在这个美本均学霸的时代，你的履历上只有零星的几个课外活动，对比其他申请者满满的活动列表，你是否会存在申请焦虑？
看着别的申请者写申请论文时行云流水，洋洋洒洒地写了一篇又一篇，丰富的经历让他们能写出很多有趣的故事，而你憋了半天也只能在无趣的生活里找到一些看似有趣的经历，平淡的生活对比丰富的经历，自己这份简历实在是拿不出手。
遇到这些情况应该怎么办？课外活动少之又少，填不满列表怎么办？自己生活太平淡了，没什么好写的，应该怎么办？
对此，史密斯学院的资深招生官针对这些问题进行了解答。
中文版
“对于像你这样的学生来说，听到周边同学们如何将自己满满当当的活动试图挤进列表里，或是听见他们激动人心的讨论自己的经历有多少值得写入论文中，这确实会产生焦虑。但其实，你所保留的一些“空白”正是招生官们想看到的。
在每一个竞争激烈的大学里，招生官们比起活动列表上的条目类型更关注学生的承诺。活动列表满满当当不代表一定是好事，招生官会很容易怀疑这位候选人是否真的为每个项目都投入了优质时间。另一方面，就算你只有四项活动，但这四项活动都是你感兴趣的项目的话，更能吸引招生官的注意，正所谓活动在精不在多。
另外还要注意一些社区活动或是志愿者活动，大多数人都至少有一些不会被认可是申请素材的个人追求，例如：收集黑胶爵士乐唱片、给视力受损的祖父母朗读、利用手风琴创作民谣等等，这些都会是吸引招生官注意的事情，因为这些事会让招生官更了解你这个人本身。
要记住，你不需要将你的活动列表都一一填满，一份长长的活动列表并不会为你的申请加分。
至于论文，虽然丰富的经历确实会为论文增添一些灵感，但是招生官并不会为“我在xxx的夏天”、“我在挖地道的时候学到的东西”这些内容感兴趣，甚至做不到在申请中脱颖而出。
至于一些手术经历或是他们口中所谓的困难，只有当这些困难确实是困难时，它们才能作为论文中出彩的部分。某些候选人的论文，例如足球赛季期间过度运动导致半月板撕裂这种事情，对于青少年来说确实是一种困难，但是比起同期候选人的“住在无家可归收容所”、“与白血病做斗争”这种深刻的困难面前，就显然缺少了吸引力。
一篇好的论文往往出自类似你这样的学生之手，他们没有华丽的辞藻，也没有出国度假的经历，甚至连一场奇妙的冒险都未曾有过，但正是如此，他们才会对自我进行深度分析，“什么让我兴奋”这个问题才能让招生官停留。我读过最好的几篇论文是包括：“关于洗衣事故的故事”、“关于摘土豆的故事”、“我为什么要去沃尔玛购物”之类的题材，一篇揭示你的想法和感受的文章可以在申请时成为你宝贵的“资产”，将他展示给招生官看，这才是你需要做的。”
英文版
"The Dean" knows that it can be daunting for students in your shoes to hear about classmates who are deciding which of their 27extracurricular activitiesthey can squeeze onto the Common App or how many of their exciting travels — or tragedies — are essay-worthy.
However, you're actually in good shape — perhaps even in better shape thantheyare.
Let's begin with the activities: Admission officials — even at the most hyper-competitive colleges — are far more interested in thedepthof a student's commitment than they are in the number of entries on a list. So whenever they see that all 10 slots are full, they are apt to wonder if the candidate really gave quality time to each of these ventures. Four activities, on the other hand, might suggest that you've chosen undertakings that you care about. If the "Activities" section doesn't provide adequate space to explain an atypical endeavor or to describe an unusual role, then you can provide details under "Additional Information" later on.
Also keep in mind (and most seniorsdon't) that college folks don't just want to learn about organized school or community clubs, sports and so on. By the second week of application-evaluation, most of them are up to their eyeballs in Mock Trial, Model UN and marching band! So they're likely to sit up straighter when they stumble on a passion or hobby that a student pursues independently — collecting vinyl jazz recordings, reading to a sight-impaired grandparent, composing ballads for accordion, etc. In fact, most teenagers have at least a couple personal pursuits that they don't feel are application fodder, yet which would indeedintrigue admission committees. And, of course, paying jobs certainly count as "activities" as well. But don't feel that you must fill up all of those extracurricular slots — or even half of them — because you don't get extra points for a long list!
As forthe essay, "The Dean" always includes "Travel" on my hit-parade oftopics NOT to write about! Sure, a winning essay can really be about anything, if it's well done. But a "My Special Summer on the Kibbutz" or "What I Learned from Digging Ditches inCosta Rica" submission is not going to stand out in a crowd. As for surgeries or other "hardships," I endorse these as essay subjects only if they were truly hard. A torn meniscus during soccer season can certainly be a trial for a teen, but isn't going to help to push an application file toward the "In" pile, especially when competitor candidates may be writing about living in a homeless shelter or fighting leukemia.
Instead, I've found the best essays often come from students like you — who can't write about adventures abroad or in a hospital bed — and thus must dig deeper to ask themselves "What makes me tick?" In fact, the best essays I've read over many eons have included one about a laundry mishap, one about a summer job picking potatoes and one called "Why I Shop at Walmart." An essay that reveals how you think and feel — and your sense of humor (if humor come naturally to you) — can be an asset at admissions time, even if it's not (orespeciallyif it's not??) about a pricey vacation or a routine medical event.
But as you decide which aspect of your "boring life" will best lend itself to an essay, thereisone idea I will caution you to avoid. DON'T write a "This is my room and what it says about me" essay. ("My sketchbook on the shelf shows how much I like to draw. The sweaty socks on the floor are a reminder that I will go for my daily run this afternoon ..."). Although this information can be revealing, the topic is overdone, and so you'll have two strikes against you before you start, if you choose it. BUT ... even if the look-around-my-room approach won't help you with youressay, it might allow you to come up with a couple more "Activities" for your list, if you're still convinced it's too skimpy!
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