Jack of ALL or a Master of ONE?

A young fourteen-year-old boy joined Lakeside High School, knowing little about what his future held for him. The Mothers Club at his school purchased an expensive computer terminal and, when the boy saw the terminal for the first time, he knew it. 

Bill Gates is renowned as perhaps the most successful businessman in the world. Little is spoken, however, of the skill that is attributed for this success. Gates, celebrated widely for his intellect, is a master programmer. From creating a tic-tac-toe algorithm at fourteen to developing era-defining software at Microsoft, Bill Gates’ coding is at the heart of his success. 

Students applying to America are often under the misconception that the ‘holistic process’ of admissions requires each student to be “well-rounded” jacks-of-all-trades who are indeed masters of none. A little participation in sport, slightly-above-average grades, an occassional post of leadership and of course throw in some social service later, and these candidates are convinced of their applications being good enough for their dream universities.

And herein lies the problem. When competing against the hundreds of thousands of applicants to top schools across the world, being good is simply not good enough. 

‘If being good at everything doesn’t do the trick, what does?’ I hear you ask. 

Well it’s pretty simple. Be brilliant at something. 

Bill Gates, famously, believes in Malcolm Gladwell’s 10,000-hour rule which states that roughly ten-thousand hours of dedicated effort in a field realizes mastery in that field.

This anecdote about Bill Gates might seem far-fetched but it can act as an appropriate specimen for certain aspects of the application process. The same golden rule applies: hard work pays.

Excellence in one field demonstrates passion on part of the applicant, which is arguably one of the most impressive features for any application. While it is impossible to surmise exactly how a process as arbitrary and complex as college decisions works, it is safe to say that a student who excels in one sport, activity, or even academics and demonstrates his passion for the same can display a stronger, more interesting profile for the college to add to their community. 

While some readers of this article might not have 10,000 hours before their college deadlines, the article is intended for those who aspire to apply in the future. A resumé with a strong, passionate, and successful activity is a boost to one’s chances of admission to any college. 

For all we know, if you work hard enough at your passion, you might just end up like Bill Gates—enrolling at Harvard next fall! 

Credits: This article has been written by Devesh Agarwal (UC Berkeley Class of 2021)