When you get to high school or are already in high school, you might want to participate in extracurricular activities to advance your career in not only college and high school to make your teachers think you've got skill, but for real life as well.

However, there are many extracurricular activities that are not drawing or performing; they can be achieving awards or scholarships or being a champion in a volleyball tournament.

There are four tiers of high school extracurricular activities. Tier 4 is what most high school students do when they want to learn and not exceed too much; tier 3 is for students who want to go a little further without letting go of their anti-exceptionalism; tier 2 is for students who want to go to the high levels of achievement to make their high school portfolio scream “amazing” to the college admission officers; and tier 1 is for people who just do NOT want to miss at all and want to achieve anything and everything that’s possible to reach to the top before anyone else.

You think you can relate to one of these tiers? Read and see.

Tier 4 - Common

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This is the most common tier in most high school extracurricular activities because most students find it more fun and convenient for them. These activities include:

• Participating in a School Club: Many individuals like to attend drama, music, dance, and/or debate clubs to learn more about the field they want to head in. Did you know that if you attend drama and/or debate clubs more, you can boost your critical thinking and communication skills because you will be talking with others you don’t know more than people you do know? Not only that, but debate clubs can also increase your research skills since you will need to pull in a LOT of receipts to win a debate, especially for political ones.
• Recreational Sports: If you just simply want to play sports to advance your skills without winning awards, then this is for you. Students do recreational sports such as badminton, tennis, swimming, etc., have fun, and gain interest in the sport to step into a real-life and high-paying career.
• Volunteering: It’s better to serve others before serving yourself. It’s like Jesus Christ of Nazareth said, “Love thy neighbor.” Volunteering usually refers to doing community service such as working at soup kitchens, planting, helping animals at a shelter, etc. for the betterment of your community.

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Tier 3 - Mid-Tier

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When we talk about the third tier of extracurricular activities, it usually refers to not taking on exceptional or high level activities, but not exactly staying in the common category of extracurricular activities. They refer to:

• School Club Leadership: Instead of just being a member of the club you’re in, why not be the leader? If you have a good amount of skills and expertise during your high school term, you can lead your club and teach them how to be successful and better like you. Being a leader for a school club can also increase your leadership skills and confidence so that if you become a leader of a company, you already know what to do.
• Studying: Not a lot of students tend to choose this path because they’re much more focused on their weekend or after-school activities, but when you study, you’re enhancing your knowledge in a particular field such as science, math, English, etc. Not only that, but it can also make exam questions easier for you with the right amount of prep time.

Tier 2 - High Level

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Now this is the tier that has high school students talking about, “I may fail, but I will succeed at everything I do.”

• High-Level Leadership: When a person is a high-level leader, it basically means they are in control of school-wide activities instead of participating in them. This refers to being a school body president, editor-in-chief of the school newspaper, person in charge of the school clubs, etc. Holding these types of positions can solidify your knowledge, credibility, and skills in leadership for when you’re ready to take on a real-life role in leadership.
• Sports Champion: You won a championship and came in second or first place and a championship trophy for your performance. That is part of the second tier of extracurricular activities. It shows your passion, abilities, and agility in what sport you’re participating in and will bring you more opportunities in the future.

Tier 1 - Exceptional

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This is the most rarest extracurricular activity tier of all time. This tier goes beyond the common and least common activities and establishes who you are as a person.

• Award Winner: Winning national or regional awards in competitions such as spelling bees, essay and poetry contests, art competitions, etc. When you win these types of exceptional awards, you’re not only making yourself redeemable to admission officers, but you’re also making your name recognizable, increasing your aura everywhere. You can also win money prizes by getting first place.
• All-State Athlete: You won a sports tournament at number one, and you have been declared an All-State athlete. An All-State means that you represent your team and the school you’re in due to your performance and experience.
• Creating an Organization: This is much more prestigious than simply leading an organization. When you create your own organization, you are in control of what happens to your organization. You can choose to help others and increase the likelihood of success in the future or use it as experience.

Conclusion

These are the four tiers of high school extracurricular activities that you should know if you’re heading into high school or want to participate in these activities to prepare for college. Although you don’t need to do extracurricular activities, it’s best to do them if you have your mind set on prestigious colleges.