Ambient sound of basketball practice
HOST: An hour before basketball practice, senior Noah Runesha can be found in the middle school learning and counseling office, tutoring a student who is struggling with his math work. Balancing academics, athletics and mentorship, Noah doesn’t just look to add activities to his college application—he wants to make a difference with his work while handling the pressure of college applications.
For many students at U-High, extracurricular activities are more than just a way to fill time after class — they represent the ambition and self-discovery that shape students beyond the classroom. For some, these activities are a natural extension of who they are, but for others, they come with a sense of responsibility or pressure to succeed within the college application process.
Noah reflects on his own experiences with extracurricular activities, balancing the pressures of U-High’s academically competitive culture with his desire to follow his passions, creating something meaningful and lasting as he applies to college.
Noah’s favorite activity is basketball, which he has done since he was eight years old. As a freshman, Noah started the careers club, which invites speakers to educate students about making informed career decisions. Additionally, he is a member of the AI and machine learning club.
NOAH RUNESHA: “Um, like especially with basketball, I want to be able to have something to carry as like a token of my participation, whether it’s like a regional championship or like an ISL championship, whatever it is, just something that can serve as a reward for all of the years I’ve put in.”
HOST: Throughout high school, Noah has felt a strong pressure to succeed, especially from within the U-High community.
NOAH: “I felt a little bit of pressure from, I would say everywhere, you know, some from my parents, some from my peers, and a little bit from my teachers as well. But what I would say about my experience at lab, when it comes to extracurriculars, um I honestly feel like a lot of the pressure is put on by myself, just because, um, looking around, a lot of the times you’ll see people who might be involved in, you know, seven, eight nine different extracurriculars, you know, they’re the president of two or three clubs, you know, they’re in math team, Model UN and all of this. And it’s easy to put pressure on yourself. I think I suffered from that a little bit. It definitely takes a couple of years to um really be comfortable in the activities you are participating in and not to compare yourself to other people, but I think that that’s where I felt the most pressure for sure.”
What advice would you give younger students about choosing extracurriculars?
“What I would say is that, um, really go for the extracurriculars that you enjoy. You might feel pressured to join, you know, math team or model UN Science Olympiad, but I think if you find the extracurriculars that you enjoy, what’ll end up happening is you’ll put more time and care into those extracurriculars, and in return, you’ll get more out of it. And if you’re worried about what colleges will think, I think colleges value that more. They value what you got out of your extracurriculars, what you were able to accomplish and that’s gonna come from the extracurriculars that you enjoy the most. With that being said, though, definitely experiment, don’t be afraid to join a whole lot of clubs your freshman or sophomore year, and just see what works for you. Um, there’s absolutely no loss in doing that, so those are the things I would say.
HOST: For college counselor Patty Kovacs, guiding students through the maze of extracurricular choices goes beyond just building a résumé. At a school like U-High, where academics and extracurricular excellence go hand in hand, she emphasizes the importance of finding activities that truly reflect the passions and values of a student. Ms. Kovacs shares her perspective on how students can find a balance between their interests and expectations, while also navigating the misconceptions about what colleges are truly looking for.
KOVACS: “Probably the the clearest thing that I’ve seen is that there’s an impulse in students, and very often parents, in curating the extracurriculars to carefully select the extracurricular, not based on a student’s interest, not based on a student’s exploration of themselves, but on what would look good for college. And I think that that’s a huge loss. This is about high school. High school is all about discovering who am I, who do I imagine I want to be? Who do I like to be around? and where do I fail as well as where do I succeed? And the irony is that colleges aren’t looking for a curated list of the perfect extracurricular activities. They’re looking to hear the students’ story.
HOST: Ms. Kovacs emphasizes the importance of extracurriculars as a reflection of what a student will contribute to a college community.
KOVACS: “They were looking at selecting an extracurricular activity as a reflection of your values and not as something that is good, bad or indifferent. They are often looking at, ‘does a student have experiences that they can bring to the table to enrich the community that we are trying to build here or that we have here.’
HOST: As the application process continues to get more and more competitive, Ms. Kovacs urges students to make their mental and physical health a priority.
KOVACS: “Yeah, the more you go up the continuum of more is more, and more is better, that’s when there’s only a certain number of hours in the day. And taking care of your physical and mental health, including sleep, is a really important thing that all of us in the learning and counseling department think about.”
HOST: Whether it’s the drive to leave a legacy or the pressure to meet expectations, students at U-High are continuing to balance their passions with the competitive nature of college applications. As Ms. Kovacs reminds us, the story behind the extracurriculars matters more than the title on the application itself. In the end, the goal isn’t perfection—it’s purpose. For the U-High Midway, I’m Milo Platz Walker.
