How do I go about Unstructured Exploration?

Pre-College Topics High School Life
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<p>I live in California and I’ll be a High School Junior once school start back.
I read a book by Cal Newport ‘How To Be A High School Super Star’ that portrayed everything you’re doing wrong as a high school student and ways to pretty much amend it. </p>

<p>It had a point in saying that I need to do fill my schedule with unstructured exploration. Seeking out things that seem interesting to me at the moment and following up with whatever catches my attention; exposing myself to a lot of different things even if I’m not sure in advance whether they’ll interest me. So that I develop a deep interest in at least one of those things, and follow up with it as something I enjoy doing. Such as finding about events at my local college campus and in my community. </p>

<p>However, I not sure how to go about this at all. When I research things online or when I look at my local college campus’s there isn’t anything for me because it seems like its for another audience(adult-business).Could you give me some very detailed advice about how I should go about this feat, exploring and such. As well as any suggestions, responses will be greatly appreciated. Thanks!</p>

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<p>Well, the point of “unstructured exploration” is to be unstructured. If someone tells you how to do it, you’re doing it wrong.
Look for any opportunities you get to learn something new. Find something interesting. Talk to people, professors, teachers, etc. Keep your eyes open for new ideas.
And yes, I’ve read that book too.</p>

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<p>Oh wow, I thought you wanted to do urban exploration for some reason, which ironically was on a famous CC essay and the Cal Newport blog.</p>

<p>Anyway, a good example of this would be that at UConn, I noticed they have a really good puppetry program. I liked various puppetry shows as a child, so I checked it out. I enjoyed it and applied those interests to exploring and understanding other things that I was doing. For example, I began to make puppetry shows for my UConn economics class to explain various economic concepts. I also began looking for ways I could do puppetry in my community, such as doing puppetry shows in elementary schools and for important social causes.</p>

<p>The same could be done with a lot of things. For example, I wanted to learn philosophy, so I signed up and looked for courses in that, and if they weren’t available in my school, I’d go to UConn, local CCs and online providers to take courses there. Then I’d take the course and explore concepts that I enjoyed further and further, usually Wikipediaing, reading primary source documents and discussing them with others.</p>

<p>Essentially, Cal is saying that if you have a passing interest in anything, follow up on it by taking classes in it and then acting upon that. For example, I’d take a politics class, and then I’d ask people in the community for political jobs. Cal is pretty ardent that you continue to do this and that you always follow through, so that these passing interests can go from hopes and dreams into really impressive accomplishments, like being a US Senate Page or going to UN Conferences.</p>

<p>The best example of this would be the rise of Malala Yousafzai. Before being nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize as a teenager, Malala, through her father, reached out to BBC to document her life in Afghanistan by blogging about it, since her father had taught her about it and she was exposed to the BBC blogs on life in such areas often. BBC accepted it, and through that she began issuing pro-feminist and anti-Taliban statements. When she was shot, she’d already been involved with active anti-Taliban activities, and upon being moved to England for medical attention, Desmond Tutu helped her further her goals of ending the injustices that she faced. I believe Tutu later invited her to give a speech at a UN conference about this, furthering her exposure and ability to do things, to the point that she was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize. Though the failed-simulation effect may be in play, as it is really impressive to be the youngest nominee of the most prestigious prize in humanity, the sowing of seeds by passing allowed her to accomplish such a feat.</p>

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<p>@Apollo11‌ I have as you call them “passing interest” but only for things such as culinary arts because I love cooking, but I don’t see how that could get me to The F-S Effect. I also have an interest in pursuing the medical field in time and I adore animals, but I mean what could I do with that when I’m still in high school. </p>

<p>The point is I have some interest but they aren’t something that is F-S Effect worthy, and you being in at least your freshman year of college you probably have more experience with these sort of “explorations” for lack of a better word. I know the key word of Unstructured Exploration is unstructured, but I just need tips to get me started. Like a drop of oil to start a flame (an odd analogy I know). Cal says yo seek out opportunities and talk to others such as teachers, and get involved in the community; However, I haven’t found anything that has caught my interest. I don’t know it’s just quite awkward to strike up a conversation with a teacher or professor if I’m not sure what to ask.</p>

<p>You’re probably confused because of all my jumbles, but bear with me. Thanks for your patience.</p>

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<p>@missycecelia‌ </p>

<p>I’m a sophomore in high school…</p>

<p>Also, there are a lot of ways you can get started, and I’m glad you posted this thread. The issue with the culinary arts is that a culinary school matters far less than kitchen experience. This, however, can be a very good thing, since many great chefs simply start out working in someone else’s kitchen. Some ways that you can do the F-S effect in this case would be to ask various kitchens if you can work there, compete in any cooking competition and reach out to very successful chefs to find out the keys to their success</p>

<p>Also, medicine is one of the easiest F-S effect fields. Here’s an example:</p>

<p>Earlier this year, my sister met someone who knew the head of our science program at my high school. It turned out that person was making a science-curriculum program for schools in Africa. When my sister heard that, she made contact with the person, asked to be involved and kept in contact. Eventually, she was allowed to help on that. Later, the same person began writing a paper on teaching STEM topics effectively, and remembering my sister, invited her to help on it. After a while, the paper was published and my sister won an award from the IEEE for the Best Paper of the Year [ASEE group; won’t release the zone]. </p>

<p>Obviously that was an extreme scenario, but it’s pretty easy to do on your own time. For example, I knew a high ranking person who worked at a large local hospital. I went to them and told them why I should be allowed to work there, and suddenly, instead of volunteering by moving around old people in wheelchairs, I was allowed to work in a specialized immunology lab, work on a paper about Lynch Syndrome and work at the blood bank, despite the strict policy that I wasn’t old enough to work there and wasn’t supposed to be allowed in such a high ranking role [connections+skills is all the game is, as long as you can communicate well].</p>

<p>Say you don’t even have connections. Contact people in the medical field asking if you can help. Several years ago, my pulmonologist was trying to start a CF center. I thought it was cool and asked if I could help. Suddenly, I became one of the workers there and was able to make a significant impact on the lives of CF patients, and when it came time to write my essays for TASS, I was able to write about how I was able to help start up a CF center that serviced a large area and brought a patient across international borders and dispute to get medical attention. All from one simple question (I eventually became a TASS finalist).</p>

<p>Really, the reason why the FS effect is so powerful is that it represents the goal of Ivy League admissions. They’re looking for the people who can go out and change the world. People who can do that in high school, achieve great success and communication skills are the real deal. Thus, when you see the kids with 2400s/4.0 GPAs get rejected, it’s because they’ve met the minimum academic threshold to succeed in college, but the point is to get those who’ll succeed on the outside too.</p>