<p>I have to always advocated doing something you feel passionate about, not do something just for the sake of how it looks on college applications. My younger D was very frustrated even in some of the clubs she was part of in high school, because many people didn’t care that much for what the club was about, and frequently got officer positions solely for “how it would look” on college apps. That left the people who really cared about the club to do the work.</p>
<p>In our case, both DDs went to CTY through Johns Hopkins) for multiple years, because it was something they REALLY wanted to do. It was a CTY course after her 8th grade that convinced DD1 of what she wanted to study in college…and she’s now deciding between what Ph.D. program to enter in the same field. DD2 took entirely different courses, and again loved being with people who really truly loved to learn. When most of high school was spent being not “cool” if you were intelligent and studied a lot, being comfortable with a group of people similar to you was extremely valuable. When not doing CTY, we had the opportunity to travel to some far-flung places during the summers. We were of the opinion that they will have their adult life to work, and we wanted their high school years to be about “experiencing”. DD2 went to CTY for fewer years, instead going with her father to some adventurous trips…Incan Trail, hiking Mt. Kilimanjaro…experiences that were extremely important to both of them.</p>
<p>In the end, the decision needs to be based on what works best for you and your family–something that you can sincerely be excited about doing–which will show through in college apps, essays, and interviews. Don’t do something you don’t enjoy just because it will “look good”, regardless of how much it costs.</p>