Extracurricular activities! Why does it matter at all in the MBA? Most of you might be wondering after reading the topic headline. Ideally, it shouldn’t have mattered whether you have been actively involved in extracurricular activities or not. All that matter to an MBA should’ve been your overall academic performance and the aptitude. It is not the case here. Authorities consider your extracurricular activities too. Admission consultants generally recommend what activities you can engage in for profile improvement and personality development.
Does that mean your participation in Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and such activities?
Although CSR activities will have a positive effect on your bio, that is not the only thing. CSR might appear as if your attempt to impress the evaluators. Put yourself at the board member’s place and think. How will you feel when at least 80% of the profiles mention CSR as their extracurricular activity? Obviously, you may find the candidate did participate in such acts to put an impression on the board. Mentioning of all the activities including sports, games, art and music will amplify your chances of selection.
Why do Extracurricular Activities Matter in MBA Admission?
Extracurricular activities state many things about you silently. The person looking at your profile can derive about the traits you possess by simply glancing through the games, hobbies or acts you were involved in. An MBA holder will be handling people from different sections of society having diverse perceptions and opinions. Therefore, he or she must have the right attitude, the right viewpoint, to do well during the job. The qualities an institute can ascertain from a candidate’s extracurricular activities are:
Leadership and Team Work – Sports activities or art forms that require coordination of the team members will need effective leadership and playing together as a team. You may have been captain or a team member. Had you been a captain who could lead your team to victory, it simply narrates your leadership capabilities. Not to worry, even if you were just a part of the team. Working together as a team is a vital factor in the success of every organization. That means in either way you are a winner.
Display of Your Soft Skills – An MBA holder would be placed at the position where he or she is expected to handle different people and resolve complex situations. Your soft skills have an important role to play in such scenarios. Remaining composed taking charge of the situation and administering resolution to the problem in hand is what expected from the candidate. Extracurricular activities will display your soft skills, as well as, proclaim your capabilities in moving ahead and winning.
A Multitasking Candidate – A common thing is the students who focus on studies perform poor in extracurricular activities. Many a time, they may not be involved anything other than studies at all. This doesn’t have an optimistic impression on the selection board. Those who posted at the managerial positions or carrying out responsible jobs must be able to undertake different tasks most of the time. Your remarkable performance in both academics and other activities reflects your persona as a multitasking capable candidate. This is a plus point for you.
Passionate Person – Extracurricular activity is not limited to any particular type of sports, hobby, arts or games. Neither has it meant group activities. It could be solo acts as well. Only a passionate person can indulge in the activity and perform exemplary. The board or institute will ponder upon your performance and may take it as the yardstick for evaluating your persona.
Initiative Attitude – Of course, your parents can force you to take up extracurricular activities. However, they cannot ensure your consistent performance. Winning and marking your presence in the field necessitates your initiative attitude and persistency. An MBA aspirant must analyse the situations to initiate changes and improvements. The extracurricular activity highlights the aspirant’s attitude and aptitude clearly.
Extracurricular activities have importance in MBA admissions. However, as in any other case, you should not overdo it. The committee may feel as though you have created the profile just to impress them. Everything must be as natural as possible. We Sage Education, have been instrumental in helping students to obtain admissions in elegant MBA institutions. You can consult our experts to have a detailed discussion on the topic. We will help you with everything related to MBA admissions.
