<p>@ghjk:</p>
<p>I have several issues with your posts.</p>
<ol>
<li><p>I show my passion for computer science by my activities inside and outside the classroom. I participate in many local programming competitions and work hard to spark the community of people in my local area who are interested in computers. However, what do you want me to do? Invite Caltech admissions officers to my town to see my passion for themselves? That is absurd. People use essays to demonstrate passion. My ECs also demonstrate my passion for CS. If these admissions officers are as good as you say they are, they will be able to see that I am not faking a passion (which seems to be your opinion of me)</p></li>
<li><p>You say that to actually jump off the page one must be as accomplished as people like Terence Tao. It is absurd to assume that people do things like compete in the Math Olympiad as people under the age of 15. By your standards, anyone who hasn’t broken the preconceptions of their fields by the age of college admissions is not worthy of admission. That is absurd. You cannot possibly expect everyone to be able to accomplish the things that Tao and others have.</p></li>
</ol>
<p>Another example is this… I have been a great fan of Feynman ever since my dad gave me the book, “Surely You’re Joking, Mr. Feynman?” From that, along with various other articles, I notice that while Feynman had passion he didn’t have the so called EC’s and others that you told me to see from various afore mentioned professor’s CV’s. This proves that just because you do not have spectacular extra curricular activities you CAN have passion, which I have.</p>
<p>You contradict yourself. You say that people need to prove their worthiness through actions throughout high school, and point to people such as Feynman as people who have passion. However, many people who have gone on to great things (Richard Stallman (Harvard), Linus Torvalds (University of Helsinki), & Richard Feynman (MIT)) got into college even without amazing high school achievements in their fields. They were able to show true passion.</p>
<p>I don’t think you should be so quick to judge people. I am sorry if this was too harsh, but by the way you talk you make it seem like I am faking my passion, which annoys me greatly.</p>