As a college admissions counselor specializing in students with big ambitions (e.g. Ivy League, Military Service Academies/ROTC, Athletic scholarships), I have seen dreams realized, shattered, and everything in between.
Case Study
In this case study, I reveal what goes through a college admissions officer's mind as they review an application. What do they care about, what do they disregard, what jumps out, and what factors might seal the deal (for good or bad)?
In this blog, I review Pete's profile. Pete just finished his junior year at a big public high school in NY. He has a pretty good GPA. pretty good SAT score, has taken pretty hard classes, is a pretty good lacrosse player, and has pretty good extracurricular activities.
Are you getting my drift?
Pete is "pretty good" at just about everything. This is the profile of a lot of high school students these days. That's why we call him "Pretty Good Pete". He has a closely-related friend named "Pretty Good Pamela."
The question...
Assume a group a college applicants have similar:
but participate in different "Extracurricular Activities" that could be categorized as Typical or Non-Typical Teen Activities.
TTA (Typical Teen Activities)
NTTA (Non-Typical Teen Activities)
Back in the day, highly-selective schools were impressed by the proverbial "well-rounded student" who seemed capable of doing just about anything - from sports, to academics, to community service.
"Old School" Well-Rounded Student:
College Admissions Officers used to assemble their incoming classes by selecting many of these "well-rounded" applicants.
Campuses eventually became havens for lots of students who were good at lots of things.
Today, things are different.
In fact, many schools today are not as impressed by generic "well-rounded" students and have turned their attention to more "angular" students.
Angular Students
Angular students take a deep dive into one (or two) core activities - often at the exclusion of others - to become world-class in their field.
"Modern Day" Angular Student: