Hey y’all,
I am currently a sophomore figuring out what I enjoy and erm… not enjoy! I do many miscellaneous activities, but one of my big activities is speech team. However, I am really bad at speech team and I do not find in enjoyable. However, I’ve been doing this club since I was a freshman, and people tell me that four years of a club looks good. But, I really think my expertise would be best suited in Model UN, thus why I want to quit speech in the pursuit of this club. So, my question is will my application still be pretty good if I join Model UN and hopefully do well, while throwing away speech, a club I’ve done since freshman year, in the trash.
Yes, four years of a club looks good, but if you don’t enjoy it, don’t continue in it for two more years. And as long as you wait until the school year is over, I do not believe it will be too bad. You are only a sophomore and still have time to get in other ECs (and you said that you have other ones, so don’t worry:) ) Model UN would be a great one!
Of course four years of something definitely looks best - but if you feel like you’re hitting a major dead end with Speech then you shouldn’t force yourself to continue with it. A few things:
- How do you know you'll do better at MUN? As someone who's done both MUN and speech, depending on the speech event you currently do, the required skill sets are rather similar (obviously events like Extemp and OO/Info are more similar to MUN than events like Humorous Interpretation, but still). Maybe before you quit speech you should sign up for MUN and attend one conference (or at least a few meetings) to make sure it's definitely where your abilities lie?
- Whether you'll ultimately be able to get a leadership position depends on the size of your school's club - if there are like 15 people in it you have a shot at a position come senior year as long as you win awards, but if it's a 100 person monstrosity like my club then you'll be passed over for the more experienced people. That might be a nonissue if leadership positions aren't your ultimate goal, but still, keep that in mind.
Of course, if you really don’t like Speech then there’s no point in continuing for 4 years regardless of the objective pros and cons. I know this guy who didn’t join our school debate team till the end of his sophomore year; as of graduation he’s the 3rd best Congress debater in the state and is a freakin’ legend. Do what you love, love what you do, all that jazz.
@chrysalism I participate in youth and government which I truly enjoy. And idk man half of me is like what if I become a legend at speech next year but another part of me is like thats impossible, cut loses, and follow something which you have a likely choice of enjoying, aka MUN.
No. Colleges want to see people who contibute meaningfully to activities, as compared to people who just pad their resumes with a bunch of clubs where maybe they attend one or two meetings just for show. But making a meaningful contribution does not require a four year commitment to everything you ever try. Admission officers know that high school students are learning about themselves and their world. There are no “rules” for how many years you need to engage in any one activity or what positions you need to hold. That is one of those admissions myths that should be buried.
My son tried out clubs in 9th and 10th grade and dropped some of them because they did not inspire him. Some interests, like tennis and tutoring, he continued through all four years. But two of his major interests and involvements even started later. He did not get involved in Mock Trial until 11th grade, but then he became super-involved in it. And he did nothing with music for the first three years of high school, and then suddenly, in senior year, he joined a band with his friends, as the singer, and then took up playing the bass because the band needed a bass player!
He was admitted to Williams College early decision.
I always worry when high school kids fear they need to tailor their lives around a college application, especially when it comes to how they spend their leisure time. Do what you love! Then you will have something interesting to write about in applications and talk about in interviews. Besides, part of growing up is exploring diverse interests and discovering your passions along the way. Enjoy the journey.