The educational-social contract of get good grades, get a good degree, get a good job is no more.

There are even students with PhD's who have a tough time finding work, and the percentage of undergraduates who move back in with their parents is staggering.

I believe college admission officies are responding to the new phenomenon and looking for evidence of skills and talents that will help students thrive after school passion and mastery, which happen to be the two hottest trends in college admission.  Here's a New York Times article on the current trend in college admissions that highlights the trend as well as addresses the importance of summer and a strong essay in a college application.   What the article does fail to mention is that it's not merely a choice between being "well-rounded" and having a "spike talent" in the college admission's process.  Getting into an elite school requires both being well-rounded AND having a specialized talent.  

While it's not necessary for students to enroll in lavish internships or travel experience, I do believe that the emphasis on helping students become interested in one core subject and pursuing that subject to demonstrate a certain mastery is a step in the right direction.

If the college admission's process pushes students to learn more about themselves, undertake a project, and master something, I'm all for it.  Often in the Academic Life Coaching Program, the natural goal of getting into college provides great motivation and focus for doing something interesting and remarkable outside the bounds of a traditional high school curriculum and activity list.

Working beyond what schools offer is an outstanding way to develop personal fluency, confidence, and leadership.  Those are the skills that are really going to serve young people throughout their lives, and college admission offices are taking note.