by Michelle Yousefzadeh
At the last junior class meeting of the year, while
stuffing our faces with doughnuts brought by my
dean, all the kids in my dean group stared up at
the projected image of the Common Application
â a maroon tinted questionnaire that if filled with the
right answers, letters and scores would ultimately grant us
acceptance to the colleges of our dreams.
As I read through the different categories that I would
have to manage to fill during summer, I couldnât help but
think of which words would have the most impact on a
college admission officer, and how I could get those words to
describe me. I must not have been the only one thinking this
because Iâm a part of a student body whoâs choosing how to
spend our time based on how many of those blank lines the
activity would fill.
The form asks for positions held, honors won or letters
earned for any activities that the applicant dedicates time
to. This especially makes me question what the colleges
are searching for â are they looking for students who are
passionate or students who are leaders, and if youâre not a
natural born leader, where does that leave you?
It leaves you with a bunch of blanks that mock your
ânoninvolvementâ. Instead wouldnât a space for âwhat have
you contributed to the activityâ be a more appropriate
column heading?
It seems to me that when given these objectives to live up
to, students will spend their time doing activities that they
know they can earn leadership positions instead of thinking
of what new input they can give to the club or project to
make it better than before.
Iâm not saying that by holding a leadership position a
student can automatically be convicted for having alternative
motives than the betterment of the club, just that students
should consider that they can be a part of an activity even
without being crowned âleader.â
There is more to life than getting a leadership postition.
Students should look beyond superficial titles and instead
become involved in clubs that they are truly interested in.
