<p>Wanting to second the recommendation for Cal Newport’s book – He’s talking in particular about a kid who comes to the parent and says “It makes me sad that I never get to go hiking or walk in the woods anymore because I’m always studying for the Math Olympiad” when the kid is truly passionate about walking in the woods, or making art, or doing some other activity. He argues that lots of times parents will dismiss an activity that a kid enjoys because it doesn’t fit into their traditional idea of the best response to the activities blocks on the common ap. He argues that the kid who would rather do agility trials with his dog, or go camping at the state park should still do that – because colleges would view THAT as a breath of fresh air – someone who was committed to and passionate about an activity even if it’s not a traditional resume builder. (I’ve got a kid who does NO school activities – but she lifeguards ALL the time; is on a synchronized swim team and volunteers doing adapted aquatics with handicapped kids – and her grades are kind of all over the place. I’m not forcing her to do more school activities, but instead we’ll work on framing her interest in aquatics as a passion – which it is.)</p>