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Students at U.S. universities usually involve themselves in the extracurricular activities offered at those particular universities.  Eracurricular activities are clubs, sports, and other student groups organized outside of (extra) the normal academic program (curricula).

This article gives a good overview of the value  U.S. universities place on extracurricular activities:

As the development of the well-rounded individual is a principal goal of extracurricular activities on college and university campuses, the numerous experiences these activities afford positively impact students’ emotional, intellectual, social, and inter-personal development. By working together with other individuals, students learn to negotiate, communicate, manage conflict, and lead others. Taking part in these out-of-the-classroom activities helps students to understand the importance of critical thinking skills, time management, and academic and intellectual competence. Involvement in activities helps students mature socially by providing a setting for student interaction, relationship formation, and discussion. Working outside of the classroom with diverse groups of individuals allows for students to gain more self-confidence, autonomy, and appreciation for others’ differences and similarities.

The article goes on to identify the main kinds of extracurricular activities available at universities in the United States, and they are:  athletics (i.e. the basketball team), academic and social organizations (i.e. the philosophy club), volunteer activities (i.e. cleaning up local parks once a month, or tutoring local schoolchildren), multicultural activities (i.e. French club), The Arts (i.e. the student orchestra, choir, ballet, theatre group, etc.), and student government. There are also many other extracurricular activites available at U.S. universities that don’t fit cleanly into any of these categories (for example, Debate Club – is it a sport?  A professional organization?).

The point is, no matter what sport you play or hobby you enjoy, there’s going to be a club or group in which you can participate.  You’d be surprised by the diversity of these organizations.  For example, if you like unicycling, you might consider going to Harvey Mudd, where they have a very-well organized unicycling club.  Seriously, if you look hard enough, you can find a club for anything.

Most activities offer different levels of involvement.  For example, if you’re really serious about basketball, you can consider playing on the official university team . . . or you could play in a basketball club for students who like basketball, but don’t want to devote all their time to it.

So, why is this important to think about when looking for a university?  Well, extracurricular activities are a big part of college life in the U.S., so you want to make sure that you choose a university that has some activities you’d enjoy.  Most big universities will have every kind of club, but some of the smaller universities may not offer every kind of activity.  For example, although most U.S. universities will have a basketball team, many will not have fencing teams (although many will).  If you’re passionate about a particular activity, make sure your university offers that activity.  You can do this by either:

• looking on the university’s web page, usually under a link called “Student Life” or “Campus Life.”  Here’s the example from Harvey Mudd, home of the unicyclists.
• asking someone in the admissions department

The bottom line is, don’t ignore your non-academic hobbies and interests.  Research what universities have to offer, and make sure you make extracurricular activities part of your decision-making process in choosing a U.S. university.

For your consideration: What sports or hobbies are you interested in?  Do universities in the U.S. generally offer such activities?  If not, can you find a U.S. university that does?

Other Posts in this Series

1. Conclusion - How to Choose a U.S. University - 02 Jun
2. Activities Around a University Campus - 01 Jun
3. Check Out U.S. Universities on iTunes U - 26 May
4. Extracurricular Activities (This post)
5. Get to Know Your Potential Professors - 21 May
6. Don't Forget Your Life! - 20 May
7. What Do You Want to See in the U.S.? - 19 May
8. How Many International Students go to your Chosen University? - 18 May
9. The Problem with University Rankings - 17 May
10. Using Facebook to Research Universities - 14 May
11. Look at the Surrounding Neighborhoods When Looking at a U.S. University - 13 May
12. How Weather Should Factor Into Your Search for a U.S. University - 12 May
13. Looking for a University in the United States: Cost of Living - 11 May
14. Looking for a University in the United States - 10 May