Hi!
I’m a sophomore who will be entering junior year in a few months. Our school is currently holding student council elections. I would have liked a post in the core council (Vice Headgirl, Gen Secretary etc.), but all I am being offered is a post on the editorial board. I’m a good writer and my English teachers like me a lot, The only problem is I don’t enjoy writing, especially on deadlines, something I’ll see a lot of on the ed board. Our school paper is rather “lame” and nobody reads it. However, if I take the post I am being offered (sub-editor) I can work my way up to Editor-in-Chief by senior year. Of course, this looks good on paper. I’m am a totally academic student and don’t have much on the co-curricular side except for some community work. I’m looking at top-tier colleges.
So, my dilemma: should I take the job since it’ll add to my application even though I would probably despise it?
The answer is pretty obvious.
However, if you really are interested in “top-tier colleges” you ought to find some EC that you don’t despise and put some effort into it.
Despise? Isn’t the answer obvious? Why would you want to be slave labor for something you hate? Just to be able to claim a title and the associated ‘leadership’ checkbox? There are 37,500 high school in the US alone and each of them had at least 3 editors of the school newspaper. This won’t differentiate you in college admin eyes, so do it only if you enjoy it for its own sake.
A better plan is to do something you will enjoy. There are lots of organizations out there that would love to have your time and talent. Find one, figure out what you want to contribute, and roll up your sleeves.
There’s no certainty u will be Editor in Chief, so only do it if you love it.
Don’t waste your time just to use it to pad your resume. Because even if u are editor in chief, unless that newspaper wins a Pullitzer Prize, it’s just another EC.