<p>A teacher told me today that 60% of high school valedictorian applicants to Harvard were not accepted. However, a number of students with 3.6s and great personality were accepted. A boy at my school had a C in history and made it to Princeton. Grade-wise I must admit that I am average so far (sophomore year) but character/leadership-wise I am not sure…</p>
<p>My question boils down to how does one know if they are strong leaders?</p>
<p>bump 10 char</p>
<p>A hint: asking what to do so adcoms think you have strong character is not strong character.</p>
<p>i think hes asking more of how to convey it…not how to create it</p>
<p>DaveD: I know that I have character; I have several activities that I am greatly dedicated to (internship, 14 yrs of scouting, 200 hrs volunteer…)</p>
<p>As jcll2002 stated, I am wondering more about how colleges will recognize that I have leadership skills. I want my leadership to be recognized. I already have a schedule of ecs that I follow quite religiously.</p>
<p>I would say it comes out mostly in your teacher recommendations and your essays. Generally the section of the app where you would list your ECs has very limited space to describe the actual activity, although the number of hours/years you devote to each activity will also give some indication to your commitment.</p>
<p>alright thank you! i see what you mean when you say little space…</p>
<p>Is 200 hours of volunteering considered alot? Is it more than what most people commit to?</p>
<p>I have 150 hours and I am a sophomore in high school. I want to go to NU and I am not sure who I am up against…</p>
<p>Personally I think the number of hours you have isn’t as important as what you learned in those hours.</p>
<p>How do you express what you have learned in those hours if your essay is not about them?</p>
<p>EASD- !!! I am also a sophomore who wants to go to NU. I am wondering the same thing.</p>
<p>I’ve never seen someone get into a top college becuase of community service. Anyone with a lot of free time can do it, and almost everyone has between 100-200 hours. I’ve only seen it make a difference when someone organzies community service, like blood drves.</p>
<p>200 hours? Woah. Is picking up trash on the side of the road really that demonstrative of character?</p>
<p>Well I don’t pick up trash… I helped the community by guiding children with special abilities (autism, down syndrome…) This experience helped me to get an internship in the neurscience dept of a local university. I needed the volunteer hours for a basis to my internship.</p>
<p>ALL of my EC’s relate to each other. They all relate to science. My second volunteer position is at a science museum. I help teach kids basic science.</p>
<p>I know that students do not get into college because of community service, I was just wondering how many hours most kids have…My school requires 60 total but I always do more because I enjoy it.</p>
<p>cchscali- really!? </p>
<p>Wow small world. Well at least now I know of one other sophomore applying to NU!</p>
<p>:)</p>
<p>:) </p>
<p>Also…about organizing community service. Like stated above, I have been in girl scouts for 11 years. (the 14 stated above = incorrect mental math) To receive the highest award, gold award, you have to create a community service project, which I am currently completing.</p>
<p>Sorry if this is sounding somewhat like a chance thread, this was truly not my intention.</p>
<p>Well, define what a leader is and then determine if you are one. Have you taken any intiatives in school? something that you had to fight to enforce? or a campaign that you wanted to start so much, ur school denied, so you decided to do it outside of school? things like that i would imagine adds up. Did you start a club that actually turned out to be a big hit? Community Service i guess u can call it, but what have you done to create a big change?</p>
<p>(these are some questions you should ask yourself)</p>
<p>i think random hours at a gym volunteering are useless-I basically volunteer at places that show my interests, it’s more an extension and proof that I put a lot of time into it</p>
<p>Anon- I said I volunteer at a science museum to teach. During freshman year and the first semester, I helped children with “disabilities.” I t was not at a gym… These hours helped prep me for my internship. The volunteer job helped to beautifully transition into my internship. I agree with you that it is a great idea to volunteer at places demonstrating one’s interests. That is exactly what I do and I didn’t even recognize that until recently.</p>
<p>flamingspirits00: Thank you for the questions. They help very much!</p>
<p>How will admissions officers know that my activities were created by me? No one old me to get an internship and I had no help whatsoever. I had to go through the grueling process of contacting college professors all by myself. x_x. I just want to ensure that they recognize this because it will probably not be mentioned in my essay. is this what interviews are for?</p>
<p>Interviews are so they can get to know you as a person. I’m sure they will not want to hear you complain about how hard it was to get the internship. It’s more about your interest in the college along with how you fit it. </p>
<p>I think personality is best demonstrated with essays and the other parts of the process. I think ECs can convey that but it’s much harder. I work and actually during my interview, my interviewer made a special note of that. Your ECs don’t necessary have to match your interests. But, the things you do can convey about you. Aka, if you work in addition to something, they might conclude you’re good with time-management.</p>
<p>Personal character is derived from things like how hard you work, your integrity…etc. You can’t make it up or invent it. Just convey that to colleges and hopefully, that will make the difference.</p>
<p>So it seems that the best way to go is to express it in your essay!</p>
<p>Can the common app essay be about anything you like?
I want mine to be original of course…
Hopefully the essay will illustrate my character and then the college admission officers will know that I was devoted to my EC’s.</p>