<p>Yeah Googling the names of my classmates is quite humbling. I’m almost guaranteed to dig up something extraordinary every time. </p>
<p>It’s really important to remember that there is no “formula” for gaining admission to Stanford. I’ve known a couple people who had NO extracurriculars (I thought their Stanford applications were wastes of time and money until they got their decisions) and who were admitted because the committee liked their Intellectual Vitality or What Matters to You essay. Basically, they just read all the applications and pick the 2,210 that appeal to them most. I feel like the admission officers apply Justice Potter Stewart’s views on pornography to college admission: They can’t describe an ideal Stanford admit, but they know one when they see his/her file. </p>
<p>It’s possible to be well-rounded even if you have a well-defined passion. For instance, I know several people whose passion was music (or debate or law or the environment or tons of other things) yet who still participated in sports, theater, and other activities. </p>
<p>But for the most part, a lot of the people I know (both in high school and now in college) who were admitted to elite schools did one or two activities really well and became passionate about them. They weren’t necessarily national/international champions of those activities, but they did them well enough to earn school-wide and local recognition. By admitting them, colleges were doing a great job of filling specific extracurricular niches.</p>