Students have a lot to gain from volunteering or participating in extracurricular activities that are outside of their study program. Here's what you could get out of it:

1. Develop valuable skills that apply to the workplace: Joining a group outside your program of study can give you the chance to pick up new skills or improve on existing ones. You could gain experience in key areas like project management, leadership, problem solving, conflict resolution, team collaboration, interpersonal skills (like empathy) and so on.
    
2. Learn about yourself: Giving your time to an activity or initiative that you find motivating can help you gain a better sense of self. You could discover new areas of interest and realize which skills or abilities you want to develop or emphasize in a future internship or job. This could be managing a budget, coordinating a team or pursuing creative work. At the same time, you may come to the realization that certain fields or responsibilities don’t appeal to you as much as you initially thought they might. This knowledge can help you rule out internships or jobs in environments that aren’t right for you.
    
3. Grow your network: By investing your spare time in a field or activity that you find interesting, you’re sure to meet like-minded people. By the time you start to look for work, you'll have this unique pool of contacts to call on.
    
4. Differentiate yourself from the competition: Being involved in a specialized group is part of your work history—and it makes your profile unique. By including your volunteer work, extracurricular activities and personal projects on your résumé, you'll give employers a better idea of who you are and the things that matter to you. Employers aren't just looking for a candidate with the right degree and skills, they're looking for someone whose personality and values will fit with those of their team.

In short, your extracurricular activities will make you stand out—in a good way—and your volunteer experience can give you an edge over other applicants. Don't worry, you don't have to be an elite athlete or win prestigious awards in order to stand out from the crowd. You just need to clearly state what skills you developed through these pastimes and explain how these abilities are relevant to the position you're applying for. 

This article was inspired by the following video