For students, choosing activities can be a lot like entrepreneurs choosing what kind of businesses they want to run.
From Jason Fried of 37signals at the 17:15 minute mark of this talk to entrepreneurs:
“Everyone’s always interested in making sure the customer is happy. You’ve got to make sure that you’re happy… We didn’t want to run that kind of business [that made us unhappy]. And if you’re not careful, if you don’t think about that, you can end up running the wrong kind of business. And you’re going to kind of hate it. And that sucks, because why would you take all this risk to do something that you hate doing? And I know a lot of people who get in that… This happens in consulting a lot where you take on work that you don't want because you have to pay the bills… And the moment you get in that habit, you’re screwed because habits form quickly. You keep doing the things you did before. And you’re going to find yourself in a bad spot, even a year or two down the road where you’re going to be kind of upset.”
That’s a good way to think about your activities. Whether it’s the golf team, the marching band, the German club or the student council, don’t choose activities to make colleges happy. Choose activities to make yourself happy. You’ll enjoy high school a lot more. And you’ll be more successful getting into college.