Somewhere within the never-ending piece of literature you might currently know as the Common Application (or any college application for that matter), you are asked to highlight some of your skills. Yes, it’s easy to write that you are proficient in Microsoft® Word®, Excel®, and PowerPoint® (the later will become the bane of your existence as you enter the collegiate world and eventually the working world). But there are two skills I wanted to highlight today, that will help you grow and succeed during your high school years and beyond.
1). Follow-Up or Fail
This skill comes to you courtesy of author Keith Ferrazzi from his book Never Eat Alone (NEA). While Ferrazzi spends much of the book explaining the finer points of networking, he spends a significant portion discussing the importance of follow-up.
So, what’s the big idea behind follow-up? Following-up shows you care and are thankful for that gift you received from your aunt or that free lunch with your mentor. Think of all the times your parents made you write thank-you notes. Yes, it was tedious to write them, but from the recipients point-of-view, taking the time to follow-up demonstrated that you valued and appreciated his efforts to spend some time / money on you!
As a high school student looking at colleges, the easiest thing you can do is follow-up with every admissions director, student tour guide, college alumni, etc you meet. It can be as simple as writing a thank-you note, or if you believe you and this individual really hit it off, why not suggest a future meeting where this individual can answer more of your questions and learn more about you. In all, you will be amazed how something so easy as following up can be incredibly rewarding.
2). Tech Skills
Most high schools require students to take 1 semester (or 1 year) of fine art and a technical art respectively. The second one is of significant importance. What do web-design, learning a computer language (JAVA, XML, etc), graphic design, and video-editing all have in common? These skills are useful regardless of your academic path after high school. A student with any of these skills becomes a valuable asset to a group project. Think of all those times where you thought aloud, “Man, if I knew how to edit videos, our presentation on 20th Century U.S.-Iraq Relations would be so much more engaging.” Beyond the classroom, paid opportunities from friends and local business await those who can whip-up a flyer in Adobe® InDesign® promoting a charity event or guest speaker.
Use the time this weekend to think about the many incredible skills you currently possess. Even better, feel free to discuss some of the skills you found to be a significant asset during college.