The Trouble With Building a College Résumé
One of the most common things I hear from parents is that they want to help their child build a strong college résumé. It's a reasonable instinct. Families understand that colleges look beyond grades and test scores, and they want their children to have experiences that demonstrate initiative, leadership, curiosity, and commitment. So they start planning.
A summer program might demonstrate academic interest. A leadership position could show initiative. Volunteer work would add another dimension. Perhaps research, an internship, or an independent project would help round things out. Individually, any of these experiences might be valuable. The problem begins when students pursue them primarily because they think colleges want to see them.
And it's easy to understand how that happens. Parents see what other students are doing and worry that their own child isn't doing enough. Students hear that colleges want leadership, community involvement, and academic curiosity, so they look for activities that demonstrate those qualities. Before long, the focus shifts from exploring interests to collecting accomplishments.
Being Busy Isn't the Same as Being Engaged
Having worked on the admissions side of the desk, I've read plenty of applications filled with impressive activities. But the number of activities rarely told me much about the student. I wanted to understand what interested them, how they spent their time, and whether their experiences had led them to try something new or take on greater responsibility.
Consider two students who participate in the same organization. Both attend meetings, volunteer at events, and eventually hold leadership positions. But one approaches the experience as another commitment to fulfill, while the other becomes interested in improving how the organization operates, introduces new ideas, or finds ways to involve more students.
Their résumés might look remarkably similar. Their experiences, however, are quite different.
That doesn't mean every activity needs to lead to a leadership position or an extraordinary accomplishment. A student might play an instrument simply because they love music or volunteer because they enjoy spending time with the people they're helping. Those are perfectly good reasons to do something. The point is that students should have interests and experiences that matter to them, even when those experiences don't produce an impressive title or award.
Give Students Room to Explore
One of my concerns about résumé-building is that students can begin to feel that every activity needs to serve a larger purpose. A ninth grader who enjoys biology, plays competitive soccer, and spends weekends experimenting with photography doesn't need to figure out how those interests fit together. Nor does a sophomore who decides to leave an activity necessarily lack commitment. Teenagers are supposed to explore. Some interests will deepen. Others will disappear. Occasionally, something they try on a whim will become an important part of their lives.
But when every decision is evaluated according to how it might look on a college application, students can become reluctant to change direction. They continue activities they've outgrown or overlook opportunities that interest them because those opportunities don't seem particularly impressive. There is value in sticking with something when it becomes difficult. There is also value in recognizing when an activity is no longer right for you. Learning the difference is part of growing up.
What Parents Can Do Differently
Parents play an important role in helping their children discover opportunities. They identify programs, encourage participation, provide resources, and sometimes recognize interests their children haven't yet considered. But as students progress through high school, I encourage families to pay attention to who is making the decisions.
Is your child pursuing an opportunity because it genuinely interests them, or because someone suggested it would look good on an application? Do they enjoy the activities they're involved in? Are there interests they'd like to explore further but haven't had the time or confidence to pursue? These conversations are often more useful than identifying another activity to add to an already full schedule.
That doesn't mean expecting teenagers to figure everything out independently. Some need encouragement to try new things. Others need help identifying opportunities or following through on commitments. But they also need opportunities to make their own choices, including choices that may not produce an obvious admissions advantage. And sometimes that means resisting the temptation to fill every available hour.
College Planning Should Leave Room for Growing Up
By senior year, students will have spent several years exploring interests, making commitments, trying new things, and occasionally changing their minds. Those experiences will eventually become part of their college applications. Some students will have developed a clear academic direction. Others will still be figuring things out. Neither needs a perfectly constructed résumé. What matters is that students have had opportunities to discover what interests them, pursue those interests, and gradually take more responsibility for their choices.
The goal isn't to spend four years building a college résumé. It's to help students make the most of their high school years—and trust that they'll have something meaningful to say about them when the time comes.
Thinking Ahead? Thoughtful college planning starts well before application season. At Stiphany Consulting, I help students explore their interests, identify opportunities, and make informed decisions throughout high school.
