University life is about more than just academics. Indeed, the all-encompassing nature of university is what allows students to grow into members of society that engage in cross-border research and tackle international challenges at the forefront. Seoul National University thus provides its students with a plethora of extracurricular opportunities that allow them to explore a diverse range of interdisciplinary fields, both within and beyond the classroom. In a large university like SNU, however, keeping track of all such available programs and experiences is not an easy task. Luckily for students, the university developed the Extracurricular Management System to take care of the problem.
The Extra-Curricular Management System, launched in February, 2024 (extra.snu.ac.kr)
Launched in February 2024, the Extracurricular Management System was the result of a joint venture between SNU’s Office of Information Systems and Technology (IS&T) and the Division of Student Affairs. Its development is part of a larger plan, initiated in 2020 by the IS&T that aims to create services that improve accessibility of information regarding academic and non-academic enterprises. The development process of the system took approximately two years and was spearheaded by a committee, established in 2023, to coordinate the details of the program’s design and functions. Led by the Division of Student Affairs, the committee consisted of representatives of the different organizations of SNU, each of which was running its own platform at the time to promote events and manage registrations. Devising a singular platform that incorporated the needs of all its users required much discussion as each institution had completely different registration and management systems. By the end of January, 2024, however, the program was polished and shiny, ready for use.
In its current form, the Extracurricular Management System is a program that gathers information on events and opportunities around campus in one place, and streamlines the application processes for them. It responds to a need not only by students but also by the various institutions in SNU who were encountering difficulties reaching students as information about their services was being communicated over multiple channels. With the Extracurricular Management System, promoting events has become easier, as there is now one platform where everything is collated: institutions and organizations can directly upload their events and programs and manage their registration on one platform.
A Quick and Easy Guide on How to Use the Management System
So what functions does the Extracurricular Management System have? In what ways can SNU students take full advantage of its services?
Homepage of the Management System. The calendar view is at the top of the page, followed by the recently registered programs and the imminent deadline catalogues
Accessing the system through this link (extra.snu.ac.kr), the homepage provides an overview of the programs and events that are currently open for registration. Each program’s icon details the registration period, dates during which the program is held, the number of students who have currently registered, and the number of students that can participate in total. The calendar view at the top of the page organizes the events according to the deadlines for registration, enabling students to easily keep track of the dates for any programs they are interested in. Underneath this are two catalogues: one displays the extracurriculars that have been most recently registered on the system and the other presents them in order of the days left until registration closes. This way of organization presents students with a range of information about programs they may not have known about previously, and ensures that they never miss out on intriguing opportunities.
(From left to right) Registration icons for “Career Counseling,” “Academic Counseling,” and “Writing Workshop Programs”
At the bottom of the homepage, there is also a section labelled “Counseling” where students can sign up for any of the three counseling programs offered at SNU. “Career Counseling” is a program where students are matched one-on-one with an expert career consultant to gain insight into career choices and hone skills required to succeed in the competitive employment market. “Academic Counseling” and “Writing Counseling” are both aimed at helping students thrive during their time at university. Through “Academic Counseling” students meet individually with a professional counselor to receive support in various aspects of university life, ranging from academic struggles to social adjustments, such as transitioning from high school to college. “Writing Counseling” is more academically-based and is focused on providing students direct support in enhancing their academic writing skills.
(Left) Purple box with the summary of program participation
Students can also track the various activities that they have participated in through the system. After logging in with their SNU ID, a small purple box at the top of the homepage shows the number of extracurricular activities, tutoring programs, student-directed education programs, and counseling sessions they have engaged in thus far.
The Menu Bar of the Extracurricular Management System
The “Extracurricular Programs” section of the menu bar allows students to further explore the various events and activities offered. To make the information more accessible and easier to filter, the menu categorizes the events by type, from lectures/seminars to internship opportunities, so students can navigate their needs accordingly. The three counseling programs that students can register for at the bottom of the homepage can also be found here.
A Support System to Track Your University Life
A key feature that the designers and developers of the system encourage students to utilize is the tracking and monitoring function. Aside from the summary of their participation record, presented by the purple box on the homepage, students can also view in detail their participation history through the “My Activities” button on the menu.
Location of the “My Activities” Button on the Menu Bar
Page that details participation history and where students can download certificates of completion
After clicking in, students are led to a page that presents in detail all the programs they have participated in, with corresponding certificates of completion readily available to download. The certification issuing function in particular was added to improve administrative efficiency by eliminating the need for students to directly visit institutions and organizations to receive the documents.
For those who participated in tutoring programs, the Extracurricular Management System now streamlines the process of writing their activity reports; students can now write all the reports for their tutoring programs on the system by going to the “Tutoring” sub-section under the “My Activities” page.
“Settings” page where students can set notifications when new programs are registered on the system
The system also supports students who have specific interests and are eager to engage in related programs that may be available in the future. On the “Settings” page, students can opt to receive notifications when such programs have been newly registered. Notifications can be set based on the type of the extracurricular program, or through designating a certain keyword. This function was developed so that students do not have to go through the trouble of constant monitoring for interesting programs themselves: now, the system does it for them.
The range of activities open for registration (photo taken on February 19)
Following the launch of the Extracurricular Management System in early 2024, the Office of Information Systems and Technology and the Division of Student Affairs has continuously conducted surveys to receive feedback and make updates accordingly. This has allowed the system to stay responsive to the evolving needs of its users. Those wishing to communicate their requests for improvements may contact the IT service center or relay them through the annual survey sent to all SNU members via email.
The Extracurricular Management System is here to make life at SNU more fulfilling, so if you are looking for interesting events and activities currently open for registration, extra.snu.ac.kr should be your first stop.
Written by Yeryoung Lee, SNU English Editor, yeryounglee@snu.ac.kr