As the school year begins, it is time to break the bad summer habits a lot of high school students find their way into. It’s always easy for parents and guardians to hammer you with the clichés of “stay off the screens” and “go outside more,” but there is so much more to staying active and involved. The years you are in high school will impact your future more than you might imagine, and it’s important that what you do now has a purpose and helps set you up for success. So, how do you make sure that the activities you partake in have meaning?
“Academic accomplishment in high school is important, but the Admissions Committee also considers many other criteria, such as community involvement, leadership and distinction in extracurricular activities, and personal qualities and character,” according to the Harvard University admissions website. “There is no formula for gaining admission. We rely on trusted individuals to share information with us about an applicant’s strength of character, their ability to overcome adversity, and other personal qualities.”
While not all students will attend a school like Harvard, that does not mean their admission statement only applies to their college. It applies to every educational institution and any careers you may want to pursue. Athletic and academic accomplishments will only take you so far. Most future employers, coaches and advisers want to see the kind of character you display and how you can handle yourself as a person.
“Admission reviewers see through the attempt to pad a resume or college application,” Department Chair for Student Services Erin Shore said. “They want to see how you poured in your effort to the cause, not just showed up for one meeting a year and said you were in the club. I’d recommend finding things that serve your interests and enhance Kaneland or the community.”
Shore further emphasizes the importance of participating in clubs and sports with a purpose. You can do the bare minimum and fill out your resume with plenty of activities, or you can focus your attention and energy on a select few clubs where you are doing purposeful work that helps you grow as a person and future adult.
Not everyone will have the same interests and understanding of what they want to do in their life, so it is important to explore different activities that target life skills.
Senior Taverly Gilbertson, for example, is the volleyball team manager and president of the Distributive Education Clubs of America (DECA) group, while also being on the Prom Committee. Each activity she is a part of builds a different skill.
“I’m involved in all of these because I enjoy each one for their own reason,” Gilbertson said. “Managing the volleyball team gives me the chance to be around all my friends and spend quality time bonding, while also learning under a varsity coach who knows how to manage and coach a team herself. DECA gives me the chance to experience problem solving within the business world and gives me a glimpse into what business is. Business is definitely a degree I wish to pursue in college and beyond. And the Prom Committee helps me learn how to learn to work with other people and how to plan a fun event that I want others to enjoy.”
You can’t always be certain about what you do in your life, especially while you’re in high school. So building skills you can use anywhere, along with joining clubs that match your interests, can add purpose to your teenage years and make sure you’re not wasting time that should be spent on helping your career down the road.
“It’s important to learn how to speak to people, look them in the eye, meet a deadline, be a reliable teammate and learn how to work through conflict,” Shore said. “college or work you do after high school will rely heavily on those skills in order to be successful.”
Being the star of your varsity sports team or having the highest grade point average in your class only takes you so far. It is important at such a young age to build basic life skills, like being a well-mannered collaborator and critical thinker, but also pursue specific interests that could help you in a future occupation. High school is a time to find what interests you and turn that interest into passion, instead of just filling your resume or job application with big words. Make your life purposeful while you are in high school, or you may end up playing catch-up with every one else later in life.
