Aspiring students begin their university life with a plan to achieve the highest possible grades, believing that it is the only way towards a prestigious career that fulfills their ambitions. That does not come as a surprise, considering that this is the method they adopted in high school, which got them to the specialty they desired. However, when we look at the whole picture of high position holders and successful employees; we find that the majority of them have acquired many skills through university. But they did not obtain them from classes, but rather through joining college activities and volunteer teams, where the student acquires skills such as leadership, elocution, public speaking, crowd management, forming social relations and finally contributing to improving and developing one's CV. For example, the late Dr. Ghazi Al Gosaibi participated in many activities and even headed the Arab Students Association at the University of London during his studies there.
There is a lot of confusion facing aspiring university students:
Do they focus on the academic aspect only? Should they participate in activities and volunteer work? If yes, what is the appropriate amount of participation? How will they balance assignments, university research and volunteer work? Will there be enough time for all of it?
To answer these pressing questions, I will talk about the importance of both the academic score (GPA) and volunteer work:
First, we must agree that one of the strategic objectives of the university stage is to enable university students to acquire intellectual and professional skills during their academic studies.
The GPA is the sum of all grades divided by the total number of hours completed. GPA is crucial when applying for academic positions. Saudi universities require the applicant to have a GPA of no less than 3.75 out of 5, and at the same time look for people with a diverse CV, and good academic and moral and reputation among academics, which will not be achieved without joining university activities and participating in volunteer work.
GPA is also the main criteria for obtaining a university degree and determining whether a student is eligible for honors or not. Therefore, we note the importance of obtaining a high academic GPA by focusing on study and good educational attainment.
On the other hand, extracurricular activities and volunteer work are defined as: activities carried out outside the classroom, whether inside or outside the university. The importance of these activities is summarized in the following paragraphs:
2- Extracurricular activities and volunteer work are an extension of the curriculum. They include what is not acquired in university classes, such as identifying and developing students' talents, and refining experiences and skills that contribute to building the students' personalities and self-confidence, which equips them to serve their community and country.
3- Employment standards are changing. For example, Former US President Donald Trump signed an executive order instructing federal government branches to focus on skills rather than university degrees in the selection of federal employees.
As for employment in the private sector, Andrew Main, Associate Dean at Bournemouth University says: “Let's compare, for example, a 21-year-old graduate and another with more than 21 years of experience, who are both equally intelligent. Allow me to give priority to the latter. However, education does change you”.
4- The Kingdom's Vision 2030 reinforces the importance of volunteering by planning to reach one million volunteers by 2030. The wise leadership’s focus on promoting the culture of volunteering is only due to its awareness of its importance and impact on societies.
I will attempt to explain why some people are content with studying alone and distancing themselves from extracurricular activities and volunteer work:
1- It requires a great deal of time in implementation, which may hinder the volunteer from studying or carrying out family duties.
2- Some officers treat students condescendingly if they commit mistakes, even though their role is to educate.
After this simplified comparison, which is supported by the opinions of university professors and experts in employment, and based on my own experience, I believe that I must acknowledge the importance of participating in university activities and volunteer work, while ensuring to maintain high academic achievement. An ambitious student can balance and organize their time.
And if you, dear student, decide to achieve balance and handle various pressures to realize you dreams of making your CV memorable through a high GPA, volunteer activities and work, I will give you some tips to make the best use of volunteer activities, without there being too many of them, which will bore the recruitment officer, or too little, which gives you a negative impression.
1- Describe your volunteer hours and activities by way of an impressive number, such as: (over 500 hours in volunteer work).
2- Add volunteer work related to the job you are applying to.
3- Be specific with your volunteer work. Nicole Williams, a career expert at LinkedIn, says: "Give as many details as possible, explain what you did and what you contributed".
In conclusion, a high GPA and extra-curricular activities are two fundamental pillars for ambitious students. Balancing between them is neither complicated nor easy. You should know for a fact that the modern world will not settle for grades only, as the numbers of graduates are increasing and those with high grades are many. The preference, however, is given to those with skills and experience. It is a reminder to everyone that where there's a will there's a way.
