the matter arises that we can consider hobbies as extracurricular activities.

Since extracurricular activities play a major role in a person’s life, especially a young student, it is important to have an understanding of them. 

Hobbies are the activities that we engage in our leisure time for fun and enjoyment. We engage in activities outside of our work, and they are the things we love and are interested in.

So, do hobbies count as extracurricular activities? No, you can’t include your regular hobbies in your college application as extracurricular activities. Hobbies are things you do alone and have individual impacts on you, while extracurricular activities are more structured and organized with the interaction of others and have more impact on people. However, you can develop and turn your hobbies into extracurricular activities. 

From this article, you may be able to understand what extracurricular activities are and the possibility of considering hobbies as extracurricular activities.

Then, let’s identify whether the college will consider your hobbies as extracurricular when concerning your application. Finally, I’ll provide you with some tips to turn your hobby into an extracurricular activity.

As a student engaged in several extracurricular activities during my school days, I think I have the right and experience to make you aware of the extracurricular activities and their relevance with hobbies.

So, let’s share experiences!

Difference between hobbies and extracurricular activities?

We’ve heard and used the word extracurricular activities most of the time. But do you have any idea what it truly meant and demarcated from hobbies?

When it comes to explaining its words, ‘extra’ depicts the meaning ‘outside.’ At the same time, ‘curricular’ defines the activities that you engage in the classroom.

Therefore, in simple meaning, extracurricular activities are the activities we engage in outside the classroom.

They are any activities that you are engaged in instead of your academics, and they may give you a productive outcome. These extracurricular activities can be arts, sports, clubs, aesthetics, internships, or volunteering. 

These activities develop your interpersonal skills and enhance your abilities and experiences while promoting teamwork and dealing with people.

As a student engaged in several extracurricular activities during my high school days, I would like to share my experience with you to make you aware of them.

I engaged in volunteering, worked under several clubs and environmental organizations, played athletics, and engaged in a part-time internship as extracurricular activities. They enhanced my knowledge, experience, talents, and qualities.

In addition, they supported me in my college entrance and at the job interview. Extracurricular activities play a major role in the college application of students.

With a list of extracurricular activities, you may appear more impressed and appeal to the admission board. Then the floor is open to discuss whether it is possible to consider hobbies as extracurricular activities.

Do hobbies count as extracurricular activities?

Since our childhood, all of us have had hobbies, and it is very interesting to have continuous hobbies for a long period. Hobbies can be simply defined as the activities that we engage in our leisure time for fun and enjoyment instead of regular schedules.

Hobbies are engaged regularly and have the aim of releasing stress and anxiety. There are different hobbies such as collecting antiques, collecting stamps, reading, handcrafting, gardening, traveling, cycling, aesthetic activities, sports, and petting animals.

Since it seems similar in meaning, can we consider hobbies as extracurricular activities? Even though extracurricular activities are activities outside of the classroom, you cannot define anything outside your academics as extracurricular.

Most of the students are mistaken for their hobbies as extracurricular activities, and therefore identifying their differences is important. 

You cannot count hobbies and every other activity you engage in outside of the classroom as extracurricular activities. Everything you love and engage in is not extracurricular.

Normally, extracurricular activities allow you to engage with other people and have common denominators. They can impact others and create positive effects on the people.

On the other hand, hobbies do not have common denominators, and they are drafted according to your preference. Hobbies have impacts on you, not others. They support you to release your stress and relax you.

Hobbies are unique and interesting to you and have no concern for others. However, extracurricular activities are different from those. They can also be activities that you find interesting but have a more organized nature with the engagement of others.

Even though hobbies are different from extracurricular activities, you have the chance to turn your hobby into an extracurricular activity. Then it may be more passionate and can market yourself beyond others.

Does college care about your hobbies?

Are you a high school student planning to apply for college? Are you fulfilled with the necessary qualifications to compete with other applicants? Most students think that their grades and scores are enough to compete with other students.

But do you have any idea that your extracurricular activities play a major role in your college entrance procedure? Colleges prefer to take students who can perform well in all the areas and have many skills and experience to offer the college.

Therefore, a priority will be given to the active students who have more experience in extracurricular activities and typical classroom tasks. 

When filling the college application form, you may have the matters, what should be included as extracurricular activities, and does college consider hobbies as extracurricular activities? You can include your hobbies into your college application if they ask so.

But do not include your leisure time hobbies as extracurricular activities since they are different. The admission board won’t consider your preferred hobbies as extracurricular activities that may have an impact on others.

However, you can turn your interesting fields and hobbies into extracurricular activities by engaging them in an organized setting with the interaction of other people.

For example, suppose you love dancing and dancing in your leisure time as a hobby. In that case, you can join a dancing club and make it more organized and professional by learning further and participating in competitions and functions.

Then it will become an extracurricular activity in addition to a hobby. Then you may be able to include it in your college application.

Tips to turn your hobby into an extracurricular activity

We all have hobbies, and we love to engage in hobbies since they are the things we prefer and are interesting to us.

It will be great if we can turn our favorite hobbies into extra curricular activities since we can engage with them easily and with happiness.

Here are some tips you can follow to turn your hobby into an extracurricular activity. Try to use them.

  • Engage with others

A hobby is an individual activity that you do with no interaction with others. To turn your hobby into an extracurricular activity, the best thing you can do is engage with others.

Join with others for that activity will improve your skills, knowledge with the experience of others, and group activity is more organized and structured than your hobby.

In addition, group activity can reach and impact more people than doing things alone. 

  • Similar activities to your hobby

When turning your hobby into extracurricular activity, you can search for similar activities relevant to your field and participate in them. It will support you to engage with your hobby in a wider aspect.

For example, if you love to teach your siblings in your leisure time as a hobby, then think about joining as a part-time tutor to teach students.

It will support you in enhancing your teaching skills and developing your profession towards it.

  • Study more

Another way to develop your hobby into an extracurricular activity is by studying it deeply. You can study it in an advanced way to enhance your knowledge on it and make qualifications from it.

For example, suppose you are self-learning the Korean language through dramas and YouTube videos. In that case, you can enroll yourself in a language course and learn it systematically.

Then you’ll earn a certificate and face the Topik exams to measure your Korean language proficiency. 

  • Make an impact

Try to find ways to impact others through your hobby. Then it will become more applicable as an extracurricular activity. You can start it small and can expand it to make an impact on more people.

As an example, if you are engaged in cooking as a hobby, you can expand it to make an impact on others by teaching cooking to others or starting a YouTube channel to express new recipes. It will make more impact on society with your hobby.

  • Exhibit your skills

It won’t impress you; just engage in your hobby alone with no one knowing it. To make it an extracurricular activity and to get the attention of others, you can exhibit your talents and activities to others.

For example, if you do painting as a hobby, you can make a collection of your paintings and organize an exhibition. Then others will learn your skills, and you can continue it more productively.

Final thoughts about differences between extra-curricular activities and hobbies

Now, you have a clear idea about the difference between hobbies and extracurricular activities.

So, don’t include your hobbies as extra curricular activities in your college entrance application and try to earn more qualifications and a good impression by developing more organized and productive extracurricular activities at your high school time.

Build up yourself more effectively to compete with others. Believe me; you will learn many things from engaging in extracurricular activities.

Thank you for reading the post. If you think this is useful, feel free to share it with your friends. Stay with HobbyLeads for more about hobbies.

Author

  • Delbert Spence is the founder of HobbyLeads. He is passionate about meaningful extra time by engaging in different hobbies. He believes every hobby has its qualities and benefits. So, Delbert started writing about different hobbies and researching more in-depth about each hobby. He has done some research on the correlation between hobbies and social-emotional behavior. As a scholar and a hobby enthusiast, Delbert tries to help you find answers to frequently asked questions about hobbies.

Similar Posts