Link: http://blog.prepscholar.com/ho...

There are things that I want to point out before I mention this article. This article is for for students who are spending hours on AP classes and extracurriculars/volunteering that they are not passionate about. This is resulting in unhappiness, and stress. 

Do you know what's even worse about being unhappy about all of these demands? This is not even the path to being accepted by a highly selective college. 

Joining into an Ivy League college doesn't determine your success in life. 

 Going to an Ivy League school can serve as a huge advantage. However, there are people that go to Ivy Leagues, and do nothing with their lives.

Then there are people that attended mediocre schools who ended up accomplishing a huge amount. No matter what college you attend to, if you have a little bit of luck, ambition, and passion, you can accomplish whatever dream you have.

 Also, if you are happy joining a bunch of extracurricular activities, doing volunteer hours, being part of a team, then keep on doing it. You learn how to interact with different people in different circumstances, you learn different skills, and you can be part of something really big and amazing. As long as you are growing and learning, then whatever you are doing, every second of it, is not a waste of time.

 Life is a growing process.It shouldn't just be about attending a highly selective college, there is so much more to life than that. 

This is the advice on how to get selected by highly competitive  colleges by Allen Chang, the co-founder of PrepScholar. He has also guided thousands of students to success in college admissions and in SAT/ACT prep. Allen is a graduate of Harvard university himself. 

Colleges want students that are going to accomplish world changing things. 

The best predictor of future achievement is past achievement. The point is to convince schools, that you are going to continue achieving and succeeding in great things, college and beyond. 

There is a critical flaw to being "well rounded".  A typical student that is trying to be well rounded is one that joins a bunch of extracurriculars, plays a JV sport, gets straight A's in all classes, etc.. 

The problem with that mindset, though, is that being well rounded means being mediocre at everything. However, highly selective colleges would rather have students, that do really well in one thing. 

To become really good at something, it takes relentless focus, you need to absolutely try 100% in achieving that goal. This doesn't mean that you have to demonstrate to colleges, success in whatever field you aspire to be in the future, career wise. It is okay to change,and colleges want you to change. You just need to demonstrate that you'll be successful. Often times, successful people have  wide ranging interests, and do things that require both of those passions/skills.

Don't fear about achieving above and beyond. You want to be super passionate and successful in whatever skills you are developing in high school, to a point where you stand out from other applicants. If Harvard school is receiving 34,000 applicants, and if they are only accepting 1,000 applicants, what is going to make you those 1,000 applicants? What is going to make you stand out from the rest? 

Focus on your strengths that you already have now, and develop your strengths from there.  Develop that huge spike, even if it means at the expense of other aspects of your application. However, you can't totally fail at the rest of the application. Generally, you need strong academics. 

You need good GPA/test scores, and you should have excellent grades/test scores in whatever field you are passionate about. For example, if you are a science geek, it's okay if you score B's in social studies and writing, but you should receive excellent recommendations and grades in science. You should also be successful in science extracurriculars.

Well, how do you achieve your spike? If you passionate about a unique cause, try to start a club or a non-profit group. If you are interested in a particular subject, try to find a nationally ranked competition that you can rank well in. Or even if you have a simple hobby that you enjoy, like doing makeup, think about how you can showcase your talent, and receive national recognition for it. For example, starting a Youtube channel for makeup.

Extra Curriculars Highly Selective Colleges Aren't Looking For: 
1. Volunteering
2. Athletics, if you are not the team captain or a stand out player 
3. Instrumental Playing(if you are not a section leader or captain master) 

However, if you truly enjoy your extracurricular activities, then keep doing it, although it doesn't strengthen your applications. If you feel like you have a true obligation to the group, and it's painful to think about leaving them, then continue to do it. It's important to do what makes you happy, and things that are meaningful to you.