EDITORIAL: "Road Less Travelled By"

Come senior year,Come senior year,a scant few lines onCome senior year,a scant few lines onyour resume couldCome senior year,a scant few lines onyour resume couldmake all the difference.Come senior year,a scant few lines onyour resume couldmake all the difference._________________________ But for students truly interested in extracurricular activities, this strategy could be more than just demoralizing -- it could be self-defeating. For instance, many students find that their professors grade on curves. In these classes, the fact that more students are fighting for As doesn't always mean more will receive them. The competition merely intensifies. Still, when we look at the lists of seniors with recruiting interviews, we know that many of the students listed over and over again are scholars with 4.0 GPAs. Others, we've realized, are leaders in student organizations. We also know that not all of those student leaders have a 4.0. Some actually have pretty mediocre grades. But they have demonstrated commitment and leadership, if not incredible scholarship. It's clear that the headhunters faced with stacks of one-page resum s are looking for things that make certain heads stand out. The question becomes, what makes you stand out? Getting good grades is one thing, while having unique experiences or knowledge is another. Working at good jobs and internships is a third factor -- and, of course, successful involvement in a select one or two extracurricular pursuits is yet another. Have you chosen the route of concentrating on classes and getting good grades? Well, how are you doing? If you know you'll be in that elite group of suma cum laude graduates senior year, more power to you. But if your resum will have a 3.5 GPA and no activities, you may later decide that a 3.0 GPA and some leadership experience would have been more rewarding. Maybe you should decide now. We're not saying get involved in extracurricular activities just to get a job. Students who only go through the motions will do little good for themselves or the groups they are involved with. What we are saying, though, is that blindly concentrating on classes may not guarantee students jobs, either.