Extra activities may not help getting into college
“How to get into Harvard.” Articles fill up the screen with the “hidden secrets” into crafting your college application to get into one of the highly coveted sports at the university. To build the perfect story, do this summer program and that internship.
With the increasing pressures of being accepted into college, especially in the Bay Area, it’s easy to get caught up in the college craze; but, there is a line drawn between doing something for genuine interest and doing something just to appeal to a college.
Many students may feel they need to do more extracurriculars so that they can fill up more space on their applications and ultimately please an admissions officer.
“Because of how much competition there is, pretty much everything I do has to be for college. With everyone else thinking that way, there really isn’t any other way to get into a good college,” said Bobby Flare*, who wanted his name withheld for college purposes.
According to U.S. News, the colleges with the lowest acceptances rates accept a mere one out of ten students, with both Stanford University and Harvard University accepting 5 percent of applicants, and Columbia University and Yale University at 6 percent.
“In our current academic climate, I would say that most students do extracurriculars simply for college admissions. It’s truly a shame to see students taking AP classes, volunteering, or doing school sports simply to lengthen their resumes,” said Alex Derhacobian, a junior.
However, for many students, the distinction between pursuing activities for their resume rather than genuine interest is blurred and harmless. There is often a thought that crosses people’s minds of what would look good for college purposes.
“Students should take AP classes because they enjoy learning. We should perform charity work because we want to improve the lives of others rather than exploit others situations for our own advancement,” Derhacobian said. “Students should do what they enjoy doing rather than adapting to a stereotypical archetype.”
For college admissions officers, there is a certain fake persona that is noticeable right away.
“If a student is intentionally ‘padding’ their application just to increase their chances of getting in, I can tell because they will only provide a laundry list. The genuinely interested students have a stronger narrative about their intellectual journey. They are more reflective on why they chose to invest their time and energy into courses taken and their activity involvement,” said Connie Dominguez, a college counselor at Carlmont who also reviews UC Davis applications.
However, even with college pressures, many students still continue to pursue what they are passionate about.
“I think what happens to a lot of students is that no matter what they are doing, a lot of them have college in mind, but I think that a lot of them will choose what they enjoy doing. For example, I enjoy playing piano and just because I mention that on my college resume doesn't mean that’s the only reason I did it,” said Joshua Vendrow, a senior who has recently completed his college applications.
Some people may also try to use college as an excuse to downplay others’ successes or may become too caught up in the competitive college atmosphere—especially as applications approach. However, although pursuing extracurriculars may appeal to college admission officers, students also have their own genuine drive to excel for themselves.
Vendrow said, “People may say ‘you are just doing that for college,’ and yes, maybe it will help for college, but it doesn't mean they are doing it for college. I always try to choose the hardest classes and yes, it will help for college, but I also want to challenge myself academically.”
Often, students who allow for college applications to dictate their high school lives, and even for resumes to dictate their lives in the future, will be unhappy pursuing activities to impress others rather than their own genuine interests. Putting efforts towards something that they truly have an interest in will take them much further in the long run.
“If a student lies or just does things because he or she thinks that's what college wants him or her to do, then the student is missing out on making the most of their high school experiences for both intellectual growth and college admission,” Dominguez said.
With the increasing pressures of being accepted into college, especially in the Bay Area, it’s easy to get caught up in the college craze; but, there is a line drawn between doing something for genuine interest and doing something just to appeal to a college.
Many students may feel they need to do more extracurriculars so that they can fill up more space on their applications and ultimately please an admissions officer.
“Because of how much competition there is, pretty much everything I do has to be for college. With everyone else thinking that way, there really isn’t any other way to get into a good college,” said Bobby Flare*, who wanted his name withheld for college purposes.
According to U.S. News, the colleges with the lowest acceptances rates accept a mere one out of ten students, with both Stanford University and Harvard University accepting 5 percent of applicants, and Columbia University and Yale University at 6 percent.
“In our current academic climate, I would say that most students do extracurriculars simply for college admissions. It’s truly a shame to see students taking AP classes, volunteering, or doing school sports simply to lengthen their resumes,” said Alex Derhacobian, a junior.
However, for many students, the distinction between pursuing activities for their resume rather than genuine interest is blurred and harmless. There is often a thought that crosses people’s minds of what would look good for college purposes.
“Students should take AP classes because they enjoy learning. We should perform charity work because we want to improve the lives of others rather than exploit others situations for our own advancement,” Derhacobian said. “Students should do what they enjoy doing rather than adapting to a stereotypical archetype.”
For college admissions officers, there is a certain fake persona that is noticeable right away.
“If a student is intentionally ‘padding’ their application just to increase their chances of getting in, I can tell because they will only provide a laundry list. The genuinely interested students have a stronger narrative about their intellectual journey. They are more reflective on why they chose to invest their time and energy into courses taken and their activity involvement,” said Connie Dominguez, a college counselor at Carlmont who also reviews UC Davis applications.
However, even with college pressures, many students still continue to pursue what they are passionate about.
“I think what happens to a lot of students is that no matter what they are doing, a lot of them have college in mind, but I think that a lot of them will choose what they enjoy doing. For example, I enjoy playing piano and just because I mention that on my college resume doesn't mean that’s the only reason I did it,” said Joshua Vendrow, a senior who has recently completed his college applications.
Some people may also try to use college as an excuse to downplay others’ successes or may become too caught up in the competitive college atmosphere—especially as applications approach. However, although pursuing extracurriculars may appeal to college admission officers, students also have their own genuine drive to excel for themselves.
Vendrow said, “People may say ‘you are just doing that for college,’ and yes, maybe it will help for college, but it doesn't mean they are doing it for college. I always try to choose the hardest classes and yes, it will help for college, but I also want to challenge myself academically.”
Often, students who allow for college applications to dictate their high school lives, and even for resumes to dictate their lives in the future, will be unhappy pursuing activities to impress others rather than their own genuine interests. Putting efforts towards something that they truly have an interest in will take them much further in the long run.
“If a student lies or just does things because he or she thinks that's what college wants him or her to do, then the student is missing out on making the most of their high school experiences for both intellectual growth and college admission,” Dominguez said.