Why Extra-curricular Activities Are Important During High School

If you’re a high school student planning on going to university in the fall, no doubt you’re working hard to make sure your grades are as high as possible. Your grades, credits, and the courses you take will be carefully reviewed by university admissions teams —but they won’t tell the whole story about how unique and amazing you are!

That’s why the University of British Columbia (UBC) asks you to tell more about yourself and your experiences — both inside and outside the classroom — through the Personal Profile section of the application. The Personal Profile helps UBC identify students who will flourish at UBC, not just because of high grades but because of the experiences and ambitions they bring with them. It gives you the opportunity to tell UBC about your amazing qualities — the things that are important to you, your significant achievements, what you have learned from your experiences, and the challenges that you’ve overcome.

So as you look ahead to university, consider doing volunteer work, getting involved in community projects and activities that are meaningful to you, developing your interests and passions, and take note of the things you’ve done that have an impact on others. There’s no right or wrong — just be you!

As UBC student Josh says in Your Personal Profile video, “The important thing [about the Personal Profile] is to be yourself and not to stress out about it because, really, you’re just showing who you are.”