Welcome back everyone!
I’ve written a lot of posts about “getting involved” during your high school career, and the importance of activities. But what does that really mean? Getting involved can entail different things for everyone, which is why people tend to give such general advice regarding the topic. I know I had no clue where to start in joining clubs/extracurriculars and figuring out what I enjoy doing- actually, I still am a little clueless! That being said, I’ve learned a lot since I started my journey freshman year, and I’m going to share that knowledge with you.
I think it’s necessary to address some of the cliché, broad statements you’ll often hear; keep in mind, these are often true… but they’re still cliché.
- Depth over breadth – This is something I’ve struggled with. I’ve never been particularly drawn to one field/topic or fallen in love with one activity, so I’ve tried to explore lots of things and join new activities whenever possible in search of my “passion”. I think it’s absolutely important to stick with activities and get really involved in the ones you love rather than joining 25 clubs just because, but don’t feel bad if your activities are a little bit all over the place.
- Do what you love/follow your passion – Similar to what I said above, this is important, but it also doesn’t work out this way for everyone. If you have a passion, FOLLOW IT! Do everything you can to pursue it and become more immersed in that field; you’re lucky to have such a clear idea of what you love. However, if you don’t have a passion/specific things you love doing, it’s okay to just try new things. You don’t have to go into everything trying to make it your passion.
- Drop time-suck activities – This is a tricky one, because what exactly is a time-suck? Any activity can be time-consuming if you’re putting a lot of time and effort into it; it just depends on what you’re personally getting out of it. For example, if you’re in a sport and have two-hour practices everyday, but you don’t genuinely enjoy the sport/you’re not the best at it, that time could be spent doing so many other things you do like. However, if you enjoy your activities that could be considered “time-sucks”, don’t drop them. It’s that simple; just evaluate what else you could be doing and how pressed you are for time.
- Be a leader, not just a participant – Again, leadership roles are definitely something you will want to have eventually. However, you don’t have to be a leader in everything you do, and it’s okay if you don’t naturally gravitate towards being a leader in a group at all- not everyone wants to be a leader, and not everyone should. I would definitely recommend leading projects/groups when necessary or when you have an idea that no one else does/no one else is going to act on. For example, don’t be afraid to start your own club or do your own service project.
These are the main cliché statements I’ve encountered when searching for extracurricular advice. I’m still trying to find my “passion” and figure out what I want to pursue through my activities in high school/how I want to use my time, and it’s honestly really difficult. There’s so many options out there; therefore, there’s so many different paths you can take- the amount of options overwhelms my indecisive brain! The main thing that calms me down is just remembering that we’re all exactly where we’re meant to be right now, and things will work themselves out in the long run.
-Brooke
adventures of a typical high school student 