My d19 is not spikey. She was involved in many extracurricular activities, worked part time, volunteered in different capacities, did sports (but not varsity level). She has taken an extremely rigorous courseload at a large, competitive high school, with all A’s She is introverted and the college app process does not favor those students. She pushed herself so hard all through high school…but on paper, I thought, she looks just like the well rounded kid that no top school thinks is ‘good enough’ to admit because they are indistinguishable from one another. She had a good idea of what she wanted to study based on what interested her most in high school classes (said interests compelled her to take a related college class one summer not for credit, but just pass/fail and a one week summer camp) and her part time summer jobs. So her common app (which I didn’t see until the hour before she pushed the send button) just read ‘authentic’. I think somehow, that came through in her essays. She is also the genuine nice kid…flies below the radar, and always gives 100%. I imagine that came through in letters of rec. She also fully admitted in her essays that while she has yet to find her ‘one true passion’ in high school, she wasn’t going to give up trying! Isn’t that what all schools want, including the top ranked schools - students who will engage, take advantage of opportunities provided even if in they are in areas in which students lack expertise coming in, and contribute to not only the university community but ultimately, society? D19 didn’t have much interest in a small LAC…she wanted a larger student body than that, with college sports to root for as part of the experience, broad research opportunities as an undergrad, and a community that she thought she could be part of for a lifetime, not just 4 years. She was admitted to her top choice, a highly ranked school that fits that bill. Applying to a top 20 school (maybe even a top 50) is pretty much a lottery…more qualified students than spots…so she’s beyond grateful. But yes, they still admit some well rounded ones who aren’t spikey…they are not excluded from the pool of potentials. I think some of these schools have also figured out that there are a lot of high performing students that excel in one or two EC’s and contributed greatly to those causes, but whether or not they genuinely reflect the students’ interests/passions is questionable…