That’s certainly an improvement to the extent it is true, but it moves the signaling battle up a level rather than removing it. As you note, a college would “look favorably upon” signals of passion and/or signals of willingness to sacrifice GPA or other first-level signals, so now the question becomes how to create these new second-level signals while also needing to have enough success with first-level signals to be able to “give back” some of it in the name of the second-level signals. If my kid was ambitious and book-smart but not passionate, his or her goal would then become faking a passion...
That’s certainly an improvement to the extent it is true, but it moves the signaling battle up a level rather than removing it. As you note, a college would “look favorably upon” signals of passion and/or signals of willingness to sacrifice GPA or other first-level signals, so now the question becomes how to create these new second-level signals while also needing to have enough success with first-level signals to be able to “give back” some of it in the name of the second-level signals. If my kid was ambitious and book-smart but not passionate, his or her goal would then become faking a passion...