By Kristen Shepard
Staff Writer

To the student who shudders at the idea of fitting their resume onto one page, you are, more than likely, spreading yourself too thin.

Be involved. It has been pounded into your brain since before you started high school. My parents always told me trying new things and being involved in my school and community would never fail me, but there is a definite line between effective and obsessive involvement.

America’s most widely used college application, The Common App, gives students 10 blank spaces to write in their extra-curricular activities. Believe it or not, the application is like this for a reason. There is something suspicious about a student who is involved in half a million clubs, honor societies, sports teams and internships, and colleges do not like it.

I guarantee any college worth attending would rather admit a student who went to 100 meetings of one or two clubs than the students that went to three meetings of 100 clubs. The quality of what you are involved in will always outscore the quantity of things you are involved in.

Simply put, there are only so many hours in a day. It is flat-out unrealistic to expect to be an active member of twenty something organizations.

Sitting silently in the back of the Hope for Africa club just to put it on your resume is doing nothing for you. While it might look good on a college transcript, the whole point of going to college is to grow as a person. If getting into a school involves you being a different person; you probably do not deserve admission in the first place.

Another issue with the way students get involved is they do not necessarily pursue their interests. There are hundreds of students at Coppell High School who are passionate about the things they are involved in. I have met many students who rave about a club or organization. As a student, it is unbelievably important to be involved in things you look forward to partaking in.

If you spend the last three hours of your school day dreading the Latin Club meeting after school, you do not belong in the Latin Club. Even if the school of your dreams commends students who take initiative in learning a second language, do not try to shape your interests and personalities around this idea.

I will admit I am involved in a number of clubs and organizations; I keep myself busy on a pretty consistent basis. But if there is anything I have learned, it is that it is not worth your time and energy to be involved in activities you are not passionate about.  If you really want to quit something, do not let your fear of disappointing your coach or teacher stop you. High school is simply too short to be unhappy in what you are involved in.

In the end, being involved in too many things is better than being involved in nothing, but take the time to sit down and look at the big picture by looking at your interests. What do you like? For what will you count down the days until the next meeting? I can promise that considering these ideas will take you further than looking for what colleges prefer ever will.