PSA - focus on developing a comprehensive narrative

[Anonymous]

if aiming for T20, and your kid is a junior, start this winter on creating a one paragraph "hook" or applicant narrative that contains the key (5-6 discrete) aspects of their profile that you'd want to highlight. Creating the hook should take a few weeks to hone down, esp if you haven't fully thought about it before. Should be a positive, uplifting hook or narrative.

Then in spring to early summer (by June of junior year), create a sample essay inventory (with starter para/topic sentences for each type of essay (EC, community, identity/diversity, why major, etc.) and do at least 2-3 short summaries for each potential essay). So, your "inventory" will have maybe 20-30 essay ideas...Create a space for personal essay too (maybe 10 ideas there).

Believe me - this comes in SOOO handy, and you will be so prepared to just pick something out - to use for short answers, videos, help with interview prep during senior application season.

This is what all the $$$ private counselors do. I just helped my kid do it 6 months ago and it was enormously helpful this admissions cycle. Kid is in much better place with apps than older sibling.

lots of books and podcasts out there on creating your admissions hook, application profile or whatever you want to call it.

[Anonymous]

Agree with this EXCEPT for a real hook, you need to start earlier. Beginning of sophomore year. Ideally aim for national recognition in something niche, or at least clear, serious, dedication to something clear and specific. I interviewed one private counselor in spring junior year and she basically told me it was too late to help my kid.

[Anonymous]

How about get a life and stop manufacturing everything. Your poor kid.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:How about get a life and stop manufacturing everything. Your poor kid.

Play the game, or don't. In-state school is an option.

[Anonymous]

Okay

[Anonymous]

There are a lot of great schools outside the top 20.

[Anonymous]

What is a hook? Examples?

[Anonymous]

This is just the buzzword of the moment, though. First, they wanted "well-rounded." Then they wanted "pointy." Now they want a narrative.

[Anonymous]

This sounds extremely contrived and manufactured to me. Life is not a movie.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How about get a life and stop manufacturing everything. Your poor kid.

Play the game, or don't. In-state school is an option.

You think there are only t20 and instate schools?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This is just the buzzword of the moment, though. First, they wanted "well-rounded." Then they wanted "pointy." Now they want a narrative.

And pretty soon all these narrative-heavy applications will start to feel over-curated and manufactured, and AOs will start trying to find another way to distinguish between hundreds of nearly-identical applicants.

I mean, I’m turned off just by the descriptions of the process. Are AOs really going to want to fill an entire campus with kids who have never done anything that didn’t fit the “narrative” some $200/hr hired bozo dreamed up for them in their freshman year?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Agree with this EXCEPT for a real hook, you need to start earlier. Beginning of sophomore year. Ideally aim for national recognition in something niche, or at least clear, serious, dedication to something clear and specific. I interviewed one private counselor in spring junior year and she basically told me it was too late to help my kid.

I’m the OP.

I let the hook naturally develop from middle school and for the first two years of high school. It was a natural evolution of a deep personal interest - that has both academic and non-academic angles, and not something contrived. And it was clear by junior year how that hook fit in to the larger story. But yes, if you were trying to manufacture it or your kid has no drive/ unique interests independently, you need to start earlier.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:How about get a life and stop manufacturing everything. Your poor kid.

+1

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Agree with this EXCEPT for a real hook, you need to start earlier. Beginning of sophomore year. Ideally aim for national recognition in something niche, or at least clear, serious, dedication to something clear and specific. I interviewed one private counselor in spring junior year and she basically told me it was too late to help my kid.

I’m the OP.

I let the hook naturally develop from middle school and for the first two years of high school. It was a natural evolution of a deep personal interest - that has both academic and non-academic angles, and not something contrived. And it was clear by junior year how that hook fit in to the larger story. But yes, if you were trying to manufacture it or your kid has no drive/ unique interests independently, you need to start earlier.

Sounds contrived to me. How many 13 year olds in middle school have deep personal interests with academic and non-academic angles?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Agree with this EXCEPT for a real hook, you need to start earlier. Beginning of sophomore year. Ideally aim for national recognition in something niche, or at least clear, serious, dedication to something clear and specific. I interviewed one private counselor in spring junior year and she basically told me it was too late to help my kid.

I’m the OP.

I let the hook naturally develop from middle school and for the first two years of high school. It was a natural evolution of a deep personal interest - that has both academic and non-academic angles, and not something contrived. And it was clear by junior year how that hook fit in to the larger story. But yes, if you were trying to manufacture it or your kid has no drive/ unique interests independently, you need to start earlier.

Sounds contrived to me. How many 13 year olds in middle school have deep personal interests with academic and non-academic angles?

Absolutely. The amount of work required to craft a narrative around this supposedly authentic interest is a tell.