I couldn’t agree more with @Knowsstuff and @buuzn03. It is so deeply embedded in my soul to nurture strengths that I had to read the original post several times to understand the question (and I might be misunderstanding it still; internet posts are easy to get wrong). I kept thinking: Why on earth would someone (especially a kid) who is weak at writing put themselves in a 4-year program where the strength is writing, and thus great writers are celebrated (and: the resources follow), all in the hopes of whipping that weakness into shape? Oh gosh that sounds like a way to kill the joy of learning, and given how involved the BS experience is – kill the joy of daily life. Plus, what a missed opportunity to be surrounded by like-minded (and like-talented) people at the top of one’s deepest passion. Isn’t that where the magic in life is? Settling deep into one’s area of interest, getting lost in the wonder of it, so that you stay an extra three hours in the library working on a project because you truly love it so and lost track of time? Will that kid lose track of time working on a writing assignment or on a STEM project? The answer to that would drive my decision on where I would want my kid to attend school. I want my kids to lose track of time in their projects and work in life because they are so taken by the subject.
Of course we need to address our weaknesses. Any of these boarding schools will have the intellectual infrastructure to educate our kids in all academic areas. So a not-great writer will learn to write before graduation; I’m sure of it. And will get enough writing to become that leader mentioned in @Knowsstuff post, if that’s the goal.
So to answer the original question – I would focus on the strengths. To do otherwise goes against everything I believe to be true about deep work, and celebrating the unique mark we each get to make on this world.