What does "spike" mean to you? If you've been spending time on
websites where college admission advice is given out in the last few
years, you've probably seen it used in conversations about
extracurricular activities. Let's talk about that and what UVA admission
officers are looking for when we review the activity section of your
Common App.
The Definition
The spike being talked about on those sites refers to the notion that students should tailor their activities (and in some cases, the entire application) to fit their intended major. Most recently, I've seen people talk of showing a "business spike" or "psychology spike."
The General Concept Isn't New
There
were people talking about crafting and packaging yourself to fit a
specific theme back when I was applying to college! We thought you had
to be either well-rounded or pointy. We'd also hear people talk about
students being specialists and generalists. I think that the internet
has made "spike" spread very quickly to the point that it's become
generally accepted.
My Take on the Spike Messages I'm Seeing
When it comes to activities, we don't craft the class to cover certain interests because we don't have to. When you have an incoming class of ~3,900 students, you don't have to manufacture variety. No one is going to say "where are the drummers?" or "who will write for the newspaper?" There will be drummers. And writers. And dancers. You get the idea.
When I look at your activity
list, I simply want to see that you're making a contribution in some
area of your life. Activities don't have to be related to each other.
Activities don't have to be related to your academic interests.
Activities should be rewarding, interesting, and fun. You shouldn't be
afraid to try something because it doesn't fit into a strategy.
Also, consider the fact that we are looking for curious students who will take advantage of all the wonderful options in the UVA curriculum. It's great to have an idea about what you'd like to study, but you don't have to focus all of your energy on one topic at this point. I hope you're excited about exploring subjects and activities you haven't had access to in high school when you get here.
What Applicants Should Do
Ask
a few admission officers about this spike concept. You might have to
explain what it is, as this idea didn't come out of admission offices. Then ask what they want to see in the activity section. I
hope you'll realize that we are all interested in learning more about you
in that part of the application. We don't expect require involvement to be based on your [current] academic interests.
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| Activities should be rewarding and fun! |