Any parent who is looking at college applications knows how important getting involved in extracurriculars can be. Your teen might not have the involvement in school activities that are going to impress the kinds of colleges they are looking for, but it’s not too late. However, there’s no denying that children who aren’t sporty can find it tougher to find the activities that they like. Here are some of the options you might want to nudge them towards instead.

Academic teams and clubs

Colleges do look at competitiveness and the drive to excel as a positive and you can get that outside of the football field or basketball court. For instance, you can look at joining a chess club, whether it’s at school or outside of it through the US Chess Federation site. There may also be teams such as debate and mathletes teams where your child can put their smarts to the test against others outside of a strictly academic setting.

The student newspaper

Another often overlooked extracurricular within the school is that of the newspaper or journalistic bodies. Organizations like the Park Tudor School paper do a lot of work that is linked to the local community, building relationships and keeping locals informed as to goings on with the school and other local organizations, something that certainly looks good to colleges. They can also teach a lot of communication and business skills that can make you look like a prime candidate, as well.

Getting involved with volunteering

Aside from getting involved with the extracurricular activities offered at their school, you should also look at the community for the potential good that they can do there, as well. Volunteering their time and skills can not only help them build positive relationships, but it can look great on their applications if they are seen to be thoughtful, helpful, and conscientious of their local environment and community.

Work experience

Of course, colleges also reward those who are participating in activities that are going to help them further their employability and skills in the world beyond education. As such, you should consider looking at sites like LinkedIn for internship options, or you can just look at local part-time jobs. The discipline and diligence that it takes to hold a job look good on an application and, of course, saving some money for college isn’t going to hurt.

Political activism

Given how cutthroat it can be, some parents might be wary about their children getting involved in local or state politics, but the truth is that it can be very valuable for certain colleges that look for principled children, not just those who are academically gifted. It can be getting involved with local electoral politics or political thought and support groups in the area, as well, it all shows a great dedication to the community.

There are plenty of extracurriculars for your teen to potentially get involved with. However, you just might need to do some looking around. Hopefully, the examples above give you some ideas of where to start.