<p>There’s no way I could post a legitimate chancing thread for myself (since I’m only a freshman lol) but I already know I’m not going to be starting my own charity, publishing research papers, ranking nationally in sports, etc. Clearly, I don’t know what will have gone on in my educational life by senior year, but I plan to stay very involved in Forensics, my school literary publication, piano, and charity (I’m applying to go to Latin America w/the AMIGOS program the summer after my sophomore year).</p>
<p>Now, this question is not specific to me, but merely encompasses all students who may have similar accomplishments as I listed above, but not anything spectacularly amazing. What tier of colleges should I and others be reaching for and dreaming of in our future? Is it even worth applying to the nation’s top colleges without totally AMAZING EC’s?</p>
<p>Thank you. (I’m sorry if this post doesn’t entirely fit in this forum section, btw. I’m new.)</p>
<p>As a freshman, you shouldn’t be spending your Christmas break worrying about this. The best thing that you can right now is find one or two things you love and fervently pursue them. Colleges will see your passion in those fields and interpret it as maturity and drive, traits that they always love to see.</p>
<p>Honestly, I doubt one could get into an Ivy League without a “selling point,” one or two aspects where you really go above and beyond. I’m a junior, and this average joe problem is really worrying me, as I am very smart and well-rounded, but have never done anything absolutely amazing with my life, yet.
But! The good news is your just a freshman, don’t worry too much about admissions yet, but do make sure you find a few things you really like, and go “above and beyond” in them. I didn’t even think of this until junior year, and am really struggling to find something =[
Good luck!</p>
<p>It’s great that you’re worrying about this even now, but at the same time, you’re only a freshman–don’t sell yourself short. It’s good to realize the low chance that you’ll accomplish any one of those outstanding things you mentioned so that your hopes don’t get high unnecessarily, but at the same time, don’t close your mind to the possibility. Anything could happen; keep your eyes and mind open for opportunities to shine in your school setting.</p>
<p>If, at the end of your four years, you haven’t accomplished something that you think is extremely unique but have engaged passionately in a plethora of activities that you have a real interest in, you still have a very good chance. That, coupled with standardized test scores, should help you.</p>
<p>Not every one of the 2000+ applicants an Ivy League admits is phenomenal. I mean, they’re all phenomenal, but not all of them have “started their own charity, published research papers, ranked nationally in sports, etc.” In fact, I’d wager that a majority haven’t.</p>
<p>So, to sum it all up, you don’t necessarily have to do those things that you consider so out of your reach, but you definitely shouldn’t be coming out of high school thinking your accomplishments were one of an “Average Joe” and still maintain hope of acceptance from Ivy Leagues.</p>
<p>"Not every one of the 2000+ applicants an Ivy League admits is phenomenal. I mean, they’re all phenomenal, but not all of them have “started their own charity, published research papers, ranked nationally in sports, etc.” In fact, I’d wager that a majority haven’t.</p>
<p>So, to sum it all up, you don’t necessarily have to do those things that you consider so out of your reach, but you definitely shouldn’t be coming out of high school thinking your accomplishments were one of an “Average Joe” and still maintain hope of acceptance from Ivy Leagues."</p>
<p>Thank you, that makes me a little less worried. =) I’m a Princeton legacy kid (my dad donates ~$200 dollars every year to various Princeton associations and is on the school board - which, who knows, could help me out) and it’s always been my dream to attend.</p>
<p>I’m in the top %25 of my class and on the honor roll, but that’s to be expected at the Ivies. I won’t be an “Average Joe” by the typical standards, but I’m not banking on winning any national contests in high school, lol (though I’ll probably be going to Nationals in forensics at some point; most of our team has). That’s why I’m focusing on standing out on a local level; hopefully I will be on par with the four from my school who were accepted to Princeton last year. =)</p>
<p>If not, meh. Still hoping I get accepted <em>somewhere</em> in the top 20-25 colleges.</p>
<p>Forensics? You mean like debate in the NFL? Those kids are ridiculous, that should give you a huge edge for a lot of Ivies! Especially since it seems like a huge time commitment.</p>
<p>Donating $200 annually is like not donating at all lol. And if your serious about an ivy I suggest getting in the top 10% of your class seeing as over 95% of students at most ivy’s were in the top decile of their respective class.</p>
<p>“Donating $200 annually is like not donating at all lol.”</p>
<p>Lol yeah. But he did <em>attend</em>, at the very least, so I guess that should give me a tiny bit of an edge. If I’m already qualified, it <em>could</em> be enough to edge me in over another candidate, idk.</p>
<p>“And if your serious about an ivy I suggest getting in the top 10% of your class seeing as over 95% of students at most ivy’s were in the top decile of their respective class.”</p>
<p>Here’s the thing, though: I’m almost positive that I will never know beyond the top 25% range, top 50% etc. I’m equally positive my school doesn’t rank. It’s very possible that I will only ever know what quartile I’m in, and nothing more specific then that. Also, there is literally no weighted GPA at my high school even for AP classes, so I wouldn’t be surprised if the top of the class is composed of a few slackers who got all easy A’s plus those amazing few who aced challenging classes (let’s hope I’m among them =D).</p>
<p>Fortunetely, Princeton doesn’t even look at your freshman year, so I guess I shouldn’t be freaking out just yet…</p>
<p>@ ilikecollage</p>
<p>“Forensics? You mean like debate in the NFL? Those kids are ridiculous, that should give you a huge edge for a lot of Ivies! Especially since it seems like a huge time commitment.”</p>
<p>It’s about 15-20 hours on an average week, but I’m not sure if that qualifies as a ‘huge time commitment.’ But it sure takes up most of my weekends lol. If a compete enough, by senior year I’ll have enough points for a “Degree of Special Distinction,” or a “Degree of Distinction” at the very least.</p>
<p>*Sorry, that 15-20 hours a week is innaccurate. After school, I go at least three days a week for an hour and a half - so that’s 4 and a half hours. If there’s a tournament, then you need to figure in an extra 20 hours on the weekend. If it’s just a GSL Tues/Sat then 5-10 hours should be figured in. The most I ever spend participating in Forensics is about 25 hours a week, but if I don’t compete at all it’s closer to 5 hours.</p>