Whether it’s through the sports you play, the clubs you join or the classes you take, faking an interest is easy to spot. We’ve all felt the desire to build a resume full of the most niche classes and extracurriculars, but before you try to beat the college admissions process by molding yourself into what you perceive to be the perfect applicant, The UltraViolet implores you to follow your heart and pursue what you’re truly passionate about.
Any Marlborough student knows that the frenzy of the Club and Student Life Fair is an experience like no other. Amid numerous clubs formed by leaders with a shared interest in topics ranging from pop culture to politics, it is easy to get overwhelmed by the sheer number of clubs that we wish we could have founded ourselves.
After adding our names to an unreasonable amount of club mailing lists, we all brace ourselves for the onslaught of emails that we will receive the following week before some clubs stop reaching out entirely.
As two failed club leaders, we empathize with the struggles of leading a club. It is easy to feel pressured into creating something just to fill another slot on your resume, but the lack of consistent club meetings as the year progresses often reveals the inauthenticity behind these endeavors. As schoolwork piles up, it becomes harder to prioritize a club in general, but it is specifically difficult to find time for something that you may not actually care for.
We speak for the greater Marlborough community when we say that having a lack of passion for your club can be apparent. While we appreciate those who are willing to commit to regular club programming, and the administration’s efforts to ensure clubs stay consistent, we feel there is a greater foundational issue of inauthenticity.
We find that this issue is not only limited to clubs. Some people find themselves leaning toward certain disciplines after researching the competitiveness and popularity of specific majors in colleges and universities. Take someone with an innate interest in engineering, for example. After learning about the competitive nature of certain engineering programs, they may suppress this enthusiasm to pursue activities and courses in a completely different subject to increase their chances of acceptance into a selective school.
A lack of honest interest can often make paying attention in class and studying feel pointless, a feeling that only escalates when workloads increase or AP exams come along. Devoting time to topics you don’t care about can lead to burnout and a negative impact on both your grades and, more importantly, your mental health.
Therefore, if you find yourself feeling the tempting idea of starting a club or taking an AP course, first reflect on what you are truly interested in without succumbing to outside pressure. What do you think about while you are walking your dog or driving to school? Whether it be pursuing your interest in journalism by joining The UltraViolet or trying out for a sport you have always watched on the sidelines of Booth Field, use your interests to your advantage.
It is apparent that most colleges prioritize extracurricular involvements, and some may prefer certain activities over others, but this pressure should not keep you from exploring what you’re genuinely passionate about.
Most college counselors acknowledge that students who display not only dedication but also genuine enthusiasm towards their hobbies tend to be happier and more accomplished, regardless of their choice of college. Lacking the necessary interest in your research project or small business will inevitably impact the quality of your work, despite how impressive you believe the subject might look on paper. Trust us when we say your true passion will shine through in a resume or college application and make you an inherently more compelling candidate.
“As the founder and President of Feminists for Education, I’ve learned that club members get as much out of my club as I put into it,” Mattie ’25 said. “You should only start a club if you really care about a select cause and can invest time in that cause.”
The UltraViolet encourages all students to explore everything that Marlborough has to offer and find what makes you curious and excited to participate. The academic pressure of our school environment is already intense and restrictive, so don’t sacrifice your precious free time for something you think will please a college admissions officer halfway across the country.
