At a school that offers over 100 clubs, along with a plethora of other extracurricular activities, it is no surprise that students choose to heavily involve themselves in such activities. This affords many the opportunity to solidify their passions, explore new areas of interest, or simply take a break from the rigorous academic schedule. However, for some, membership in a student organization is most valuable due to its provision of a bluecard — an unspoken, yet obligatory addition to a college résumé.
Although students are welcome to take part in any extracurricular activity in their Choate career, students must not join clubs solely for the sake of building college résumés. Students should be concerned with maximizing their Choate experiences, not appearing well-rounded and involved in the eyes of college admissions officers. Rather than taking advantage of Choate’s “many paths,” students seem to be concerned about just one: the path to college admission.
One admirable aspect of Choate is its vibrant club life, which not only allows students to join clubs but also to establish new ones. Currently, the School recognizes 111 student organizations. This number sounds excessive — yet, regularly, many students nonetheless propose to found new clubs. The Committee on Student Activities is currently processing 17 requests for new student organizations for the spring term alone.
While it is certainly necessary to allow students the platform to create clubs more closely tailored to their interests, it is similarly necessary to deny one this chance if he or she appears to be doing so for the sole purpose of embellishing his résumé. No one should be allowed to establish a club for the wrong reason.
Another opportunity for student involvement in the community is the Prefect Program. Prefects, in short, are expected to serve as role models to the community, especially by mentoring underclassmen. While it is true that many do wish to positively impact those in forms below them, it seems overly optimistic to believe that all 165 rising seniors who applied this year were motivated to do so purely because of their interest in aiding underformers. When the perks of prefectship were discussed with applicants, it is not unfair to claim that some who applied did so “for the résumé” rather than to serve the Choate community.
If Choate students truly prioritize their college resumes over finding meaning in their Choate careers, our School would be nothing more than a vehicle for college acceptance. Students should be concerned with making the most of their time at Choate, not about how a college admissions officer might regard a list of extracurricular activities.
