Overseas Family School’s alumni have credited their success in university to the experience and learning gained from the school’s many extracurricular activities.
Extracurricular activities (ECAs) are part and parcel of the overall schooling experience. In fact, we as parents used to join them as well back in the day. Some might even say that it’s the most exciting part of school, and it’s not surprising why. ECAs provide students with the opportunity to pursue their interests beyond academics. Students get to try their hand at dancing and acting, ball sports and swimming, or even delve more into ‘professional’ interests like entrepreneurship and journalism. Think of it as an avenue to enjoy your hobby, but in school with classmates!
But did you know that participating in ECAs gives students a huge advantage? It’s not just an outlet for them to kill time and bond with each other. Some alumni of Overseas Family School (OFS) have shared with us that their involvement in ECAs actually helped them gain entry and adapt to university life.
Past OFS Law Academy members have been accepted to law faculties in top universities
Aditi Aggarwal and Pashann Bhada from OFS class of 2017 were members of the school’s Law Academy during their schooling days. Since then, they’ve read law at the University of Cambridge and King’s College London, respectively. Both Aditi and Pashann credit OFS’ Law Academy for their success. “Law Academy definitely helped me in both preparing for the Law National Aptitude Test (LNAT) as well as for my Cambridge interview because of all the cases we studied. The mooting practice was also excellent preparation, and the exposure to legal jargon such as ‘mens rea’ and ‘actus reus’ was a great help during my first year,” Aditi said.
Students pick up leadership and organisational skills through OFS’ after-school clubs
Founding and leading a club in school is no easy feat – OFS alumnus Aditya Sil from Class of 2022 can tell you that. The International Baccalaureate perfect scorer, who’s currently pursuing Biomedicine at Imperial College London, shares the same sentiments as his seniors Aditi and Pashann about the benefits of being involved in ECAs. Aditya founded and led several medical-related clubs during his time at OFS. He shared that doing so helped him practise and gain confidence in his leadership and organisational abilities. “Overall, my club experiences were essential in affirming my passion for biomedicine and also in creating a compelling argument in my university applications showing that I was a worthy candidate,” he explained.
Another alumnus from Aditya’s year, Soo Lee, also experienced the same advantages during his first year at the National University of Singapore. Soo Lee was a former member of OFS’ Model United Nations, from which he gained experience in debating current events and conducting large presentations. He shared, “The skills I obtained during my ECAs and service activities have been even more important than I ever would have thought. I am so glad that I took advantage of all the options available to me at OFS!”
OFS has over 90 ECAs and service activities for its high school students to choose from
With a wide range of after-school clubs and activities to choose from, your child will be spoilt for choice at OFS! The school has every sort of ECA, ranging from competitive sports, hobbies-driven activities, as well as career-related clubs. For example, there’s a Medical Scholars club for students who are keen to pursue a career in medicine. The club conducts medical-related activities, like dissections and suturing. It also invites alumni who are medical students to share insights about university applications, medical courses, as well as what university life is like. There’s also a Psychology Club where students discuss and learn about psychological topics in a fun way. This includes learning through videos, reading research papers (an important skill for university life!), as well as hearing from guest speakers.
Families can find out more about the opportunities OFS offers its students in terms of ECAs and service activities through the school’s website or contact its Admissions Team here.
This post is in partnership with Overseas Family School.
