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.

College and university are considered the students’ second home. Hence, the effect of goals and values set in these institutions on the students’ life cannot be neglected. Some people argue that academic improvement is the cornerstone of education but, I believe, improving other facets of the students’ life, like physical health and social skills, are tantamount to scholastic advancement, and therefore, should receive equal attention.

First and foremost, life is not just sitting at the desk and studying. The student will have to face many challenges in the future – finding a job, marriage, and running a family to name but a few. Thus, he or she needs a wide variety of skills for his or her later years. Although some people say that most of these skills can be learned outside of the school, like family gatherings and clubs, I think as the student spends about half of the day, and most of his or her energy, in the college or the university, it is not practically possible to get involved in all these programs. Therefore, the student should be encouraged to participate in the similar activities run in the institution.

Considering academic performance, social and physical activities have an undeniable positive effect on the student’s abilities. Researches have shown that students who have a regular exercise routine tend to get better grades in their courses. Moreover, although it has been said that developing extracurricular activities in the institution will distract the students from studying, I think, in the long term, having little social or physical activity will make the student less interested in studying as his or her life will become tedious, thereby reducing his or her grades.

For many students, studying in groups is shown to be more successful than reading individually. Silent libraries and classes are not good places to get familiar with others. Instead, one can make friends during extracurricular activities. While studying for exams and doing assignments, friends can share ideas, correct each other's mistakes, and encourage each other for better solutions. If permitted, they can also help each other by breaking time-consuming projects into small tasks and sharing them.

In conclusion, extracurricular activities in the institution are of the same importance as the academic programs since they help students to get ready for life, have a better academic performance, and find good friends and team members. I hope physical and social activities will be taken as serious as academic plans in future educational institutions.