We oftentimes get caught up in the myth of the “well-rounded student.” Most of us think the perfect student is involved in a little bit of everything. Many students seem to believe that the perfect applicant is involved with a ton of clubs and activities (especially sports), holds many officer positions, and has excellent test scores and grades. While these are undoubtedly important, more and more colleges are looking for “angular students” rather than stereotypical well-rounded students. They are looking for ambitious students with a genuine passion for something. Do not fluff up your application with useless clubs and activities, and don’t write an essay based on what you think the admissions committee wants to hear. Let your interests shine through. An admissions committee can automatically spot a desperate applicant with a laundry list of clubs that demonstrate no authentic commitment or purpose. Don’t be intimidated by peers who seem to have an overwhelming number of activities and clubs. If they don’t show real passion, chances are that it’ll hurt them rather than help them. Colleges typically want to build a diverse class of students pursuing all sorts of different interests. The last thing they’d want is a homogenous group of high achieving, academic robots with no passion and no purpose.
Many of my peers are currently on a desperate, frantic hunt for “prizes” they can slap onto their application, whether that is a paid internship at university XYZ, a job, or a leadership position. I have a couple friends who have applied for leadership positions at clubs they have absolutely no idea about. I know people who have created clubs solely for the purpose of their application, and this greatly disappoints me. I completely understand their position, and I admit that I too tend to think of my clubs and activities in terms of how “good” they’ll look on my application. But don’t let this type of thinking ruin the types of activities you truly love and care about. Don’t participate in activities for the sake of getting into college. College is a place where you should be able to further your interests and pursue your passions.
Honesty and authenticity in one’s application can play a huge role in admissions. Be honest with yourself and with the admissions committee. They are able to discern a sincere student from an untruthful one. The college essays are often a place where students sound overly sweet and humane, and thus they end up painting a somewhat dishonest picture of themselves in front of the admissions committee. Don’t write the classic what-I-learned-from-helping-poor-people essay unless the experience truly impacted you. Write about experiences you honestly care about and let your personality and voice stand out.
College admissions are getting increasingly difficult and demanding. In the midst of this college application craze, many high school students undergo tremendous stress and lose themselves in the process. Like I said before, be yourself and relax. Colleges want sincere, outstanding human beings, not superficial geniuses.
