Right. Not everyone wants that, though. Round pegs, square holes, etc. – why force anything, or even try to persuade?
So that is obviously very kid specific, but I had mentioned above maybe trying to hook up with a very local environmental group of some kind.
Like, we have a long-standing relationship with a local watershed organization that has actually grown over time to have a larger voice in local water management issues. But is still very much based in our area.
Our S24 was looking for a Senior Project idea, and we eventually hooked him up for three weeks of volunteering. Even though he is not necessarily an environmental science sort, he found it interesting and ultimately was able to give a well-received talk about his experience (part of the Senior Project requirements).
Something like that could turn into an entire summer, possibly activities during the school year too as time permitted. And consistent with our experience, it would be good for generating lots of interesting insight and stories and such that could end up in college essays (among other places).
This is just one example, but I think it really helps to try to think outside the box of pre-packaged activities and competitions and such designed for college-bound kids. Of course if your kid loves that stuff, fine. But rather than try to force that sort of stuff, looking for more unique stuff not every kid is doing seems like a better idea when possible.
Thanks for sharing, NiceUnparticularMan.
It took lots of initiatives to conduct your S24’s senior project. Another thing is that it is inherently unstructured so it fits one having certain degree of maturity. Otherwise there is a risk that the student didn’t gain much insight/learning experience from said unstructured project. But yes if well executed it would be good for college essays.
We will look out for these type of opportunities.
My daughter had exactly three activities (and two were really related). And she had ZERO awards except being on the high honor roll every term.
She got accepted to the colleges of her choice.
You don’t have to enter and win competitions to get accepted to good colleges.
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Unfortunately her school does not have the type of research elective you mentioned. I think some magnet schools offer that option.
I did notice that the so called “pay-to-play “science research”” becoming more and more popular these days.
Great marketing by those offering it. Taking advantage of the admissions panic that’s arisen around college admissions.
You create FUD and now you have customers.
Don’t assume the admissions people are buying it though.
I say it’s great for the right reason - to see if something is a fit.
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How about a part time job? This is an excellent EC. Shows responsibility, ability to work with others, commitment to task, etc. Jobs are looked upon very favorably by colleges.
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We are open to that idea. I found it person specific. Some would learn / gain a lot from working at Burger King or Starbucks. To others it’s just another “homework”/chore she needs to do, then it’s less meaningful. Do you observe that?
A job is a job. It’s not homework…and it’s meaningful. In my opinion.
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I think everyone learns from having a job.
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It’s how you position it. You gain position as teamwork, responsibility.
So and so held a professional job. They dealt with customers and developed a service orientation. They worked on a team - so team skills and responsibilities. Things had to be right. Rules and regulations followed.
If you have tenure (ie you stayed and developed), what is better ? Not being vp of an after school club that may or may not have been effective.
Work is real. It has real world impact.
Much better than mom paid for me to do research.
That’s fine to get exposed to see if you like something but having a job is real world proof of accomplishment - especially one with tenure.
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Agree! It also often forces you to interact with people you would never typically meet and understand other people’s experiences. A job may also teach you what you never want to do for the rest of your life or maybe spark an interest you never had before.
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Coaching and officiating in volleyball can be both paying jobs and leadership experience. I don’t think you need to look for anything exotic here.
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part time job
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@cynds maybe I am wrong, but it sounds like you don’t think a job is a great idea. I am wondering why.
Tying in with your other thread…some kids develop some inner drive when they have a job…because they have to. And that’s not a bad thing.
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Agreed… and furthermore, it isn’t always just “because they have to.” I think it’s easy, at our stage of life, to forget what it’s like to be an adolescent and to feel like somebody else’s bonsai tree, being cultivated day after day, and feeling like everything revolves around your own self-development. Speaking from my experience when I finally got my first real-world job, it can be an immense relief to feel that you’re finally doing something because it genuinely needs to be done, and someone is paying you to do it… not because it is yet another step in your own existentially-exhausting self-actualization journey. It can truly be grounding to have the experience of being a contributor. The job doesn’t have to be anything grand for this to be the case. Plus, these experiences build appreciation and respect for all the people around us who do the less-than-grand jobs that keep our communities functioning.
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Job is one of the options. No, I am not against it.
beautiful writing. Appreciate it.
That’s a really good point. I think when it works, and is reflected well in the application, colleges very much appreciate the sense of maturity and self-motivation that can come from activities like this. But I think trying to force it on a kid who is maybe not ready for that could be a less good idea. Like my S24 was ready for this as a senior. Would it have worked for him as a freshman? I’d guess no.
I think the same thing is probably true of a paying job, but I also agree that it is usually a great option for the reasons others explained so well. In fact, even though S24’s volunteer experience was not a normal paying job, he got at least some of that out of it–he had lots of experiences of going somewhere and doing something actually productive because it needed to be done, and he did in fact talk about how that was very satisfying to him.
She should get a job. Please forget about the “pay to play” research that you reference above.
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