During my first year on the Stanford faculty in 1988, I sought out professor John Gardner for guidance on how I might become a better teacher. Gardner, former Secretary of Health, Education and Welfare, founder of Common Cause, and author of the classic text Self-Renewal, stung me with a comment that changed my life.
'It occurs to me, Jim, that you spend too much time trying to be interesting,' he said. 'Why don't you invest more time being interested.'"
Jim Collins
Stanford Business School
That's good advice for high school students, too. Stop worrying about whether or not colleges will appreciate what you're doing. If you're sincerely interested in what you're learning and how you're spending your time, you'll become more interesting to colleges.