student14x

Well, are extracurriculars helpful for gradschool(i.e phd or masters)? I'm talking about the top programs here.

ken285

Not really. Focus on research and internships (if applicable).

uefastation

No. Although this is in reference to graduate school in Organic Chemistry, a professor once said that putting extracurricular activities on your application will hurt you since it shows that you have been wasting your time doing other things when you should of been in the lab. A grad school is your employer for the next 4-7 years, they could care less what you do outside of research. They care about production. Humanities may be different, but for sciences the above holds.

tahncol86

How about undergraduate research that does not relate to the specific study of interest? Like the first engineering research during undergrad to get more involved.

Professor X

ECs don't count one bit for humanities programs, either.

Research in the intended field of study (and in cognate areas) does count.

uefastation

Research is research in my opinion. Even though it may not be relevant to your specific field of interest, your first research experience is valuable in the familiarity one gains with the overall notion of what all encompasses research and the generic methods used by researches across all fields. As you said, "research to get more involved." That clearly exhibits your desire and passion to pursue research by seeking out opportunities instead of doing nothing, which is definitely a good attribute of a potential graduate student.

ticklemepink

Honestly, do the ECs that you really enjoy doing because they'll give you a real mental break from your research and academics.

But yeah, they're not as valued as for undergrad admissions so I never really bothered to pile them up in my undergrad- only the ones I could devote some free time to and that I actually care about. I'm not going to going rugby just because it looks good.

mavsin

ECs count more for law or medical school since they're more general and accept different majors, although not as much as undergrad admissions, and doing an internship or research is still going to show more commitment than most clubs.

dobby

I think the people saying ECs are not good for science or humanities need more nuance.

Look, there's some places where it counts. For example, volunteering at a historical society might make you very desirable because you may open up connections between a professor at your prospective grad school and the archivists at the society. I know a guy who got a great grad school advisor because the prof felt indebted to the student for opening up a social connection to a remote and important archive...in Japan!

In the sciences one could perhaps do an EC at a science magazine or even for the popular press. Scientists like to be recognized and would probably not scoff at the idea of having a student who knows someone who can get them profiled in Time, Scientific American, or any other magazine.

astrina

I did a substantial amount of TAing (4 of 5 years) in college and about half of my interview professors remarked on it in some way. Although my department doesn't have a teaching requirement, I think it was a nice way to reassure them that I could talk to a large group of people efficiently and comfortably, as well as learn to organize presentations, handle Q&A, etc.

I'd still say to do whatever you want -- college should be enjoyable as well as productive. If you think an extracurricular activity detracts from your application, just do it anyway and don't bother mentioning it.

DespSeekPhd

Dobby - in those cases I would distinguish between "extracurriculars" and "commitment to the field." Volunteering to work at a historical society is the latter. When the two are distinguished, it makes it easier to understand what matters and what doesn't, and why.