<p>How do colleges view lifeguarding? I got a job lifeguarding this summer. It takes a lot of leadership skills, responsibility/maturity and dedication so I'm assuming its a positive thing. </p>
<p>BUT.....</p>
<p>At the same time I feel that there are going to be a lot of kids who also will have lifeguarding on their applications and so then it might seem like a meaningless addition. </p>
<p>BUT THEN AGAIN...
a lot of the kids I know who are lifeguards are also well....not the best students and don't even consider schools like Stanford (which I'm looking at). So then I figured that maybe since a lot of lifeguards (at least the many that I know) tend to not think "big" in terms of school, then maybe my being a life guard would help a lot in terms of admissions to Stanford SCEA. </p>
<p>So do "top" schools view lifeguarding positively? If so, how positively? From experience or knowledge, am I mistaken with this view that many lifeguards don't normally apply to these types of schools or will there be plenty of kids like me, effectively making my lifeguarding not stand out?</p>
<p>Your post is a bit too serious- lifeguarding is not a big deal! I can understand your train of thought but you have seriously overanalyzed the “lifeguarding”. </p>
<p>It will be looked upon as a job and therin lies its only merit. However, because you obviously quite feel passionate about lifeguarding, it could be a potential essay. But seriously, think of lifeguarding as synonymous with other normal-scale jobs: retail jobs at abercrombie and fitch, Starbucks, Jamba Juice…</p>
<p>One “normal” job that I would consider extraordinary is when low-income students help out their parent’s with the local business( flower shop, grocery, 7-11,etc.)- those jobs are looked favorably upon and create a difference in that they highlight obstacles the student faces. But your lifeguard job is simply a lifeguard job. Sorry.</p>
<p>Don’t overthink things!</p>
<p>While many Stanford applicants may not list “lifeguard” on their application, they also list national award winning science papers, businesses they have created, and clubs they have started and expanded to hundreds of chapters. </p>
<p>However, something as simple as being a lifeguard can also produce a powerful essay- as long as you know how to create and execute a strong essay with flair. I mean, people have written about banana pancakes, tables, and silly string. So, I am positive you can spin lifeguard into something.</p>
<p>I’m not “passionate” about it per se. I have a lot of other things that I do that I’m much more into. I did it because I felt it would be a fun, interesting experience. </p>
<p>The only reason I mentioned it was because there is a lot of training and several certifications that go into it so its definitely much different than saying you worked at a retail store or as a cashier or something. </p>
<p>Additionally besides the training and whatnot, you’re also responsible for people’s lives, something that someone who worked at a McDonald’s can’t really say (Bar food poisoning).</p>
<p>The problem is, when you scrutinize something as seemingly trivial as lifeguarding( I’m sorry!), you can make it sound a lot larger than it is. How many lifeguards out there actually have the chance to save someone? You could argue that a cashier or a retail clerk are similarly qualified- they have to have superb math skills, must be able to communicate well, even go as far to say they must possess skills to “run a business”. While you certainly have to be certified to be a lifeguard, it honestly is not a big deal and you can not think of it as a hook or even a slight hook, otherwise you are in for a serious pitfall when it comes to college admissions. Any job you are in, there is a certain amount of responsiblity- even though it may not be apparant as a “life-saving” lifeguard.</p>
<p>Being a lifeguard, I would wish that it were viewed as a “better” job than working at a store or a coffee shop. However, it is not, so, we the lifeguards have to find a better hook.</p>
<p>I understand your point, no need to keep apologizing. </p>
<p>But in all honesty, lifeguarding is not going to be a major point of my application. I have a bunch of other things that I’m far more dedicated to and can probably talk about so much more in depth that the lifeguarding just seemed like the icing on the cake so to speak;something to give me the extra "umph. "</p>
<p>I’m in no way ever considering lifeguarding to be a hook (even before posting this thread I didn’t think of it as one) as I feel I have other parts of my app that can be pretty decent hooks but I did have the impression that it would be a good way to show leadership skills and that colleges look favorably on it. Lifeguarding is not in any way a major passion of mine, nor will it ever be. Its more like a way for me to get through the summer without getting completely bored. </p>
<p>After I told my guidance counselor I was lifeguarding this summer, she told me that she always makes sure to right really good recs for lifeguards and that it looks really good to have on an app. This seemed good, since I don’t know my counselor too well (she has way to many kids to look after) and so now I don’t have to worry about getting a generic rec from her. </p>
<p>My only concern really was that even though this was the information given to me by my counselor, that there were going to be a myriad of other people with the same job listed on their apps, effectively making it (relatively) unimpressive.</p>
<p>I think lifeguarding is a job which has much more responsibility than most typical teenager-type jobs. My son is going into the healthcare field and two colleges specifically mentioned lifeguarding experience as a benefit in admissions.</p>