“Passion” is a frequently-used college admissions term. Colleges want it, and students are advised to discover, pursue and demonstrate a passion for something while they’re in high school.
But I haven’t heard a lot of discussion about why passion is such a desirable trait. Passion is appealing in an applicant because students who have it tend to carry it with them to college, whether or not they continue to direct that passion to the same interest.
Let’s say you love playing the trumpet. You’re in the school jazz band. You take private lessons. When you could be doing lots of other things, you choose to practice your trumpet or play in live performances. It’s fair to say that you’re passionate about the trumpet.
Now, maybe you decide to major in music while you’re in college. Or maybe you play in the university marching band. Or maybe the trumpet becomes a hobby, and you form your own little jazz quartet that plays at the campus pub on weekends. In any one of those scenarios, your passion for the trumpet benefits your new college.
But even if you leave the trumpet—or music entirely—behind after high school, odds are that you’ll bring your passion with you to college and redirect it somewhere. Maybe you’ll find a new form of expression, like art. Maybe you’ll enjoy time as a bio major in the lab. Maybe you’ll join a campus debate, mock trial, or intramural sports team.
You know how good it feels to commit yourself to something. You don’t mind practicing because you know that’s how you get better. Those feelings are familiar to you because you learned them as a high school trumpet player. Your trumpet may be left behind, but the passion carries with you.
So don’t worry if you haven’t found a passion that you’re ready to commit your life or even your college years to continuing. Enjoy and work hard at what excites you today. If you later decide to bring that interest with you to college, you can pick schools that will give you that opportunity. But if you decide to leave the interest behind, plenty of colleges will be happy to welcome you—and your accompanying passion—to their campuses.