College for an Introvert

3girls3cats
Tue, 05 Nov 2013 14:52:24 +0000

I’m so happy to have found this thread and intparent, I so wish my D had met yours along the way somehow. She sounds temperamentally very similar to my kid who is very much a mull things over, assimilate, consider, evaluate, and finally contribute.

Even the college counselors at D’s school say that the college admissions process is stacked in favor of extroverts and that the importance of leadership is overemphasized. The ways you guys have outlined ways to “lead” quietly and to show strength are great. My D has won recognition through her writing and scholarship and I’m hoping that will be seen as a positive. She’s also trying to establish a specific interest club at school and is smart enough to understand that she needs to bring her more outgoing friends into this effort. She is very happy to be the force behind the scenes rather than the one in the limelight, something very, very typical of introverts.

I am in the middle of the book Quiet by Susan Cain and I recommend it to all of you. Introversion is more than just a matter of needing time alone to recharge. It’s not even a question of being energized by others vs. being energized by time alone. It is a temperament and while it doesn’t refer to traditional shyness, it does refer to those who tend to prefer that attention not be drawn to them, who enjoy working alone for at least a good portion of time, who are more reflective and, well, quieter. Sure, there are performers who are introverts–Barbra Streisand is a famous example–but those who tend to be elected student body president generally aren’t introverts in any sense of the word.