By Michael Yang
For many high schoolers, it often seems necessary to focus solely on grades in order to maintain a high grade point average. However, it is important for students, especially those in high school, to maintain balance by participating in extracurricular or leisure activities.
Many high school students want to maintain straight As in order to appeal to colleges; however, having a healthy mix of activities will do more to appeal to colleges than simply good grades. For example, a student that participates in many clubs and tournaments, but gets an occasional B, is more attractive to colleges than a student who gets all As, but who spends all of his time studying, and has no time for extracurricular activities. Though high grades are important to colleges, they are not the end-all be-all, and should be treated as one of the many different aspects which one should work on to appeal to colleges. It is not enough to be perfect in one section, but nonexistent in another; rather, being well-rounded is the best way to appeal to colleges.
Though high grades are definitely important, and look very attractive to colleges, they should not be treated as everything. It is important for students to focus on out-of-school activities, not only to attract colleges, but also to relieve some of the stress of school.
