Sixth Former Benas Antanavicius started rowing the summer before eighth grade.
“I’ve been ‘all in’ on it ever since,” Antanavicius said.
He also wanted to try robotics but held off for most of high school because he worried about how college rowing coaches would view his commitment.
“Spending time on things besides rowing can sometimes be a negative to college coaches because they think you’re less than absolutely committed to the sport,” Antanavicius said.
The Common Application allows students to list up to ten activities, turning extracurricular involvement into another part of the college admissions process. But how much of what students do is motivated by personal interest rather than college applications? Antanavicius and Sixth Former Hugh Williams offered different perspectives. Their answers revealed that the distinction between personal interests and college admissions is not always clear.
Williams acknowledged that some of his activities were influenced by college admissions but not the majority.
“To be honest, some of them are,” Williams said. “But I love a lot of what I do.”
Williams has written a short film and participates in Haverford’s Philosophy Club. He has less time, however, for personal hobbies.
“I’ve been getting into movies recently, and I’ve been watching a lot of old films,” Williams said. “I wish I could watch an old film every day. I also like to improvise on piano, but I haven’t had the chance to do that.”
Williams said college applications have affected how he spends his time, but not which activities he enjoys.
“The things that I like to do, I’ve continued to do,” Williams said. “You can’t force a hobby on someone. But applications have reallocated the time I used to spend on those hobbies.”
“The activities I’m still doing are the ones I love, so I wouldn’t remove any of them. I already cut the nonessential things that I didn’t want to do.”
Hugh Williams ’27
Williams said he believes the college application workload is manageable with effective time management.
“People always say it’s so much work,’ Williams said. “But unless you’re applying to a large number of schools, the workload is manageable. It comes down to managing your time well.”
Despite having less free time, Williams said he would not give up any of his current activities.
“There isn’t one single thing making me busy besides college admissions,” Williams said. “The activities I’m still doing are the ones I love, so I wouldn’t remove any of them. I already cut the nonessential things that I didn’t want to do.”
One activity Williams chose to keep was Philosophy Club, which he participates in because he genuinely enjoys it.
“It’s something I could have sacrificed to make more time for college applications,” Williams said. “But I enjoy bringing my friends together and building a community of people who want to ask questions.”
For Williams, pursuing genuine interests and building a strong college application are not necessarily separate goals.
“I think you can [be genuine and impressive] at the same time,” Williams said. “Many people say admissions officers are only looking for one specific thing. But a robot isn’t admitting you. A person is, and that person needs to connect with your story on an emotional level. If they see that you’re doing something you truly love and making an impact, that is the best way to get into college and to live your life.”
For Antanavicius, college recruitment influenced his extracurricular choices in a different way.
“I think my situation is a little different, but sometimes to appeal to college coaches I would stay out of other activities that would be a big commitment,” Antanavicius said, “I think my worry about being recruited to college hindered my ability to pursue something like robotics.”
Still, Antanavicius said he had not joined activities solely to strengthen his college application.
The two Sixth Formers experience different pressures. For Williams, college applications take time away from personal hobbies. For Antanavicius, concerns about recruitment have influenced which activities he pursues.
Antanavicius’s advice for underclassmen aligns closely with Williams’s answer.
“I think you should find something that you’re actually passionate about and use that passion to be good at it,” Antanavicius said. “That can bring you on a path that lets you pursue that passion at a university that will be strong in that subject.”
Both Sixth Formers have continued pursuing their main interests, although college admissions have limited the time they can devote to other activities.
Antanavicius recently joined the robotics team after putting off the activity for much of high school because of concerns about college recruitment; Williams continues to work on his short film. Inherently, those activities may not be “impressive” for colleges, but they are what both of them truly enjoy.
You must be logged in to post a comment.