Students starting high school and getting ready to apply to college are often bombarded with new terms and trends that make it difficult to know what they’re supposed to do to gain acceptance—from what classes to take and extracurriculars to do, to what to highlight on an application. One of the more recent concepts to enter the college application discussion is “spike.” Whether you’ve never heard of “spike” before, or you have heard of it but aren’t sure if you can or should pursue it, now is the time to learn more about it so you can present your best, most authentic self to admissions officers.
What kind of student are you? Spike or well-rounded?
As you complete high school and prepare your college applications, you might realize that you fit the description of either a “spike” or a “well-rounded” student and that presenting yourself as one or the other will more effectively appeal to admissions officers. So, let’s figure out what kind of student you are.
- Wendy, the Well-Rounded Student: Wendy, the well-rounded student plays trumpet in the marching band and goalie on the soccer team, has a 1350 SAT score, and a 4.2 GPA with a course load mainly of the required standard or honors level core courses.
- Simon, the “Spike” Student: Simon with a “spike” has similar grades and scores, but he takes as many computer science classes as his school offers, did an internship at a local tech company, and led a robotics team to victory with his coding skills.
In other words, if you’re somebody who has mostly good grades and scores and participates in a range of activities without any in-depth focus or significant academic or extracurricular specialization, then you more closely resemble a well-rounded student. Whereas, if you have the same or better grades and scores, but specialize in a specific area of interest, then you would be seen as having a “spike.”
It’s more common for selective schools to seek out students with a spike because they typically receive applications from students who all have high scores and grades and therefore need something special to stand out. Such a singular focus has to be authentic and come across as a genuine reflection of a student’s identity, interests, and values rather than a formulaic persona that has been reverse engineered solely to make an impression.
The Benefits of “Spike”-ing Your Application
Whether you feel you have the talent and commitment needed to pursue a “spike” or you’re uncertain you could pull it off, you might wonder if it’s worthwhile.
“Spike” Cons
- Inauthenticity: You should do something because it’s true to who you are and would make you happy and not because of how it will look to a college. You don’t want to give up things, such as classes or activities, that don’t fit your “spike” or get stuck on a path that doesn’t suit you just to get into a school. Not only is it likely a college could tell you aren’t genuine, but you are setting yourself up for disappointment.
- Difficulty: A lot of time and effort is needed to form a “spike.” So, if your heart isn’t truly in it you will likely be more stressed keeping up with the workload and the facade.
- Uncertainty: Spikes can be appealing to admissions officers, but they’re not a guarantee. You should be happy to have pursued a spike regardless of your admissions outcome.
“Spike” Pros
- Appealing: The unique achievements, evident commitment, and compelling narrative inherent in a “spike” will grab the attention of admissions. You will be more memorable and will inspire panelists to envision how you will fill a niche or bring glory to their school.
- Funding: A “spike” might also earn you offers for scholarships or placements in special programs.
- Fulfilling: Dedicating yourself to diving deeply into something that interests you can help you grow as a person and generate genuine satisfaction.
So, you want to spike? How do you do it?
Although extracurricular activities are the primary means of developing a spike, your courses and college essays can also contribute. In addition, while it’s easier to craft a more coherent spike when you begin at the start of your high school career, it’s also possible to form one midway through or even highlight one that formed naturally as you progressed from freshman to senior.
Regardless of your starting point, a good way to get going is to determine your passions and goals. Identify the skills, strengths, and interests that you truly care about (not ones you think will appeal to colleges) plus your future career goals, then link them up to the classes and activities available at your school, in your community, and beyond (e.g. summer pre-college programs, camps). For instance, a student passionate about the environment might take classes focused on the sciences and government, join environmental clubs, complete internships or volunteer at nature centers, parks, zoos, etc, and participate in—or even better, lead—environmentally focused events (e.g. protests, clean ups). Don’t feel limited to one interest either, as some can be complementary. Someone who likes music and psychology could play an instrument or sing in a choir while also volunteering with an organization that does music therapy.
Not all extracurriculars are created equal, however, as colleges often will value some over others. High achievers, such as competition winners, prestigious and exclusive competition participants, and class presidents will wow admissions more than being captain of a team or a mere member of conventional clubs (e.g. Key Club) or volunteering (e.g. holiday toy drive). With this in mind, if your schedule is loaded with lesser quality activities, consider dropping them for your sanity and for a better spike. Don’t forget that you can create your own activities, too. In fact, they can often be more impressive. Independent projects, like research, running your own business, or building something on your own will get you noticed.
If you feel like you have a spike, but it doesn’t come through as clearly in your transcript, resume, or activities list, then make sure to take advantage of other places in the application to share your spike. Essays will be especially helpful if you write about your area of interest and tie it together with your work in and out of school.
How A+ Can Help
Making decisions about what to do in high school that you not only want to do, but that will also make you stand out to admissions officers can be challenging. Then, when it’s finally time to complete your applications, you might still struggle to determine what to include that will best reflect who you are and what makes you uniquely qualified to attend a specific school. If you’re feeling lost or overwhelmed, or just need a little extra insight and assistance, A+ Test Prep and Tutoring has several services that can help: set goals and learn how to achieve them with our Executive Function Coaching program; plan your courses, activities, and applications with support from our College Admissions Coaching program; write well-crafted and memorable essays using our College Essay and Editing services.
At A+ Test Prep and Tutoring, our practices are based on the latest developments in educational theory and research. We have an excellent team of tutors who can help you with standardized testing, executive functioning, or achievement in any other school subject. If you want to find out more about our services, contact us here.
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