High school kids who are in every single activity

Is this shit voluntary? I'm seeing the graduation pages coming out in the papers and the valedictorians and salutatorians always have a mile-long list of stuff they're involved in: multiple sports, cheerleading, debate, honor society, SADD, drama club, school plays, team managers, FBLA, yearbook committee, choir, playing instruments at a state level, FFA, various clubs, and probably loads more I forgot. I'm exhausted just reading about all that shit!

Do these kids willingly participate in all those things? Or do their parents force them to do it all and say it's because it'll look good on college applications? My guess is they figure if they keep their teenagers busy to the point of having no free time, they won't get in any trouble. Or just, you know, they don't want to be around their kids, so they keep them out of the house as long as possible.

Or maybe this is normal and I'm just the odd one out. I never wanted to do anything in school and my family never had money for me to do anything either - I was tired enough just doing the basics.

And remember this list of activities leaves out non-school activities such as part-time jobs. When I was in high school, I had to juggle my 2 after-school clubs with a part-time job which had, thankfully, flexible hours, while getting my school work done. That was plenty for me, and it looked okay on my college applications.

The big-name elite schools, such as the Ivy League universities, supposedly look at all the extracurricular activities when deciding on admissions. Some expensive private colleges probably do too. For these schools, the more the better.

But public unis largely don't care, especially in-state. Open admissions is the way to go.

I was a fairly busy high school student, mostly theater and band stuff. Is band an extracurricular? All band, choir, and orchestra stuff were regular classes that were on one's schedule when I was a high schooler, even marching band, jazz, dixie, and such. Performances and competitions were evenings and weekends, though. Yearbook and school newspaper were also classes that met during the day, with some evening stuff during crunch time.

Sometimes students will shotgun their way into a lot of activities...committing to just enough time to put it on their resume.

I think band and choir were considered electives like art, so you could do them during your normal school day and not just after school.

I remember the only thing we were told we "needed" for college was two years of a foreign language because reasons. Guess how much Spanish I used in college?

But then the college I attended had pretty low standards - basically if you had a pulse, they accepted you. I saw PLENTY of people with zero talent that not only got accepted, but graduated, often with honors. Culinary majors who couldn't cook, game design majors who couldn't do 3D modeling (me), film and photography majors who couldn't turn on a camera, animation majors who couldn't draw, you get the point. But that's for-profit college for ya, where you essentially buy a degree for twice as much in exchange for not having to put forth real effort.

I kind of feel bad for the high schoolers who do all this shit. When do they rest and have free time? How the fuck do they stay on top of schoolwork, sports, and all other obligations? When do they have time for hobbies or being a kid or just plain having fun? Sounds like a recipe for burnout to me.

Quote
Cambion

I kind of feel bad for the high schoolers who do all this shit. When do they rest and have free time? How the fuck do they stay on top of schoolwork, sports, and all other obligations? When do they have time for hobbies or being a kid or just plain having fun? Sounds like a recipe for burnout to me.

I was one of those high school students that pushed myself to do all the activities, completely because every adult I knew wouldn’t shut up about how important it was for getting into college. I did make it into my first choice, so maybe they were right, but none of it was worth anything once I got there. I had a mini-breakdown my junior year. The only reason I call it “mini” was because all of those same adults jumped down my throat the second I began to stumble, so I pretty much had no choice but to pull it together and keep going.

I can see why so many teens today have anxiety problems. The more people breed, the more competition there will be for these kids when they grow up and want a job or a spot in a decent college.

_____________________________________________________________________________________________
"Not every ejaculation deserves a name" - George Carlin

I think that the kids who choose suicide are not mental, but are actually realizing what their future will actually look like.

+++++++++++++

Passive Aggressive
Master Of Anti-brat
Excuses!

It becomes a laundry list of extra-curriculars because everybody is doing the same ones and now it’s a competition on who can do the most. Instead, college-bound students should start thinking outside of the box and find unique ways they can shine and elevate themselves. I didn’t going a bunch of clubs and organizations.That just wasn’t the kind of person I was and I really didn’t want to be at school longer than necessary. I joined the Thespian Society because doing theatre was the better option, but what I ended up doing was join my local volunteer fire & rescue department and became an EMT at 16. I think that in of itself made me competitive for college admissions. So instead of having to try to keep up with the overachievers and falling short, I forged a different path.

------------------------------------------------------------
"Why children take so long to grow? They eat and drink like pig and give nothing back. Must find way to accelerate process..."
- Dr. Yi Suchong, Bioshock

"Society does not need more children; but it does need more loved children. Quite literally, we cannot afford unloved children - but we pay heavily for them every day. There should not be the slightest communal concern when a woman elects to destroy the life of her thousandth-of-an-ounce embryo. But all society should rise up in alarm when it hears that a baby that is not wanted is about to be born."
- Garrett Hardin

"I feel like there's a message involved here somehow, but then I couldn't stop laughing at all the plotholes, like the part when North Korea has food."
- Youtube commentor referring to a North Korean cartoon.

"Reality is a bitch when it slowly crawls out of your vagina and shits in your lap."
- Reddit comment

"Bitch wants a baby, so we're gonna fuck now. #bareback"
- Cambion

Oh whatever. Abortion doctors are crimestoppers."
- Miss Hannigan

Quote
paragon schnitzophonic
It becomes a laundry list of extra-curriculars because everybody is doing the same ones and now it’s a competition on who can do the most. Instead, college-bound students should start thinking outside of the box and find unique ways they can shine and elevate themselves. I didn’t going a bunch of clubs and organizations.That just wasn’t the kind of person I was and I really didn’t want to be at school longer than necessary. I joined the Thespian Society because doing theatre was the better option, but what I ended up doing was join my local volunteer fire & rescue department and became an EMT at 16. I think that in of itself made me competitive for college admissions. So instead of having to try to keep up with the overachievers and falling short, I forged a different path.

I didn't even bother with the bandwagon. I skipped it all and got into Community College back when poverty scholarships were actually worth something. I got an AA in Journalism. What I didn't know while studying was I had two mental illnesses brewing away going untreated, and I was surprised I was actually able to graduate with that mess. Of course, the AA went nowhere as I found myself too sick to function in any work environment.

+++++++++++++

Passive Aggressive
Master Of Anti-brat
Excuses!

Honestly I'd advise anyone that age to put all that effort into learning German instead. College is basically free (there can be nominal fees), and that applies regardless of whether the student is from the EU or somewhere else in the world. Admissions are based on standard testing. So you can get a university education and international experience for the cost of living expenses and airfare.

It seems stupid to me to join a bazillion activities and do each of them half-assed, just so you can list them on your resume.

I wonder how many of these kids are doing this shit just to get way from the helicopters that birthed them.

_______________________________________________
“There are three things all wise men fear: the sea in storm, a night with no moon, and the anger of a gentle man.”

The vast majority of high school kids who jump on the activity bandwagon are only costing their famblee money that would better be spent on college or trade school. It doesn't really matter how many activities the wealthy famblees have their kids do, because their parents can afford it. Poor famblees are completely out of the running on having lots of activities. But if their kids show exceptional academic promise they may be able to obtain a need-based academic scholarship or a free ride to a regular college.

Then we have the vast middle class who don't meet the needs based definition and don't have vast resources. I knew so many high school kids who worked hard, had high GPAs and had activities. The best of the best were offered scholarships, sometimes free rides. Many (and I do mean MANY) gave them up for the following stupid reasons: my best friend didn't get into the school, being too far away from a significant other, I wanted to go to another school-my first choice (or whatever). These kids ended up with lots of student loan debt and someone else got the free ride. I remember trying to reason with some friends in this boat and convince them that they can't beat a free ride but they wouldn't listen.

A sibling of mine got a free ride because she had about 3-4 pages (single space typed) of volunteering she added to a scholarship application. I was there when she would stress out over all her homework and would go at 100 miles per hour in order to get all her activities/volunteering in. At best she would have the holidays off but every weekend and evening was some activity, homework or volunteering. And she didn't do the volunteering for scholarships. My famblee pushed the "one must spend all their time volunteering if one is a female or else one is a selfish witch" on us. And let's be honest, volunteering is free labor and when one is a minor it is free child labor.

Many state and jr. colleges couldn't care less about the activities of a potential student (open admission or similar). All these activities are just an ego boost for the kid and parents so they can pretend their kid(s) have a chance at a highly selective/selective school. In reality, the vast majority don't have a chance at a selective school for many reasons. There will always be the immigrant who is missing an arm, speaks 5 languages fluently and started a charity as a teenager. Normal kids can't compete with those types of teens. And most aren't going to get athletic scholarships or similar. I think this is more evidence of the mass delusion of parunts.

I was so thankful I wasn't forced into extra-curricular shit for the sake of college - actually, I was discouraged from pursuing anything outside the house aside from normal school because 1) we were poor and 2) If I stayed at home all the time, clearly I wouldn't get in trouble/smoke/have sex.

Yes, certain things look favorable on college applications, but it's much more important to first consider if you even need college to do what you want to do, and if it is absolutely required, find an affordable school to enroll in instead of a huge expensive university. Superfluous high school activities are like frosting on a cake - it looks nice, but it's not necessary, and if it is necessary, consider the possibility that the school (cake) might be nothing more than a glorified overpriced shit heap that exists for nothing beyond bragging rights.

I hate the belief that people HAVE TO go to college and HAVE TO go after high school. There is precisely no shame in working a job as opposed to a career, nor is there shame in going to college at 30 because you want to fuck off and find yourself for ten years before deciding what you want to do with your life.

I loved extracurricular activities when I was in high school. It got me out of the house away from my raging mother who would lie on the floor and scream bloody murder at all hours of the day and night and then yell at me that I'm going to burn in hell for listening to a Black Sabbath album. I also worked 42 hours as a "part-time" job, the max amount of hours a teenager could work. I was in all of the musical outings in band (pit orchestra, marching, jazz, concert, honors, district/regional, community band and orchestra). I loved music but it also allowed me to be away from home most evenings/weekends because of all the performances and practices. I figured most kids were that way unless they were stoners or something - everyone I knew was chock-full of after-school activities.

None of that helped me get into college - as my major was something completely different. Then again, back then (early 2000's), there wasn't this much emphasis on after-school activities unless you wanted to go to med school, which requires volunteering.

Freya said: "Then we have the vast middle class who don't meet the needs based definition and don't have vast resources. I knew so many high school kids who worked hard, had high GPAs and had activities. The best of the best were offered scholarships, sometimes free rides. Many (and I do mean MANY) gave them up for the following stupid reasons: my best friend didn't get into the school, being too far away from a significant other, I wanted to go to another school-my first choice (or whatever). These kids ended up with lots of student loan debt and someone else got the free ride. I remember trying to reason with some friends in this boat and convince them that they can't beat a free ride but they wouldn't listen."

This. I've heard several stories about teens who received sweet scholarship offers including free rides, just to insist on going to some expensive university at full price because of whatever really stupid reasons. It's as stupid as choosing a college or uni because it has a great sportsball team. (Sportsball = derogatory term for football, basketball, etc.) But this is the result when we expect 17–year-olds to make major decisions about their future.

I had great SATs and a great GPA, but got next to nothing for scholarships. It frustrates me immensely to hear of stupid kids turning down free rides for childish reasons. One mistake I made was to apply under an early acceptance program to an in-state uni. During the winter holidays in my senior year of high school, my acceptance letter arrived, but I was now locked into attending only that uni. What no one explained is that that choice means the uni has little incentive to offer you a good financial aid package. But again, I was 17, what did I know? In hindsight I should have avoided any early acceptance and instead applied to multiple schools.

And participating in a lot of BS extracurricular activities would not have made a difference for the unis I would have applied to. One out-of-state uni that I did consider, MIT, did look for such activities for admission then, but that school was too expensive and out of my league. Today's kids need to understand such realities. They just don't. Instead they waste time on loads of activities that probably don't impress most admissions offices.

I'll go with the "it keep the kids busy 24/7 so they don't get into trouble and so that they will leave Mommy alone".

Because Mommy cannot be bother by her own Shitstains.

Yup, I fall into the category of hating school, skipping class, drinking, smoking, playing cards, and having sex. We were poor and my mother was abusive so I could never concentrate on anything. I worked some part-time jobs after school but that was it.
School activities never really interested me at all.
It probably would have been good for me to get into at least one program, but we had no money and my mother seemed to hate me.
I was pretty depressed at that time so I probably couldn't have done much anyway.
It seems to be extremes with parents. Either they force their kids into too many activities, or they just don't give a shit at all.

I went to a high school with a lot of these kids. Most of them took big shortcuts like having their friends sign in for them at meetings and copying homework. Some even cheated on tests. And that’s just what I witnessed. The college admissions scandal finally revealed how full of shit these high school resumès can be.
Even an intelligent hardworking classmate of mine was claiming volunteer hours for tutoring that she was paid to do.

Quote
yurble
Honestly I'd advise anyone that age to put all that effort into learning German instead. College is basically free (there can be nominal fees), and that applies regardless of whether the student is from the EU or somewhere else in the world. Admissions are based on standard testing. So you can get a university education and international experience for the cost of living expenses and airfare.

It seems stupid to me to join a bazillion activities and do each of them half-assed, just so you can list them on your resume.

It’s a myth that you need to do all those activities to get into college in America. I only did a small amount because of family responsibility (and a bit of slacking off), but I still got into good schools (not the very top ones, but most people don’t go there anyway). Getting into lower schools is even easier, Grades and test scores are the key and the rest is gravy. I think this extracurricular myth was spread so people who run these activities can get more money.

Quote
yurble
Honestly I'd advise anyone that age to put all that effort into learning German instead. College is basically free (there can be nominal fees), and that applies regardless of whether the student is from the EU or somewhere else in the world. Admissions are based on standard testing. So you can get a university education and international experience for the cost of living expenses and airfare.

It seems stupid to me to join a bazillion activities and do each of them half-assed, just so you can list them on your resume.

Learning a foreign language is a lot of work. Knowledge tests cannot be bought. Knowledge skill level will be graded. Same cannot be said for many of the extracurricular activities, that are basically bought and paid for. Learning a language is effort and success will be determined by student themselves. Most high school kids want to party, have fun with friends and demand more useless crap from parents. Learning a language, well, if Johnny's parents are paying for a local college, why should Shitleigh have to do anything serious?

None of these kids have a future, so there is no point in any of this shit, or college for that matter.

+++++++++++++

Passive Aggressive
Master Of Anti-brat
Excuses!