Do you agree or disagree with the following statement?

At universities and colleges, sports and social activities are just as important as classes and libraries
and should receive equal financial support.

Use specific reasons and examples to support your answer.

People have differing views about whether equal contribution should be made to social and
academic programmes through funds. I agree that these activities are equally necessary, due to their
effects on individuals’ health and job prospects, and therefore should be promoted.

First, extra-curricular activities such as social clubs, sports teams and volunteer work help students
to develop and use their skills in varying contexts. When these students graduate, they can build a
strong CV and make their application stand out among their peers. I remember when I graduated
from university, I was faced with the challenge of unemployment. Although I had an outstanding
academic performance, the employers were reluctant to hire me due to my lack of non-academic
experience. I then decided to partake volunteer work in a local shelter for a year. After that, I applied
for the same positions I had been rejected in the previous year and surprisingly seven out of ten
companies offered me a job. If my university had invested in activities outside of the classroom, I
would’ve saved a lot of time and effort in my career search process.

Second, maintaining a healthy balance between studying and social life is critical in a student’s life.
Graduate students often have to deal with a heavy workload and tremendous academic pressure.
This can lead to exhaustion and burnout among students and result in mental health problems and
poor academic performance. For instance, when I was studying towards my master’s degree, I was
struggling with depression and anxiety and had no one to turn to for emotional support. I was so
preoccupied with my studies that I barely had any involvement outside of our department. The
consequences of my unhealthy lifestyle haunt me to this day. That’s why I believe students should
be encouraged to take part in social activities in order to maintain a healthy way of living.

In conclusion, I believe that promotion of extra-curricular activities can boost individuals’ mental
health and enhance their work performance in the future and therefore should receive sufficient
funding.

People have differing views about whether an equal contribution should be made to social and
academic programmes through funds. I agree that these activities are equally necessary, due to their
effects on individuals’ health and job prospects, and therefore should be promoted.

First, extra-curricular activities such as social clubs, sports teams and volunteer work help students
develop and use their skills in varying contexts. When these students graduate, they can build a
strong CV and make their application stand out among their peers. I remember when I graduated
from university, I was faced with the challenge of unemployment. Although I had an outstanding
academic performance, the employers were reluctant to hire me due to my lack of non-academic
experience. I then decided to partake in volunteer work in a local shelter for a year. After that, I
applied for the same positions I had been rejected in the previous year, and surprisingly seven out of
ten companies offered me a job. If my university had invested in activities outside of the classroom, I
would’ve saved a lot of time and effort in my career search process.

Second, maintaining a healthy balance between studying and social life is critical in a student’s life.
Graduate students often have to deal with a heavy workload and tremendous academic pressure.
This condition can lead to exhaustion and burnout among students and result in mental health
problems and poor academic performance. For instance, when I was studying towards my master’s
degree, I struggled with depression and anxiety and had no one to turn to for emotional support. I
was so preoccupied with my studies that I barely had any involvement outside of our department.
The consequences of my unhealthy lifestyle haunt me to this day. That’s why I believe students
should be encouraged to participate in social activities to maintain a healthy way of living.

In conclusion, I believe that promoting extra-curricular activities can boost individuals’ mental health
and enhance their work performance in the future and, therefore, should receive sufficient funding.