Throughout the college application process, high school students constantly compare themselves to each other to try to be the one who submits the most impressive resume. The race to stand out against other applicants can lead to a proliferation of random hobbies, taken up solely for the purpose of impressing admissions officers. However, there’s a crucial aspect of out-of-school activities that often gets overshadowed in the application process: the importance of genuinely enjoying your hobbies and ensuring they have a positive impact on your mental health.
Many students attempt to create a perfect medley of nonprofits and academic awards to inflate their resume and seem more appealing to admissions. Students can often be found dedicating insane amounts of time to every club offered in their school, and oftentimes they’re not even interested in what the clubs’ focus are except that it’ll look good on their college application. Students will also dedicate a lot of their time to research and internships throughout the course of highschool, while giving good experience can cause stress if ill-managed because of how packed their schedules can get. These commitments take a lot of time and effort, and are a main stress factor for students. They do not provide any relief to the daily anxieties already faced every day in school like sports, homework and clubs, and with all their time being taken up by anxiety-inducing activities many high schoolers are left with cramped schedules and even larger amounts of stress.
Having a stress-outlet is necessary in the lives of all, especially students who are extremely overwhelmed with work. As much as it is important to challenge ourselves and strive for high goals, it is just as important to make time for leisure activities that benefit us. Whether it be anything from cooking to yoga, making time to pursue the pleasurable activities that may not necessarily make you “stand out” on your college applications matters a lot more than we estimate them to be.
Although no one should forgo all their activities and impressive endeavors to commit themselves to a fun hobby, it is extremely important that we make time for the activities that provide an escape from a world full of standardized tests and homework assignments. High schoolers should prioritize themselves and remember that the little things can be our biggest source of joy.
