The downside of honors

toneranger
Mon, 22 May 2006 08:39:01 +0000

I think success will depend on the type of the schools your child is applying to. Yes, state schools are usually very number oriented (but some like UVA also carefully consider ECs and essays). The top 20 schools, including Ivys, are hard to predict. Some of them are more numbers focused, others are looking for specfic talents. Awards may help but they’re certainly not a guarantee of admissions - and those with committment but no awards may make the cut. Now, it also seems that the top 50 schools are getting harder to predict. Many of my son’s friends were waitlisted at schools like Bucknell, Lehigh, and Boston College ,with good numbers, EC profiles, and awards. Cangel makes some good points about creating a theme and showing the adcom a full (and interesting) story. However, I don’t think there is any magic formula for getting into any particular school (especially those in the top 50). Pick a good spectrum of schools, and give it your best shot. I think doing what you love is always the right choice, regardless of what it means for college admissions. Show your passion and committment - with honors and awards or not (and use your creativity to work outside the boundaries of applications if neccessary). Even if you don’t get into your top choice schools, you can feel good about how you spent your time. The “resume builders” get rejected too - imagine how they feel.