Read any book or article about college admissions and you’re bound to see a phrase akin to, “Colleges don’t want well-rounded students; they want well-rounded classes.” The logic–and it holds up–is that students who commit themselves to a few activities they really enjoy tend to make a bigger impact in their chosen pursuits than those students who spread themselves too thin (often in misguided attempts to pad their résumés.)
But what if you genuinely enjoy being involved in lots of different things?
There’s nothing wrong with having many interests and you’ll likely get into plenty of colleges. But you should know that the more competitive the college, the stronger the applicant pool and the more likely you’ll be competing with students who’ve made a significant impact in their chosen activities. There are lots of ways to make an impact, from taking on a leadership role to heading an important project to being so damn good at basketball or debate or chess that people start giving you awards.
If you have lots of interests, which one do you seem to like the most? What would it take for you to make a bigger impact in that activity? Sure, it might take some time away from one of your other pursuits. But you’d also be carving out a little more time to do what you seem to love the most.