Is it good to have an extracurricular spike?Answered
I just learned what it means to have an extracurricular spike and am wondering if this is a good thing to have when applying to selective colleges. I've always thought it's good to seem well-rounded and show a variety of interests through your extracurriculars. It's what I've been told by others most of the time when discussing college apps. However, now that I'm reading up on it I'm starting to think that it might be good to have a spike.
Here are my current extracurriculars:
- co-captain of my school's Science Olympiad team
- board member in NAHS
- president and founder of Cryptology Club
(I'm also planning on joining physics honor society this year)
I want to study physics, with my dream school being MIT. Should I focus on having a spike in that subject area or should I try to seem well-rounded, having experience in a lot of areas?
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1 answer
It may sound contradictory, but you will actually want to be both well-rounded and have a spike at the same time. What this means in practice is that about half of your activities should relate to your spike, while the other half should be in different areas. This CollegeVine blog post has more tips about creating a spike. Hope this helps!
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