<p>Do you think Ivy league colleges seek well-roundedness rather than the applicant’s passions and focused involvement in one specific EC? Or is it the opposite?</p>
<p>There is a mix of those. Someone who is involved in a lot of activities may be just as valuable as someone who is focused in science, music, etc. Colleges seek diverse applicants, so it is neither one nor the other!</p>
<p>Well, the most recent Ivy bound student from my school (Yale 2 years ago) was 2nd in the class, captain of the varsity soccer team, captain of the varsity basketball team, member of the chorale, senior class president, blah, blah, blah.</p>
<p>I'm a Stanford kid and did History Day, journalism, Debate, choir, student council, minor sports, and yearbook, which don't seem to flow togther. However, my friend was deferred Yale EA with strong political enthusiasm (ran city council campaign, worked on two congressional campaigns, district coordinator of Kids Voting). </p>
<p>So though well-roundedness seems to do better for people, I really think it doesn't matter: It's about how you portray your activities. You have to make yourself look unique and passionate. You can come across as the typical well-rounded kid who made their vague efforts or you can come across as the well-rounded kid who did something really amazing.</p>
<p>Some get in because of their well-roundedness; other get in because of their "well- lopsidedness". It's a matter of diversity.
but in my opinion, well-roundedness must be accompanied by distinctions in one or two areas. i don't think they would like to see a laundry list of activities that shouts "jack of all trades, master of none".</p>
<p>Agreed. </p>
<p>I'm not sure if I'd consider myself "well-lopsided"; but, pretty much all of my activities are music, writing, or activism-related, with major distinctions in writing and activism. I really used my essays to Harvard (the one required and the one optional) to flesh out my writing and activism and convey how passionate I am about them. </p>
<p>I don't think it's bad to be well-rounded, but realistically, in a pool of 20,000 applicants, there have to be some distinctions for you to really, really stand out.</p>