I’m walking down the freshman/sophomore hallway on my way out to the car, my arms full of boxes from the recent Hurricane Drive. My backpack acts as a counterweight to the load in front of my body as I wobble toward the northwest stairwell en route to Circle Drive. As I pass a gaggle of sophomore boys by our cheerful yellow lockers, one looks up at me and whoops, “For the app!”

“What?” I pause. My cargo groans as I awkwardly shift my weight back to avoid dropping it.

“The app?” His voice trails off at the end as if I should recognize immediately what he is trying to convey. “College app?”

The phrase “for the app” has permeated even what should be light, casual conversation for underclassmen — the kind of conversation that takes place on the Sophomore bench or awaiting the beginning of Graderoom. It is used so much, in fact, that Urban Dictionary has its very own definition of the term. But before we accuse students of choosing extracurriculars “for the app,” it is important to understand what “for the app” means.

The definition of “for the app” as it is displayed on Urban Dictionary reads: “When you do something that is unnecessary, but will benefit you in the long run by being able to put it on your college application. This includes creating and joining clubs, as well as doing things for teachers to get better grades.”

There is no doubt that this problem exists at Parker: many students sign up for club emails or do homework during meetings simply to say they participated in these clubs when they fill out their Common Application. What is a problem, though, is that it seems as though whenever a student becomes semi-involved in an extracurricular after the first month of freshman year, or assumes leadership roles in more than one extracurricular, they are accused of doing so for their college resume.

I’m sure everyone has heard one piece of advice time and time again throughout their high school career, something along the lines of: “High school is the time to try new things and figure out what you want to do when you grow up.” If this is true, why should we discourage students from taking advantage of all the opportunities they are offered, especially at a fortunate school like Parker, which is small enough to require student participation in multiple clubs just so that they can exist?

As someone who is involved in several extracurriculars, I can give assent to the fact that many students truly are trying to find something they’re passionate about, something that can be turned into a college degree and eventually a professional career. From a survey sent to the whole Upper School, 75 out of 119 respondents across the four grades said they did consider their college resume when choosing their extracurriculars. But this can be interpreted in a variety of different ways: while some students are trying to boost their chances of admission by stacking up extracurriculars to make them appear involved, others are thinking about how a club will help them with work in a specific field or a particular degree program that interests them.

So next time your friend tells you they’re joining a club or running to be a Committee Head, don’t invalidate their efforts by telling them they’re just doing it to augment their Common App. Support them — after all, they could end up doing that very same work long after they graduate.