What do you guys think about the Outward Bound programs? I have been interested in them for awhile and I would really like to do one, but do you think I should spend my time on something more useful, like an internship or something.
…man college is really complicated…always walking a fine line between what you want to do and what colleges want you to do.
<p>Don’t walk the line–do what you want to do. If you really follow the things you love and you show passion and interest in them, colleges will notice. And they’ll like that much better than a resume stuffed with things you didn’t honestly care about. As the saying goes, colleges like depth, not breadth.</p>
<p>I completely agree with that. My cousin did an outward bound program and not only did it help him get into better physical shape, but it boosted his confindence and it really showed in his personality. They’re great oppurtunities and they look impressive. His teachers seemed impressed that he was willing to push his limits and do something out there. They wrote him great reccomdenations after that!</p>
<p>My cousin was rejected everywhere after her senior year. B student from California, didn’t get into basically any Cali school, period. Did an outward bound program, loved it, came back, just recently got into USC. And I agree w/the above posters.</p>
<p>I agree, do what you want to do in the summer, not what you think colleges want you to do. You cannot find out who you are and what inspires you by doing what other people think you should be doing all the time. </p>
<p>One word of caution: I’ve read in a few places where adcoms don’t want to read any more Outward Bound essays, so if that’s true, go ahead and put it down in the EC column but write about somehting else.</p>
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Yeah, I think I read that in “A is for Admissions”. Its one of those standard essay topics, “how I learned I could do more than I ever thought” that the adcoms have read ad-nauseum.</p>
<p>But college admissions is not real life. OB is a fantastic program where you WILL be challenged, and, if you approach it with the right attitude, CAN make big changes in your outlook and confidence. Because it works in life its been used in essays many times, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t worth doing (just not writing about).</p>
<p>Thank you all for your advice. I think I will do one of the programs then. And don’t worry I wont write about it. :)</p>