People are always asking me what’s the biggest difference between the education systems of china and the us. They always wonder why they say that the schools in America are the best even though china has the highest education standard in the world. This should be able to answer a big part of that question. For the most part, teachers in china put so much focus on exam results, they put all the attention and the students energy to getting the best grade and getting into the top universities.

But what happens after they get in their parents dream college? Here’s the thing, in the United States, teachers are constantly encouraging students to join extracurricular activities. All the schools make sure they have a wide variety of activities to allow students to learn things they never could in class. According to the national center for education statistics, students who participate in extracurricular activities have a 15% higher classroom attendance rate and are three times more likely to make higher grades in math and reading than those who don’t. Generally, extracurricular activities include different sports, languages, cultures, and different interests and hobbies such as drama, anime, computer, drawing, etc.

Through these organizations, you gain leadership skills, a sense of responsibility, learn time management, get to be a part of something that really matters to you, therefore, becoming more motivated, and very often, you get to explore other possibilities and find out what you’re really passionate about. That’s one of the reasons why people who study abroad in the US tend to go back to their countries as a more confident, outgoing, and creative person.

By joining these clubs, students meet many others with similar interests and/or ways of thinking and develop a sense of belonging, they learn solid relationship skills as they interact with all kinds of different people. In fact, in my years of joining way more after school clubs than I should, I find most of my closest friends through them because we share common interest and can relate to one another better. Because of my participation in these activities, I’ve been put in musical productions, forced to train for hours after hours for upcoming competitions, gotten sun tanned beyond recognition, I’ve accompanied elderly in their homes, swam in the coldest waters of winter, and through each and every event, I gained something; a skill, friendly advice, strength, or just end up with really funny stories to tell. So be a part of something. Find something that grabs your attention, something you’ve always been curious about, or maybe even something outside your comfort zone! And I promise you, you won’t regret it.