I want to jump in on this one as a current college student who has seen SO MANY students continue this EXACT same trend in college breaking themselves to get into graduate school too. So to all the high school students, college students, and their parents out there.
One. Remember the purpose of WHY you are going to college. Or define one on paper, if you haven’t yet. There’s no wrong answers here other than ones that are not about what YOU want for yourself.
Two. Take that purpose. And define the qualities and skills you feel will allow you to excel at that purpose. Write them down, it takes just a moment.
Three. Dedicate your time to doing thing that will DIRECTLY develop these skills and qualities. NOT for a resume that pleases academia. Because if I’ve learned anything, it’s that THIS is the MOST impressive resume of all–one where you did things because you wanted the skills and qualities. And you CAN NEVER FAIL once you have the skills to TAKE ACTION.
I want to give some examples for clarity: You want to be an incredible listener? Work with hospice. You want to be a fantastic coder? Start learning online. You want to be a change-maker? Look for places around you today where you care about change and go for it!
BE THE PERSON, YOU DON’T NEED TO WAIT FOR A SCHOOLING SYSTEM TO GIVE YOU PERMISSION!
THIS is your LIFE, you are not a resume where your worth is defined by the corporate entity that decides they want your tuition money.
And I say this all as someone who spent nearly every waking minute of high school doing the laundry list resume-building and hitting those classic “leadership” “empathy” “research” and “internships” without a breath in between. And now I look back and have discovered what worked and what didn’t. Heck, I even created an entire company build on the intersection of intentionality, individuality, and college admissions because of how much this MATTERS and is not talked about. And anyway, your resume means zero after you graduate, high school, college, graduate school, all zilch. Only your skills and qualities define your achievement for yourself.