So I’ve been told that many schools would rather admit students with lopsided ECs (aka students that excel at one thing very well) than students that are well rounded (have a lot of ECs but do not especially excel at any of them). Admissions officers say that they accept many “lopsided” students to make up a well rounded class. Just wondering what your guys’ take is on this. For myself, I have one very important EC that takes up most of my time, but I also have many others (they are mostly hobbies). Just wanted to ask you guys what you think about the lopsided v. Well rounded applicant situation.
Either way is totally fine. I’ve heard multiple admissions officers say that the goal is to create a well rounded class – and that will include some well rounded individuals and some individuals who had specific interests/strengths.
Generally agree with above, but I do think commitment trumps variety. If you are involved and show strong interest in a particular EC, especially in a multi-faceted way, I think it’s better to showcase that interest. Remember there are only ten spaces on the common App for activites, so use the spaces wisely. I would basically list first the ones that show your strongest commitment. With the others, try to prioritize. If you are really involved with a club at school, particularly one that involves outside commitment, like Model UN, that might be a better choice for the number three spot than a club that only operates at school and requires no extra time. Of course, jobs are great, as is volunteering.
The lopsided student with one all-consuming EC in which he/she has accomplished/reached high levels of recognition is probably better than a student who participates in 3 or 4 or 5 different ECs about which he/she isn’t particularly interested or passionate.
My kids had some focused ECs that they clearly put a lot of time into, but they had other things as well. I would not worry about the 10 slots on the Common App. Both my kids had more than 10, even though they did some grouping (eg, one kid had an activity called “Finnish” and it said “See additional information section” in the description. She had a header for it in additional info, and she bulleted her activities related to it (summer camp, high school credit camp, scholarship and summer spent in Finland).
The general rule they used on what to list was:
- If they didn’t do it past sophomore year, it didn’t go on the Common App UNLESS it was related to their proposed major or the “story” their app was trying to tell, or they won some kind of award in it. But other than that, they put all their stuff in.
You can easily add a section in “Additional Information” with “Additional Activities” and list them there if grouping doesn’t get you down to 10 (both of my kids used both tactics). They had very good admissions results. As long as it is readable and you put the activities most important to you highest on the list, go ahead. Kids who are active during HS, especially at small schools where you can do a lot of stuff, and have active summers as well often have more than 10 items.
Colleges want a well-rounded CLASS meaning lots of well-lopsided kids who’ve shown they can have other interests than their major EC but can excel in what they choose to do. 
One big thing and 2-3smaller ones is better than a dozen.