How to Get Involved in Extracurriculars (By a Lazy Person)

By Sol Skelton, Hunter College High School class of 2021

I didn’t really do a lot in my freshman or sophomore year of high school. I don’t think I did a single extracurricular freshman year, other than maybe going to GSA sometimes and an awful month of being on the wrestling team. I regret it, but there’s nothing I can do now other than try to make up for a year that I consider wasted. 

In my own defense-- or at least, how I try to justify that time I spent not doing anything but school-- freshman year was when I started to figure out a work ethic, how to study, and I got my grades up because of it. If I had tried to add extracurriculars, I might never have developed that, and my grades would probably be worse as a result. Or I might have been completely fine and my resume would look just a bit better. Either way, if you feel you’re lacking in the extracurricular department, use that energy to either make sure you know how to keep your grades up or to actually seek out stuff to do other than worry. There’s absolutely nothing worse than wasting energy worrying about how little you’re doing while doing nothing to remedy that. That applies to everything-- if you’ve been worrying about something, try and see if there’s anything you can actually do about it. That mindset has helped me through a lot, and while it might be instinct for some people, I think it isn’t the immediate response for many. 

So in my sophomore year I got off my ass and did some stuff. I applied for some jobs, both paid and as a volunteer, and spent some of my time making money and earning the hours I would need to graduate. Not a whole lot, but the start of something. Definitely better than nothing. I think sophomore year was when I realized that I should be channeling my passion for art into something productive that would be impressive for colleges. I got rejected for the summer Met internship (try and try again, y’all) but accepted for a pre-college program at Cooper Union, as well as MoMA’s studio art class In the Making. They conflicted, so I had to choose. Cooper Union is an incredible and prestigious art college, but their pre-college program cost a lot and I had been accepted for photography instead of drawing, which I preferred. MoMA’s class was way less selective and a lesser commitment, but it was free and I was incredibly interested in the class they offered. So I picked MoMA, prestige and intense learning losing to my passion and curiosity. 

I can’t express enough how glad I am that I picked MoMA’s studio class-- without it, I would never have met the people I did, nor would I have been able to join Cross-Museum Collective, which has been without a doubt my favorite extracurricular. I’ve gained museum connections, seen places only high-level museum workers could see-- like the conservation department, where I could see up-close the work that was done to restore Picassos and Van Goghs, or the museum’s collection, a vast storage space containing tens of thousands of pieces. 

MoMA’s summer class was a reminder that extracurriculars should be fun, not just activities you did so you could say you did them. Enjoying yourself makes them no less impressive. As a junior and senior, I’ve been actively seeking out not things that I think would look good, but things that I want to do. It sounds simple and obvious, but a lot of high-achieving students don’t see their extracurriculars that way, and as a result can get burned out way more easily. Take the leap! Choose that thing you like to do and make something of it!