Um, certainly views vary on these points, but I can say from our recent experience applying to and beginning college, that
1. It probably depends a lot on what type of school, but my DD is still interested in both “tracks” as you put it. I guess I was trying to point out that I don’t think there is a division any more, unless one is persuing a very technical field. To that end, we knew that a liberal arts college would serve DD well, (math and sciences are part of the liberal arts definition) and she wanted to be surrounded by kids with diverse interests. So far, so good- there are engineers taking philosophy, math kids trying Arabic, there are two kids on her floor taking beginning Japanese, but also the advanced compacted math class DD is in. And her interests are still developing, and will surely change as she gains exposure and new opportunities arise. We’re more than ok with that.
2. I can only speak to my DDs experience, but colleges welcomed the breadth of her interests and experiences. That said, I would say she showed passion in many things, both in her essays and letters of rec, but also in the intensity of her participation- she had a few areas/activities that she pursued for many years, held leadership roles in these and participated at national levels. But she could not be pigeonholed as either math/ science or humanities- she found areas in both that excited her and in which she excelled. And she intends to continue this trajectory- to the point that we are slightly concerned she won’t be able to keep up with all of it, but that’s a different problem... So far, her experience has been phenomenal and the college community has been totally welcoming; she feels like she has found her people.
