Dear Over-Committed, High School Self,
Four classes, probably at least one academic one-credit class, a sorority or fraternity, a music group, a club that you're in charge of, volunteering... Everyone reaches a point where they can't, and probably shouldn't, take anything else on. The tough part is knowing when to say "no."
GASP! Say "no?!" I barely know the meaning of that word. I must do all things and appear super awesome! I must conquer the world!
Calm down, there, spud. You are not yet a full-fledged potato.
Nobody likes to miss out, so saying "sure, I'll run our club's booth at the fair" usually seems like the right way to go. But, because you're ambitious, you've found yourself running the booths for every club you belong to, at all the fairs. Before you know it, you're standing behind a table, inviting people to come learn about your cause, and you can't even remember which cause you're talking about anymore. Participation is great, but it seems like a lot of people bite off more than they can chew (who hasn't?) in an attempt to appear involved.
As a student at a small college, appearing involved is really, really important, maybe almost as much as actually being "involved." There are a lot of ways to be "a big fish in a small pond," and students embrace this. For freshman, like myself, the whole concept of involvement might seem daunting. Some freshman dive in, knowing exactly where their passions lie, some hang back and keep their grades up or wait to see what really speaks to them, and some over-commit.
Of course, there's no right way to be an active member of a school community, but a lot of times, those few upperclassmen or staff in charge of something praise the freshman who involve themselves in a myriad of activities. Because there's so much pressure on the uninvolved to get "involved," a lot of students sign up for things and participate out of obligation.
The sophomores and upperclassmen that I admire do whatever they're doing with passion. For them, it's not about the number of activities, or the activities that will make them look the best for their resumes (ugh, sounds a lot like the college process). They get involved in the things that make them tick, and if they do over-commit, they love every minute of it. That's the difference, high school self. If you're going to lose sleep, lose sleep over the extracurriculars that make you want to get up in the morning.
Everything else? Hard pass. You don't need to prove anything to anyone, so get rid of the resume-mentality. If you embrace and follow your passion, you'll have cool things to write on there anyway.
Sometimes a well-deserved "negatory, but thanks!" can be a lot better than a reluctant "ok."
Sincerely,
A freshman, probably wrong about this theory, who will #regret it whilst applying for jobs after graduation.
