High school students who want to go to prestigious colleges have a lot in common with college students who want to be doctors.
In Is There a Future Doctor in the House?, I described how typical collegiate premeds work like crazy to do everything the other premeds are doing. They follow an identical path together because of the competition for admission to medical school. Doing what everybody else is doing feels safe and right. Why go play the drums in a rock band? Nobody else who’s trying to get into medical school is doing that. The rub, unfortunately, is most of those typical premeds don’t get into medical school. Doing what everybody else does is a lousy way to stand out.
I see this happen with a lot of high school students who want to go to prestigious colleges. They work incredibly hard to complete a checklist of AP classes, test prep, leadership, and volunteer work, but when they’re asked about their favorite class, activity, hobby or book, they struggle to give a real answer.
You don’t stand out by following a checklist. Instead of mimicking what everybody is doing, blaze your own path. Find your favorite subjects and throw yourself into them. Get involved in activities you really enjoy. Don’t worry whether or not colleges will appreciate them. As long as what you’re doing is productive and legal, it’s almost certainly going to be interesting. Standing out is a lot better than fitting in.