Full-time university students should spend a lot of time studying, but it is essential to be involved in other activities. To what extent do you agree or disagree?

It is true university is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to focus on academics, while having a diverse range of opportunities and activities at the same time. I am in complete agreement with this statement. On the one hand, those who advocate students dedicating on their academics insist that this is the singular learning opportunity. An undergraduate is typically paying large sums of money, burdening themselves with student debt in most cases, in order to make the grade and become an expert in a given field. Freedom from a job allows them to invest fully in academics and learn the theories and skills that will form the basis of their entire professional career and put the knowledge gained into practice. As a result, there is hardly any value in diluting this opportunity by taking up more responsibilities. On the other hand, outside activities are also an important element of higher education for several reasons. Firstly, the students themselves can develop and master vital soft skills required when they enter the labour market. For example, many students nowadays choose to work a part-time job related to their major. This grants them countless practical experience, which can be useful in their chosen professional career. Moreover, taking part in extracurricular activities will become an unforgettable memory later in their life. Even those who do not receive such tangible rewards from their extracurriculars can learn a lot. For instance, a student may opt to become involved in a local charity or a student initiative. These will all be formative experiences and may be more memorable and useful to the students than the subject they study. Given the job hopping frenzy of today’s world, many graduates choose to switch their career paths soon after university regardless, so the respective value of these other activities will increase as they look back on their college experience and recognise what was truly instrumental in their development. In conclusion, it is preferable for university students to split their time between studying and involving in other activities since students not only gain knowledge from texbooks and lectures alone, but they also learn essential skills and have practical experiences.