24 Feb The Go-Go Years: Why High School Is Your Peak Performance Window
A friend was talking to me recently about the different stages of life. She broke them down into three distinct eras: the go-go years, the slow-go years, and the no-go years.
If you know me, you know I’m still firing on all cylinders in my go-go years. I’m planning exciting, complex travel, staying active with a barre class every single day, and trying to live as fully as I possibly can. I know that eventually these will turn into slow-go years, but until they do, I’m making every moment count.
As a college counselor, I can’t help but view my students’ résumés and extracurricular activities through this same lens. I look at how they are spending their time and ask: Are they truly living their go-go years?
All too often, I see the slow-go version of a teenager. A résumé shows a narrow scope of contributions outside the classroom. I see lots of Xbox, time at the gym, and not much else. They are coasting during the one period in their lives when they have the capacity to grow the most.
The Peak of Few Responsibilities
Each year, I send a comprehensive Summer Opportunities Document to my families filled with hundreds of possibilities. If a student is interested in aerospace, there are a dozen summer programs to explore. If they want to hike in the wilderness, I can help them find the right experience.
I can’t make my students or families review those options and decide to create a go-go summer. That choice is ultimately theirs. But I always remind them: if not now, when?
High school is a rare window. You have energy. You have curiosity. You have intellectual agility. Most importantly, you likely have fewer responsibilities than you ever will again. No mortgage. No full-time career. No family of your own to manage. This is the time to experiment, to stretch, to try.
Choosing to Submerge
Colleges aren’t looking for students who simply checked boxes. They want students who saw the breadth of opportunity available to them and chose to immerse themselves in something challenging, whether that was a rigorous internship, independent research, a leadership role, or a wilderness trek.
A go-go summer isn’t about being busy. It’s about being engaged in your own growth. It’s about recognizing that the slow-go years will come in time, but the freedom and flexibility of high school will not.
So as you look at your schedule for the coming months, ask yourself:
Are you living at full capacity?
Are you using the freedom you have right now?
Let’s make it a go-go year. The Xbox can wait.