I’ve made many of my closest friends in the clubs I joined. Upon entering freshman year, I signed up for a multitude of clubs that upperclassmen marketed to me as the “best” to join. I relished this opportunity to engage in new hobbies and meet new peers.

My involvement in some clubs has lasted throughout my four years of high school, such as Junior State of America (JSA), Mental Health Awareness (MHA) and, of course, the Lion’s Tale, while others have not. That is not to say that I did not enjoy such clubs, but I found myself spreading my time too thin. 

My reasoning for joining such a wide range of clubs was that I thought involvement would look great on my college applications. I didn’t really care if I would truly enjoy the activity. Questioning my reasoning for various interests and obligations allowed me to prioritize clubs that I actually wanted to become heavily involved in and dedicated to.

With that decision, rather than simply being a passive member in a variety of places, I chose to take on leadership roles in the majority of clubs that I was involved in. This allowed me to shape my own experiences as well as those of others in a very meaningful way. 

I encourage underclassmen to find at least one club that they feel passionately about and immerse themselves into it fully. Really dedicating yourself to a select number of clubs will allow you to reap more benefits than if you spread your time thinly among all the clubs you can. 

The time students have in high school truly does fly by fast and it should not be wasted by constantly worrying about a process years off into the future. Yes, college applications are important for your future, but your dedication to them should be balanced. Your happiness and passions are more important and should be valued as such.