I’m doing it for college

If two roads diverge in a yellow wood, many students would take the one that leads to “the best” college. Despite broken limbs or frostbite, getting accepted into college is all that matters.Almost every time someone says they do something “just for college,” I can’t help but think that this ambition is counterproductive. Although getting into a great school is not an unreasonable goal, sacrificing our physical and psychological health ultimately sets us back. Of course there are things we can’t avoid because they are required. There is a line, however, that separates ambitious students from college obsessed ones.Students, even myself, create a mental checklist of all the things they need in order to be considered for college admissions; clubs, extracurricular activities, difficult classes and volunteering.One of the first things we tend to place on this checklist is clubs. Upon entering high school, teachers immediately suggest that we sign up for clubs. Eager club presidents pass out flyers advocating educational or community service clubs. Im my freshman year, I found myself piling on clubs in the hope that it would make me seem involved in Samo. I soon discovered, however, that I didn’t actually want to attend many of these club meetings and that I joined them just to seem like an active student. Surprisingly enough, I did really find interest in Key Club, a community service based organization. It’s very apparent in a club like this, where members come and go, who is actually interested in what the club has to offer. This ultimately benefits not only the club, but the person. Joining groups simply for college makes it less likely that you will like the club because it won’t seem like a hobby, but something you have to do.Delians Honors Society also faces this dilemma, as many students apply thinking of their applications. For me, the society serves the main purpose of allowing students to wear gold stoles on graduation. A vast number of Samo students participate in Delians because they have outstanding grades. The main objective of these students, however, isn’t to complete community service, but to simply be in this group. When I personally signed up for Delians, I didn’t have the mindset of helping the community but rather being in an honors society. Now that community service hours have been temporarily suspended, there is not much effort needed for the application process. Being a Delian is attractive because it looks good on college transcripts, but now that no requirement for community service  exists it seems like a group that exists for the sole purpose of conferring a special status on its members.Taking rigorous classes is important; it allows us as students to challenge ourselves. There is a time, however, when we risk the enjoyment of exploring new subjects to simply work for a grade. Signing up for an honors or Advanced Placement (AP) course without the desire to learn anything hurts the class, environment and the grades of a student. To take a class because it’s challenging and looks impressive does not benefit anyone.Just like anything, moderation is key. Of course we can’t take all classes we like. It’s important, however, to remember that clubs and grades are just pieces that make a good student.Ultimately, doing what we are passionate about will impress colleges because we do what we love best. We should not change ourselves for college, but rather utilize what we already like and can do.So even if you take numerous AP’s and volunteer for hours on end, do it because you have a reason to, not just because of college. If the whole is truly greater than the sum of its parts, then remember that college will be just one part that makes you whole. And that will make all the difference.