I’m currently a soph in high school and just realized that I am too well-rounded. I have a 3.9 accumulative UW GPA and a 4.5 W GPA. I play two instruments, am treasurer of a non-profit, have played tennis for 4 years (ranked #216 in the state), is involved in Science Olympiad, is involved with debate, and is set to help cancer research at a local college this summer. I don’t want being too well-rounded to ruin my shot at admission into the top 20 colleges. What do I do?
You raise a good point. Develop some spikes. It helps to have both. But as you know colleges are putting together a well rounded class of kids with spikes. Develop some leadership positions in the ECs you have, and dive deeper into an area of interest and try to develop a spike with some national awards or recognition. Publish a paper if its science.
Some will argue that all you have to do is be better than the other students at your local high school (that’s your competition for top notch schools), but in truth it helps to have a spike.
You be you. Just try to get more involved in any of your activities. Like if you can be captain of Tennis team. Go out of r all state band.
Also, there is more to life than Top 20 colleges. There are 3000+ and there is one right for you.
Focus on 1 or 2 things you’re really good at and and exploit the heck out of them. Essays are all about propping yourself up with the most skillful B.S. you can put in there 
If you’re equally balancing those ECs, then that overall detracts from most of them. Colleges know that you only have a limited amount of time for ECs, so if you’re juggling that many, you’re not putting in enough meaningful hours. The list looks impressive at first, but debate and Science Olympiad are realistically not going to be that impressive(app padders) if you put that little time into it.
Also try to be more unique in some areas, music and sports are cliche and in that don’t always give the best return on the time you invest in them.(You need to either drop them or invest more time in them to make them stand out of the crowd.) Still the most important thing is to do what you enjoy the most,and dropping some of those ECs you do just to pad the app will be better and more enjoyable in the long run.
Are you kidding? If you are excelling at all of these ECs and enjoy them all, I say keep them. If you think you like some more than others and wish you had more time for those, then drop one or two. If you’re not spiky, then you’re not. I think plenty of schools would like someone with such high grades who is interested in sports and music as well as debate and science. So many kids who are supposedly spikey, are being marketed like that and have had to give up ECs that they like. Lots of 16 year olds aren’t ready to choose one or two things to focus on. Be yourself. I would also think it would be a darn good essay to talk about how you managed everything and why they were all important to you.
No worries. Do what you enjoy, without worrying about how it will look to an admissions office. If you do what you like, when it comes time to apply to colleges, you will be able to describe the activities in an interesting way and may discover that there is some unexpected aspect of them that becomes the basis for a great essay.
You sound like you have meaningful accomplishments. Colleges will be able to tell you will contribute to campus. Not everyone needs a “spike.”
My son, accepted ED to Williams College Class of 2022, did not have an extracurricular “spike” either. For example, his biggest commitment is tennis, and, unlike you, he does not have a state ranking. His Common App essay was based on a small moment at his job as a summer camp counselor… which he never realized would be the stuff of college essays until he read one of the Common App prompts, remembered that moment, and realized it could reveal something interesting about himself.
Is this a joke? You basically have straight A’s. Why lower any of those?
I agree with @TheGreyKing. Do what you like, and do it to the best of your ability.
You may be too well-rounded, but you don’t know how to edit your post, so I’d start there. Your resume is a cliche, and doesn’t seem all that interesting. Ranked 216 in tennis? Move that to top three and then you’ll stand out.
In other words, this post seems like a joke to me, so you’re getting a snarky response.
If you are actually serious, then delve deeper into something, anything. Be an interesting person with passions, not just a person trying to create the best resume you can in hopes of getting accepted.
And while you’re here, read the posts from all the students who got deferred from the IVY’s or wherever it is you’d like to attend…you’ll see their stats and activities are much like yours, or better/more impressive.
I agree as well. You need to be you.
FYI, while some colleges like to assemble a well-rounded class, that does not mean a class of well-rounded kids. Nor does it mean a class of pointy kids. They usually like to have a mix.
As also mentioned, there are plenty of other top colleges where you will get a great education. The top 20 (however you choose to define) will be reaches anyway. You need to also have affordable matches and safeties.
@Alluvial I’m very active in debate and Science Olympiad however. I’m going to be a Varsity debater next year and have gone to state (sadly placing 2nd, only 1st goes to nationals) for three years in Science Olympias. I don’t really want to drop those activities, but I will if it allows me to focus more and help me get a bigger “spike”.
Listen to the replies you are getting. Dropping activities like the Science Olympiads that you really enjoy and in which you are achieving some cool things- like placing 2nd— would be a serious mistake. You are listening to some idea you heard somewhere about applicants needing a “spike,” and putting that ahead of your genuine enjoyment of activities. Do what you enjoy, and in two years, you will just naturally have something interesting to say on your application.
I told you my kid got into a top liberal arts college without a spike. Let me also share this story. At an event for the children of alumni and their parents at Vassar, we served on a mock admissions committee. At the end, there were two strong candidates: one you would consider “spiky” and one you would consider “well-rounded.” Afterwards, someone asked the head of admissions which he would have chosen. He said the well-rounded one! But he also said that the admissions office takes lots of both kinds of candidates within an admissions season. Some will have special strengths that stand out, and some will be well-rounded kids who will contribute to the college in many ways.
Do well in school, and have fun in the activities that truly interest you. Maybe you will naturally develop a spike, as your interests evolve, but maybe you will continue to be a good contributor to a variety of activities. Either way, by being yourself, you will have a happy high school experience… and, someday, you will come across as genuine and interesting to one or more admissions committees.
Don’t forget to enjoy high school. You don’t get these four years back. Live them fully. Do what you enjoy. Don’t miss out on “now” while looking to the future.