Now more than ever, colleges are looking for diverse students with many interests outside of the classrooms. Students feel forced to participate in extracurricular activities in order to round out applications and resumes. Some programs taking place outside of school can be expensive and incredibly time consuming. Instead, students taking part in these may be overlooking a simpler option, clubs.

Yeah I know, clubs. The concept that we get pounded into our ears seemingly 24 hours a day. But, to be honest, it’s a vital component of your resume when it comes time to apply for colleges. For instance, last year over 26,000 kids applied to the University of Maryland, which is the strongest in-state option for students. Out of these students, many share very similiar grades and SAT scores, making it hard for admissions personnel to separate these students. In this re-occurring scenario, colleges turn towards the student’s extracurricular merit to make decisions between potential students. With that in mind, it’s to every students benefit to load up on clubs and sports to round out their applications.

WJ’s lineup of clubs is long and impressive, featuring 90 plus organizations that range from Airsoft Club to Vanilla a capella and everything in between. There are sure to be more than a couple clubs a student would be interested in. Furthermore, students don’t even have to be knowledgeable on the club’s subject matter. High school is about trying new things and clubs are a perfect avenue to do that.

Last year I joined the WJ handball club despite never playing before. Since then, I’ve grown to love the sport and I’m now pursuing handball teams outside of school. I would have never gotten into the sport if not for the club.

Another option that would be impressive to colleges would be creating your own club. All students must do is find a sponsor for their club, and students can create any club on any topic that they wish, so long as it’s appropriate for the school.

Anytime spent conversing with people around the school and you’ll quickly find that clubs are highly thought of amongst the school population. Sophomore Michael Elkin  said  clubs are the backbone of the school. Junior Zeke Green added that clubs allow students to try new things and meet new friends. Statements like these paint a positive picture of clubs and what they can add to the high school experience. Junior Natsumi Horikawa summed things up well when she said, “They’re simply great.”

In today’s modern college application process, extracurricular activities are needed in abundance. Along with anything done outside of school, clubs are a fantastic opportunity to meet new people, learn new things, and add to that all-important college resume. So join a club today, or better yet, create one.