Since the end of World War II colleges have used test scores and extracurricular activities to select students.

More selective colleges like Harvard University and Oxford University have been using extracurriculars to pick the cream of the crop. The principal's decision in my opinion will help students boost their confidence and gain admission to selective colleges and institutions.

Besides university, it is also important for students to participate in extracurricular activities because it provides immense learning opportunities for the kids.

For example, if a student is on the student council he or she will learn the necessary leadership skills and persuasive skills required for leadership positions in the workforce.

First of all, let's talk about the learning opportunity for students.

Many clubs and activities these days require the use of technology.

The Yearbook club may need to use Photoshop and other editing softwares to make a beautiful yearbook.

Expanding on the leadership and persuasive skills required in a student council position as I mentioned earlier, student council will also help students learn about some of the issues the schools faces.

Many schools are facing infrastructure issues like faulty bathroom stalls and broken heaters.

Learning about this will help kids fight for causes they believe in and improve the school overall.

For the sports clubs, many games like football and basketball require strategic planning.

Where will the players go, how far should each player throw, are all examples of how critical thinking is used in sports.

If each student attends at least one extracurricular activity it will be very beneficial for them and help them learn necessary thinking skills.

As I said above participating in extracurriculars is essential to gain admission into descent universities these days.

Furthermore, many of these universities want more than one activity.

But critics to this argument argue that kids might have other activities besides extracurriculars.

Many students are enrolled in exam prep classes like SAT and ACT prep.

Most of these classes are 1-2 hours long.

If each student enrolls in an extracurricular activity in school then that's at least 3 hours of time taken after school.

Also each student has homework that might take longer or shorter depending on the student.

For any student 4 hours of work is tiresome and students may begin to burn out.

This argument posed by critics has backing but without extracurriculars many students will resort to playing online games or surfing the web.

As one may see participating in extracurricular activities is essential for kids to keep their brain moving.

In university many students still do extracurriculars to impress companies so they can one day work for those companies.

Many tech companies like Google and Microsoft want students to have participated in coding and engineering clubs.

Some people say this is why many products that tech companies produce like Google Chrome and Microsoft Surface Studio 2 are extremely high in terms of quality.

Their employees are well-rounded and have real-world experience. Extracurriculars also boost confidence in kids.

After they accomplish a task or win a match they feel proud. Extracurricular activities make kids interact better with others and make them essential members of the community.

A counter-argument may be that doing extracurriculars may raise the egos of kids and make them think they are the best in something even if they aren't.

Yet most kids don't feel this way and do not think they are superior to everyone else.

Sports are also a popular activity in college with 47.4% of students doing them at Harvard.

I attained this information while talking to a family member who attended Harvard.

Nevertheless, extracurriculars at the middle and high school level may not have the funding for exciting content.

I kind of believe this is why some students don't do extracurricular activities in school.

Overall, the principal's decision to make one extracurricular activity for each student mandatory is an excellent decision with good backing.

The opportunity for students to engage in such activities will help them in their lifetime. It will also help them in their future in university and so on.

Their confidence will be boosted and students interaction level will increase among their peers.

As more and more employers are looking for extracurricular activities on applicant's resume, it is imperative that students participate in them at all costs.

If you were a principal after reading this paper what would you decide?