<p>How important is it to colleges to be specialized in one singular "passion"? I am getting sort of tired of all of the books I read that say you should drop all of your extracurriculars except for one passion and only develop that one to impress colleges. My S is a sophomore who loves to try everything and is pretty (very) successful at almost everything he tries. He gets the leads in school plays and musicals, great singer and percussionist (competes at state in both and is recruited for community roles), started a jazz combo, state forensics and state future problem solvers, varsity tennis singles player, student council rep, Key Club executive board, service club recognitions, science clubs, math team, 4.0 so far and great test scores. The books tell him to drop most of his ECs and develop that passion. He wants to do it all and really doesn't want to drop everything. I would appreciate some advice. It would be great to hear that colleges might want a well-round kid but from all of have been reading it sure doesn't seem that way.</p>
<p>Dump the books & listen to your kid.</p>
<p>I can only tell you our experience,. and my daughter is the prototypical well-rounded kid with no specialized interests at all. She has a similar GPA and very good test scores; she doesn’t have a rejection yet, and has applied to a couple of top 30ish schoolst and honors programs at top 50-70 schools.</p>
<p>Your S should be who he is. If he likes to try things and be involved in a lot of things then that is his “passion” - being involved and trying a lot of things. The idea that he has to cultivate playing the drums, or tennis, or what have you at this age is silly and doesn’t allow kids to explore the world to find out what and where they fit in and the types of things they might develop a more serious interest or passion in. </p>
<p>OTOH, there is some wisdom to the idea that there be at least SOME consistencies that thread their way through his hs years - in your S case, his involvement in music and performance of various types perhaps. Or 4 years of the same foreign language, etc.</p>
<p>D2 was doing ballet, track, newspaper, volunteering, debate, tutoring, student government, piano, violin…9th and 10th grade with over 4.0 GPA. Junior year, she just found she didn’t have time to do everything, like most of us. As she moved up the rank with newspaper, clubs and all of those ECs, instead of one hour a week for each EC, she was required to spend 3-5 hours a week. She dropped violin, debate, track because lack of time and she wanted to focus more on her true passions. It was a teaching moment. It was painful for D2 to give up some of those ECs, but she also didn’t want to spread herself too thin, disappointing herself and other people who would have counted on her. We gave her the support she needed to make those decisions.</p>
<p>Sounds like his passion is to be engaged in multiple endeavors and to test himself on multiple fronts. So let him pursue <em>that</em> passion…</p>
<p>I would like to point out that junior year is a killer year for most kids - more academic demand, and standarized tests - it is not a bad idea to cut back on ECs.</p>
<p>I know he will have to make decisions about dropping things simply due to the limited hours in a day. I thought he would have come to this point sooner but he hasn’t. He goes to a very, very small high school so the teachers and advisors encourage participation in as much as possible. Because it is small, the school does not have the number of ECs that a bigger school would but I think my S is in 90% of the activities available at this school. Now the football coach is trying to recruit him but I am using my parental veto on that. We need to preserve his brain since I am hoping he will fund my our retirement. :)</p>
<p>Thanks, this is encouraging. He is my oldest and I find the whole college thing very overwhelming. I just want to do the right things and not have him limited in his future because of something I didn’t know. A friend is encouraging me to get a college counselor but my H doesn’t want to pay $5000 for the advice. I don’t either but I know the majority of the college admission research will be my responsibility and I don’t want to mess up. I am afraid DH doesn’t really understand how much different college application is today.</p>
<p>If he adapts to become who the books say he should, there is still no guarantee he will get into the elusive college that has not yet been determined. Then he’ll be resentful that he morphed into something that didn’t pan out. Let him go for it and a few things will fall off due to time/interests. There is no one perfect fit or equation for college–they all need both well-rounded and pointy kids.</p>
<p>We never told our son what to do or not do or what classes to take or not take either for that matter. He was in two bands, JROTC, ran XC and track, was on Masterninds and Mock Trial, plus he has a part time job at Marshalls. He was a good all around student, also, did well in everything but didn’t excel in anything in particular. Good ACT (30) and 3.8 GPA unweighted with no AP classes, just honors classes. He applied to 9 schools and was accepted at everyone, including one of our state’s flagships, which we considered a reach and a top 25 LAC, also a reach, and with money from every school but our state school. </p>
<p>I would have never been able to handle a schedule like he had. He was at school every day by 7:00 for band and didn’t get home until 6:00 because of sports and his other activities. He also worked a few nights at his job until 10:00. His schedule forced him to be very organized and efficient with his school work. Personally, I don’t think he would have done as well if he had a lot of free time.</p>
<p>Welcome MrsPepper, and before you shell out good money for a college counselor, spend a few months here on CC. The folks on here are amazing, and you will doscover resources like you have never known. </p>
<p>My own DS has a wide variety of interests so in intervews (and in his own heart) he adheres to the concept of being a Renaissance man. A few interviewers really liked his philosolphy that by exploring a wide range of interest he will cultivate knowledge that will help him appreciate all parts of life.</p>
<p>If you have the time, CC is a good resource. I have been on here since D1 was a senior. I got a lot of good info here. With D2 we decided to hire a college counselor, and it was well worth the money for us. The whole process was a lot calmer for us. The counselor kept D2 on schedule with tests, application and essay writing. D2 had all of her essays done (ED and RD schools) by Nov.</p>
<p>Its totally possible to be well rounded and still have and emphasize a passion in your application. Theres nothing that says you cant be on a sports team, have a job, and be an intense musician.</p>
<p>emilybee-thanks, I suspect my S is a lot like yours. His grades seem to go up when he is very busy and he is more organized and has better self-discipline. I also don’t think I would have done well with his schedule. Although I was very involved in high school, I just don’t remember it being this crazy.
MizzBee-I understand the Renaissance man idea. I have referred to my S this way as well. He has varied and eclectic interests. Most of all he has a true love of learning.(In fact this morning, while talking about some of his senior friends, he assured me that he will never have a case of senioritis.)
old fort-I believe I would be a lot less stressed if we had a counselor. I just don’t think I will be able to convince DH. Were you applying to all very selective schools with both kids? I feel more is on the line with DS than his younger sibs because of his interests, particular talents, and drive and the fact that it is going to take him longer to figure out what he wants to study. With his sibs I can see their interests becoming clear already and I think it will be a little easier to narrow their choices. DS is going to be more challenging.</p>
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Can we have a single comment stickied???</p>
<p>I wouldn’t worry too much about having him involved in too much - when he writes his essays and interviews, they’ll see that he has a passion for all those things. The reason the books tell you not to do that is because you shouldn’t sign up for everything just because you think that’s what colleges want to see. You should only do it if you’re really interested in all those things. I wish my S would be as involved and well-rounded as yours!</p>
<p>Schools want well-roundedness – in that they want some kids who are passionate about and devoted to one topic or area, and other kids who are interested in a multitude of areas. Don’t sweat it.</p>
<p>Think of it this way: even Harvard can only use so many violinists, no matter how brilliant.</p>
<p>I think the most important thing is just to be who are you. The genuine self. If you set out to ‘be well rounded’ and you are a naturally ‘spiky’ person, you will be unhappy and miss the change to specialize. If you are a naturally well rounded person and try to ‘create passions’- you probably won’t be all that fabulous at them.</p>
<p>I had one well rounded kid, one very specialized. Both did great with college admissions.</p>