Susan M B Chen, a high school student at Downe House School in Britain, shares with readers her life at the all-girl public school and offers useful information and advice for her peers who intend to study in Britain

    Dear fellow students:

    Today, I would like to discuss the importance of extracurricular activities and how you can explore the abundant options available here in the United Kingdom.

    Most Asian students may forget the importance of extracurricular activities for two main reasons. The first is because students from Asian countries have been brought up to focus more on their academics. Therefore, less attention and time is allocated to the more recreational side of education.

    The second reason is because there is often a language barrier preventing them from fully participating in activities. In addition, Asian students may also be unfamiliar with new activities in which they have no experience in their home country.

    However, once you realize the benefits extracurricular activities can bring you, it is important to get actively involved and try out new activities even if you are unsure whether you will like them or not. There will be activities you will develop a liking for, and others which are simply fun. Others are an acquired taste. If you love doing something, then there is every possibility that you will someday excel at it.

    I understand the importance of extracurricular activities for two fundamental reasons. The first is that they can really strengthen a college application as you progress into Year 13. The other is that you can learn that there is life outside of academics, and this is particularly important in a boarding school.

    These activities give you an opportunity to develop a talent, unwind after studying, and develop social and leadership skills. When you are boarding at high school, you may understandably focus on your grades, neglecting the fun side of school life. But extracurricular activities will give you skills that you may use for the rest of your life.

    There are so many kinds of extracurricular activities one can engage in. I would mainly group them into four categories: sports, music, arts and community service.

    There are various sports one can do at boarding school in Britain. Rugby and tennis are very popular sports in all boys’ schools. At my school, there are two extremely popular sports which are not very familiar to Chinese students. They are netball and lacrosse.

    When I first started at Downe House at the age of 13, I had no idea of what netball or lacrosse was. Out of curiosity I tried both of them and found that I really enjoyed netball. I trained with the netball team throughout my five years at Downe House, eventually achieving a place in the First Team. First Team is another term for the A Team or Varsity, as Americans would call it. Netball is not an extreme sport, yet allows you to gain good teamwork skills and good physical exercise.

    I also like lacrosse, and have my own lacrosse stick and a pair of lacrosse boots. Despite my love for both sports, after careful consideration of the balance between work and play, I chose to excel in my favorite sport and to focus on netball throughout my years at school.

    Yours fondly,

    Susan M B Chen

    Year 13 student at Downe House School