Writing TutorCollege Admission Tips By Meagan Phelan, Writing Tutoring Instructor, Prepped & Polished, LLC

When applying to college, you’re likely to hear about “the importance of being well-rounded.” It seems to be common knowledge that colleges look for students who’ve shown interest not only in school work but in other pursuits, like sports, theater, music, or volunteering.

Why

The reasoning is clear. These endeavors challenge you in different ways than classwork does and help you develop sensibilities separate from those you can hone as a student. For my part, I know that four years on the high school cross-country, swim, and track teams taught me that even the hardest workouts—the ones that exhausted me physically and also taunted me, “You can’t finish!”—were doable. As a result, I felt more confident at critical moments, like job interviews. Meanwhile, hours of practicing the violin slowly grew in me, and a reserve of patience developed nowhere else, that came in handy when big school research projects required my long commitment. And I remember my theater classmates, whose work on the stage translated to confidence in public speaking, which I greatly admired.

Colleges want bodies of students who reflect these qualities: determination, confidence, and patience. So, as you work hard in the classroom (which is indeed critical), remember that the work you are doing elsewhere—as a Scout, volunteer, or lacrosse player—is shaping you, too. Take a moment to reflect on the way in which these activities are impacting how you approach the world; could you sum it up in a sentence?

What colleges seek

Deviating slightly, I heard an interesting discussion recently with respect to what colleges seek as they evaluate student candidates. Though colleges want “well-rounded” classrooms, they do not want well-rounded applicants; that is, students who are “jacks-of-all-trades” and masters of none. The advice stemming from this discussion was to focus on a specific extracurricular about which you are passionate in order to reflect your investment in it. (We often do this naturally anyway.)

But focusing on one area—putting all eggs in one basket—is still not the goal; rather, the remaining advice was to layer your passion in diverse ways that guide you toward a greater understanding of it. (For example, if your passion was watercolor, find a way to explore that interest in your local community, perhaps by leading a class at a local retirement home. Do you like to teach? If your passion is Spanish, get involved in translating websites for local businesses that require Spanish web pages. Do you enjoy applying your skills in the business world?)

Simply put these kinds of efforts in an area you love to separate you from the next student. As you work hard now, in high school, you are likely already taking steps to stand out. This is just another to consider; what’s great, too, is that it involves more deeply pursuing that which you enjoy.

Conclusion

And don’t worry; if you haven’t found your “passion” yet, pursue what you appreciate, whatever that may be. Your motivation for investing time in such activities will fall out naturally when it comes time to articulate who you are in a college admissions essay (or in the world beyond). And all the while, you’ll be cultivating aspects of your character that you will call on for the rest of your life!

Meagan Phelan holds an M.A. in Science Writing from The Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, MD and a B.A. in Biology from Gettysburg College in Gettysburg, Pa. She has freelanced as a science writer and is a Fulbright Scholar. She currently works as a Senior Writer and Editor at AIR Worldwide, a catastrophe risk modeling firm based in Boston.

Is it more important for students to be well-rounded or to be a master of one craft? Do colleges look at both?

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