<p>hi i wanted to know whether columbia likes seeing a well rounded person who is involved in different volunteer works and clubs as well as different jobs or do they like it when someone is focused on one particular thing</p>
<p>like lets say i do only volunteer work and jobs and clubs that are associated with medicine would they rather have that or someone more well rounded .. i guess like a "renaissance person" lol</p>
<p>Not everyone gets into any selective college for the same reason; i.e., they are not looking for an entire class of either well-rounded students of students with well developed particular interests.</p>
<p>You should do whatever you want to do, and, if you are someone who would fit into the class, you might get in.</p>
<p>My experience has always been that colleges like well rounded overall student bodies, made up of individuals with specific focus. Its far better to make a big impact in one area than be involved with 10.</p>
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like lets say i do only volunteer work and jobs and clubs that are associated with medicine would they rather have that or someone more well rounded .. i guess like a "renaissance person" lol
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<p>That's not doing one thing. That's doing 2-3 things that are related to something you're interested in.</p>
<p>thats wat i was saying .. doing diff things related to one particular thing or doing many diff things focused on diff stuff</p>
<p>i would like to know because i want to know what i should think about when looking for job and volunteer opportunities</p>
<p>Look, the general theory here is that they want to see passion. Passion can manifest itself in many ways. The most common is by someone diving into a particular subject that has grabbed their mind and won't let it go. Maybe you do a few activities that surround that interest and let you do different things with it. It's equally possible that you have several true passions, which you approach passionately. </p>
<p>I happen to have been passionate about math, classical piano, history, and challenging myself. I got to do all 4 at columbia, but I only got that chance by showing that I was passionately committed to each one. I basically left high school for a week to work on my science fair project. I'd commute an hour and a half each way five days a week to take a summer class at boston university (which, in retrospect, was pretty lame - but I'm sure it looked good). There were days leading up to the concerto competition in high school where I practiced 8 hours a day. I'm not making that up, 8 hours (though less on weekdays). Was it necessary, or even a good idea in the interests of leading a well-considered, balanced life? Probably none of those. But I didn't care about that. And that shone through... anyone could tell, looking at my profile, that I was nuts, and very specifically nuts about certain things, and that those characteristics made me a good prospect. In the end, Shawn Abbott took a flyer on me (or talked the committee into taking a flyer on me) because, despite my poor grades, relatively speaking, I was clearly both passionate and talented at certain things, and stood out from the pack.</p>
<p>There's no magic formula, which, while true, isn't helpful. But most people understand the concept of passion better than they do a bland generalization about college admissions. There's no magic formula to being passionate about something, either, but people tend to know it when they see it (you know, like pornography). Look inside yourself for what actually inspires you to work your butt off, and you've found what you should focus on. The rest will fall into place naturally.</p>