<p>I’m writing this concerning my brother, who, after freshman year, is ranked 2/225 in our competitive suburban high school. We send a few top kids to the ivys and similarly ranked schools each year and generally the top 25% have their pick of tier 2 schools such as Northeastern, RPI, URochester, etc. I want to make sure that my brother will have an decent shot of getting into whatever school he wants, whether that be an ivy or state school. I don’t want to push him at all-- he is already way to hard on himself-- I just want to be able to advise activities and summer volunteer opportunities that would allow him to grow as a person while making him look as modivated as he is in the eyes of an adcom member.</p>
<p>He reads math books for fun, does science fair projects and spends twice the amount of time as everyone else in the class simply because he likes to, loves drawing and painting whenever he gets the chance, and enjoys gardening… How can I convert these random activities into a passion or a few passions? He needs to convert these activities into one or a few hooks, but I really don’t know how to help him do so…</p>
<p>Suggestions? I guess I am looking for ECs and volunteering positions he can do related to:
-math
-science
-art
-gardening
-anything fun in general</p>
<p>No, I think you’re misinterpreting what I’m trying to do. My brother knows that I research college-related things a lot, so he would like my advice concerning how to get into a top school. Judging by this years rejections, I know that without pursuing his passions, he will be just another smart kid applying to the ivys and will likely be rejected. My job is to advise him when asked, not to in any way attempt to schedule his life, but to be able to point out programs that he would find interesting. This is what this thread was meant to be-- a place where people can suggest something along the lines of math, science, art, or gardening for him to get involved in.</p>
<p>For science and math, I’d say competitions are always good, particularly if they’re on a national scale. I don’t know about specific ones myself, but I’m sure there’s members on here who could give you suggestions of some specific ones he could look into (or he could google it). </p>
<p>Also, independent research is another way to set yourself apart from others. My sister is doing some at our school right now with her chemistry teacher… your brother could try talking to one of his teachers at school and see if there’s something he could do in relation to any of his specific interests or in relation to something that one of his teachers is currently working on. Or, if you live near a college/university, he could try contacting them and finding out if there’s a professor he could potentially work with to gain lab experience and supplement his studies in the sciences (I don’t know how willing colleges are to respond to high school students, but I’ve heard of a couple people doing that).</p>
<p>Also, with gardening, he could turn it into a community service project if he’s interested. Maybe planting a garden in a low income area? He could start a club at his school for that purpose and then get children from families living in the area involved in the project. I don’t know what the area in which you live is like, but I know around where I live that could definitely be an option.</p>
<p>Also, for art, he could try to take supplementary classes at a local art studio/community college/university. Creating a portfolio of art would also be good (most colleges accept supplements of art samples or photographs of art). Lastly, he could see if there are any local competitions for high school art students around where he lives and enter those.</p>
<p>Of course, for all of what I’ve mentioned above the most important thing is that he feels passionate about doing it. It shouldn’t just be for the sake of “getting into college”; he should want to do it because its something he enjoys and because it makes him feel good.</p>
<p>I am checking out the art of problem solving site right now… he used to do 24 competitions-- made it to counties, and mathcounts-- counties as well… something along those lines would be great for him-- he used to love training for those and he says he misses it :)</p>
<p>Well, reading the post, I can see you are not looking for a “hook” in college admissions, but rather an edge. A “hook” is something mostly born with, such as race, old money, a world class talent, or anything you can’t just train for. You are hoping to give your brother an advantage in admissions, which is perfectly fine and makes me wish my brother was even smart enough to get into the top 50% of his class. </p>
<p>He can prepare for and enter a big competition, judged nationally, but you really need an innate talent to win. He could take a sport, or start a club for something that he likes.</p>
<p>The best thing maybe is to wait a while. Many unexpected opportunities pop up when you least expect it.</p>
<p>I know how you feel, I’ve been trying to help my sister also. I think that perhaps your brother could start an art club,design the cover of a literary magazine, work toward winning some competitions such as science olympiad/bowl, start a community garden as people have said, take college classes over the summer, research over the summer, etc</p>
<p>no, I was asking how to help him turn his random passions into extracurriculars. This way, he can not only meet other people who are just as involved in the same subjects, but also to show the adcoms that he is dedicated to pursuing his interests.</p>
<p>I know things on internet forums can be incorrectly perceived, but please understand that I am here as a mentor for my brother as opposed to a forceful older silbing. I only offer help when asked and am in no way pushing him in any specific direction.</p>
<p>Thanks for all the contributions-- hasn’t actually helped much, but hes very self-modivated, and has found other thigns he enjoys as well, such as volunteering in an elderly home and school clubs, which is all any sibling could hope for.</p>