You Have Been Misled About What Gets Applicants into Selective Colleges

If a student is in 10 clubs just to look good for colleges, they should stop right now. The myth that being well rounded will get an applicant into the Ivy League or other competitive universities is widespread and detrimental. Prospective students must select something they are passionate about and become the best at it. They need to demonstrate impact and specialization, not that they can manage being in 10 clubs at once. College admissions officers have seen the latter time and time again, and it is no longer impressive and can signal that the applicant is doing things just to impress colleges.

The days when several clubs and leadership positions was enough to get into selective universities is in the past. Colleges are trying to diversify their classes by admitting applicants that are distinguished in one field. This could be academics, but if a student is not particularly interested in a certain subject then competitions are not the way to go. If they love math, science, or another subject then looking towards the Olympiad competitions could provide a great opportunity to garner awards. However, notable extracurricular achievement does not have to be academic. Environmental conservation efforts, creating a successful company, or creating incredible non-profits are great ways to form a "spike," or a specialty. Although the “spike” should be the primary consideration in selecting extracurriculars, some diversification is good. Joining a small number of clubs or a sport that may or may not be directly related to developing a specialty can demonstrate that an applicant has several interests.

How impressive an applicant's extracurriculars must be depends on the colleges they are applying to. There are different expectations between top 100, top 50, top 30, and top 15 colleges. Applicants that want to get into an Ivy League or other elite college will have to be exemplary and able to quantify their impact and/or talent. It is important when developing a "spike" to consider what the applicant is truly passionate about because completing projects on things they are not particularly interested in will be difficult.

Being a specialized applicant is vital in the selective college admissions process. Successful applicants work diligently to craft a unique and impressive set of extracurricular activities that form a "spike," demonstrating passion and impact to admissions officers.