Being Valedictorian and varsity captain while holding a perfect SAT score and GPA will no longer necessarily get students into the most selective higher education institutions. Consequently, students are attempting to pack as much as they can into their resumes to prepare for the daunting college admission process.

High schools contain such a wide range of people: musicians, artists, mathematicians, scientists, poets, and so much more.

The problem is that so many people in high school attempt to be Renaissance men―and women―in an attempt to bolster their college applications. Noted, not everyone knows what they want to do when they are 17.

Teenagers clearly have specific interests, so students should be able to amend their respective curriculums to fit them. Loading on the AP classes, which in their own regard, often choose breadth rather than depth, students typically end up taking a very wide range of courses.

What I am criticizing is the notion that students have to be equally knowledgeable in all topics to be "qualified."

In the most respected and prestigious liberal arts colleges, students still major in one or two specific topics.

On the other side of the academic spectrum, there have also been schools created for visual and performing arts-focused students. Idyllwild Arts Academy focuses on music, theater, dance, visual art, creative writing, moving pictures, and interdisciplinary arts. It not only let the students specialize, and thus gain a more reputable basis of knowledge, but also allows them to get hands on experience with what they are learning.

The key is choices. Students should not be forced into "cookie cutter" molds of education where they are expected to learn like everyone else; everyone is different and has different interests.

Secondary education, at least for upperclassmen who have a relatively strong idea of what they plan to study in college, should be modeled after the methods used in colleges.

This gives students the freedom to study what they want and opt out of classes that do not intrigue them, given they already have a well rounded basis of education from their previous studies.

This could be extended to internships with local businesses and institutions. Forcing students to get out into the community provides the hands-on experience needed, and gives them real world context of what they study in school.

Nevertheless, teenagers should have more choice over what they want to study in depth, so they will be more prepared for college and jobs later in life.