I want to stand out in my college apps, but if my team does well and they apply to the same colleges… won’t that be bad for my chances? Should I support them or make sure I’m always doing better than them?
Great question!
Feeling competitive with your teammates and peers can be an amazing motivator, but also a source of insecurity for many.
At the end of the day, being a part of a successful team has several benefits.
Firstly, don’t forget that your team members may be having the same thoughts as you! However, they are clearly deciding to keep putting the effort in to keep you all afloat. View your team as competing against the other teams, not each other. Whether your team has 3, 15, 50 or 500 people, remember there are enough college spots to accomodate all of you if you are still the best 500 candidates.
Furthermore, don’t forget the team in question should be just one of your many projects and extracurriculars that will be on your college app. This is only one the boxes you have to fill, so don’t worry if it isn’t 100% unique. When you do present it on your app, remember to emphasise the role you played in the team that brought the whole team to success.
Finally, by being a great team player, there is a good chance that this same group of motivated high achievers will want to involve you in their future projects- and who knows what opportunities that will yield!
Best of Luck,
Joanna.