Extracurriculars are overrated

Why the most common high school advice is wrong

Staff Writer

A commonly given piece of high school advice is to fill up one’s resume with lots of outside commitments. Granted, extracurriculars help with college admissions, meeting new friends, and making memories. But they also are time sinks, stressors adding to the obligations of school itself.

At the high school level, school already takes seven hours every weekday, and that excludes homework and studying afterward. Students are already short on time, and extracurriculars make this worse. The end result is that students lack time to relax. It might seem unproductive or wasteful to merely scroll social media, watch videos, hang out with friends and family, or stare at the wall and do nothing; however, free time is beneficial to mental health, especially when we recognize these benefits. A study published in Rutgers Today states that people who do not find enjoyment in leisurely activities tend to experience more depression, stress, and anxiety. The culture making us feel obligated to be active outside of school often gives the impression that free time is useless, diminishing its benefits and the happiness it can provide.

Moreover, adolescents need sleep, and most don’t get enough. According to the CDC, about seven in ten high school students do not sleep for the full eight hours they need to. Sleep is crucial to both physical and mental health. It helps with academics, too; per the CDC, lack of sleep not only causes a myriad of physical and mental issues, but also increases the risk of attention issues, hurting students’ ability to focus at school. High extracurricular commitments can take up afternoons and evenings meant for homework and free time, pushing these activities later into the night when we should be asleep.

With all this in mind, it makes sense that, per a University of Georgia study, overscheduled students have increased stress and anxiety. The same study indicates that, in fact, the academic benefits of extracurricular activities decrease the more a student takes on. These trends are most prominent for high school students due to their already high academic workload and the added pressure of planning for the future. Weirdly enough, this busy time is when we are most pressured to engage outside of school rather than buckling down and focusing on the most critical demands of this time.

There are only so many hours in a day. It is easier to maintain a healthy sleep schedule when not working past midnight because the day was filled with other commitments. It is easier to chill out with friends or engage in hobbies just for yourself when there is time. And yes, it is easier to succeed academically when there is more time to spend on schoolwork. The burnout often caused by overcommitment can weaken academic motivation and ultimately hurt grades.

This is our childhood, the last moments with which we can truly choose how our time is spent. In a few years, we will work jobs that eat away at our time seven days a week, most days of the year. If free time feels scarce now, it only gets worse. Therefore, it is up to us to preserve our limited time and save it for ourselves rather than giving it away. Time is so important, so we must feel free to waste it.