I frequently talk with my students about striving to be the best version of themselves. I think perfection is not realistic, but the act of pursuing excellence makes us more excellent. The idea is that as long as you are actively trying to be your best self, you will make gradual improvements that will not go unnoticed. But does this way of thinking live up to modern day expectations? Not in every situation.
In this day and age, we expect a lot out of people. My senior class has been working on college applications lately. In the past, a student could simply fill out an application and be either accepted or denied. That is not the case anymore. We have been working on resumes, which have now been through heavy editing and several iterations. The students made LinkedIn accounts, and we took professional headshots. These items will go into an application packet that will also include essays, letters of recommendation, ACT scores, a transcript, and a cover letter. This is a lot of preparation and work to just apply for a college. The expectations for excellence are higher than they have ever been before.
These expectations will follow them through college. Many career paths require several internships on a resume before an interview is even considered. A standard internship is between 4-12 months, so doing the math, a student would want to start interning during the sophomore or junior year. While the junior year is typically three years into the college experience, this can vary drastically with majors, pre-existing credits, summer classes, etc, and this will come around a lot faster than expected.
Realizing this can stress you out but planning ahead will help you stay on track. Rather than waiting until your senior year to start thinking about college applications, create rough drafts of your resume during your junior year. Consider finding a relevant internship during high school. This experience can help when applying for college internships and will make your resume stand out among a pile of similar applicants. The expectations are high but planning ahead can help you meet modern standards of excellence.
- Bria