Students 2.0

At my high school there is a lot of focus on college. It is expected that almost everyone in my class will attend some sort of four-year college, and there are visits every week from universities, trying to gain applicants. So much of what we juniors do is underlined by the fact that the work we do this year, the grades we get this year, the effort we put into this year, will be what universities look at when deciding our future. Yes, it’s a lot of pressure. But that’s not the part that gives me pause.

Activities.

What did I do this summer? For the most part, I stayed home. I started five knitting projects and almost finished three of them. I visited my local library and read a bit. I spent a weekend with my extended family in the Pocono mountains. I relaxed and had fun.

Then I compare that with an article my father showed me from the Philadelphia Inquirer. This article talked about the rising trend of exotic summer vacations for teens, often involving community service opportunities. One girl spent three weeks in Rwanda, advocating for the children of the genocide. Another teen spent her summer in Tanzania, building a house for the local schoolteacher. Someone else spent time in Costa Rica, constructing a water tower. Reading through college handouts, I can’t help but notice that the students they choose to profile have almost always saved the world in one way or another.

This is the point where I tilt my head and sigh. Because, quite frankly, I don’t want to save the world.

Here’s my point: students should be able to participate in what they are genuinely interested in, and forget about whatever looks good on an application. Passion looks good on an application. So I’ll go get some of that, and forget about a humanitarian mission to Africa, because I’m just not interested. My summer this year? I’ll conjugate some verbs, learn some fancy purls, and pick up some books from the library. Oh– and volunteer at Habitat for Humanity. Hey, what’s a junior to do?

Picture: one world from genista