Some high school students are so driven to gain admission to a highly selective college that they overschedule every minute of their days with classes, activities, tutoring, and volunteer work. These students have a tremendous work ethic, but they’re not having any fun. I don’t mean fun as in, “I like math—that’s why I take college-level calculus.” I mean fun as in “I play video games” or “I throw the Frisbee with my dog,” or “I read teen lit you would never find in my English class.”
But play is important for your health and happiness, and yes, even for your college admissions chances.
Like your body, your mind can’t run at top-speed constantly. We’re not built to be “on” all the time. Everyone—especially teenagers—needs time off when we’re not being judged or evaluated or measured. We need to do things that fill up our emotional and spiritual tanks. Carving out that free time to rejuvenate, to do things that are purely for your own fun and enjoyment, helps you better sustain the demands of work. You won’t just be having fun—you’ll be setting yourself up to perform better when it counts.
But more importantly, while colleges certainly do appreciate students who’ve demonstrated that they know how to work hard, they also want students who are happy, well-adjusted, and interesting beyond their résumés. Many applications include short-answer prompts that ask what the applicant does for fun. College interviewers often ask the same question. When an applicant struggles to answer, or just recites their activities (which you’ve already listed on the application), you sound more like a robot and less like a real person who’d be an enjoyable addition to the dorm.
I once worked with a student who wrote one of his short essays about how much he enjoyed regular weekend surf trips with his friends. It included details about their favorite roadside hamburger stand, whose burgers “looked absolutely disgusting, but are in fact indescribably delicious, especially when you’ve been surfing all day.”
He was admitted to Stanford.
Realistically, the most successful applicants probably spend more time working than they do purely playing. That’s OK—it reflects the life you’ll likely lead when you graduate from college and join the working world. Most of us working stiffs don’t get to spend all day playing the harmonica or skateboarding, either.
But if someone asked you today, “What do you do for fun?” and you’d struggle to give a real answer, your work-play balance is off. Carve out some time for yourself, unscheduled time when you can do what you please without regard for its value to college. You’ll accomplish more and be happier when you’re not all-work-and-no-play.
P.S. For more on this, see Wharton Business School professor Adam Grant’s article, How to Raise a Creative Child. Step One: Back Off. You might be surprised to learn how many Nobel Prize winners perform as actors, dance, write poetry, do arts and crafts, or even perform as magicians.