<p>I suggest that you find activities you like and do them–whether they have anything to do with your career ambition or not. If you’re aiming for really selective colleges, you should still find activities that you like and do them, but you should also do your best to ensure that your involvement in them shows that you’ve gained new skills, taken on new responsibilities or experienced some kind of personal growth over the years.</p>
<p>And if you do eventually become a history professor, you’ll probably be glad that you took the opportunity when you were in high school to debate or play lacrosse or be in musicals or volunteer after school at Head Start or whatever it is that you won’t have time for then.</p>
<p>Yes, I sound like an old person. But I am old enough to be your dad, and that’s my advice.</p>