bloodandiron

Is it enough to be strong and dedicated in athletic ECs even if you're not playing concerts at carnegie hall every other week?

bloodandiron

What does studying several languages out of interest weigh in as? As in, if one person were to learn 3 additional languages to the one he/she already takes in school, and then even took a state or nationally-administered test on one or two of these languages and performed with competence? Is studying languages an EC in that sense then, or just academics? (Assuming those 3 languages are self-taught)

Ferny Reyes

Hence why I meant, Northstarmon, about the lack of representation in some areas of the nation.

Get the cyclical nature of it?

ag54

I'm thinking so bloodandiron. For my S that is basically what his EC's are about. When you play year round sports, it doesn't leave a whole lot of time for other things. But, it shows a passion for something, especially if you are recognized as All district or if your team makes the playoffs, or state finals, etc. You can show leadership by being elected captain. I'm supposing those are the types of standout things that can be tied to athletics. Much of my s's community service is tied to athletics too.

jimbob1225

northstarmom, don't be fooled. ferny reyes was a URM and her situation is definitely different from the average non-URM's situation. i'm personally for AA, and i realize it doesn't mean every URM gets in everywhere, i'm just pointing out that fact.

Ferny Reyes

Hey, I'm a man!
And who am I trying to fool?

jimbob1225

dunno my post was kind of retarded in retrospect, srry fernz

Ferny Reyes

My thing is that lovely websites such as these tend to not help underpresented areas. It tends to frighten kids into not applying, because, hell, can I rally compete against somebody that goes and helps people in Cambodia with a gropu they funded in New York?

No.

I repeat, 11th time, If I knew about CC before applying, I would have NOT applied to Yale.

stonecold23

total lie that you need ECs to get into top schools

my ECs were mediocre at best, and i got into my reaches (being a little under average in all other areas, sat, gpa etc)

your essay matters 100x more than ECs

ag54

I will agree that when reading CC it kind of gives a skewed view of what college applicants are like. I have said in other threads that where I live, people think that getting into the state flagship U is the best thing that can possibly happen to a kid (and Ferny, I think you know what I'm talking about being from Texas). Most top students don't even consider the ivies or some of the other top schools, except maybe Rice. I don't think it is that they are afraid, it is just that they either don't really know much about them or don't really care. But, reading CC too much can make one feel extremely stupid or provincial. Not all hs kids out there are obsessing over their SAT's and AP's. It's much more likely that they are obsessing over what is going on this weekend. And, they are certainly only doing the EC's that they enjoy doing, not because they will look good on a resume.

Ferny Reyes

Yeah, that happens a lot arond here.
People were really happy that they were getting into A&M and UT.
This speaks volumes that I was the first kid in 50 years to apply to Yale.

aph2010

"It makes me sick how "Eagle Scout" is ranked up there with creating your own bussiness that makes thousands of dollars, and all of those other mind blowingly amazing ECs. I've watched my brother go through Scouts, and sure, you've got to be in it for years, but the work he puts in? Pretty much none. Maybe he goes to boyscout camp. LOL. Obviously there are very involved scouts, but getting Eagle is just waiting it out. And the service projects they organize are usually pretty weak. Like I said, sure, there are cool ones. But, one Eagle Scout in my area made a bench to put outside the school! A bench!

I was in a leadership program that lasted a couple months, and I was able to pull off a project that had way more weight than most of the Eagle Scout deals I see. It's kinda sad, actually, how I see kids getting Eagle Scout at 13 and building a fence or some other piece of lame crap."


I don't know about you, but around here they don't just let you "wait it out" to become an Eagle Scout. LOL!!1!!!1!1! (Intended, I'm not a putz) It's not something that you just get doing the bare minimum, and it does take a significant amount of self-motivation to do the required work. What you're stating is just a small part of what it takes to become a true Eagle Scout. We act as huge influences in the lives of the younger scouts and the members of our community. Although I can agree the some of the projects can be small and not seem very significant, but thats just a small obtaining the rank of eagle. I've been involved with teaching leadership seminars for the last 3 years, and I'm constantly involved in helping the community. Do you even know what the requirements to just apply to become an Eagle Scout are? I would bet not, because you're making it out that we just have to "build a fence" or some other "piece of lame crap" like a sign inflamming radical social issues or something, AKA insulting gays. While I personally don't agree with the BSA's decision to exclude homosexuals, it is a private organization. Just like Harvard's not required to let you in, neither is the BSA. And don't give me the "it's a private organization with public funding" crap - so are hundreds of private colleges and universities. Going further, I'm not sure about your political inclinations, but if you support abortions and generally civil liberties, you can't possibly argue that the BSA must admit everyone. Many people argue that well they're defending gay rights, or the rights of mothers who want abortions. Well, what about fetal rights? What about the rights of the organizations? Have you even considered the possible implications for freedom for everyone? I'd wager not, and I'd advise, you know, thinking a bit more before making broad, sweeping generalizations. But maybe you're a racist and are prone to such stereotypes. So, in summation, you're making ignorant generalizations, categorizing hundreds of hours of hard work as "wasted", and trampling civil rights. How un-American can you get?

jimbob1225

aph, what on earth are you talking about...chill out...

all i said was, i dont support the boy scouts because they do not consider homosexuals to be capable of being role models. on their website they say homosexuals are not clean/reverent and that they are not morally straight. i would be ashamed to be part of such an organization, public or private. and i refuse to believe that it is fair for an organization with standards that are not allowed in public organizationss to get public resources. and for your information, harvard does not discriminate against homosexuals.

Strykur

"How un-American can you get?"

You're hilarious. Anyone in America can say almost anything they want in the name of free expression, no matter how controversial, inflammatory, or false such speech may be, whether it's the original Eagle Scout attacker, or the derogatory statements made by the Boy Scouts of America regarding homosexuals.

jimbob1225

and for your information, the grandson of the original founder of the boy scouts has come out against the current practices/"values" of the BSA.

and fyi, my 2 best friends are eagle scouts, and i saw how much time and effort they put into their projects, and how proud they were of their projects. i really respect that. but i know of many other cases in which the eagle scout badge was BS.