Might well roundedness harm chances?

<p>Well, I consider myself well rounded. Most other people do too. And it's not like I don't enjoy being well rounded, it's just...</p>

<p>Sometimes I feel like I could be giving more to my favorite subjects/activities/hobbies if I didn't have all the other work. Like next year I'll be in AP US History, which I know will be a lot of work because the teacher here apparently assigns at /least/ one outline every night. (or that's how my friends make it seem) And I recently has an 'episode' where I felt like I wasn't giving enough to math (I can be top of my math class full of people in a grade ahead of me and still feel I'm not smart enough, can't I?) and it's just... idk.</p>

<p>Then I consider some things I've read here. Like colleges receive super students a dime a dozen, so you have to be unique to stand out. And I wonder if I would have to sacrifice my well roundedness to show off my uniqueness. Who knows if I'll have time to study for the AMC next year if I'm doing APUSH homework? How will I find time to take viola lessons?</p>

<p>Obviously other people make it through APUSH easy as anything. No doubt I will too. It's just, it seems like it's an awful lot of work to put into a class I'm bound to dislike.</p>

<p>Ultimately, it is my decision on whether or not I think I can handle it and feel good about it. But from a college standpoint, if I had to choose one OR the other, would it be better if I devoted 'all' time to math, got to compete in the USAMO, etc etc, or if I ace all my AP classes next year?</p>

<p>I'm assuming it'd mean different things for different colleges (like MIT would prefer the super math, methinks) but I don't specifically know which college I want to go to, so if anyone has any viewpoints, they'd be appreciated.</p>

<p>Edit: 'Nother question! Will it hurt that I've skipped around with my ECs a lot? I did track freshman year, nothing sophomore, and then I'll do soccer junior/senior. And I did MUN this year (sophomore) to see what it was like, but I don't like it enough to do it again next year. Part of all these reasons is moving between ms/freshman year and again between freshman/sophomore year... but that can't be helped. So will my 'testing the waters' appear rather neutral on my apps, or do you think it might affect me somehow? (Other ECs include math team both years, Latin club, book club, and Scholastic Bowl this year [they didn't have them at my old school], viola...)</p>

<p>Well, the problem with "testing the waters" is that joining a bunch of clubs junior years makes you look like the kid who thought "OMG COLLEGE" part way through junior year and started resume-padding. As far as I understand (and take this with a grain of salt, since I'm only a high-school junior), colleges are looking for you to invest yourself in things that you're really passionate about. So if you're a prospective Physics major, you would join the physics club, etc.</p>

<p>I doubt that changing sports will HURT you, although you won't get the bonus from sticking to one thing you love or being captain.</p>