I have read a few threads on here talking about how everyone should take newspaper rather than yearbook. So I’ve been asking myself, does it make me a less competitive applicant if I take yearbook?
I am currently in high school and I am a staffer in my school’s yearbook and literary and arts magazine. I don’t plan on doing anything in journalism but I just have a hobby of writing and designing. I am currently a sophomore and I will be taking 5 AP courses next year and to make my schedule more tolerable, I was planning on continuing yearbook to use as a little bit of break time in between my rigorous courses since it is in lunch periods.
When I told other people that I’m in the yearbook, they were really surprised and said how it is incredibly useless and I should just take another AP in replacement for that space. Especially this one guy who said “I have lost respect for you because you are in yearbook. I thought you were better than this,” which really hit me hard. I have also heard “no one buys yearbooks anyways, why are you taking the class?” So now I am considering just transferring to newspaper or taking an AP course in replacement because I don’t want to be seen as a “joke.”
My school has won national awards for yearbook every single year that it has been published because the entire class works so hard to make it the best it could be. I really look up to the upperclassmen in my class because they have to stay after for over 12 hours every week to meet the deadlines and create the most beautiful spreads. I feel that the only people that actually respect the yearbook staff are people on newspaper and the yearbook staffs ourselves. In addition, my teacher is super harsh on due dates so everyone had gained time management skills and experience what it is like to have a one day deadline that will not be moved no matter what. I love the skills that we learn in this class; writing, design, photography, speaking, and time management skills. Although I am considering quitting this path, my upperclassmen friends in yearbook had told me that I would’ve became the only copy editor (correct the grammar of all writing submissions before publishing it in the book) and one of the editor-in-chief in senior year.
I am really confused about what to do about the classes I should take because I am aiming for top colleges, so I do not want to be looked as less competitive against other applicants for simply taking this elective.
Sorry for the grammar in this post, I did not proofread it as I am writing in a hurry.
It’s not, particularly if you exhibit leadership in the role.
No
Lesson #1: No high school student is the font of knowledge; review their opinions in context.
Lesson #2: Do what you want and not what other people want
Like any other activity (or class!), it is what you make of it.
You can do yearbook and be responsible for a couple pages. Or you could end up yearbook editor and be responsible for the creation, coordination, planning, design, art direction, promotion or whatever of the entire thing.
You can do newspaper and do almost nothing or you can do newspaper and end up with great writing samples and experiences and a leadership role.
Also, someone is recommending dropping yearbook to have six APs? The actual reality is that six APs is no better than five or even four!
Make the most of the experiences you have and try to find and follow a passion that you actually feel rather than doing what other people think looks good on paper.
Take the yearbook if it makes you happy! You may be a better student because of it. Colleges want to see some joy - not just 6 AP’s vs. 5AP’s. Do you want to be stressed out beyond belief with 6 AP’s (not even allowed in our school - 3 is max unless you get special permission to have 4).
Please don’t feel you need to justify why you take a class to others. You take the class for YOU and not them. This should not be a contest.
I don’t think yearbook is a joke. However there are probably some people, like me, who remember when things like school newspaper, yearbook etc were just after school activities done by people who wanted to be involved but offered no credit. However if anything they know how hard people worked when it wasn’t for a grade and it could be even more intense now.
Yearbook is not a joke, especially if you’re interested in it and if you can gain leadership roles through it. In particular, it is NO DIFFERENT from newspaper for adcoms. Finally, 5 v. 6 AP’s makes NO DIFFERENCE whatsoever. In fact 4 well-chosen APs would likely be sufficient.
Ideally your schedule is something like this:
AP English Language
Precalculus Honors or Calc AB
AP Physics 1
Foreign Language Honors
APUSH or US History Honors
Yearbook
Correct?
That would be a “most rigorous” schedule.
I completely agree. Colleges want to see personality and originality in their possible students. Seeing someone dedicated to something while maintaining a high GPA is completely preferred over someone with a slightly higher GPA who only took AP and honors classes.
I don’t think yearbook is a joke. It’s not going to be irrelevant when colleges examine your application. Any extracurricular can mean a lot if you’re passionate about it. Colleges, especially top-tier admissions, see people take 5+ AP classes all the time. Doing something you love will make your application stand out.
I don’t think it is a joke. It is, however, a well trodden path type of EC. I don’t think it is perceived somehow as lesser compared to HS sports teams. newspaper, etc. All of which are common. But it isn’t a “this kid is blazing a unique path in life” type EC, either. If you like yearbook, do yearbook. I enjoyed my time on the yearbook staff for sure.
And take the APs that make sense to you for your possible majors and interests. Don’t worry about taking the most.
The kid from my son’s HS who did yearbook in the last two years of HS attended an LAC, and while there, worked on General Relativity and Quantum Cosmology with LIGO.
You can indeed be understood to be a kid who blazes quite a path doing, and being, just who you are.
I think I know what your classmates mean. They most likely think that since yearbook isn’t an AP, it drags your GPA down (or at least it would in my school). However, if you have a passion for yearbook and it gets recognized National awards, then it is definitely a keeper. Everyone has their own goals, so do not let others make you do something you don’t want. If anything, your yearbook sounds like something that would be amazing for essays and extracurriculars/awards. I hope you make a decision that you will come to love for next year and down the path!
Keep in mind: the comments are being made by other kids…kids just like you with no experience in college admissions. Please don’t believe everything you read. Consider the source.
My daughter was the Editor of her high school yearbook. She also took many AP classes and yearbook for credit. She learned to use computer graphic design programs while on the yearbook staff. Her leadership role on yearbook helped her gain admission to a selective college. At her college, she designs posters/media for various clubs she joined. Her graphic design skills led to a paying job on campus as the graphic design intern for the Rice Wellness Center. The income helps pay for some of her expenses.
Do what makes you happy and involved. You will quickly learn that the only opinion that counts is your own. I love proving people wrong when they say I can’t or shouldn’t.
I told my two college kids to" bet on yourself “. If someone says why are you taking it tell them you enjoy doing it and it makes you happy. There is no come back for that. You have enough AP 's. Doing year book and your other interests” might "be what sets you apart from the norm. It also shows organizational skills, team work and commitment. All good qualities for an college applicant. More important is to do some activities for 2-4 years. That is what is important to colleges. They want to see that you have interests that you are interested in and committed to. Why? They want you do be an active student on their campus also. Some kids are on the track team, some on robotics and some on Yearbook. It really doesn’t matter just engage yourself, have fun and if you can take a leadership role all the better.