What did I do wrong?

[renaissancedad]

@sansculottes, what I would say is that as an applicant, it is important to show adcoms a picture of yourself as a person. Adcoms are reading your essays, looking at your recommmendations, class selections, grades, test scores and ECs, and trying to figure out who you are. A recent Stanford grad likened this to a partially covered painting, with adcoms trying to figure out what was actually represented underneath:

https://mix.office.com/watch/13gekrg9zecnz

A webpage from the UPenn admissions site on “What Does Penn Look For?” is also very revealing:

While we could easily fill the class with valedictorians and students with perfect test scores, our goal is to build the ideal incubator for tomorrow’s leaders. As such, we look beyond mere numbers to intangible qualities. It is therefore essential that you help us discover what separates you from those with the same, or similar, GPA and test scores.

Let us hear your authentic voice. Tell us your story. As you prepare your application, take some time to reflect on these questions:

• **What matters most to you?**
• Why do you want to attend Penn?
• Down what path will Locust Walk lead you—academically, socially, and personally?
• How do you plan to use your Penn education as a foundation for making your mark on the Penn community and the larger world?

http://www.admissions.upenn.edu/apply/whatpennlooksfor/holistic

Adcoms are deluged with 10-20x more applications from qualified applicants than they can possibly admit. They will give preference to those who are able to help them “discover what separates you from those with the same, or similar, GPA and test scores”. Very few applicants do this well. Read the “chance me” or “accepted/rejected” threads, and the list of ECs, classes and scores just becomes one big blur. Applicants who can project their “authentic voice”, “tell a story”, and be clear about “what matters most” will stand out. Adcoms will generally favor applicants who are distinctive, and who are very personal about themselves, over those who are just a list of accomplishments. That’s why the essays and recommendations are so important - they go beyond a mere list of accomplishments.

A month ago veteran poster @Gibby wrote this to you in another thread:

I once heard Peter Johnson, a Senior Admissions Director at Columbia University, give this tip on essays: “Your essay should be so personal and specific that if it fell out of your backpack at school and it didn’t have your name on it, and a classmate who you knew you well found it in the hallways of your school, that classmate should be able to read it, immediately know that it was your essay, and return it to you.”

http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/harvard-university/1789566-presenting-yourself-as-less-asian-p1.html (post #6)

Whether it’s Stanford, Penn or Columbia, these all amount to the same basic thing: adcoms want to get a picture of applicants beyond a list of stats and accomplishments, and applicants who are more effetive at presenting a clear and compelling picture of themselves will be at a considerable advantage over equally qualified applicants who fail to do so.

So how do you do this? A few thoughts:

1. Be selective about your ECs (and other information) and how you present them. A list of 20 amorphous ECs is hard to sort through, and lack of depth makes many relatively meaningless. Don't both to list minor ECs that aren't important to you, focus on those that are and where you put in a lot of time, made a difference, and achieved proficiency. Group related ECs together. If you want to study international relations then MUN, speech and debate, and student govenment all show a clear focus, and together they represent a considerable investment. Doing MUN, math club, the student newspaper and NHS doesn't show any clear focus.

Remember that everything you list conveys some information, not necessarily what you intend. If you took 15 APs it may look impressive, or adcoms may wonder why you spend so much time and effort taking more tests when you could have spent that time out in the world doing something else. That’s just one example.

1. Show who you are in your essays. Let adcoms hear your "authentic voice", tell them your story, and show them what matters to you. Get personal. Don't write something trite, clever or cliche that isn't really revealing. Be consistent. It's fine to show a couple of different aspects in different essays, but don't spread yourself so thin that it dilutes who you really are. Focus on 1-2 key things. Show who YOU are, not what your EC is - there's a difference.
2. Make sure your recommenders and GC know who you are as a person, not just as a student. If they are able to paint a picture of you as a person, it can be very helpful in reinforcing what you say. Don't just choose teachers in whose classes you did well, choose teachers who really know you, perhaps outside of the classroom as well as in it. Spend time with them if necessary to make sure they know any important circumstances or aspects about you. They will write an independent letter, but make sure that they are adequately informed and aware of who you really are.

Those are some initial thoughts. I’m sure others will think of more.