More Than a Resume: Why What You Do in High School Matters
“The goal is to help students explore, discover what they enjoy and begin to understand more about who they are.”
Recently, I held a webinar for my clients about maximizing the high school years and helping students understand the role that activities, interests, and experiences can play in college admissions.
This is a topic families sometimes misunderstand.
Getting involved in high school should not be about joining every club, collecting leadership titles, or trying to figure out what will "look good" to a college. The goal is to help students explore, discover what they enjoy and begin to understand more about who they are.
When application time arrives, those experiences help tell that story.
Activities Are Part of the Admissions Picture
Academics still matter tremendously. Colleges look at GPA, the transcript, and course rigor. But at many colleges, the application extends beyond academics.
Activities give colleges another window into a student. What do you care about? How do you spend your time? Where have you shown commitment?
And an "activity" does not have to mean student council or varsity athletics. A job counts. Volunteering counts. Hobbies count. Family responsibilities count. What matters is what that involvement tells us about the student.
Quality Over Quantity
One of the biggest messages I want younger students to understand is that more is not necessarily better.
Freshman year is a great time to explore. Join the club. Try the sport. Volunteer. Get a summer job.
By sophomore year, students can begin paying attention to what they actually enjoy and making choices about where they want to invest their time. Quality matters more than quantity.
A student who has invested deeply in a few meaningful activities can often tell us far more than a student who joined ten organizations simply to fill a résumé.
Interests Can Help Point You Toward College
By junior year, students can begin thinking more intentionally about the connection between their interests, strengths, classes, and experiences.
This does not mean every activity needs to connect directly to a future major. It simply means we are beginning to look for patterns.
Maybe the student who loves biology also volunteers at an animal shelter. A future business major has been reselling sneakers for years. Another student spends hours rebuilding old computers simply because they enjoy it.
Those interests help us understand what kinds of programs, colleges and environments may ultimately be a good fit.
You Do Not Need to Manufacture a "Perfect" Student
There is no perfect combination of activities that guarantees admission.
Some students are focused deeply in one area. Others are well-rounded. Some are athletes, artists, or musicians. Some work significant hours. Others spend their free time coding, fishing, reading, caring for siblings, or working on cars.
All of those experiences can matter.
What I do not want is a teenager spending four years doing things they do not enjoy because someone told them it would impress a college.
High school should still be high school.
Start Early — But Keep It Simple
Starting early does not mean starting the admissions process in ninth grade. It simply gives students time to explore without pressure.
Keep track of activities, honors, jobs, and volunteer experiences. Try new things. Pay attention to what feels meaningful. Over time, students can narrow their focus and invest more deeply in the things they care about.
By the time we sit down to build the college application, we should not be scrambling to invent a story.
The story is already there.
Our job is simply to help the student recognize it and tell it well.
Yes, activities can strengthen a college application. But more importantly, they help teenagers discover what excites them, build confidence, develop skills, and begin figuring out who they want to become.
Final Thoughts
Yes, activities can strengthen a college application. But more importantly, they help teenagers discover what excites them, build confidence, develop skills, and begin figuring out who they want to become.
