<p>Hello everyone,</p>
<p>I would like to start by saying that I’m a 16 year old student, currently in my 9th grade. This would be a freshman year in high school but in Lithuania the system is different. Anyhow, I was thinking for maybe a year or so that my future lies outside of Lithuania.
While doing research about high rated universities I began to understand just how complicated the admission system is. I grew up thinking that only grades mattered. But I was proven wrong. Now I see that almost every student has tons of extra-curricular activities, volunteer work etc. I have none of those. But my grades were always decent, I seemed to learn quickly and without problems. I am above average, my grades are all 9 or 10. I guess where some of you live that would be considered as an A.
Taken into account that I didn’t actually need to study that much to have these grades I guess I would do well in university. But when I stumbled upon those extra-curricular activities it got me thinking.</p>
<p>If extra-curricular activities are very important to be accepted to a decent university then my chances may be less then I expected. </p>
<p>Besides my grades I’m quite different from my classmates and friends. While they enjoy the outdoors and sports, I prefer being indoors watching some interesting documentaries or just reading a good book. So if I’m more introverted and not outgoing, if I do not have a ton of activities outside my room my chances of getting accepted are not as high?</p>
<p>There is more than one type of person. So this gets me thinking: do universities only need those cheerful, outgoing people? They cannot accept a calm, collected person who finds the indoors more interesting?</p>
<p>When I think about what I would write in my personal statement I guess I could find some interesting stuff. I played an acoustic guitar for 2 years, I am class monitor for 3 years, I read alot. Maybe if our school had some interesting clubs I would join them, for example chemistry or maybe biology. And if I had such clubs maybe I could even participate in national contests, which would look nice in my personal statement.
Well, from what i have said I guess you have a picture of a geek. I don’t know, maybe I am, but I do what I find interesting. And I guess that is good, right?</p>
<p>Lack of extra-curricular activities is one of my problems. Another is my speech impediment, stutter. Only 2-3% percent of people stutter (apart from early childhood). When speaking I have trouble with some words, especially with words starting with letters D, P, T. In my earlier years I was mocked for that, but now the mocking subsided. The speech impediment not only damaged my speech, but my mind aswell. Maybe stutter was the reason that I am such an indoor person and maybe not, but stutter keeps me from always saying what I have to say and freely expressing my opinion. I hope that if I get into a good university people there would be more mature and not see me only as ‘the guy who stutters’.
Apart from bad things sometimes I think that stutter made me a better person. I’m not quick to judge, I do not mock other people etc.
Maybe if I explain about my situation during the interview they would understand my situation, but what if they wouldn’t? They would see a person who cannot even speak fluently and I guess that would make my chances of getting in even lower.</p>
<p>There are so many things in my head right now. Most of them are about my future. And I would very much appreciate if you guys shared your opininion about my chances.</p>
<p>Does an intelligent person who is not so active, prefers indoors and has a speech impediment stands a chance of getting into a respected university?</p>
<p>Regards,
Simon</p>
<p>P.S. Excuse me if there are too many commas in my post but my native language has so many of them that I sometimes apply those rules in english. Also, if you have trouble reading my post I am sorry, because I have not yet mastered this language.</p>