Nine months away from leaving school, I can say with confidence that there is nothing I regret not doing. Why? Because over the past few years, I have thrown myself into every extracurricular I have got wind of. Debate, quiz, MUN, music – the fear of “missing out” on something I might enjoy doing was what spurred me on to sign up for anything that my school published on the bulletin board. Yet, at the same time, I needed to be extra-mindful of my studies so that I didn’t fall behind.
At first glance, one might think that it is impossible to maintain a good academic record while also excelling in activities outside of school. The key lies in two things. First, scheduling! In Class X, while simultaneously preparing for my boards, I set aside time each day (when required) for extracurricular preparation. For example, I would study chemistry for some time, followed by research for an inter-school MUN.
The second thing is something that develops as one takes part in more and more events, and cannot be learned: habit. While it seemed impossible at first, as the years passed, keeping track of competitions and my studies became second nature. I developed a system for catching up on schoolwork that I missed because of a competition, and for maintaining my own self-study habit that would otherwise have been disrupted.
Still, the attempt to balance both sides sometimes threatens to fail! In fact, one of my most vivid memories of Class X is of frantically writing my half-yearly Biology examination, before rushing home to pack my suitcase: the next day, my classmate, our teacher and I would be flying to Lucknow for a national debate competition.
In the end, while it may have been difficult at times, I will always cherish the years I spent perfecting my “balancing act”, because the skills I gained, the values I learnt, and the talented people I met will never fade from my memories!
The writer Aritro Ray is a student of Delhi Public School Ruby Park, Kolkata, West Bengal.
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