The stress of getting into college can be overwhelming and stressful, wanting to impress colleges with AP classes, extracurricular activities and a commonly seen activity: being involved in clubs. Clubs are a fun way for students to come together for a common interest and interact with peers. Some of the more popular clubs at NDB, like the Ambassador Club and Yearbook Club, tend to get more students involved. While many students attend events or meetings, a fair number tend not to show up, yet still say they are a part of that club.

Seniors begin to get ready to submit their last part of college applications, which will include questions about the extracurricular activities they were involved in and the clubs they were a part of. But putting in clubs, did those people actually attend meetings, or did they not really contribute?

There are many clubs at NDB that hold a lot of students, but the majority of those students often tend to put their names down and say they are “a part of the club”. Yes, some students may be a part of those clubs and participate in them, but some just say they are members even if they don’t attend any events or meetings.

Impressing colleges is the main thing on everyone’s mind because what colleges look for are good candidates to help contribute to their school. Some of the stuff that colleges look at is the number of clubs and activities a possible candidate is a part of to demonstrate how involved they were throughout high school. While yes, it may look good on college applications, it will not look good when colleges find out you didn’t really participate in certain clubs.

What students often miss is that colleges look at the authenticity of each person, not the quantity of clubs that person may participate in. A college would look more at who you are as a whole person rather than what activities you have participated in. It doesn’t matter how few or how many activities/clubs you have participated in. Colleges will accept you for who you are and not for a number.