Some people work even harder in the face of competition. A student who likes to set the curve might take his academic game up another notch in an AP class full of high-achievers. An athlete might show up to practice early and shoot an extra 100 free throws when there’s competition for her starting spot. And a student who thinks an extra 50 hours of community service could lead to an admission from Yale may carve out a few extra hours a week to reach her goal. Sometimes competition really can bring out our best.
But there’s a downside to thriving best in a competitive environment. What do you do when there is no competition? If you’re going to rely on competitors to get you to do your best work, you’re dependent on them to show up. Your competitors are deciding how hard you’ll work and when.
The students who stand out to colleges are those who do great work even when nobody’s competing. They love learning so much that they bring their academic game to every class. They love basketball enough to shoot the extra free throws. And they want to help people whether or not Yale’s going to notice.
If your life is starting to feel like one big competition to get into college, think about which classes and activities you’d actually enjoy with or without competition. Then focus your energies there. Self-motivation is the best kind.