Hi, I’m planning to apply to boarding schools in the next admissions cycle and I have a question.
— Do you think I should go for the well-rounded approach or an angled approach in one area such as science or Student Government?
Don’t base your extracurriculars off of some boarding school. Do what you want to do! If you love science and Student Gov, then go for it! Schools want to see that you genuinely love what you do, and doing a bunch of ECs to be “well-rounded” won’t help your case.
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Well-rounded.
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Whichever you actually are. Some schools have more room for kids who are exceptional in one realm while many others need kids who can wear many hats. Don’t change yourself for a school. Pick a school that suits you.
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I think if you have to ask, then you’re not “angled” enough to pull it off - go for the “well-rounded” approach.
Of course, it is possible that you are being exceptionally modest.
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I agree with @stalecookies, being a pointy kid is usually pretty obvious and isn’t usually in something like student government. It’s most often an unusual talent in sports or music or maybe being gifted in science and math and winning competitions. Academically, in terms of your interest there is little value of saying you like science to the exclusion of everything else. They may ask you what your favorite subject is but they are looking for your reasoning and explanation, they don’t actually care that you like science more than English.
Think of being pointy as something that helps the school and makes it look better. If you can help win a soccer championship, you are pointy. If you can fill a spot in the orchestra that they are lacking, you are pointy. If you like to be involved in student government you are one of many.
Different schools value this differently. Schools that are the largest don’t need to look for pointy kids as much, just from numbers they can usually get an ok team or ensemble. So when I look at kids admitted to PA vs kids admitted to Groton I would say the Groton kids are more pointy and often more quirky and the PA kids are more well rounded, typical smart kid.
Additionally, and I am sorry that you won’t be able to see this at revisit day, there are definitely types at these schools. There is absolutely a difference between the vibe at Groton and the kids they admit and the vibe at Middlesex and the kids they admit. It is hard to tell if you aren’t there for a day or more but it does exist. MOST kids will be fine at either but some kids will fit more at one school or another.
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This has me tearing out my hair. How are we supposed to commit to schools we’ve never visited or experienced! So frustrating. Even after M10 I feel like I will be playing darts blind folded.
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But like I said MOST kids will be just fine at MOST schools. And by just fine I mean do well in school and love their experience.
Once you are admitted you can ask for vibe opinions here as well.
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I think you should be honest about your passions. Schools want to see your authentic self regardless of your accomplishments. If you have won awards or completed cool projects, let them know. If you haven’t, that’s completely fine. Schools are only looking for a few super talented, specialized students with the rest being a good mix of academically strong students. Don’t downplay anything by trying to be well-rounded, either.
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