Well-Rounded or Angular Applicants… Which Is Better?

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Being well-rounded is one of the most overrated things a student can be, according to this CNBC article. Wait… I thought that was the goal. Be involved in as many extracurriculars as possible. Maintain a (relatively) high GPA. Play sports. Volunteer regularly. Join NHS. Serve on student council. All the things, right? Isn’t that what colleges want to see?

A few years ago, I would’ve told you yes. I was a well-rounded student who won a full-ride scholarship that paid for all four years of my college education. Well there’s the proof, right? It’s best to be well-rounded. Not exactly. One reason I succeeded as a well-rounded student was because my admissions essays were angular. Another reason was that I synthesized my experiences so that my application was cohesive despite my many interests and activities. In this article we’ll cover:

What it means to be well-rounded vs. angular
The advantages of being an angular student
Examples of angles
The importance of personal branding
What to do if you’re a well-rounded student

Well-Rounded vs. Angular

We all know a few well-rounded students. High grades, volunteer work, athletics, extracurriculars, and no time for anything else. Countless moms want their child to be involved in as much as humanly possible during high school in order to show admissions officers that their child can be good at anything they set their mind to. It's just wonderful that your child is darn good at everything they do, but it’s also very boring. How do you describe a student like that? Well-rounded? A renaissance woman (that’s what I was called)? Jack-of-all trades? These descriptors may be accurate, but there is definitely more than one well-rounded applicant applying to Stanford. Probably one in every six National Merit Scholarship applicants is a renaissance man. If all you want to do is attend a decent college, then becoming well-rounded is perfectly acceptable. But if you’re aiming for the top, or a debt-free experience, you’ll need to focus on becoming angular.

Angular students have a bent. They aren’t good at everything, in fact, they may be lacking in some areas. What sets them apart is that they are the best at something specific. Angular students don’t spend their free time attending countless club meetings and staying moderately involved in various activities. They dedicate their time and energy to a cause, topic, hobby, or sport they’re passionate about and focus their efforts on owning that field. They might be involved in one or two other activities, such as being a math tutor or volunteering monthly, but their college application won’t be cluttered with a list of random activities. This application will be focused, and the admissions officer will be able to easily define and remember who this person is.

The Angular Advantage

Why is being angular so great? Let’s think about the college admissions (or scholarship selection) process. When an admissions officer reads your application, what will they be able to say? Even if they like the applicant, will they be able to make a clear case to the rest of the committee as to why your child should be accepted? Think about the difference between, “Charlie is a well-rounded student who volunteers at the homeless shelter, serves on student council, reads to children at the library on Saturdays, plays soccer, leads the piano club, likes to blah blah blah blah bluuuuhhhahahahhhah” and, “Deijah has stellar grades and strong passion for homeless resources. Last year she rallied a team of students and worked with her city council to start a homeless resource center, and she personally runs a program within the center dedicated to resume-building and job-finding assistance.”

It’s difficult to describe Charlie with a single phrase. His accomplishments are many, but scattered. On the other hand, Deijah has a memorable story. She is the Homeless Resource Pioneer. Try getting a scholarship committee to forget that!

The Power of Personal Branding

“Personal Branding” may sound like a marketing phrase, but in essence, that’s what you’re trying to do. Marketing yourself isn’t gimmicky and dishonest. It’s simply making yourself memorable and easy to talk about. So how do you do that? Begin with your “brand” in mind. Your entire application should be crafted with the knowledge of how you want to portray yourself. Remember the Homeless Resource Pioneer? Think about what your title will be. Your application and essays should make sense based on your chosen title. Here are a few ideas to get you started:

Homeless Resource Pioneer
Viral YouTube Math Coach
Rural Rocket Scientist
Impassioned Political Filmmaker
Martial Arts Champion

What if I’m Well-Rounded?

If you’re quickly approaching the college application process and you’re a well-rounded student, all is not lost. There are a couple ways to make yourself stand out from the rest of the well-rounded crowd.

Pick an Essay Angle

Your resume may show a variety of interests and activities, but that doesn’t mean your essays can’t be focused and highly angled. The trick is to use storytelling. Pick one or two life experiences that showcase what you’re about. Who you really are. Focus on those. For me, it was the experience of living in a camper for over two years while my dad built our new house. That time of my life was very impactful and has shaped the way I view goals, hard-work, and commitment. I branded myself as the girl from Nowhere, USA who believes that anything is possible because she watched her 8th-grade-education dad in his fifties build an entire house by himself without giving up. A scholarship committee was inspired because I was inspired. And it was clear I knew who I was, even though I had a diverse resume.

For more on how to write effective essays, visit “How to Write an Impactful College Application Essay.”

Synthesize

Something else that strengthened my application as a well-rounded student was my ability to synthesize the diverse list of activities on my resume. Many of my essays stressed a passion for education and learning opportunities, which is why I served as a homework tutor at the Boys & Girls Club and attended as many educational summer camps as possible. The goal is to make your application cohesive. The admissions officer should get an idea of why the activities on your resume make sense based on who you are as a person.

Selective colleges and scholarship programs are no longer looking for well-rounded students, but well-rounded classes. They want passionate students that together offer a variety of informed perspectives and experience, enriching the student body. If you or your child has just begun to start thinking about college and you still have some time before the application process begins, consider what angle you would like to pursue. Pick something and become known for it! However, if college admissions season is approaching fast and you’re having regrets about being too well-rounded, don’t stress. Pick an essay angle, synthesize, and stay true to you.