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1 of 3 Premium Clicks used this month SUBSCRIBE Print + Online Subscriber Activation | Register x Forgot Password | Need an Account? subscribe | newsletter | deals Classifieds Jobs Autos Real Estate FEATURED » NEWS NOW 'Deer Summit' will be televised ... Arson leaves Talent woman with few options ... Chris Honoré: The canary in the coal mine ... 'Deer Summit' will be televised ... Arson leaves Talent woman with few options ... Chris Honoré: The canary in the coal mine ... TEACHER'S TIPS More to college admissions than just grades and test scores Comment By Paul Huard DailyTidings.com By Paul Huard Posted Feb. 23, 2015 at 4:52 PM Updated Feb 23, 2015 at 5:25 PM By Paul Huard Posted Feb. 23, 2015 at 4:52 PM Updated Feb 23, 2015 at 5:25 PM » RELATED CONTENT • Welcome back to school! A new year offers a clean slate • A connection between Charlie Hebdo, MLK and the classroom • Teacher's Tips: Second — and third — chances are there for students... • Every minute counts, so make punctuality a habit • Your child's best best bet for success? It's you » Social News It’s been said that if a 4.0 GPA and a transcript full of Advanced Placement courses were the only things that lead to college admission, higher education would be a very dull place. That’s why extracurricular activities are an important part of the educational experience. Please note that I said "important." Yes, grades matter. Test scores matter. Course choice matters. But colleges and universities ideally want social and intellectual diversity. They want to admit someone who displays that he or she has a life outside of the classroom. That’s where involvement in clubs, sports, music, drama and other activities can help students of differing abilities and achievement levels gain admittance into a college or university. The choice of extracurricular activities at Ashland Middle School and Ashland High School are dazzling. In addition, the community offers many opportunities for students with interests in art, music and drama to find their niche. As you guide your child through the decision-making process regarding how he or she finds an activity or activities in which to participate, keep a few things in mind: • Keep it real: Genuine commitment to (and interest in) the activities offered by a club or team are preferable to token participation. The best piece of advice I can offer: It is better to join one club and stick with it for four years of high school than join 10 clubs and just show up for the yearbook picture. College admissions officers see right through students who join multiple clubs but have very little authentic involvement. If the student actually enjoys the activity, he or she is more likely to stick with it. It’s OK to let natural inclinations guide the student’s choice. • It’s about leadership, not spin: I meet too many parents and students who treat extracurricular involvement as an exercise in brand enhancement. I’ll be the first to acknowledge the role of enlightened self-interest when it comes to achieving any goal in life, but there’s a great life lesson that extracurricular involvement can teach — how to be a leader. This nation would be a better place if more young people learned how to help people set goals, solve problems and motivate a group to accomplish a task. Serving as an officer in a club or organization will teach a young person those skills — and impress the socks off an admissions officer. • Moderation is essential: I know students who pour their lives into their extracurricular activities but can’t keep up with their homework or attend class regularly. Help your child by using the power of the word “no” at appropriate times — “No. You can’t play until you are caught up with your homework.” “No. You can’t go to that activity until you have checked in with your teacher about the work you will miss and make plans to make it up.” “No. You can’t participate because you have too many absences and it is lowering your grade.” Who said parenting was easy? But in the long run, your child will be better off because he or she will learn how to strike a balance between their life in a classroom and their life outside of a classroom. • If you really want to impress an admissions officer, get a job: More and more colleges are looking to see whether a student knows how to get their hands dirty in the work world. Ideally, it is a job in an area the student actually enjoys. But a job — any job — will show a college or university that the student possesses desirable life skills such as punctuality, good attendance, the ability to interact with the public and reliability. (By the way, all of those characteristics are indicators of college success.) There are plenty of choices when it comes to extracurricular activities. Help your child make wise choices, not only so he or she will gain college admission, but become a whole person who knows there is more to life than their GPA. A former reporter who covered politics and government for newspapers in California and Oregon, Paul R. Huard teaches social studies and English courses at Ashland High School. The opinions he expresses are his own. By Paul Huard DailyTidings.com By Paul Huard Posted Feb. 23, 2015 at 4:52 PM Updated Feb 23, 2015 at 5:25 PM » Comment or view comments Reader Reaction » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Southern Oregon Directory Featured Businesses Loading... 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