<p>When applying to colleges, does sincerity matter at all? I don’t have the best grades(3.7), or the best rank (although I’m in the top ten percent of my class), or the most rigorous courseload (I wanted some time to chill), but I was always very sincere and passionate about the things I did in high school. </p>
<p>College wasn’t even on my mind when I first started high school. I took honors/AP classes not because I thought they could get me into Ivies, but because I honestly wanted to challenge myself and learn more in depth about subjects. I have a love of learning, but this doesn’t mean that I got an A+++++ in every single class. </p>
<p>As for EC’s, I had no interest in doing things that, well, weren’t interesting to me. I’ve been a member of the history club for two years, and I REALLY love it. I’m even planning on fighting my principal for it, as the loserface wants to do away with clubs next year (my senior year). I’ve participated in German competitions and came in second place in one, all because I enjoyed it very much. I also tried to get my stupid principal to make a German 6 class for next year (we only go up to 5), but he refused after several months of persistence. I did Quizbowl for fun one year, and I’m in NHS. I know I don’t have a huge list of leadership roles, but I like what I do. </p>
<p>Anyway, I promise this isn’t a bragging thread(I don’t have much to brag about), but New York University really caught my eye for the diversity in courses and seemingly challenging nature. I’m really passionate about the school, but I’m thinking that this won’t matter at all because I didn’t spend four years of my life trying to impress the admissions offices. It’s slightly depressing how competitive it’s all getting because, unless there are any schools on the East Coast that are comparable to NYU, and I haven’t found any yet, then I don’t think my college experience will be all that it could be. Does showing sincerity in essays actually work? Or will they just think I’m a fluffer? Or will my stats and “weak courseload” (how a healthy mix of honors and AP can be considered weak is beyond me) completely turn my chances off? I guess NYU is exactly what everyone wants in a school.</p>
<p>I can see it working in your admission essay, but aside from that, no. It really depends on how you choose to express such a personal quality.</p>
<p>Sincerity is a risk because it’s not a measurable quality. Don’t use that as an excuse for -not- having the best grades and etc. Colleges will just ask: “if she liked it so much, why couldn’t she get a higher grade.” Learning for the sake of learning is great, it’s just that colleges also want you to excel at that sort of learning.</p>
<p>Be sure not to put down the accomplishments of anyone else. We all know of people who’ve used their whole high school experience to get into college: do not condemn them. I mean, the fact that they got good grades and competed against each other and took hard classes testifies to their excellence in that regard. It shows their ability – their reasons for doing things are irrelevant.</p>
<p>A mix of honors and APs looks “weak” because there are just as many applicants who took a ridiculous amount of APs and did well with that. Weak is weak in comparison. It’s not that your workload is weak; it’s just that there are many people with stronger ones.</p>
<p>Oh, and this brings to mind another point: be careful not to look undirected and non-ambitious. Your variety of extracurriculars and questionable dedication to them is iffy. Show passion, don’t just say it.</p>
<p>What questionable dedication? I’m not trying to condemn people, and I wouldn’t think of making an essay about anyone else, but the whole admissions thing is so focused on those who competed for four years that I wondered if someone like myself could get into a great school like that. And as for APs, well, this is somewhat irrelevant, but it’s impossible to take an entire year of AP courses at my school because not enough of them are offered. I took four, and that’s around the same amount that all the top kids have taken (at my school).</p>
<p>By questionable dedication, I mean your “one year” I did this; I did “some” competitions. I’m just warning against putting things like that into your essay, because that will cause colleges to go “but does he/she really like this? is he/she really sincere?”</p>
<p>And I wasn’t saying you were condemning people – it’s just that I see that as one of the biggest potential pitfalls of writing an essay based on sincerity and was saying “be careful not to do that.”</p>
<p>As for APs, colleges judge it on what schools offer. My school only offers 4 APs (and only two of them, max, available junior year) – even with a curriculum like that, a good ~30% is going to top tier schools. Basically, colleges judge the classes you picked on what you could’ve possibly picked. I assumed your schedule was “weak” in comparison with your classmates’ because you said it was considered “weak.” I guess you meant that in comparison with CC?</p>
<p>Oh, I was just generalizing there. That’s not really what I’m going to write in an essay. I didn’t think you wanted to hear in detail what I’d done with each club and each competition. </p>
<p>I didn’t think you were saying so, I was just saying that I’m not trying to(condemn you guys). It’s great what you guys have achieved, really. I’ve just had different ideals.</p>
<p>Yes, I was comparing to CC because, in all honesty, this site makes me feel like I couldn’t get in anywhere. Why do I come here then? Well, I wouldn’t feel safe feeling safe. My counselor telling me that I’ve got a “good shot” doesn’t seem as reliable as seeing how other real people are doing. I’m not claiming that CC is reliable either, as it’s entirely based on stats, and most of the kids here are top notch, but it serves to somewhat level my head. </p>
<p>So they do judge on what the school offers? There are a few that I haven’t taken, but my school’s schedule is weird, and more than two per year would drive the valedictorian to insanity. Do AP-weighted courses count? If that’s the case, I have “six” APs.</p>
<p>Sincere people like you have no place in top colleges.</p>
<p>To boot!</p>