Final Group Project

The following essay is the final group project from this JUA group. To find out more about the Junior Urban Adventure visit the portal blog for the project.

JUA Experiences

When our group first discussed our essential question we thought it would be intriguing to visit some colleges, meet with different college students, and find out the true answer. Do co-curricular and extra-curricular activities benefit students at every level? Can they help shape you into a well-rounded person, and prepare you for life after school? Further more, can they actually help bolster your resume, and thrust you into your ‘reach’ college? For two days we set out with Mr. Levine to find our answer. After visiting some colleges, interviewing several different people, and blogging at Starbucks we found our answer. For most kids co-curricular is an abstract term, it’s a word often referred to when they think back on their high school activities. Whether that’s a sport, a club, a play, they are all things that students across the country enjoy.
When we first pondered our question we thought, how can participating in an after school activity help prepare you for college and life after college? Our findings are such: In it’s simplest form, the more you do, the better off you are. Any student who applies to college has a better chance of being accepted based upon the fact that they were willing to do more. When we say do more, we mean helping out your community, volunteering for community service, working at a soup kitchen, or recycling. Each of the college admissions counselors we meet stated that an individuals academic record coupled with how many co-curriculars they have done can move their application to the front of the pack. A student who was willing to go that extra mile, shows that they have a solid work ethic, can interact with people on all levels, and are committed to helping others.
The admissions staff at Emmanuel College and Suffolk University told us that 90% of all their applicants have at least three extra-curricular activities listed on their application. When students arrive at these respective schools they are more than willing to continue these trends. Of the two colleges, close to 80% of their current students partake in some sort of activity. Some play sports, some join the theater, and others are actively involved in the communities which they live. The counselors went on to say that each activity teaches you things like time management, work ethic, and organizational skills. A student who is involved in at least one activity during either his/her high school or college career is more likely to find success than a student who does not.
When we interviewed current college students in Boston we found that people truly enjoy being active members in their communities. These co-curriculars can help students to meet different people, broaden their horizons, and can be very healthy on all sorts of levels. As one student put it, “helping others, joining a club, or participating in a sport has benefited me immensely, and has made me a healthier and happier person.” I think this quote hit home with most f our group.
When we started our trip, most of us thought that we would go on to college and ‘go with the flow’. I am more than positive that after talking with different people our opinions and views have definitely changed. Each of us will continue to add co-curricualrs to our resume as our high school years wind down. We will become involved in at least one activity when we arrive at college our Freshman year. This trip was truly a learning experience. It was an experience we couldn’t learn from sitting behind a desk. In essence it provided us with a different outlook. I feel JUA teaches students to think outside of the box, it is a trip that although long and daunting, serves a purpose for all who participate. The members of our group are grateful for the experience, and as we sat down to write this paper, we each reflected and this is each of our findings.
I found JUA to be a very valuable learning experience. On the first day we visited Emmanuel College. We were lucky enough to be able to interview an Emmanuel representative who managed to answer any questions that we had regarding the college itself, and our driving question of how extra-curricular activities effect you in and out of school. The main points I picked up from this meeting is that extra-curricular activities are a good judge of time management, and if a student has upheld a lot of extra activities it proves to schools that the student is capable of managing their time wisely, and they are therefore more prepared for college and inevitably a job following that.
This was also a concept discussed in the meeting we had the next day with two admissions representatives from Suffolk University, which we also had the opportunity to visit. The representatives of Suffolk University also believed that co-curricular activities proved the students had good time management skills, and were therefore more favored in the application process for both college and a job interview. JUA was a very enjoyable and thought-provoking experience that has led us to ask driving questions and gain answers through actions.
For the time we were in Boston on our JUA trip we learned a great deal on College life. We visited all different colleges and found out how important extra curricular activities really are. Basically we learned that being an athlete is a huge advantage to getting into college. Anybody could go to college but athletes or club members with decent grades get looked at first and recommended before people who do nothing besides schoolwork and get good grades. The reason for this, is because colleges realize that athletes have much more to give and provide for that school.
JUA was a great introduction to the city of Boston, as well as an introduction to extra-curriculars in college. On the first day, our group visited Emmanuel College where we met with an admissions representative. He spoke to us about how important extra-curriculars are to the college experience. After our visit, we went out to lunch with Mr. Levine and his sister, who is currently a student at Emmanuel. She answered a few of our topic specific questions as well as telling us about her personal experience and opinion of extra-curriculars in college. Our second day in Boston, we visited Suffolk University, in the center of the city. At Suffolk, we repeated our questions to a team of representatives, but since our first visit, we had come up with other essential questions. After all our questions were answered, the Suffolk representatives showed us a video describing the extra-curriculars of the College. I really enjoyed my JUA experience, and I have learned a lot about our essential question.
The Junior Urban Adventure was an extremely helpful and successful trip. We went to numerous colleges and spoke with their admissions officers. They told us exactly what we needed to do in order to get into college. The officers told us that co-curricular activities were extremely helpful when one is applying to college, and they are a “must have” on one’s transcript. In addition to visiting colleges, my group and I had a lot of fun walking around downtown Boston. This trip was a lot of and also very rewarding.
During my time spent on Junior Urban Adventure with Mr. Levine and my fellow peers in my group I learned many important lessons that will help me for my future. In our group we learned all about how extra-curricular activities shape you and make you a better person for college. I learned that schools are very interested in all the extra curricular activities you do. We visited Emanuel College and Suffolk University. I thoroughly enjoyed our college visits as it prepared me for what applying to college and the admissions process will be like, and how they come upon picking their students. I learned that co-curricular activities do shape you to become a better student and candidate for the admissions process. There are thousands of students applying for colleges that all have similar grades that are just as good as your grades. However, it is the more co-curricular activities you have in your background that better your chances for acceptance. I feel that going to school in the city would be a fun and a rewarding experience. As we walked around the city we really got a good feel for what life in the city is like, and it seems like a good environment to be in. As we interviewed students at Emanuel College they really answered all of our questions and helped us learn more about the school and to get a good feel for the environment. I can strongly say that by the feed back of the students that we interviewed at Emanuel College, co-curricular activities shape you for college and also allow you to be more prepared and well off for your future outside of college.
On Junior Urban Adventure, my main question was whether or not extra- curricular activities are beneficial to a student. To answer this question, we went to Emmanuel College and Suffolk University and interviewed people who work in the admission department at the different schools, as well as current students who are participating in extra-curricular activities at their schools. The overwhelming consensus among the people we interviewed was that extra-curricular activities are very beneficial in many ways for any student to engage in. When a student participates in activities outside the classroom, it teaches them leadership skills, helps them to become a well-rounded individual, and can give the student time to relax and have fun. Whether it is a chess club or the hockey team, students can not only have fun, but also learn vital skills for both school and life beyond school by participating in extra-curricular activities.
JUA was a different and unique learning experience that I enjoyed immensely. Not just because it meant that I wasn't in class, and in the inner city of Boston, but that extra-curriculars are more than just the activities my mom had me do to keep me out of trouble. They matter a lot when it comes to what college will accept you and which college is the right one for you. There were different activities that our group did over the two days to help us come to understand and learn this. The first was going to the admission offices and asking the people who help determine whether you get in or not. Talking to the admissions people seemed more boring than anything else, especially at one of the schools we went to. The guy didn't seem prepared at all and didn't really seem to care. The next thing we did was to actually talk to some college kids to hear what they thought. The general consensus was that extra-curriculars are a very good thing. So in the end it turned out to be the students who were the most convincing. I learned a lot and appreciated this trip. I honestly feel this trip was and will be a great learning experience for any student who participates in it!
After my experience, I can honestly say that the Junior Urban Adventure is one of the best programs offered at New Hampton School. I learned more about college and what I will be doing there than I could have imagined, and managed to have fun, too! Staying in the hostel and being right there in Boston was exciting. Living at a small school in the middle of New Hampshire, it gave me a sense of curiosity for my surroundings in the big city. Meeting with a real college student and being able to ask her a few questions was also great. She showed me what college life is like from the perspective of someone who is actually living it, not just a teacher or a parent. I have decided that I will try every extra-curricular activity possible in college and even in my next year in high school, because I now know that extra curricular-activities make you use time management skills, and help you to learn interactive skills with your peers.