Scrolling through Instagram as a high school senior, I’m bombarded by videos of students like me with mile-long resumes of activities for their college applications. It’s easy to ask whether these activities were done as hobbies or whether they’re just another achievement to go with their applications. 

With college admissions growing more competitive, students are building their resumes to try and increase their chances at top schools. Top schools across the country have seen their admissions rates drop across the board, regardless of how the applicants decide to apply. Duke’s Early Decision (ED) rate has fallen nearly 12%, from 24.49% for seniors applying in 2017 to be the class of 2021 to 12.92% during the current admissions cycle for the class of 2028. Top public universities like UCLA are no different, with the class of 2027 admit rate falling to 8.8% compared to 14% in the fall of 2020. 

While this competition has grown because of the ease of applying to schools through applications like CommonApp, schools have also started to focus more on a “holistic admissions” process when looking at applicants. Now, many applicants focus more on their extracurricular activities and other aspects of their lives that will make them stand out from the pool that grows every year. 

With all the pressure to make themselves stand out to schools, college applicants build their resumes in hopes that they can vaunt college acceptances on social media. But doing this takes the enjoyment out of the activities they do. Students – especially high schoolers – should have an activity that is something they do for their own enjoyment rather than to pad their admissions portfolios and resumes. 

Now, with college admissions being so competitive, don’t kids have to do extra activities for their resume so they don’t have a disadvantage? Not necessarily. 

Dr. Irena Smith, a former Stanford admissions officer and college application consultant, said that what colleges are looking for the most is “intellectual vitality that oozes from the file.” MIT tells applicants that they look for “intensity, curiosity, and excitement” and that they don’t have specific topics they want to see, but rather something that the applicant holds close to their heart. According to those who know the process best, one of the top ways to differentiate yourself is to show your passion for something important to you, not a laundry list of activities. 

Hobbies (and similar activities) have been shown to help decrease stress and improve mental health overall. An NYU study found that 49% of the 128 private school juniors who were surveyed said they felt a great deal of stress on a daily basis. In that same study, 26% of the students reported symptoms of depression at a clinically significant level. High schoolers need an outlet to relieve the stress that has been growing at alarming rates. 

Doing activities for pleasure has a myriad of mental and physical benefits. Having an outdoor hobby such as hiking, swimming, or yoga all have been shown to increase brain function, lower blood pressure, and create an increase in energy. Creative hobbies such as art have also been shown to lower stress levels as well. One study showed that after making art, 75% of participants’ levels of cortisol (one of the main ways we can see stress in the body) were lowered. 

Extracurricular activities have so many more benefits than just being another bullet point on someone’s resume. With the stress high schoolers are under, the physical, social, and mental benefits of doing an activity like a hobby are something that is desperately needed. Rather than focus on how something makes their resume look good, it is time to encourage students to do activities for their own enjoyment.