burningflame

the general message Ive gotten from the admission decisions this year, as well as from posts/comments from members of cc, is that what it takes to get into an ivy league school is not to have perfect SAT scores, write the best essay, make best friends with your interviewer, nor have the most absolutely outstanding recommendations; it is to somehow be the perfect piece to the jigsaw puzzle that is the freshman class of the particular institution to which you are applying, and even more so the specific piece that the admissions committee is looking for. being unique - as I have discerned from the above aforementioned sources - is hands down the biggest contributer to whether or not you are that piece. and so, as the title to this thread applies, I am wondering how "unique", per say, my extra curricular is.

I am going to be an EMT, with upwards of 5-600 hours of community service (most likely significantly more), by the end of junior summer. this means I will be taking ambulance shifts. if you live in my community, and you get into a serious accident, you would have a good chance of me being the first person out of the ambulance dedicated to keeping you alive.

how high (or low, for that matter), does this particular activity rank on the "uniqueness scale"? also, there is a good chance I will major in medicine, and I will definately put that down on my app, so this activity should get extra points for matching my particular interests.

thanks so much guys.

Hunt

It's a really good EC. It shows commitment and character. I think you should forget about uniqueness, and you should go to a college that values what you're doing, whether it's Yale or somewhere else.

Tennuggler

I'm an EMT too!!! I think that being an EMT shows that you have a passion for science/medicine. Plus it's pretty fun

Pizzagirl

That's a great EC.

burningflame

thanks for the praise guys

do you think that showing an overwhelming amount of commitment in this field, paired with great everything else I mentioned above, will give me a shot at yale?

T26E4

"...will give me a shot at yale?" Without knowing your academic credentials, no one can say. Your EMT work is only a small sliver of what you'll be evaluated upon. You need the GPA, test scores, rec letters, pers statement and rigorous transcript. Without almost all of them at the top, peoples' chances are less than slim. Can you share more about your acad performance to date?

burningflame

<quoting from a previous post>
"Hey guys. Thanks for reading my post.
I am currently a 4th quarter sophomore. Forgive the cliche to this, but it is my dream to go to an Ivy League school (Yale in particular). After reading through my bio/stats, I would appreciate an honest opinion to whether you think I have any chance at getting into an Ivy League/similar quality (MIT, Stanford, Caltech) school.

Freshman Year:
Honors Biology (A)
Honors Algebra 2 (B+)
Mandarin Chinese 1 (A+)
Principles of Engineering (B+)
World Studies (A-)
English 9 (A-)
Gym and Health (A and A)
Unweighted GPA: 3.75 (lawl)

Sophomore Year:
Honors Chemistry (A)
Honors Modern World Studies (B+)
Honors Pre-Calculus (A-)
English 10 Honors (A-)
Mandarin Chinese (A+)
Principles of Engineering (A)
Gym and Health (A and A)
Unweighted GPA: 3.88 (not AS lawl, but still bad)

Junior Year (of course, the grades are only in theory)
AP Biology (A/A+)
AP Calculus AB (A/A+)
AP US History (A-/A)
AP Lang (A- or B+ (reason for this is that there are two teachers that teach the course, and they literally fail so horribly that they don't grade you; one gives literally everyone a 92, and one gives literally everyone an 89))
Honors Physics (A/A+)
Honors Mandarin Chinese 3 (A+)
Gym and Health (A and A)
Unweighted GPA: 4.00/TBD

Senior Year (likewise)
AP Chemistry (A/A+)
AP Physics (A/A+)
AP Lit (A-/A)
AP Gov't (A-/A)
AP Calculus BC (A/A+)
Honors Mandarin Chinese 4 (A+)
AP Statistics if there is room (A+)

SAT 1: 2350+ (expected)
SAT 2: Chem 800, Math II 800

Extracurriculars: EMT(will expound upon this in a bit), School Paper (editor-to-be), Technology Club (Founder/Co-president), Science Team (Founder/Co-president; will be at nationals next year; National Science Olympiad to be more specific), Debate Team (Founder/President), Cooking Club (Founder/President)

As you may have discerned from what you have seen above, I am most DEFINITELY a science guy, a math guy, somewhat of an english guy (my text analysis is god awful, but grammar and general writing skills are outstanding), and most definitely NOT a history guy. I have a way with words, both on paper and vocally (when I take a second to THINK before I speak). I do have a kindof tutor, and while I don't know if this is a good or bad thing in and of itself, she happens to be a family friend who graduated from harvard at the top of her class and is not only an alumni of Dartmouth, but a member of their admissions council. Since the eight grade, she has worked with me to help keep me organized (something I am capital B capital A capital D at), improve my writing, and be a general source of all information college related (she is going to help me prep for the SATs this summer aswell). Through the process, we have formed a strong bond, as she has watched me grow into a young adult, trying to, all the while, prevent my laziness from destroying ALL of my chances of getting into a top school - something my freshman GPA did. (Amazing reccomendation? I think so.) I know that I am personally capable of easily doing the work necessary to get into a school like Yale (whether or not I have being the question), and that I am equally capable of thriving such a place. "

that should suffice, but dont hesitate to ask any questions that would allow you to better evaluate my chances

sally305

With all due respect--you have awesome credentials and you may be a good writer, but you need to take a deep breath, slow down, and proofread your writing. I know this is only a comment board but it never hurts to get in the habit early.

Plus, "uniqueness" is not a relative term. Something can not be "kind of" or "very" unique. It is either unique or it isn't.

Having said that, your EMT work is a great EC and I wish you luck.

Clowiebear

I was supposed to have a "unique" extracurricular but i got rejected so trust me, there's more to just having weird ecs.

burningflame

yes, but you also did get into stanford (gratz on that )

#1 Person

You have a surprising similarity to me! I actually had a worse GPA freshman year (pretty much all B's and one C), similar SAT IIs, better SAT (although "expected" is doesn't mean anything), and I was also an EMT at my local Ambulance Service.

Even if you don't get into Yale, assuming you have keep everything up, you have an excellent chance of getting into a very good school.

littlepenguin

"it is to somehow be the perfect piece to the jigsaw puzzle that is the freshman class of the particular institution to which you are applying...being unique - as I have discerned from the above aforementioned sources - is hands down the biggest contributer to whether or not you are that piece"

I believe you have a logical fallacy here. I agree that all top-tier colleges are trying to build the strongest freshman class possible by admitting students with specific qualities or talents that will contribute to the college's community. However, something "unique" may not necessary fit such criteria. Also keep in mind that colleges do look for students who excel in more "ordinary" areas, such as in music, sports, etc.

That said, your EMT work is very notable. I'm not the most reliable source for chances, but I think you have a great shot!

alexcoconuts

Right, I think that being an EMT is a noble extracurricular and one that will get you a positive note on your application. Although it isn't everything, for me, Yale seems to handcraft their accepted classes, searching for the academically talented, of course, but like the OP said, people who are a bit different, who are doing things that are out of the norm for high school students. Other schools may do this as well, but I think I've noticed this especially at Yale.

Your academics are sound. I think the last steps would be to wrap one or two aspects into stellar essays and make sure your grades will be what you want them to be. Best of luck to you!