Which High School Officer Positions Impress Colleges Most?

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around the perceived value of various high school officer positions in relation to college admissions. Participants explore which roles might impress colleges more, considering factors like the nature of the positions and the activities associated with them.

Discussion Character

  • Debate/contested
  • Exploratory
  • Conceptual clarification

Main Points Raised

  • Some participants suggest that positions such as ASB officers, class officers, Key Club officers, and Science Olympiad officers may be ranked in terms of their appeal to colleges, with leadership roles generally viewed more favorably.
  • One participant shares their experience as a VP, noting that while it looked good on their record, the effectiveness of their leadership was questionable.
  • Another participant expresses skepticism about the value of honors and officer positions, arguing that they are often meaningless and do not reflect actual contributions.
  • Some participants assert that any officer position can enhance a college application, regardless of the actual activities undertaken, suggesting that the election process is often a popularity contest.
  • There is a viewpoint that engaging in community service through clubs like Key Club may carry more weight, though this is still seen as motivated by college admissions rather than genuine interest.
  • One participant mentions their own achievements, including being president of an honor society and valedictorian, while another humorously challenges the credibility of these claims.
  • Several participants express a disdain for the self-promotional nature of college application essays, indicating discomfort with the need to glorify their own achievements.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants generally do not reach a consensus on the value of officer positions, with multiple competing views on their significance and the motivations behind them. Some see them as beneficial for college applications, while others view them as largely superficial.

Contextual Notes

Participants express varying assumptions about the effectiveness and engagement of clubs, with some noting that many clubs may not engage in meaningful activities. There is also a recognition of the social dynamics involved in obtaining officer positions.

Euphoriet
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So... I was just wondering what positions for different look better when compared to others?

For example..

ASB - officers
Class - officers
Key Club - officers
Science Olympiad - officers


I take it they would bet ranked like I listed them.. of course a president in one club is probably better then any other position in another club...

I am not sure.. but I don't have a lot of time (I'm a junior).. and I never consider becomign an officer.. even though I have done lots of things outside of school.. I didnt really consider going for an officer position, I always thought I could contribute just as much by just being part of something.. but now in my senior year I'll probably take on several position.. I'm just wondering what would be best... or if it would even look good that I just jumped on it the last year .. heh.
 
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I was VP of the entire student body in my junior and senior years. It looked good on my record, but the school suffered because of it.
I won the first year because I was funny during the speeches. I won the second year because I was in charge of the elections and I forgot to put a sign up sheet on the bulletin board.
 
Euphoriet said:
So... I was just wondering what positions for different look better when compared to others?

For example..

ASB - officers
Class - officers
Key Club - officers
Science Olympiad - officers


I take it they would bet ranked like I listed them.. of course a president in one club is probably better then any other position in another club...

I am not sure.. but I don't have a lot of time (I'm a junior).. and I never consider becomign an officer.. even though I have done lots of things outside of school.. I didnt really consider going for an officer position, I always thought I could contribute just as much by just being part of something.. but now in my senior year I'll probably take on several position.. I'm just wondering what would be best... or if it would even look good that I just jumped on it the last year .. heh.


Personally I'm not real big on that brand of horsemanure. Meaningless honors are just that, meaningless. I agree with Feynman on these matters:

Feynman said:
When I was in high school, one of the first honors I got was to be a member of the Arista, which is a group of Kids who got good grades--eh?--and everybody wanted to be a member of the Arista, and when i got into the Arista I discovered that what they did in their meetings was to sit around and discuss who else was worthy to join this wonderful group that we are--okay? So we sat around trying to determine who it was who would get to be allowed into this Arista. This kind of thing bothers me psychologically for one reason or another reason I don't understand myself--honors--and from that day to this it has always bothered me

Personally, I signed up for NHS and CSF in high school. Got into both, went to one meeting and that was more than enough of that crap. Refused to pay dues or go again, it was a waste of my time, and utterly worthless.

In short, honors are meaningless, its what you cana ctually do taht matters.
 
By the time you get out of college it is ancient history and of no interest to anyone.
 
the thing is.. it's what helps you get into college though.
 
For getting into college, any position as an officer in any club will look just as good as any other. Nobody knows whether you just sat around talking about who else to let in your club or if you actually did anything useful. It's silly that it helps your application because it's hardly a secret that nobody in any of these clubs really does anything much, and for the most part, election to be an officer is pretty much just a popularity contest, but it does help, so pick whatever one seems to do the least activities, get a position as an officer in it, and do one more activity than the previous year so you can brag in your applications how you increased the activities of the club. Drag along a friend to be a member and talk about your membership drive increasing membership over the previous year too. (Yeah, I'm cynical about these clubs...but if you have to play the game, you might as well know the shortcuts).
 
Moonbear said:
. (Yeah, I'm cynical about these clubs...but if you have to play the game, you might as well know the shortcuts).


No you're dead on, its total bullcrap. Thats exactly what they are, with the possible exception of key club depending on the chapter (ours had a very heavy community service requirement. Granted they still only did it to look good to colleges, but they were at least doing something...i hesitate to say significant, but they did do a lot of good things around town, even if for the entirely wrong reasons).
 
I was also president of honor society, voted most likely to succeed, valedictorian, and editor of the school newspaper.
That's pretty good for someone being home schooled.
 
I'd like to take this moment to note that tribdog was not the head editor of his home school newspaper... :-p
 
  • #10
Andromeda321 said:
I'd like to take this moment to note that tribdog was not the head editor of his home school newspaper... :-p


So he had a slightly less bull**** position than his boss?
 
  • #11
Well I made this post a while back.. but.. basically I kind of would actually do something for the club.. and that's the only reason I would run for a position.. because it does seem unfair how all these kids that really don't do anything get the positions.
 
  • #12
Pft. I was treasurer once, didn't do squat. The club ran fine anyway.

And another thing about looking good for these colleges... eughh. I hate being such an egocentric, pompous bastard writing those darned essays that glorify myself. Disgusting. It makes me want to take a shower.

These titles don't mean much, but if you do insist on trying to go for some of these titles, get lots of them and don't do anything. Odds are that even if you do try to do things, no one else will be motivated to follow and you'll still be at the bottom.
 

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