Having been at Vietnamese universities for quite a long time, whether students should

choose between studying or participating in extracurricular activities is always a topic

that not only concerns parents and teachers but also Young people who are or have been
students also have very different views on this issue. I believe that everything has a good
and a bad side, and parents or students should look more at the positives as well as the
individual and collective benefits when choosing to participate in extracurricular
activities while at school, while still in student age. Personally, from personal experience,
all students can and should balance their studies to give themselves the opportunity to be
a part of these activities.
First and foremost, as a new student, a former student has had good experiences and as
well as participated in many extracurricular activities in high school, I find not only for
me but also for students and students who have participated in many extracurricular
activities are functional and somewhat more confident than the rest. Ha Linh (2022)
mentioned many famous bands that have gone on to build their names since they were
university students, typically the rock band called the Wall , which was established in
1995, they were also guests of popular TV shows from 1990 to 2000 and they even built
the band's name firmly until the early autumn of 2020. It can be seen that participating in
foreign activities not only helps students have a good foundation in mental health but also
strengthens social knowledge in a short time and also has significant effects in the long
run. Trang Ami (2014) stated that participating in extracurricular activities, even if they
are sports, helps students relieve stress after school hours. It is undeniable that
extracurricular activities have many good effects. Not only having mental and physical
impacts, participating in these activities also gives students the opportunity to expand
their circle of relationships, and make more friends (LENA, 2021), especially for students
who have not had the opportunity to communicate or who have difficulty communicating
and making friends. For these students, it is necessary to participate in a community,
activity, where making friends is very important. You must be able to help the above-
mentioned students learn how to communicate and from there, they can also become
more confident when communicating and making friends in the future.
In addition, for students who have or will intend to study abroad, having certificates or
achievements when participating in extracurricular activities is also a way for students to
"beautify" their own profile and prove that they have qualified skills when applying to or
applying for admission to universities in other countries. ADMIN (2021) mentioned in an
article that participating in activities and practical experiences helps students improve
themselves and partly reinforces future orientations. Therefore, students who participate
in many extracurricular activities also have certain advantages when applying for
admission because they themselves have been certified by those extracurricular activities.
Even at the National Economics University, the International Bachelor Program also has
slots for students who actively participate in these activities.
In addition, there are many parents or students who think that these tasks are a waste of
time, or that it is difficult for students to balance them. But the opinion that this is one-
sided is because the work of participating in extracurricular activities only takes up a
small part of the student's time, so it should be said that it is difficult to balance with
learning department. For example, contestant Nguyen Ngoc Mai in Miss Vietnam 2022,
in an interview with ZING News, admitted that she participated in extra-curricular
activities when she was in high school and used to be the Head of the Volunteer
Department of the Vietnamese Student Association in the Netherlands, which trains
young children in skills, and she also has lovely academic achievements, which can be
mentioned as a special score of 8.0 IELTS overall (Tam An, 2022), so the balance or lack
thereof is largely due to the formula and awareness of students, not the activities
themselves causing this imbalance. Moreover, for students, the lack of work experience is
also a weakness. And proving yourself to be a competent person through certifications,
certificates and extracurricular achievements is a valuable and completely useful
compensation if students apply for jobs in the future. And if students can balance study
and extracurricular activities, it will be easier for students to balance life, family and
work later.
In summary, in my opinion, participating in extracurricular activities is extremely helpful
for students, and it is easy to balance participation in activities with learning. So if
students have the opportunity to participate in school activities, I think they should take
advantage of them to have a better foundation in the future, to have opportunities and also
to have a good mind and body. Not only students but also schools or parents should have
plans and create conditions to encourage all students to participate more in these
activities.
 References
Ha Linh (2022) Những ban nhạc sinh viên đình đám khiến giới trẻ 'phát cuồng' ở thập kỷ
1990. Available at: https://vtc.vn/nhung-ban-nhac-sinh-vien-dinh-dam-khien-gioi-tre-
phat-cuong-o-thap-ky-1990-ar671685.html (Accessed 7 December 2022)

Trang Ami (2014) Các lí do nên tham gia hoạt động ngoại khóa ở trường Đại học.
Available at: https://www.hotcourses.vn/study-abroad-info/once-you-arrive/cac-li-do-
nen-tham-gia-hoat-dong-ngoai-khoa-o-truong-dai-hoc/ (Accessed 7 December 2022)

LENA (2021) Tầm quan trọng của hoạt động ngoại khóa Available at:
http://truongthspna.cdspna.edu.vn/tam-quan-trong-cua-hoat-dong-ngoai-khoa/ (Accessed
8 December 2022)
Dai Duong (2022) Ý nghĩa của các hoạt động ngoại khóa. Available at:
https://baoquangninh.com.vn/y-nghia-cua-cac-hoat-dong-ngoai-khoa-
3169319.html#:~:text=Vi%E1%BB%87c%20tham%20gia%20c%C3%A1c%20ho
%E1%BA%A1t,cho%20cu%E1%BB%99c%20s%E1%BB%91ng%20sau%20n
%C3%A0y. (Accessed 10 December 2022)

(2021) NHỮNG LỢI ÍCH NỔI BẬT KHI THAM GIA HOẠT ĐỘNG NGOẠI KHÓA.
Available at: https://sns.edu.vn/nhung-loi-ich-noi-bat-khi-tham-gia-hoat-dong-ngoai-
khoa/ (Accessed 10 December 2022)

(2021) Tổng hợp 8 hoạt động ngoại khóa cho sinh viên tham gia Available at:
https://fpt.edu.vn/tin-tuc/trai-nghiem-fpt-edu/hoat-dong-ngoai-khoa-cho-sinh-vien
(Accessed 10 December 2022)
Tam An (2022) Người đẹp có IELTS 8.0 ở Hoa hậu Việt Nam 2022. Available at:
https://zingnews.vn/nguoi-dep-co-ielts-80-o-hoa-hau-viet-nam-2022-post1382661.html?
fbclid=IwAR0q3iaJ5FarrXY4R0dXUDwjzqi9WEfZOOmb_cCsE4QC5UEaj5A53EAspl4
(Accessed 10 December 2022)