It’s that time of the year again. And no, unfortunately, I’m not referring to the holidays – I’m talking about the end of the quarter or semester. Essays. Extracurriculars. Projects. Finals. For some, graduation. And, inevitably, job applications. Arguably, this is one of the most (if not the single most) stressful points of the school year. But, why exactly, do we stress so much? Certainly it would be much easier to exercise a bit of apathy and not worry about the final outcome of our endless number of obligations as students. Why not just settle for the B, instead of ingesting unhealthy amounts of caffeine and exerting far too much brain power in order to get that elusive A? Or why not sleep those extra few hours, instead of setting your alarm for an ungodly hour in order to snag a table at the library (which will double as your living quarters for the duration of finals week)? The answer is simple: we do all of this because we care. But we don’t care for the right reasons.

All the aforementioned essays, extracurriculars, projects, and finals have one thing in common: their results will be reflected on your resume. Your resume – the one-dimensional, 8.5” x 11” piece of paper that has the unfortunate power to influence and control your entire future. It's your own personal highlight reel that you spend an absurd amount of time editing and trimming in order to portray yourself in the most positive and forgiving light possible. After all, the main objective of attending college is to get an education with the hopes of future employment, and some enjoyment along the way. And in this competitive job market, your resume is what sets you apart from other college graduates in the preliminary stages of the application process. But this has created an unhealthy amount of emphasis on that single piece of paper; we’ve stopped doing things for our own personal fulfillment, but rather just to do them – and to include them on our resumes. At the risk of sounding extremely cliché, it’s about the journey, not the destination. And as college students, we seem to have forgotten this notion.

I completely understand the importance of the resume from an employer’s standpoint. Companies and businesses simply don’t have the time or the resources to holistically review each applicant and offer everyone an interview in order to learn more beyond what can be expressed on a piece of paper. So, naturally, the resume is an extremely efficient way of deciding which candidates are potentially worth interviewing and employing, and which are not. But this also means that we as college students are boiled down to a single piece of paper with a few supposedly telling numbers and lists of accomplishments and qualifications. It’s unfortunate for both parties; employers are unable to seriously consider every single candidate, and the applicants are forced to boast their accomplishments through their resume and hope for the best. But a one-dimensional piece of paper cannot possibly encapsulate a three-dimensional living and breathing human being, and it’s about time we stopped trying to do so.

I have far too many friends who have spread themselves thin. Between their intramural sports, club meetings, part-time jobs and other obligations, they’ve managed to dabble in just about every possible aspect of college life. But, for the most part, they’re not choosing these commitments for the right reasons – they’re simply looking to add to their ever-growing list of accomplishments and experiences on their resumes. Think back to any club showcase or event you’ve been to in the past. As you’re navigating your way through the throng of people, members of various clubs are at their respective booths, urging you to join their organization. Their most oft-cited reason for doing so? “It’ll look great on your resume!” “Employers will love seeing this experience!” “You can set yourself apart from other job candidates!” These are, certainly, important things to consider when joining any group or committing to any sort of extracurricular activity. But even more important to consider: does it interest you? Does it fuel your passion? Does it make you happy? Because, if not, the two lines of font dedicated to this “experience” or “commitment” of yours on your beloved resume are most certainly not worth it.

This is all speaking in generalities, of course. There are many people out there who truly enjoy being involved in various groups and choose to divide their time between all of their commitments and obligations. But, again, you have to ask yourself: are you doing this for yourself, or for your resume? I would argue that quality trumps quantity, and it is much more impressive to be seriously involved in a few things that you are interested in as opposed to various things that you are indifferent towards. This is a fine line to walk, because in college we are still trying to find and define ourselves, so it only makes sense to explore our options. Just don’t forget exactly why you are exploring. And don’t worry if you haven’t explored enough yet. To be completely honest, there is more blank space on my resume than I’d like to admit. But what isn’t blank space is a list of a few things that I’m very passionate about. And I am hopeful that I will eventually fill those spaces. But in the meantime, I will patiently wait to further decorate my resume until I find something truly meaningful. To do anything less is to be dishonest to myself – and everyone else.