Bragger Beware: Proper and improper execution of placing “hidden extracurriculars” in the college app

Recently, Howard Schultz, the venerable CEO of coffee behemoth Starbucks, was asked about job characteristics he looks for when hiring. “First off, I want to know what you’re reading, and then I’ll ask you why,” he says. Hypothetically, if the potential new hire were to reply, “Well, Mr. Schultz, back in high school, I started the “T. Wolfe Pack Club: I was the founder, president, and only member (hint hint, I have read every Tom Wolfe novel)” and stopped right there, odds are that the interview would end momentarily.

The aforementioned parable, at its core, is an execution issue. Had the potential new hire continued to explain why he enjoys Wolfe novels and connected this passion with some related experience in the business world, he or she may have opened the door to a second round interview.

The same could be said for placing similar quirky yet potentially applicant-killer extracurricular activities in a college application. A few days ago, in The New York Times Education blog, “The Choice” Rebecca Ruiz shared some of the comments aggregated from the following open-ended question posted on CollegeCofindential.com: “Does your on-paper persona reflect your truest interests? Are there certain hobbies, passions or accomplishments you’ve excluded from your college application, feeling they’re not worthy or relevant?”

At its core, the decision of whether or not to include select extra curricular activities in an one’s college application is an execution issue as well. Interestingly enough, this exercise in creativity is not a fad. This is a trend that is here to stay. As discussed in a previous BetterGrads post, universities are giving their future first year class more creative freedom in their applications. In particular, Tufts gave students the option to submit YouTube videos covering a variety of topics (sample videos can be found here) last year.

However, as mentioned in a previous post, these videos present an ethical dilemma for many college admission departments. Similarly, listing quirky and intriguing extracurriculars that are completely unrelated to anything else in the student’s application with the hopes of piquing an admissions officer’s interest can do more harm than good for students looking to spice up their list of accomplishments.

Now, I am not advocating slamming the door shut on any attempts to showcase wit and outside-the-box thinking in an application (this is coming from a staff writer who discussed in one of his college essays how his passion for Legos as a child led to a wonderful volunteer experience building homes with Habitat for Humanity).

However, individuals who identify themselves as blatant resume fillers should proceed with caution. What do I mean by this? I’m sure you know of an individual who did the following: realized during the fall of senior year that there were no clubs or medals attached to his name, decided to start an [insert obscure sport or pop culture reference here] club, held one meeting, never organized a game, and listed in his college application that he was the founder, and club president, for four years. Mr. and Mrs. Resume Filler, one day you will learn that titles and positions are meaningless, unless you have evidence of accomplishments or proof of the work you completed during your tenure in that position.

This happens to touch a larger ethical issue, which John Reid, who posted the following comment to the original NY Times blog post, cleverly points out:

But there is a larger problem in this conversation that most of the contributors have not mentioned: the idea of gaming the system. Again, this is common and comes in many forms, some borderline honest, and some clearly outrageous. This is the sad side of the college admissions scene today: the frenzy, the hunt for your own private hook, the gimmick, the need ultimately to win some prize called College X. What is the price to a student’s self-respect (not the same as their self-esteem, which will be rewarded by admission) if they play the game this way? Sure, they may never notice what they have done, but they have trivialized themselves. What kind of an introduction to the adventure of higher education is this? I respect students who keep the process in perspective and don’t lower themselves to this level. I don’t honestly think it help them to get cute, and I think it hurts them in another, more subtle way. It’s like fighting an election by defaming your opponent. It might work, but is it worth it? And is it good for the general welfare?

So, do I support creative extracurriculars in college applications? Absolutely, so long as they support a larger portion of the application. Again, this is a simple case of execution. However, I do not condone this practice of “gaming the system” and simply listing out-of-left-field activities as the silver bullet hoping to sway the admissions officer in his / her decision.

What’s your take? How did you handle listing quirky yet potentially intriguing extra curricular activities in your college application? Share your stories and thoughts below!