Hannah Shapiro
managing editor
The idea of college can be overwhelming. With pressure from parents, competition with peers and one’s own self determination to be the best and look the best, high school students tend to do as much as they can to present themselves well when applying to their desired schools.
Grades and board scores are all well and good, but schools also look for uniqueness in their applicants, and students know it. Being a part of your community and participating in extracurricular activities can make any ordinary student with good grades seem an exemplar student who is balanced and active.
One way that students have chosen to add to their college resumes is by creating or participating in clubs. There are different kinds of school sponsored clubs that anyone can join. Students typically join these clubs for two reasons: either they are truly interested or just want to build their resume. Senior Grace Youngstrom is involved in multiple clubs with varying topics. “I joined a lot of clubs this year because I wanted to be more involved,” Youngstrom said. “Many of my friends were joining so I decided to participate as well.”
Now no one says people cannot do it for both of these reasons. If you have a passion and legitimately want to start a club then go for it; there is nothing wrong with a win-win situation. Whether a student wants to start their own club or join one or more clubs, there are different ways to go about it. If you have an idea for a club, find others who share that interest. The school can approve it and help you set up times and places to meet. School sponsors are also required. The annual club fair is a great opportunity for students who want to join a club but don’t know which one.
It is also typical for a student to start a club only so they can add it to their college applications, and then not follow through with their club. Senior Shaomeng Hou made a college planning club, but has not kept it going. “I started my club because I need to get into college,” Hou said. “We haven’t done much yet but we will talk about colleges if we have meetings in the future.”
There are also the students who make their clubs for all of these reasons combined. It’s one thing for a student to start a club just to make themselves look good, but if they really care about it and put time and effort into it, there are only positive outcomes.
One club with an enthusiastic leader is senior Max Moinfar’s car club. Cars are a major part of his life, so having the opportunity to meet people with his shared passion is a great opportunity for him, outside of the fact that colleges love these kinds of activities. “I started my club because I like cars and I know there are many people with the same passion,” Moinfar said.
