Many seniors think they can’t continue doing their favorite activities after high school — but why shouldn’t they?
For many of our seniors, this final year in high school marks what they believe to be the end of their involvement with some of their favorite activities, such as sports, performing groups, and clubs. It’s true that in college it becomes harder to do some of these activities at a high level unless you fully commit yourself to them. However, it’s still possible to keep doing what you love, even if you don’t want to become a D1 athlete or a pro-level musician. This article details some things you can get involved with in college, whether it’s something you want to continue doing after high school or even a brand-new activity.
Intramural Sports
Not everyone who plays sports wants to compete at the highest level after high school. At the collegiate level, it can be incredibly competitive and selective to get a spot on your school’s teams. However, intramural sports allow people to keep enjoying the sports they love without needing to spend all of their time on one sport. Intramural sports are sports organizations organized within a college or university so students can have fun playing against other teams within their own school without being too competitive. There’s no selection or try-outs for intramurals; anyone can sign up and play.
If you want to have fun playing a sport with friends or just to get some exercise, intramurals might be the perfect activity for you. Whether you’re a complete beginner or an experienced player, they’re open to all skill levels, and some schools like the University of Iowa have multiple divisions to join based on how competitive you want to be. Overall, this activity is appealing to many because of how accessible it is for anyone to join and how fun it can be.
Performing Arts
If you love music now, why not keep doing it in college? If you spent all your time in Lancer Productions while you were in high school, who’s stopping you from still doing theater? For high school musicians or performers, there are numerous groups to get involved in after you graduate. Most colleges or universities have many different performance groups you can be part of, even if you aren’t majoring in that activity. You still have to audition to be in the vast majority of these groups, but if you’re really set on continuing with some of these activities after high school, you absolutely can.
Many schools will even pay you money to keep performing in these ensembles after high school. The University of Northern Iowa offers some pretty high-paying scholarships just for non-music majors who want to keep performing. Staying involved in some of these groups can take up a lot of your time, but the amount of fun you can have in them (and the money you can get from being in them) can absolutely make it worthwhile for some students.
Clubs and Organizations
North Scott High School already has a large offering of clubs to be involved with. However, the sheer amount of organizations you can join in college or university is insane — Iowa State University has over 800 student clubs and organizations to choose from. Some of these organizations seem familiar: clubs like FFA and FBLA both have collegiate chapters that allow you to stay involved with these clubs in different ways after high school. Other clubs can be completely new and different, whether their purpose is to just provide students with a way to have fun or to come together over a shared interest.
In addition to how fun student organizations can be, many of them can help you prepare for your future after college. Some organizations like Student Government can help give you leadership experience that can help prepare you for your future job and look good on resumes when you apply for interviews. Other groups, such as fraternities and sororities, can help you meet and network with people who have already established themselves in the career you’ve chosen to pursue. These clubs can help your future while still being fun.
Final Thoughts
There are so many different things you can get involved with after high school. Many seniors think they can’t continue doing their favorite activities after high school — but why shouldn’t they? These activities are easy to join, fun to be in, and can help your future. If you’re having any doubts about getting involved in college or university, go for it; you won’t regret it!
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