parikhs

kevster ur not alone...my stats are lower than anyone on here...thats why I'm hoping my passion for business, dance, and karate will impress the adcoms and they can not put so much emphasis on my stats

kevster1001

well.. people tell me i'm so stressed out. i'm just a sophomore but i think the earlier you know and prepare for college, the better chances to get in.

PARIKHS,
ill post my stats from what I have now.

Sophomore
instrument: violin for 4 yrs still continuing
member of habitat for humanity
volunteering at a local park
cleaning the city - received award, met mayor, apppeared in newspaepr
planning on to...
participate in my city's annual photo contest
join OC Red Cross

still have time for more, though, no idea..

kevster1001

i am really interested (in the future) for cornell, carnegie mellon, NYU, UCLA, boston U.

(dunno why but just have competitive colleges in my mind.)

i should definitely start having as much APs in my junior year and excel in my SAT and SAT IIs/ ...

adam7261

I have a 93 average in all honors and APS yadda yadda, good SATs for the schools I want but I'm trying to seem well rounded because right now i thnik im a boring white kid with barely any ECs I have a couple of unique ideas, can anyone give me feedback?

I have a job at an ice cream store I work 15-20 hours a week->does that coutn for anything..note:im not working cuz were poor

I was thinking about studying for A+ certification..its a computer thing where you can repair computers and stuff

I was thinking about self-teaching myself digital photography (photoshop etc)..would it mean anything to adcoms if i sent in liek a little portfolio..note:ive never had an art class in my life

Start volunteering at a hospital

And lastly..can someone explain to me what is meant bya internship..and how I woudl get one in highschool

SonataX

another take:

I disagree with the original poster in this this thread.

If you truly have a single passion, then I'd write about it. For instance, if Jill has played the violin with Itzhak Perlman, then that would be a good essay choice. If you're a member of the College of Cardinals, then that would be an awesome EC to focus on.

But, it's not the only route to take.

I've written several personal statements. None of them have focused on a particular 'life-changing' event, because I have not had that life-changing event. I can see, as a high school senior, that I have not yet made a difference in the world. I haven't done anything particularly meaningful. I've won a couple international awards, but none worth devoting an entire essay to. I participate in a wide array of clubs, sports, and organizations, but no single moment/activity stands out.

So, instead, I focused on everything. My common app personal statement discussed a historical figure and tied him to at least four or five of my activities.

Too often, we're reading books that claim that the only good essay is a narrowly focused essay. Frankly, if I were an adcom, that would get kinda boring. It might be interesting to read about your experience cleaning toilets on your youth-group trip down to Cuba, but it doesn't reveal much about your character. Also, compact narrative essays require some sort of critical insight - most teenage writing sorely lack this key ingredient. Instead, what you get is the standard cliche epiphany essays.

You'll get:
Poor-people-are-like-me essays
Spending-time-with-family-makes-me-happy essays
That-which-does-not-kill-me-makes-me-stronger essays

All of which reveal a dull and unimaginative mind. Not good.

You'll get:
I-am-just-like-a-character-in-fiction essays
I-am-a-nonconformist essays
I-am-like-Holden-Caulfield essays

All of which, frankly, would also get boring after the third such one.

The standard Pity-me-some-tragic-event-happened essays probably help reveal a stressful time of one's life, and may help to flesh-out an applicant more.

The standard I-really-like-particular-activity-for-particular-reason essays are probably the dullest. Yes, we understand that you like Debate because you're argumentative. Yes, music gives you some special feeling. Yes, yes, reading transports you to imaginary lands. Uh huh. We get it. Yes, team sports help build a feeling of team spirit. I could predict that being the President of some club helps you gain some critical insight about leadership.

It's all very cliche.

So what needs to stand out?


Your WRITING. Not the subject - in my opinion, that's secondary.

Show the AdComs that you've put effort and passion into writing your essay. And make your subject interesting. Discuss yourself holistically, not as a single dimension. I'm not suggesting that you present yourself as a Bright Well-Rounded Kid. Find a common link. Discuss each element of your character. Psychoanalyze yourself. It's easy to skim the surface and merely discuss a single facet. Find all of them.

clahkie

Thanks for the advice!

www.flocabulary.com

Leeroy Jenkins

Hey Zogoto, you live in AZ. I was wondering if you heard of Tempe Youth Leader Ship. If so, is it worth while to do?

risingsakura

but i think most competitive applicants write good, personal essays too...

BingCold

that was really helpful post, thanks

jimbob1225

I disagree with SonataX. Yes, there are some very cliche essays about extracurriculars. But that's not a reason to discredit the OP. One of my essays is in fact about a classical Asian dance form I studied and performed for 10 years. An essay like "Dance taught me perseverance and this also taught me about my cultural heritage" is obviously crappy and old. But it's possible to write a really fresh essay...So don't try to discredit the OP based on a few crappy essay writers. I'm totally taking advantage of the essay to show how the dance experience was a unique personal journey for me..not just cliche stuff like "practice makes perfect" or "arts and culture are important" but instead something a lot more unique. The more time you've put into the activity, the more likely it is that you have unique experiences to draw upon, not just cliche babble.

cooljoe

Hello,
I'm currently a freshman in high school, so I still have time to think about ECs. However, there is just one legitimate thing that I would sincerely love to do more than anything else--help the suffering. Last summer, I went to India with my family and it finally hit me that there are so many people out there who seriously need our help. For the past few months I could only dream of founding my very own organization that helped the poor hands-on, rather than just doling out money (I've even thought up a name for the charity). Could someone please tell me where I need to start? Thank you so much for any information you can give me.

Northstarmom

Instead of founding your own organization right now, I suggest that you get involved in an organization in your school or community that does hands-on work for the poor. That way, you can get lots of information about how to help people. You also can create and organize projects within that organization in order to help people.

For instance, Key clubs, athletic teams, church youth groups, Scouts are among the organizations that do community service. Often, such groups do little or no service -- because no one in the club has the imagination to create a service project. If you have that kind of imagination, then join such a club and create a project. Often people are happy to help, they just can't think of ideas on their own.

I don't suggest starting a charity on your own until you get more experience. The way to start a charity is by getting 501c3 nonprofit status, which takes about a year. You have to have a governing board among other things. In order to know how to do this, it really helps to have had previous experience with some kind of service organization and to have a network of informed people who can help you. No need to start from scratch or make basic mistakes when there are plenty of examples that you can use and learn from.

cooljoe

Thanks a bunch, northstarmom.

So what you're saying is I should join the Red Cross at my school and, after I've gained some experience, I can form the foundation of my organization and kind of branch it off from the Red Cross? Thanks again.

B_B

I am pretty involved in my community, but to what extent do ECs have on college admission?

risingsakura

cooljoe, as a freshman, you should only focus on joining clubs...sophomore year, you should try to hold presidency or something...then start your organization.