If a kid is a well-rounded student with many interests, schools that have distribution requirements can be terrific. (Of the ones we saw, Tufts and Colby were at one end of that spectrum with quite a few, including FL.) And certainly, these schools aren’t excited about admitting students who are going to struggle with those. But that’s just about academics.
Even those schools want some spiky kids who are still good in other things.
But schools that emphasize community and need kids who will engage – and that’s pretty much any smaller school – like the a capella singing football player.
I agree with @misty88981 – this narrative is s bit overblown. And to that end, even the spikes will appeal to only a handful of schools. So while those kids go to the front of the line at the schools that want them, that’s not at every school.