Doing it all: how to balance multiple classes, extracurriculars, volunteering and more through high school and college

Between the sport, the lab, the volunteering, and the clubs, many students feel an overwhelming amount is expected of them. Colleges seem to want it all during the admissions process, and later, resume-building in your undergraduate years can feel just as intense as you prepare for whatever comes next. But somewhere between the hours spent across eight commitments, the one thing that tends to get lost is meaning.

Contrary to common belief, the activities that matter most aren’t necessarily the ones with the biggest hour counts. Engaging in meaningful extracurriculars goes much further than that, and though showing commitment through time is never a bad thing, when you truly care about what you do, it can help you grow, either solidifying or changing your academic or career path. When you choose your activities with intention, these experiences become much easier to write about because you can describe with honesty how it impacted you as an individual and played a part in helping you find your place in the world.

There’s no denying that admissions, whether for undergrad, grad school, or even jobs, have become incredibly competitive over the last decade, and it’s natural to want to maximize your chances of being part of that two or three percent who get in. The untold benefit of the process however, is what it can do for you: used well, it pushes you to reflect, grow, and become a better version of yourself.

When narrowing down your commitments or searching for things to take on, it is important to be realistic. Understanding your own limitations, whether that be time commitments or mental load, is important in ensuring a balance where you can maintain high grades, personal and family relationships, and most importantly, your own health.

A good starting point is to commit to a few things you can consistently show up for rather than a long list you scramble to keep up with. For most students, two to four significant commitments alongside a full course load is plenty, and anything beyond that tends to mean doing each thing a little less well.

If you are unsure what to cut, ask yourself if you would still do it if no one were to see it on your resume or application. The commitments you would keep anyway are usually the ones worth your time.

Once you know where your limits are, the next step is working efficiently within them. This may look a little different for everyone, but a common way to maintain efficiency is to map out your week in advance, including not just events but study time, sleep, and even meals, so you know whether you can take on more or if you might need to consider cutting things out that just don’t fit.

Doing it all does not have to mean doing everything. When you’re building your list of commitments, it's important to look at the ones that are not just the most manageable but finding ones that connect to each other. And you don’t need a perfect plan from the beginning to do this. Trying things out early, and giving yourself permission to drop what doesn’t fit can allow you to discover what that connection might be for you. Exploring in your first years of high school or college is far easier than feeling stuck by the time applications are due.

Between all of these things to consider, it can be easy to treat sleep, friends, and family as the things that get pushed lower on the priority list when your schedule fills up. At the moment, it might seem like the least important of your commitments, but it is imperative to understand that these are the things that make everything else sustainable.

It's also important to remember that taking a step back doesn’t always mean you’re falling behind. Taking some time to reconsider your priorities or just having a weekend to do the things that don’t necessarily hold the most weight on your resume far outweighs bulldozing through a time of stress and risking burning yourself out. Though it's important to push yourself at times, in the long run, it is much more sustainable to work within your limits.

The point of all of this is not to build the longest list of activities. It is to spend your time on a thoughtful set of commitments where you can realistically see yourself learning, growing, and making an impact, while remembering to stay healthy and connected to the people around you. If you choose what truly matters to you, the rest of the process, from the applications to the essays to the next chapter, becomes much easier as it will already reflect who you are.