I've been told that through SEO (search engine optimization), I can pick titles for my blog posts, include particular links, and even choose phrasing for the body that will make each post appear higher in the results when someone searches on Google. The problem with that strategy is that as soon as I start writing with the goal of improving my search results, I’m now writing for Google, not for myself or for the people who actually read my blog. It might draw a few more outside readers, but that’s not why I write an entry every day. For me, the better strategy is to write because I enjoy it, because I have a platform to share a message, and because it seems to resonate with a band of blog followers. I don’t think anyone who reads what I write does so because of the SEO.
I see this dynamic often with high school students as they choose their classes and activities. They want to make every decision based on its potential impact on their college admissions chances at their dream school. So they’ll take an intensive Spanish course over the summer or volunteer to coach a soccer team or get a part-time job at the mall…if those things will help them get into Yale.
There’s nothing wrong with being goal-oriented. But making every decision in high school—from what classes to take, to which activities to do, to what to write in your college essays—based on what you think will impress your dream colleges doesn’t work and is a terrible way to stand out. You’ll end up doing the same things too many other students do. You’ll appear to be motivated more by a sense of competition than you are by any real enjoyment in what you’re learning or doing. And it’s hard to be happy when you spend all your time doing things because you think other people will appreciate them.
Learn because you’re curious. Commit yourself to things that you enjoy. Be excited about the opportunities that are waiting for you at any number of colleges. There’s no one particular life colleges are expecting you to live. Making those decisions for yourself is a much better strategy.