Sometimes we can find educational benefits through unforeseen connections. For example, exposure to music theory can help reinforce mathematic theory by understanding the relationships between notes and ratios.

This is particularly timely since Newsweek published The Creativity Crisis earlier this month and I think there’s room for building more thoughtful connections between learning activities.

My point is that the list is just a list…. I personally do what feels like 20 different things (growing things, cooking, painting, sculpting, yoga, kettlebells, singing, reading philosophy, you-name-it….) in addition to my “work,” but that, admittedly, is not totally normal. However, you could match my “resume” up with some kid who’s been loaded down with “the checklist” and, while our “lists” may look the same, our personal experiences of those other practices could be completely different (and I may be doing myself a favor by saying I’m pretty in touch with what I’m doing and why I’m doing it). It’s not about the list. We talk about it like it’s the list.

And this post isn’t about admissions– this post is about *adults*, our culture, how we spend our time, and finding real meaning. The only reason I brought up the kids in the first place is because we start ‘em out with this mentality early. Only one section of the four talks about students at all— it’s just the culture most teenagers experience and the message we as adults send them. [...and I'm trying to get *away* from college admissions talk because it makes me want to poke my eyes out occasionally....]

HOWEVER, thank you for giving me such an exhaustive response. You’re always always always welcome here.

(I’m an idiot for not having nested this.)

Maybe I’m missing something, but I feel a little that you’re arguing two different things here. On one hand, you’re against the shotgun, well rounded approach because students aren’t devoting enough time to one thing they’re passionate about. On the other hand, you’re saying that we all need to be less single minded in our passions, because having wider interests you enjoy can make your creations (work, art, etc.) better. So which is it?

As always, I’m thinking about teens and college. I’m a volunteer alumni interviewer for my alma mater, which often gives me an opportunity to get some insight into the admissions process. My college has jumped on the recent trend of “angular admissions.” My husband recently wrote a blog post on it here: https://www.word-nerd.com/pt/blog/default.aspx?id=9&t=What-are-angular-college-admissions In a nutshell, the former emphasis on well-rounded students has been usurped by a focus on “angular” students who pursue only one primary interest. I suspect this approach is a backlash to the “overscheduled child” epidemic. Kids are forced into karate, foreign languages, multiple sports teams, dance and/or music from birth, in the hopes of improving their admissions profile. When every applicant looks exactly the same as all the others, I can’t blame admissions officers for seeking something distinguishing!

Even though I understand it, I can’t say I’m a fan of angular admissions. I think it will shift talented kids into sinking all of their time and energy into one activity (and likely one chosen by their parents instead of themselves). The goal is to become truly proficient in one area, but you’re necessarily sacrificing interest in other things by doing so. The end result is a student that may be a virtuoso violinist, but one who has not devoted any time to other valuable pursuits like athletics, volunteerism, reading, etc. I know I would not have wanted to have such a one-dimensional girl as my college roommate! If you can’t converse intelligently on anything beyond the violin, how can you be expected to make use of the many opportunities college offers? You can argue that intense practice and focus are the only way to master a skill, but you leave yourself without much of a life if you spend every moment in the same activity. I fear that the student body at my alma mater is actually going to be much less diverse than before, lacking a capacity to see the world from a variety of perspectives. Or worse, the students will finally be free from their childhood “passion,” but find themselves without anything to take its place.

Perhaps the middle ground is choosing multiple activities that you’re truly interested in, rather than indiscriminately joining every club available in the pursuit of a “well rounded” application. An emphasis on quantity (both too few and too many) should give way to an emphasis on quality and variety (fewer activities, but ones you truly enjoy). This approach can serve kids well into adulthood, when time is limited by demands of work and family. Parents take note!

Thanks Elizabeth for a terrific post.

I am not sure though that I have a “cooking” in my life. I just generally love to learn. Sometimes it’s normal things like Greek mythology or architecture (which came in handy interpreting Inception-FYI). Sometimes is bizarre things studying death cults or building home made hover crafts. I find the more I push outside of my standard circle of cognitive processing, the more I am able to change my perspective on something. And with each change or perspective, I am able to view a project from different angles. Challenges are overcome because I am able to shine the additional mental light to solve them.

Great post.

What would happen if, instead, everyone learned to ‘cook’? What if we brought our musical instruments to the office and started a band? What if we rode our bicycles to school or to work? What if we grew our own vegetables in compost that we made from our own kitchen scraps and, instead of watching TV, we invited friends in – on a Tuesday evening (imagine!) to enjoy the feast?

You’ve inspired me.