The critical flaw with being well-rounded
Most students aiming for top schools make the huge mistake of trying to be “well-rounded". When I was in high school, I heard this over and over and over again, from older students to teachers to counselors to supposed “college admissions experts.” I’m sure you might have heard of this already.
The typical student trying to be “well-rounded” will try to demonstrate some competency in a variety of
skills. She’ll learn an instrument, play a JV sport, try to get straight A’s, score well on tests, volunteer for hundreds of hours at the hospital, and participate in a few clubs.
In their mind, they’re telling the school, “I can do everything! Whatever I set my mind to, I can learn to do a pretty good job. This means I’ll be successful in the future!”
This is wrong. The world doesn't see it this way, colleges like Yale or MIT generally don’t see it this
way, and far too many students waste thousands of hours in their lives pursuing this.
Here’s the problem – well-rounded students don’t do anything particularly well. They’re not team captain of a national-ranking soccer team, or the head of a new state-wide nonprofit, or
concertmaster of a leading orchestra. This means NONE of what they do is TRULY impressive.
To put it bluntly, “well-rounded” means “mediocre at everything.” Jack of all trades, master of none.By being a Jack of all trades, you risk being master of none.
Mediocre people don’t end up changing the world. They might be great low-level employees. They’ll be followers, not leaders. But top
schools like Harvard and Stanford want to train leaders who will change the world.
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