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Will I be hurt because I'm not into music or sports?



QUESTION: I'm a junior in a private high school, and recently I have paid close attention to what type of students go to which schools. The trend is that academically excellent students go to selective colleges. However, most of the applicants who get admitted to these schools are either avid musicians, skillful craftsmen or sport participants. I am not involved in any sort of art or sports. I find myself more suited for academic competition, such as the math, speech and debate teams. Do I need to be able to play a sport or a musical instrument to get into a selective college? Signed, Academic Not Artistic

Dear Academic Not Artistic: The truth is that it doesn't matter if you are involved in sports or speech. Colleges don't want to fill their classes with students who only excel in sports, music and the arts. Instead, they want to build classes with students who are gifted in a variety of areas. This means that what's important is not what activity you are involved in but whether you excel in it.

Do what you enjoy, and do it well. Become a regional or state math competition whiz. Compete in speech and debate competitions. Excelling in these areas will make much more of a difference in your being accepted than trying to participate in activities in which you have no interest.

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Gen & Kelly Tanabe

Gen and Kelly Tanabe are the founders of SuperCollege and the award-winning authors of 11 books on college admission, financial aid and scholarships. Together they were accepted to all of the Ivy League colleges and won more than $100,000 in merit-based scholarships to graduate from Harvard debt-free.