@retiredfarmer, I had no idea the percentage of women at WPI is so high. I’m going to work on this one. She’s most likely going to major in Computer Science, so WPI would be a good fit in that sense. She has shied away from the tech schools so far. I have too, to be honest. I’m going to add WPI to the list though. RPI and Stevens too. Case is another one I’ve had on my list to check out, but it’s not on hers yet.
@merc81, I think you’re right. I think a visit will help a lot with Hamilton. I like everything I’ve heard about it. I’m going to take her up there on a nice Spring weekend.
@SJ2727, that’s interesting that Georgetown came right out and said that they’re skeptical of kids starting ECs late. Hopefully they won’t consider a deeper involvement in CS in Junior year to be late.
@mathmom, thanks, that’s good to know. Those ECs still sound much better than my daughter’s, though 
But I think you’re right that the job will look good. She puts a lot of hours in; her time management skills are much better than mine.
Vassar, U Chicago, and Tufts. Wow, those are great schools. It sounds like he did it right. I’m sure his whole app was great, but it does sound like he made the best of the ECs he had. Writing an essay about one of them is a great idea. I don’t know if she can pull that off though.
I have a friend whose daughter got into great schools. Her essay was about what she learned about people from scooping ice cream every summer.
She can also write an essay about a hobby she has that shows off another side of her personality. Both of my kids used this approach.
My son17 wrote an essay about what he learned from playing strategic board gaming, it was a really good essay and displayed an interest in learning, creativity, thinking outside of the box, short and long term planning etc. All good things a business leader needs.
My son19 wrote an essay on 3d printing, and how he used this hobby to do nice things for other people.He was trying to show thru his essay that deep down he was a nice kid that liked to help others and get involved, and secondarily taught himself new tech skills through his hobby.
She needs to look into what each school on her list is looking for from prospective students. Some schools want driven competitive people, some schools want kids that show interest in tech, and others just want nice kids.
She’ll do fine!!!
The women concentrate the Life Science and Biomedical Engineering majors where thy actually make up 60% of the students at WPI. There are also plenty of CS and robotics crossovers.
Application of our classroom studies to real world project solutions requires interdisciplinary and team thinking. As project based learning has evolved across the country it has become increasingly apparent. WPI is a true pioneer in this area. See https://www.wpi.edu/news/new-book-highlights-importance-project-based-learning-first-year-college
WPI '67
I believe strongly that kids should pursue the extracurricular activities they enjoy and not choose them based on their perceived desirability to colleges.
Sometimes a quirky interest or hobby, or a lesson learned during an ordinary paid job, makes a candidate come across as authentic and memorable for the admissions committee. It is not so much WHAT you do, as how you demonstrate commitment to something and how you talk about the activity(ies) in your application to paint a picture of yourself as a person. How can you talk about your activities in such a way as to show admissions officers that you are someone who will both make the most of your educational opportunity and contribute to a vibrant campus community?
My son had some long-term activities he has been doing since he was young, but he also added one major activity junior year and another as late as senior year. These activities were not added because of an application, but because he was interested in them. They were enjoyable.
For the one he started junior year, he now is actively participating in his college’s equivalent club. In addition, it has helped determine a leading contender for his career choice! It also led directly to an internship this summer.
And the new one he began senior year led to a fantastic experience in terms of socialization and overall confidence… and was lots of fun for his senior year!
He had a very happy senior year of high school, and that is important. Kids need to live not just for tomorrow, but also for today. You only get to be a teenager once!
He got into his top choice super-selective college early decision.
So, if he had been thinking about his future applications and worried whether it would ‘look bad’ to change what he was doing based on his evolving interests, he would have missed out on some great opportunities for personal growth, and maybe even not have discovered what possibly may end up being his professional career!
Kids aiming for top colleges already face a lot of pressure with their schoolwork in intense classes. Extracurriculars can provide a needed release and a time for a kid to be a kid. They also can let a teen discover his/her own passions and talents and hone important skills.
When it is time to write the application, and not until then, it is time to figure out how to tell the story about what you did. Almost any activity can be described in a way that reveals desirable qualities about yourself.
@mathmom, that’s a great essay topic - so simple, but also revealing. I’m hoping that my daughter gets the SAT out of the way before the summer so we can spend a lot of time on the essays. My older daughter did most of her essays last minute.
@RightCoaster, those are awesome essay ideas your kids came up with. Like I said above to @mathmom, we’re going to put more time in on the essays this time. This is not a strong area for me. I’m OK at helping them come up with ideas, but I’m not very good at helping them get to the final version.
@RightCoaster, I would love to figure that out for each school. Do you have any tips on how I can do this?
@retiredfarmer, I just took a look and I like the course offerings in the CS department at WPI. Thanks for the link on project-based learning. I’ll check it out.
@TheGreyKing, I totally agree with you that kids should enjoy themselves in high school and not just live for tomorrow. I wish ECs weren’t so important, because my daughter really doesn’t have much time for them after work and school. She’ll have plenty of time this summer, though, so I’m trying to help her plan something good for that.
I like the idea that any activity can be used to reveal desirable qualities. I’m going to talk to her about that.