hmmm i don’t think you really need to have a well-developed “passion”
I’ll be heading off to Stanford next year and I definitely didn’t have one huge passion. My Stanford app was by far my strongest though, because I really had fun with it. I wrote the intellectual vitality essay about how I marathoned America’s Next Top Model this past summer (yes, really), my roommate letter was written in my own voice, and the what matters to me and why essay was a lot more serious but still lighthearted. I’m not sure why I got in over the other highly qualified applicants from my school (I was the only one admitted), but I’m willing to bet it was the essays. I never joined a club in high school, never had a leadership position—granted, my school’s really small and only has like two active clubs. I didn’t do anything to get into Stanford, really—I was really honest, my application had a lot of personality, I had good numbers, and I’m sure my recs were amazing because those two teachers are like mothers to me. Maybe I’m not entirely representative of the average Stanford admit, but just know that it’s possible…
Also, I’m not sure how much interviews count, but my interviewer said I was the best applicant he had ever interviewed. He called me a breath of fresh air and said that Stanford needed someone like me. Huh. LOL all my of interviews prior to that one had gone horribly so I just decided to be myself for the Stanford interview, I didn’t prepare any responses or anything.
PS the only ECs that I listed were learning russian, playing guitar, and fashion sketching—just random stuff I like to do in my free time. Guess it was good enough for Stanford, though, huh?
Good luck! The admissions process really sucks, but you never know what’s gonna happen. 