One of the most-oft questions I get from families is some version of this: “Which is more important — grades or extracurricular activities?
Here’s the answer.
Easy. Grades. Hands down.
Why is that? Well, the answer is pretty simple, really. Schools like to admit people who are good at school. Certainly, it’s nice to be a great left fielder or to strive to become the Mother Theresa of Cincinnati, or to play the Minute Waltz in 47 seconds. And colleges will be happy if you want to bring those talents with you to their school. But not unless you have the academic chops to do well in the classroom. Grades are more important than your extracurricular activities.
Many students, however, would prefer to believe that the grades on their transcripts don’t matter much. After all, everything our society–and the press–seems to tell us about college admission is that when it comes to grades or extracurricular activities. Those activities can sway the decision.
But the point is this: grades are the measure of your work in school. They are the assessments of your academic performance. And they are recorded and presented to college admissions offices on your transcript.
The Importance of Your Transcript
The number one most important element of your college application is your transcript. The transcript is the record of your academic performance. It gives information about the rigor of your courses (e.g., honors, college prep, remedial, Advanced Placement, etc.), as well as your performance (your grades in those classes). You have a GPA that is a mathematical representation of your performance through high school. And this GPA is used to compare your performance with other students at your school.
[Contrary to what most people believe, your GPA is not really used to compare your performance with students at other schools—at least not in a strict sense. To learn more about comparing GPAs, see this post.]
College admissions officers read and re-read your transcript. They will focus on your primary academic subjects, including math, English, science, social studies, and world languages. They will pay much less attention to your grades in your “extracurricular pursuits done while in school,” including music, theater, business, art, debate, and sports conditioning.
These subjects are academically light-weight. Your grades in these subjects may say more about your dedication than they do about your talent. I mean, it’s nice to have good grades in these “extracurricular” subjects, because they demonstrate you are responsible and that you have a decent work ethic.
School Is School (Not an Extended Holiday)
But again, a college is a “school,” not a Fun-Zone (okay, okay, college can be fun, but the real work of the college is done in the classroom). Colleges want to know whether you can analyze literature, or perform a chemistry experiment. Identify the causes of the Vietnam War, or solve difficult geometry problems. So they will focus on your grades in the core academic subjects.
Admissions folks may also likely recalculate your grade point averages. They will probably strip the extra little points you may get for honors or AP or IB courses. They do this so that they can really compare your performance against others in the same class in the same school.
The fact you got a B in that AP US History course but that you got a “bump” in your GPA to make it “equal” an A does not wipe away the incontrovertible fact that you did not get an A in AP US History. College admissions officers are well aware of the shenanigans high schools engage in to reward students for taking hard courses.
So your transcript is more important than just about everything in the admissions process.
But there are some other things that are also super-important–more so than your extracurricular achievements.
Standardized Test Scores
The other academic factor is your test score on the ACT or SAT. While these scores are not really a measure of your intelligence or your classroom abilities, they are measures of how well you understand English and basic mathematical computation. These fundamental academic skills are important if you are to succeed in college. The colleges that require these scores are giving you a chance to show off those skills.
Now much has been said about the diminishing importance of standardized tests in the admissions process. Many colleges and universities were “test-optional” before the start of the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020. But the virus infected the college admissions process, such that most colleges decided to go test-optional, at least temporarily.
However, as I write this, some colleges are reconsidering their test-optional policies. One top tier University, MIT, already has announced that it will again require the SAT or ACT with the next admissions cycle. My team and I anticipate that many other top-tier schools will follow suit.
But even if colleges remain test-optional, you should still attempt the test. A strong test score is another academic feather in your cap that demonstrates your prowess in the classroom. It is an imperfect measure of your intellectual gifts, but it certainly gives college admissions officers some solid information about your basic mathematical and English communication skills–not to mention your ability to do well on standardized tests!
What’s more, a good test score might help you score some merit scholarship dollars at your preferred college (assuming that your preferred college awards merit-based scholarships…many of the most selective colleges do not).
Teacher Recommendations
Other academic factors also enter the mix at most colleges. The first is your teacher recommendations. Not all colleges require them, but certainly, the more selective ones generally do. These recommendations do not focus on all your extracurricular achievements—but on your curricular ones.
Your teacher knows very well how you do in the classroom, whether your assignments show sophistication and your tests indicate mastery of the material. Top colleges clearly want students who know how to rock it at school.
[For more about getting great letters of recommendation for college, see this post.]
Extracurricular Achievements
Once they have considered these academic factors, they will turn to your extracurricular achievements. These activities can show dedication, perseverance, and distinctive talents, and often provide a platform for developing leadership abilities. So extracurricular accomplishments are definitely important. Every admissions office wants to populate their campus with hard-driving, creative, and interesting people who are willing to make their college a better place.
But they won’t just skip over your poor academic performance and let you in because you can run fast while playing the accordion and singing “Yankee Doodle.” They may admire your creativity, but if you can’t demonstrate that you can hack the algebra and the five-paragraph essay, you won’t get in. As you can see grades are more important than your extracurricular activities.
Which is More Important — Grades or Extracurricular Activities?
If you haven’t figured it out before, there is a clear answer to this question: grades. Extracurricular activities can be important, not only for college admission but for giving you fun and interesting experiences throughout high school. And beyond.
But in the college admissions process, your grades are far and away more important. If you don’t have the grades, no amount of extracurricular achievement can make up for your inability to perform well in school.
So if you want to go to college, go study!
