<p>Hello everyone. My daughter is nervous about her academics and asked my help. Unfortunately I have no clue so I am going to post and ask your opinions. My daughters prep school routinely sends 30-35% kids in top elite schools? She is involved passionately in prestigious high school newspaper as an upper management and has a time commitment of 25-30 hours a week in news paper. She is also involved in other extracurricular activities such as sports, music, debate etc. Student is also taking one of the hardest course loads that include 4 APs as a junior in math/science/history and English. Her SATs are 800/800/700 and 800/800. Many teachers have told that she is very bright and have recommended her to many prizes inside and outside of school. Till first semester of 11th grade, she was in top10% of the class but this newspaper commitment has started to take a toll. She still maintains the honors grade but she may drop to maybe like in top 15% by the end of the 11th grade. If you include the extracurricular activities and courses combination it may be among the hardest as per the teachers. </p>
<p>I have told her that try her best and do not worry about grades as it will be fine. I am hoping that colleges would see her overall efforts. However, she is very concerned about college admission despite her best efforts in marinating academic and extracurricular load. She wants to apply Ivy League schools. Despite my reluctance, I am posting here because I am not sure who to even raise this issue. Would elite colleges forgive this minor dip in 11th grade because of time commitment involvement in school newspaper?</p>
<p>I recall an adcomm who spoke to parents at a PTO meeting a while back. He and his colleagues fully understand the time commitment that a school newspaper takes and weighs it more heavily than some other ECs. I’m sure that the Ivies will understand, especially if she can show the results, e.g., before and after copies of the paper.</p>
<p>Have you talked to the school counselor? If the school sends 30% of its kids to elite schools, they should have some idea of how her grades/schedule looks to adcoms. But optimistically, if the school sends 30% to elite schools and she is the top 15%, and she has amazing EC’s, will get amazing recs, chances look pretty good, no?</p>
<p>It seems very nice but there is a catch. She is not a legacy and most of the kids who attend are with legacy or athletics. We have no sort of any connections or legacy as she attends on financial aid. I am sure many other kids who are active in school newspaper would be in the same boat like her but all of them seem to have legacy status. Maybe she needs to ask her school counselor. Thanks for the idea.</p>
<p>She has nearly perfect SAT’s. She is top 15% at what sounds to be an excellent prep school. She is doing this while spending the equivalent of a full time job on extracurriculars. And you are nervous why?</p>
<p>Sounds like just the type of student many of the Ivies will be recruiting.</p>
<p>A passion for journalism reveals someone who is inquisitive, tough-minded, detail-oriented and can work well under the pressure of deadlines. I thinks it’s a great EC, and really wouldn’t worry unless the minor dip becomes a real slide.</p>
<p>Yes, I think working on the school newspaper (especially one as high-quality as yours) is one of the best activities a student can participate in. Those top colleges always say they want students who “have a passion.” Maybe this is developing into hers.</p>
<p>To reinforce a previous post, time-consuming EC’s including athletics, newspapers, debate, and theater – among others – are well recognized by admissions committees as “time sinks.” Students who hold leadership posts or show real achievement in these areas will get “credit” for it. </p>
<p>(My son had both school newspaper and debate as his main EC’s. I know he spent more time on these together than on his regular schoolwork. It probably helped that he was also very good at these, and won numerous awards to justify the time commitment.)</p>
<p>I know the kid who focused too much on ECs…that’s my girl! But…her grades went UP, not down, over time. Colleges may think your kid’s grades went down because of the time spent on newspaper…or they may think that as your kid advanced into AP level work, where rote memorization just doesn’t work, your kid met her limit. </p>
<p>Mackinaw’s son was something like state runner up in debate. That’s viewed very, very differently than being in “upper management” on a prep school paper that’s published once a week. (Sorry, but that doesn’t sound like editor in chief to me! ) Plus, while he went to an excellent college…it wasn’t one in the Ivy League. Now, before he <em>flames</em> me back, let me say that I respect it a great deal, but …it’s still easier to get into than Harvard, Yale, Princeton, Columbia, Dartmouth, or Brown. (Probably roughly the same as Penn or Cornell A&S. ) And…he didn’t live in the Boston to D. C. corridor…just in case you do. And…it was a few years ago…and college admissions was less competitive then. </p>
<p>DEFINITELY talk to her guidance counselor/college advisor–whatever said person is called at her school. Another hint: and yes, I do know that saying this is going to put additional pressure on her…study for those AP exams and get 5s across the board. If your kid does that, admissions will think the time her ECs took are the reason for the blip in the grades. If she doesn’t, they’ll think it’s the difficulty of the material. My kid’s junior year grades were better than those in 9th and 10th, but not great…but she scored 5s on the AP tests and, while nobody tells you what mattered and what didn’t, I think that helped offset the less than perfect grades. </p>
<p>But, bottom line: it sounds like worse case scenario she’s going to end up at a Tufts or WUSTL or a UChicago. If she’s aiming for HYPS and doesn’t make it…it may sting a bit…but she’ll be just fine. </p>
<p>Last year she has scored 5 in all 3 APS she took as AP BC Calc, one Science and a history.</p>
<p>Ledrochi, We called the counselor and she said same thing “Do not worry unless the minor dip becomes a real slide”. </p>
<p>In that case she has to try to do her best. I have told her that since it is your passion, do not worry about grades and just try as best as you can.</p>