Extracurricular Activities
By Quetzal Mama • September 18, 2013
Extracurricular
Activities
Killing Three Birds with One Stone
As we near the Regular and Early admission
deadlines, I am busy reviewing many student profiles. When viewing these profiles, it is immediately
clear which students employed a strategy in organizing their activities, versus
those who did not. It is clear which
students used the “cover all bases” strategy, versus those who took a more
passive approach. And finally, there are
the students whose profiles shine! These
successful students followed the “Three Birds” strategy. Before we discuss this strategy, let’s review
some of the pitfalls I just mentioned including the “Cover all Bases” approach
and the “Passive” approach.
The “Cover All Bases” concept refers to
parents who push their students to participate in every type of activity.
Because these parents are uncertain as to which area to focus, they
encourage their students to participate in everything. Unfortunately, these parents have made the mistake of believing their child will catch
the attention of Admissions Officers if they are involved in every academic,
athletic, and community service program.
Consequently, their
applications do not project a consistent theme, purpose, or direction. These student profiles
often read like a confusing road map with road signs leading nowhere.
The “Passive” approach, on the other hand,
represents the other extreme. This
approach represents students who passively engage in extracurricular
opportunities without critical examination.
For example, they will only pursue activities advertised in their high
school counseling center, those that caught their attention on a posted flyer,
or those that their friends have pursued.
There is no thought or strategy in this passive approach, and this will
be clear in their application.
Neither of these approaches will be
beneficial for your student. Instead, I
have developed a strategy that centers on the old adage: Quality versus Quantity. This approach, conducted consistently over
four years of high school, will result in an exemplary profile. This strategy includes meeting all three of
the following goals:
Goal #1:
Focus on Discipline-Specific activities.
Goal #2:
Focus on Politically Savvy activities.
Goal #3:
Focus on Culturally Authentic activities.
Let’s talk about Goal #1. Discipline-Specific activities are those that
mirror the student’s intended major. For
example, if your student wishes to pursue a degree in Psychology, then s/he should
pursue activities related to Psychology.
This might include a summer research project focused on the mental
health of Latinos. Ideally, this
activity will be under the direction of a Psychology Professor at a local
university or a Clinic Director. Another
activity may be volunteering at a local mental health facility that primarily
serves Latino patients.
Now let’s shift to Goal #2.
Politically Savvy activities are those that serve politically neutral
organizations, with broad appeal, and are positively recognized in our
society. Many politically neutral,
broad-serving organizations are champions for these causes: Domestic Violence,
Homeless Populations, Medical Conditions (cancer, etc.), Mental or Physical Disabilities,
Socioeconomically Disadvantaged, and Women and Children. When considering a
politically savvy activity, your student should ask these questions: What population or demographic does the
organization serve, who funds the organization, and what is the perceived
reputation of this organization? An excellent example of a politically savvy
activity is The Boys and Girls Clubs of America.
Keep in mind there is an exception to the “politically neutral” and
“broad appeal” target. This is an
exception Latino students can use to their advantage. Our students should volunteer for organizations that are specific to our ethnic group and political pursuits. In our society, we admire and hold esteem for
individuals who help the oppressed, the underserved, and those that are
marginalized. This also holds true for
student volunteers. In this context, a
politically savvy activity might be volunteering at Council for the Spanish
Speaking in San Joaquin County, also known as “El Concilio.” This organization is not politically neutral
because they serve a specific population.
However, the organization has broad appeal because they are serving an
underserved population.
Finally, let’s focus on Goal #3.
Culturally Authentic activities are those that demonstrate your
student’s positive affiliation and identification with his or her
ethnic/cultural group. For Latino
students, an example would be holding a leadership position in Movimiento Estudiantil Chican@ de Aztlán (MEChA), being a member
of a ballet folklorico or mariachi group, or volunteering for a
Latino-based organization like National Council of La Raza. These activities demonstrate that the student
has developed a cultural identity based on authentic life experiences within a
cultural group and positively identifies with this group.
To “Kill Three Birds with One Stone”
your student will need to carefully select activities that meet all three
goals. Let me illustrate with an example
from one of my students. We will call
this student, “Erica.” Erica plans to
major in Biological Sciences and is aiming for Yale University. I advised Erica to focus her efforts in the
following.
Freshman Year:
Member, Pre-Med Club
Member, MEChA
Summer volunteer at San Joaquin General Hospital
(100 hours community service)
Sophomore Year:
Treasurer, Pre-Med Club
Chair of Community Service, MEChA (100 hours community service)
Summer Research Intern, University of the Pacific
Junior Year:
Vice President, Pre-Med Club
Vice President, MEChA
Intern, Stanford Institutes of Medicine Summer Research Program (SIMR)
Volunteer El Concilio (100 hours community service)
Senior Year:
President, Pre-Med Club
President, MEChA
Regional Finalist –Siemens
Competition in Math, Science & Technology
Summer Intern,
National Institute of Health “Step-Up”Program
Volunteer, El Concilio (100 hours community service)
This
may seem like an overwhelming and unrealistic schedule. However, remember that Erica is aiming for
Yale and will be competing against students with similar profiles. To avoid conflicts with her studies, Erica
cleverly scheduled her volunteer and research activities exclusively during her
Spring, Winter, and Summer breaks.
One
of the highlights of Erica’s planned activities, is that she escalated her
leadership role each year. She moved
from member to Chairperson, to Vice President, and finally President within the
Pre-Med Club and MEChA.
What
should stand out is how strategically Erica approached her activities. She met Goal #1 by focusing in activities
consistent with her pursued major (Biological Sciences). She accomplished this through the Pre-Med
Club affiliation, volunteerism, research, internships, and a national science
competition. She met Goal #2 by
volunteering 200 hours at El Concilio.
She met Goal #3 also by volunteering at El Concilio, membership in
MEChA, and through her fine arts involvement (folklorico and mariachi). You can see that Erica’s efforts are
consistent over four years, she appears passionate about science, is politically
savvy, and culturally authentic.
A word of
caution! The extent to which your
student will be involved in extracurricular activities must be balanced with
his/her GPA. If your student’s GPA
begins to falter, the extracurricular activities should be suspended until you
see grade improvement. Your student
should not compromise GPA for extracurricular activities. Note that “sports” as an extracurricular was
not discussed but may be featured in a future article.
This fall,
instead of jumping into extracurricular activities without careful analysis,
students should review the above 3-prong approach. Get started now, and by the end of this
school year your application will shine!
Good luck. ―Quetzal Mama