@Lindagaf knows her stuff, and is one of the many CC’ers who have been around for the ‘what went wrong’ tears that come around every spring.
I repost [url=<a href=“http://mitadmissions.org/blogs/entry/applying_sideways%5Dthis%5B/url”>http://mitadmissions.org/blogs/entry/applying_sideways]this[/url] link and [url=<a href=“http://mitadmissions.org/blogs/entry/there_is_no_formula%5Dthis%5B/url”>http://mitadmissions.org/blogs/entry/there_is_no_formula]this[/url] one over and over- b/c they are true. Now I am adding [url=<a href=“https://www.nytimes.com/2017/04/04/opinion/check-this-box-if-youre-a-good-person.html%5Dthis%5B/url”>https://www.nytimes.com/2017/04/04/opinion/check-this-box-if-youre-a-good-person.html]this[/url] one from this year. Read them and take them to heart.
@bobince Again looking at your list its still a laundry list but that’s not a bad thing, its just not a standout thing. Look at @doorrealthe comments and you’ll see what’s right about it. He had one thing that he centered on throughout his application, this is important because it shows what your really interested in. If it matches with the college then you have a decent chance of getting in. From what you have written I can’t tell if your main interest is Math, Spanish, Chemistry or CS. You can be interested in all of these, but if one is more likely to be your major I would emphasize it.
@Lindagaf@collegemom3717 Thank you. It’s really disheartening to hear about all those people who got rejected despite being way more qualified than me. But it’s probably better to let this sink in now rather than later. I do think I can get into at least one of my match schools (I know several applicants with worse credentials than me who got into UIUC), but in the worst case scenario, I’d be happy going to my state school or even enter the workforce at 18.
Also, @CU123, my focus is CS but I’m genuinely interested in several subjects (I’m specifically applying to schools where I can pursue multiple subjects). I was planning on putting everything in the activities (3/10 are CS, still) and then writing essays specifically focused on CS. Would that be sub-optimal? Would it be better to completely leave stuff off? It feels weird purposefully omitting stuff from my application, but if that’s what I need to do then so be it.
@doorrealthe On the issue of JV sports - to be frank, I’m comically terrible at sports. In fact, I was cut from tennis freshman year. The reason I feel like sports are worth mentioning is not the fact that I did them or was successful; rather, that I improved substantially (I shaved roughly 30% of my 5K time, moved up several spots on the tennis lineup). Is this worth mentioning, as it shows personal growth I guess? Would this count as a “special quality”? It’s not unique at all, but I feel like it does reflect character.
Before you add a single college, research Harvard, Stanford and MIT. Learn what they value and look for, see what the students they brag about are up to. (It’ll give you an idea for the others.) You have the common CC idea that your high school accomplishments set you apart. But the tippy tops are looking for more,what makes them want you in the communities, beyond academic strength. You have an excellent start, but thousands will apply with a similar profile.
At this point, imo, no one should tell you how to organize your app. Not until you have some idea of the attributes they look for and which of those you can show you offer. You’ll need to be savvy. That can’t start until you’re more aware.
What have you done outside hs, beyond your stem interests? What, other than pursuing you own “interests?” Beyond what the hs offers or endorses. what do you do for others?
Do you have any serious hooks ? Is being a Sri Lankan a hook ? You are counted as Asian(ORM). Can you walk on water or have you cured cancer yet ? If not, just apply and see if you win the lottery. Do not forget to have some backups.
All these many AP’s
9: CS, World
10: Calc BC, Stat, Physics 1, Physics C- Mech, Chem, US Gov, Comparative Gov
11: Bio, Physics 2, Physics C E/M, Euro, Macro, Micro, Spanish Lang, English Lang, Art Hist
do not increase your chances at all.
@grtd2010 Unfortunately, no hooks, so yeah it’s just the luck of the draw. Being Sri Lankan isn’t a hook (I’m counted as Asian, a label that I don’t love, but tbf I have it a lot better than most ppl in the US so I have no room to complain), but I could write a short answer (for colleges that do it) or something like that, talking about my racial identity. I’m not sure how that would fit into my overall narrative though.
@lookingforward Thanks for the advice. I’m definitely going to be spending the next few months learning about college stuff.
Beyond school and STEM, I haven’t done much “college-worthy” other than reading a lot, and I guess, being a decent person? I guess most of my life is centered around school/STEM stuff, so unfortunately I don’t have much to say on that front. All of my service-type activities fall under one of those two umbrellas.
But yeah, overall, you’re absolutely right. CC has been super helpful and given me a lot to think about over the past few days, but only I can tell colleges who I am.
@grtd2010 Also, I’m not taking AP exams for college purposes. I’m taking the classes because they’re the hardest subjects offered at my school (otherwise I’d be super bored), and I’m doing the exams for college credit (obviously HPSM won’t accept all of it, but at a state school I can either graduate early or take the subjects I’m interested in instead of gen ed).
I think a smart kid can be savvy about how he approaches his apps and supps. I’m trying to get you to think outside the box. You want some colleges that look for this. Do the research, read their web sites. Maybe the light bulb will go on over your head. Then we can help you refine. Breathe. But try it. Think a little analytically when you do.
Right now, I think a few of us here think you’ll get past “first cut.” But that’s where the real, brutal competition begins. Think strategically.
Your “community service” is tutoring at the hs and the debate mentoring? No other organized activities? That would be odd. And you can get something else outside the hs, now and this summer. Then you have pieces to tie together.
Doorrealthe, it might have been the 15% that helped. All these top schools want to see what adds dimension, what shows a kid will do more than just pursue his major and a few major-related activities.
Is formal community service outside of school a must? Even just through formal programs at my school, I do around 100 hours a year, which isn’t much, but is definitely non-negligible. And although I hate doing activities just for the purposes of college, the research project I’m doing this summer will potentially help thousands of minority language speakers.
But that’s beside the point. The general idea I’ve been hearing here is that I should appear more focused on STEM stuff to show that I have a “spike”. I’m not sure why community service has to be done out of school but through a formal program for it to count towards college stuff (I’m not religious, so I don’t do service with a church, if that’s why it’s “odd” idk). I know a lot of people who have gotten into really prestigious schools (Stanford + Ivies) with the same or lower amount of service that I’ve done. Why is doing some sort of organized non-school, non-STEM service activity key to “tie together”?
I do agree with you that non-CS/STEM items will be important for applications, but to be fair, from the beginning everyone has been telling me to omit or undercover non-“spikey” activities that I find meaningful (spanish, math, non-CS STEM, service orgs, etc.). I want to minor in history, after all. What I’m aiming for is balance. I’m not a one-dimensional person, but I’ll emphasize my most important qualities/talents on my apps to show adcoms why I’d contribute to their school. To solely show CS or even just STEM stuff would be to misrepresent myself, which I do not plan on doing.
It’s fine not to want to do something just for college admissions. You decide how much you want a college that looks for certain things, certain balance, more than just a nice hs record and purported passions. Same as in life. If you want some particular job field, you need to meet their expectations, whether or not some individual thing is your preference.
The summer project may help others (or not; or be same as other ongoing work,) but these colleges aren’t looking for gilded onesies. They know the chances some hs kid will invent the next big deal, all on his own, are rare.
“Spike” on CC is a little off. It’s not about unilateral. It’s not about winning some big award.
You’ve got to go straight to the source, what the colleges say, not the mish mash of CC.
Please go research. You have to show them what they want to see, if you want them to want you. To do that, you need a better idea of what that is than catch phrases.
Otherwise, you may spin your wheels. Do it, then I and some others can help fill in blanks. You wouldn’t code something without knowing the goals, the context and background, right? if you needed to polish some aspect of your skills, you would right?
I’m still not really sure why I need a specific type of “service” to get into colleges. I looked over the admissions pages of a couple of the schools and none of them ask for a specific type of service -
MIT: “Some students feel so much pressure to get into the “right” college that they want to make sure they do everything “right” - even do the “right” extracurricular activities. Fortunately, the only right answer is to do what’s right for you - not what you think is right for us.”
Stanford: “We want to see your commitment, dedication and genuine interest in expanding your intellectual horizons; both in what you write about yourself and in what others write on your behalf. We want to see the kind of curiosity and enthusiasm that will allow you to spark a lively discussion in a freshman seminar and continue the conversation at a dinner table. We want to see the energy and depth of commitment you will bring to your endeavors, whether that means in a research lab, as part of a community organization, during a performance or on an athletic field. We want to see the initiative with which you seek out opportunities that expand your perspective and that will allow you to participate in creating new knowledge.”
Harvard: “Do you care deeply about anything—intellectual? Extracurricular? Personal? What have you learned from your interests? What have you done with your interests? How have you achieved results? With what success or failure? What have you learned as a result? In terms of extracurricular, athletic, community, or family commitments, have you taken full advantage of opportunities? What is the quality of your activities? Do you appear to have a genuine commitment or leadership role?”
Just to name a few. The difference between college applications and a job interview or design spec is that colleges don’t seem to have specific items in mind. Service is good, but if I were to suddenly join a random service org and work on it over the summer, adcoms would see right through it. I’d prefer to do what I’m genuinely interested in and frame my applications around that.
I do agree with you that a one-off big award isn’t a golden ticket to college, as evidenced by the numerous IMO medalists who get denied from top schools. I don’t have anything like that and I probably won’t get one. In terms of a “spike”, I’m aiming for a consistent track record of dedication to the areas that I’m passionate about.
^ You don’t need community service to get in to top colleges. There is no single thing that you need … and there is no single thing that you can do that will guarantee you admissions.
You are highly qualified, more so than probably many candidates who will eventually get admitted to your top “reach” schools. And, as @Lindagaf points out, that doesn’t guarantee anything for you. What you can do is (1) live your life to the fullest, focusing on those things that really turn you on and excite you, and omitting those that you are doing because you think you have to in order to get in to a top college, and (2) make sure you apply to a really good range of schools, and write really good applications that show who you are as a person, why you stand out, and what you can bring to a top school. Then don’t worry about it. I suspect you will do fine, but the process is not something that anyone can control, so just do your best, live your life (which doesn’t stop at college), be authentic about who you are, and stop obsessing.
@lookingforward is on target, as usual. Last year our HS had a bumper crop of exceptional kids getting into tippy top colleges. Not that it was a total shock, but it was a bit surprising that Harvard guy did in fact get into Harvard, ED. He was a strong student, but NOTHING like the OP. Probably did five APs, and our school offers close to twenty. He was nowhere close to being Val, did not score super high on his ACT or SAT. He was clearly bright enough though. White guy from a major city suburb. (Sorry to speak in past tense, it’s easier for the purpose of this narrative. He’s alive and well, at Harvard.)
So what did the trick? No idea what his essays were like. Probably good, but I know for a fact his family didn’t hire private consultants or anything. He was no doubt close to an english teacher who critiqued his essay. It had to be his ECs and his teacher recs. This student was universally well-liked. I am certain he had truly outstanding recommendations. He was elected student body pres two years running. He was actively involved and actually made stuff happen at school. He was like this in middle school too. His big passion was politics and government, and he spent a lot of time going to special events at the state Capitol. As far as I am aware, he didn’t do a sport, because he was too busy doing other things. He was definitely involved in community activities, and he attended school board meetings, which were super boring and dragged on for hours. (I have attended a few myself, and it was always clear that when the board addressed him, they knew him well.)
I am pretty sure he knew Harvard inside and out before he ever applied. Maybe he read up on the “spike” theory, who knows. It’s the special sauce that’s important. He offered them a deluxe burger with special sauce, and they liked it. Find your special sauce.
^^this. With just about all of the kids that I know who have been admitted to tippy-tops there was something ‘more’ about them all the way through. As with @Lindagaf’s example, they were not necessarily #1 in everything (some were, some weren’t), but there was always something else that stood out. Using the quote above- a kid who makes things happen, and who has for years, b/c it’s a real part of him.
That’s why MIT/Stanford etc emphasize to do things that are true to who you are- not any particular form of service. Community service became a short hand way of saying, show us that you are aware that you live in a community and you contribute to it. Remember, none of these institutions want to be full of people who live in their rooms and their libraries and just studystudystudy to advance themselves. They want people who will write the college paper, put on the shows, be on the teams, run the peer tutoring centers, organize town-gown initiatives, etc., etc. They want people who can achieve at a high standard AND have something else. It’s the AND that is crucial.
At this point, I’m not sure what more we can say. The brightest applicants “get it.” They can climb out of their own heads, their own high school thinking, those limits. It shows in their choices. And those choices go beyond just what “interests” them or their own future career ideas.
Of course, one can add an activity in junior year or this summer.
More to say, but OP’s either going to get it or not. Imo, he needs to expand his thinking, be that sort. Or not. Right now, that’s on him, how he understands and proceeds.
