Countdown To College: Stand Out From The Crowd!

You’re planning for college, and you feel you have things pretty much under control. You’re making good grades and taking all the right classes. You’re investigating colleges that offer the programs and the campus atmosphere you want. And you’ve taken–or you plan to take–the SAT or ACT.
Now what?

Get active! Staying focused on your studies is the most important thing you can do to prepare for college–that’s a no-brainer. But there are plenty of unique opportunities that can help you make the most of the time you have left. Here are three great ways to do that.
Service activities (volunteering) can be fun and rewarding. Josh Kretman of Chevy Chase, Maryland, a student journalist who traveled to Bangladesh to report on child labor for a children’s news service, says, “I’ve really grown as an individual by helping others.” Lilly Ardell of Northbrook, Illinois, says her experience in the Dominican Republic with Amigos de las Américas “made her more independent and taught her she can do anything.”
You don’t necessarily have to go abroad to find service activities. There are important things you can do in your own community. Check out the organizations listed in this article, and use the Internet to find other volunteer opportunities. The USA Freedom Corps (www.usafreedomcorps.gov or 1-877-USA-CORP) is a great place to start your search. USAFC’s database includes over two million volunteer opportunities from organizations all over the country.
Pre-college learning programs provide equally valuable opportunities for students. You can explore interesting subjects, experience college-level study, and even earn college credits while you’re still in high school. Summer programs are also a great way to explore a college you’re interested in attending–and that can make you a more attractive candidate for admission. Enroll in a summer course at a college near you, investigate pre-college opportunities at colleges you’re interested in attending full-time, or look into some of the other pre-college options listed here.
If you’re already interested in a specific career, consider joining a professional organization, such as the Society of Women Engineers. Professional organizations can help you locate summer programs and scholarships, and they can also offer some great career information.
Travel is another great option. It can provide you with adventures and unique experiences, and by broadening your experience of the world, travel can also help with your admissions essays and interviews. Ardell, who describes her experience in the Dominican Republic as “life-changing,” says, “You learn about other cultures and you learn to be sensitive to other people.”
It’s a good idea to keep a journal of your travels or other pre-college activities. You can record where you went, what you did, and how you grew and changed as a result.
Paul Marthers, Dean of Admissions at Reed College, believes that applicants write and speak about experiences they are passionate about with more persuasive detail. Backing this up with twenty years experience around veteran college admission officers “with fine-tuned antennae for the inauthentic,” Marthers says, “Activities done simply to impress a college have a way of appearing artificial.”

“Why should I?” Why would you want to get involved in something that requires work when you could be coasting?
Five reasons. Getting active lets you:

• challenge yourself physically, mentally, and emotionally
• make a difference in your life and in the world
• connect with the right college
• bring your studies to life
• build the competencies you’ll need for college and career.

“Okay, I’m listening.” There are so many different activities–how will you choose? What will look best on a college admissions essay? Is one activity “better” than another?
Don’t worry too much about what kinds of activities you should engage in. Most admissions officers agree that the most important thing you can do is find an activity that is relevant to you; something that concerns you and interests you. You can’t help but grow and learn as a result.
A helpful source of information on activities you might be interested in is Rebecca Green’s book, The Teenagers’ Guide to School Outside the Box (Free Spirit Publishing, 2001). It offers tons of information about study-abroad opportunities and service activities as well as job shadowing advice and information about internships, apprenticeships, and mentorships–all of which can help you get into the right college and find a job after graduation.
“How do I decide?” Kimberly Williams, a graduate of American University who built a playground in an inner-city neighborhood, offers this advice: “I just made sure that whatever I was doing, I was doing it the best I could. So many things have fallen into place because of that.” Josh Kretman adds, “Just do something you care about, that you’re passionate about.” Nanette Tarbouni, director of admissions at Washington University in St. Louis agrees: “Whatever ways students participate, we recommend that they do so because of a real desire and love for the activity.”
“How much time should I expect to invest?” Many students don’t begin looking for additional activities until their junior year in high school; then they pile them on, believing that the more activities they engage in, the better they’ll look to college admissions committees. This simply isn’t the way things work. Tarbouni cautions, “Padding a college resumé is often obvious–the passion for an activity doesn’t shine through.” Admissions counselors are looking for quality of involvement, not quantity, and they urge students to consider the impact of their activities on the lives of others as well as their own.
Suppose you have other obligations, such as work or caring for a younger sibling, and don’t have time for outside activities. Don’t despair. Any activity is important, as long as it contributes to your growth. You can use experiences such as a job or child care on your admissions application to show that you are responsible, caring, and contributing.
“I’m convinced. What’s next?” Get busy! Do some research and discuss options with your parents; then get involved in a service activity, enroll in a summer course, join a professional organization, or look into travel opportunities. Williams says there’s only one thing holding most students back: “In their minds, they think they’re kids and can’t do big things. In reality, there’s nothing stopping them!”

Article by Shari Miller and courtesy of www.careersandcolleges.com