We get it, you’re that kid that was President, Vice President, Treasurer, and Public Relations of basically every single club, that you very clearly gave all your dedication and time to each effort that obviously flourished under your leadership and was definitely not given to because of your college apps.
Now, you’re here.
You’re at college, whether it’s one of the Ivies, like the Big 3, or even a local school, like Rutgers or Hofstra, both of which are equally respectable in terms of academic achievement. From the bottom of my heart, I really say congratulations; you’ve worked incredibly hard to get to this point, and it’s apparent in your determination to… be that exact person again in high school.
You’re already here at college, wherever you ended up. I know, you wanted to be that President of Student Council, as well as join and become President of the acapella group, fraternity/sorority, your cultural society, as well as be Editor-in-Chief of the school paper. Listen, I’m all for your enthusiasm, and I was literally the same way, but take this from a freshman that’s been in class for three weeks at most; it’s not what you’re gonna expect it to be.
I came into college knowing that I wanted to ultimately become that kid that all 6,000ish freshmen knew that could walk down the hallway and see at least one familiar face in the crowd, just like high school. Except, it’s not like high school. The total number of kids in the school was around 1200 kids; in just the freshmen class alone at NYU, there are 6,000 students that are entering just as freshmen, and there’ll be tons of times where you’ll see people often, but you’ll also see people that you may not believe may be in your graduating class unless you have classes together, or club activities together.
You say you want to become President of the freshmen class through the senior class; first of all, which freshmen class? Are you representing Arts and Sciences, or are you representing the School of Engineering? How are you marketing your campaigns (which matters far more in college), and how are you expecting to stand out among the rest of the many applicants wishing to take on the role just like you? How many kids that were just like you, that participated in quite literally everything, that you’re willing to compete with?
I really don’t want to demoralize you; that’s not what the purpose of this article is about. It’s about understanding that things are great as they are; appreciate and smell the roses, as they say. Have fun in ways that don’t always require having a board position. Join a choir, join a debate union, and join things you genuinely care about, as opposed to a bunch of labels to put on a resume. After all, college is what you get out of it; don’t burn yourself out, make yourself fired up for each week and what’s to come.