sorry that exactly was meant to #113
My kid did push herself in variety of ways to figure out what interests her most. She tried so many activities but dropped them and only pushed herself in new ways in new interests. She ultimately found her calling in math and computer science, but she loves history therefore applied for scholarships to travel abroad for few 100 dollars. She improved her writing by reading books as she is a voracious reader. When I ask her why do yo do so much and why not take a safe path and relax, her answer has been she wants to explore as much as possible before she chooses career. She says she ralxed by reading biographies and music and have found a group if girls who are doing similar activities.
This thread has been very helpful as daughter explore college admission next year.
@gallentjill - Makes a lot of sense. Not really any different than precise and action oriented wording on a resume. I read some and it’s amazing the kid got through college. I read others and they paint a picture ("show don’t tel"l is 100% on the money). The kids may be identical but I wouldn’t waste my time on the former.
D2 did everything she wanted to do while in high school - dance, photography, applied to selective summer programs that were of interest to her, did a lot of volunteer work, and she read a lot. But the consultant did advise her from time to time when she had questions about whether she should do one EC over another (school newspaper vs debate). The counselor also listed Reading as an EC and D2 wrote a very funny essay about her love of reading.
We didn’t use a PC for D1. She did many very similar ECs are D2, but her application did not read as well as D2’s. D1 wrote whatever she wanted for essays, and D2’s essays showed more of her. I think the adcom got to know D2 as a person than D1. Not sure if that’s packaging, but D2 definitely did put her best foot forward.
" The PC suggested for him to raise some money to fund some start-ups for high school kids. I think he only raised few thousand $$, probably from parents/friends/car wash/baking sale. The idea was if someone wanted $500 to start a new business, they would write up a business plan and apply for fund. The counselor helped this kid with the website and the operating model. "
So the counselor suggested the EC and “helped” the student with the website and operating model. Not much coming from the student! Did the PC also write the student’s essays for them?
If your D ends up at a college with strong academics and strong advising, there is no need to pay a private counselor for med school applications. Colleges that know how to get their students into med school provide this service for free. And they do a much better job of it- they know the rigor of the curriculum, and they know the strength of the other students applying to med school from their institution that year.
There are a lot of half-truths and mis-truths on this thread btw. The problem with relying on “packaging” as your strategy, is that just as your kid is ready to apply to college, the “rules of engagement” have shifted. Pity the kid who spent three years doing summer programs overseas building orphanages just as these programs fell out of favor with Adcom’s. Pity the kid who starts their own not-for-profit and runs it during HS just as the Adcom’s wise up to the reality that most of them involve asking affluent parents (and their friends) for money.
Do you really think you can anticipate “what works” two years from now, and package your kid appropriately?
I know some of these packaged kids. The counselors work hard to lower expectations throughout the process, so that the performance-oriented kid who ends up at Muhlenberg and not Tisch still feels like a winner. Or the STEM kid who gets merit aid at Case instead of need-based aid at CalTech feels like he or she has won the lottery. And the parents can brag about the undiscovered “gem” known as Beloit or Juniata instead of their kid trudging off to the public U down the block.
It’s harder than it looks.
@oldfort would you be comfortable sharing how much a service like that cost? I could see it being a huge help to a student in college looking towards med school.
You may be right, but when your child dreams of a career where all the programs have a single digit admit rate, you worry. We live in a fairly (but not exclusively) affluent community with many high achieving students and our advising is worse than useless. One would hope that the advising at college is sufficient, but I worry about betting D’s whole future on it. There is something very comforting about having someone to help guide the choice of ECs when they are so very crucial to med school admissions. I’m not saying I’m committed to this, but I will say its something to think about.
Don’t forget about social media!
- Google your student and see how they look - admissions is doing the same thing. Your online search results serve as an unsolicited letter of recommendation from the digital world.
- Take the time to get people to tag a student's accomplishments in school newsletters, sports stories in local papers, non-profit volunteer pages, etc.. Link them and share on twitter, instagram, or facebook right now so it doesn't appear like you front-loaded content all at once come application season.
- TRY THIS: Go to one of those graduation card/announcement photo sites and build your graduation announcement right now. Feature one headshot and 3 additional photos that represent who you are and what you did in high school. Pick one each to represent A - Leadership B - Community Service C - Physical or mental Athleticism.
Let that visual drive you through your application process. Be sure the photos you choose are the same ones that you make publically accessible on social media and are as professional or impactful as possible.
What is crucial to med school applications is MCAT scores and GPA. Having an application which demonstrates a commitment to medicine- either patient care, life sciences research, systems-level health care knowledge is important but it doesn’t trump MCAT and GPA.
I don’t believe a counselor can get a kid into med school who doesn’t have “the goods” and all the shadowing and research in the world isn’t going to move that needle.
I think you do your kid a better service by exposing her to dozens of careers that are health care and science related that are NOT MD, than trying to figure out- now- how to game the med school admissions system.
There are people today- right now- curing cancer. They have degrees in applied math and genetics and chemical engineering and have never taken the MCAT. There are people right now developing vaccines for a wide range of fatal illnesses, and they never even wanted to become doctors.
It feels good to help a HS kid follow through on a longstanding dream- but there are equally satisfying (and less debt-invoking) careers if the goal is helping people via science, or curing disease by an expert understanding of cell division, or eradicating malaria by creating mathematical models of how diseases are transmitted.
We have seen few kids in our Indian community who created business that sold to their parent’s friends before enrolling in college. They all ended up in Harvard and now graduating from HBS or HLS or Harvard Med schools. But in their cases parents have lot of $$$$$$$$$. Not everyone can afford to do it.
Thats great for them, but my daughter wants to be a doctor. She knows that there are other medical related fields out there. She works with a professor in a lab, doing medical research. Being a doctor is not the same is doing research to create a new vaccine. They are different careers. This is not some whim she only recently stumbled upon. Of course, if her views or interests change while in college, I’ll do all I can to help her find her way to something else. But in the meanwhile, I don’t see that there is anything wrong in planning for the best. No counselor can help her if she doesn’t have the grades and scores. Maybe there really is no need for outside help at all. All I am saying is that when the acceptance rates are so low but the desire is so high, its worth it to at least do the research.
It’s clear that some find the notion – or the word – “packaging” distasteful. I must admit that I’m not thrilled with it, but that’s the term that the OP used, so I’m going with it.
Definition of packaging (as per Merriam-Webster):
b : the presentation of something or someone to the public in a way that is designed to be attractive or appealing
That’s exactly what needs to happen with a college application.
This is accomplished by writing a compelling narrative that weaves together a student’s interests and abilities, gives the reader a glimpse into what makes a student tick, and provides a reason for a school to want that student on campus.
When my kids applied I clearly remember an admissions person telling them that their applications made him want to meet them. And I heard it again a few times later when we went to admitted student days. I also heard the same from scholarship committees. I feel like they worked hard to be the kind of kids people do want to meet. Genuine and interesting. Or as we called at my house quirky yet relatable.
And is it any wonder that mental health issues for teens are on the rise.
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“…but when your child dreams of a career where all the programs have a single digit admit rate, you worry.”
“Thats great for them, but my daughter wants to be a doctor.”
Uh-oh. You realize she doesn’t need to go to a single digit school and the potential risks to a med school future?
Many of us had our kids’ apps praised or the infamous “adcom” note in the admit letter. What you think may be the reason (all this "be yourself ") may not have been the reason at all.
Whatever colleges your kids aim for, please try to get a read on the attributes and depth/breadth they like. It’s holistic, not hierarchical (not best award, best EC, most titles, most money raised, etc.)
There’s a lot of certainty on this thread. But forum chat or some other kid’s results aren’t it. Try yo learn what they look for. Just as in any contest or as said, the job hunt.
@lookingforward No! She is not applying to any single digit admit schools for undergrad. Its the medical schools that are extreme reaches for everyone.
“the presentation of something or someone to the public in a way that is designed to be attractive or appealing”
Yes, as opposed to a presentation designed to be misleading or hide flaws, or a presentation prepared at the expense of the product inside. Putting a plastic ring in a Tiffany box is packaging in this derogatory sense. On CC, I mostly see “packaging” used as a slur.
Speaking of which, did you know that Michigan State has an entire School of Packaging?
@gallentjill - Graduate admissions are a whole different ball game, but generally things that the students can navigate on their own, ,with support from their advisors. Not something for you to worry about now-- your daughter may change majors or focus, or it may turn out that her grades are not competiive – or it could be the other way around and she might rack up such great grades & honors during college that she won’t need extra help when applying to med schools.