As the first round of early application deadlines for colleges looms on the horizon, we’ve been reflecting on the best way to approach a student’s entire academic career with this transition in mind—and that doesn’t mean stressing out about building an ‘impressive’ resumé that will feel inauthentic or contrived. It’s important to live in the present moment and enjoy growing up without having college as a permanent fixture on your mental horizon—and if you live in that present according to these precepts, you’ll be ready when the time comes.
Follow your natural curiosity
Instead of thinking of extracurricular activities, volunteer opportunities, and course choices as a laundry list of requirements to be checked off and added to your resumé, focus on making the most of the time you have to explore what interests you, trying new things or going further with a particular passion. The cookie cutter student follows a model she believes will cause her to appear successful in the eyes of an admissions committee; the authentic student follows her natural curiosity and winds up building a much more compelling profile. Absolutely do get off the couch and get involved! Life is short. But get involved with what interests you, not what you imagine will be interesting to an admissions officer.
Seek out challenges
Once you’ve found a niche or two, an activity or subject you can tinker with for hours without getting bored, look for ways to challenge yourself in that realm. Take initiative to learn a new skill or complete a significant project in your niche, collaborate and/or compete with others who share your passion, and emulate your heroes, be they favorite musicians or favorite athletes. And in general, seek out challenges: colleges are more impressed by a 3.75 in a challenging course load than a perfect 4.0 in classes that you can coast through. We learn by being challenged, struggling, and then adapting by mastering a new skill or new content—so if you take Spanish but aren’t comfortable in conversations, find a way to immerse yourself with extra classes, volunteer opportunities, or travel. Take a step out of your comfort zone, and take some level of initiative that your peers might not be to see how far you can go.
Build independence
One thing hardly anybody is prepared for when they first arrive at college is the massive leap forward in independence. For your own well-being, and to show colleges that you’re ready for this next life-stage, make sure that as you move through high school you become comfortable with tracking and being responsible for all of your own assignments, communicating with teachers, and maintaining a positive work-life balance. Bonus points if you can learn to cook a few things before leaving for dorm life!