Starting a "nonprofit" in high school

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:A unifying theme among ED admits from our Big 3 school (those that have posted their ED to social media) seems to be that they "started a nonprofit." One or two I have seen seem fulsome and ongoing. Others, not so much.

Is this the latest "angle" parents in the DMV are encouraging?

Good works, even if done for a short period of time, are still worthwhile. And not all efforts will be successful. But anecdotally, it is curious.

It isn't just nonprofits. Kids are packaged as "entrepreneurs" as well.

Are these students also full pay applicants ?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:At our school, this started last year and has really accelerated with this year’s senior class. And not just non-profits, but also starting small businesses. Personally don’t like that colleges are rewarding kids starting something and ditching it once apps are done vs. helping established non-profits or learning to work at a typical summer job.

I agree. In my opinion, starting small businesses is similarly ill-advised. Kids don't know what they don't know, and if starting and running a business were a true goal, they would learn from others first by...working for a business. "Started my own business" may sound impressive to a teenager, but adults should know better, that such situations are really the blind leading the blind, and under sort-of false pretenses (college admissions) to boot.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:At our school, this started last year and has really accelerated with this year’s senior class. And not just non-profits, but also starting small businesses. Personally don’t like that colleges are rewarding kids starting something and ditching it once apps are done vs. helping established non-profits or learning to work at a typical summer job.

I agree. In my opinion, starting small businesses is similarly ill-advised. Kids don't know what they don't know, and if starting and running a business were a true goal, they would learn from others first by...working for a business. "Started my own business" may sound impressive to a teenager, but adults should know better, that such situations are really the blind leading the blind, and under sort-of false pretenses (college admissions) to boot.

+1000

[Anonymous]

I think to make it standout you need specific details. 10 salaried employees. Income of XXX. Customers on 10 states. That is different then the French Club having a bakesale and donating the $$ and calling themselves a non profit.

[Anonymous]

Even adults who want to start a non-profit and who get real advice are advised that is is always better to join forces with an established non profit doing the same thing. Unless you have found a truly unserved niche, starting your own is wasting overhead and energy that could go to the cause.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think to make it standout you need specific details. 10 salaried employees. Income of XXX. Customers on 10 states. That is different then the French Club having a bakesale and donating the $$ and calling themselves a non profit.

But since these non-profits are started by UMC/UC kids, I’ve seen them reach out to their parents networks. In some circles it’s not that hard to raise tens of thousands of dollars whereas for your average public school kid with no connections, that’s impossible.

[Anonymous]

So are these non-profits focused on funding college admissions officers early retirement accounts ?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:At our school, this started last year and has really accelerated with this year’s senior class. And not just non-profits, but also starting small businesses. Personally don’t like that colleges are rewarding kids starting something and ditching it once apps are done vs. helping established non-profits or learning to work at a typical summer job.

+1 if you actually want to make an impact, dedicating your time and resources to an already functioning, effective non-profit makes a lot more sense than starting up something from scratch to compete for donations to fund your vanity project.

[Anonymous]

Where have you been OP? This has been going on for at least the last 15 years! I think it is smart. If perfect grades + perfect test scores are not enough to even get into some state flagships-- what do you expect the non-legacy, non-URM, non-athletic recruits do to distinguish themselves? School clubs are "ho-hum" for College AOs.

[Anonymous]

This has been happening for at least the past 15 years.

[Anonymous]

I suspect a lot of these get free legal, accounting, and similar support for free from their parents or friends. It’s the ramped up version of your parents doing your science fair project.

It’s a little disheartening if you are the parent of a nice, smart kid who doesn’t want to play the game. Mine spends a ton of time volunteering on a particular thing which will look really ordinary on her application but because she takes it really seriously and is super invested, it takes a lot of time. Unless we can submit a letter of rec from the adult that runs the project or one of the parents of the kids she helped, I don’t think there’s a way to express the breadth and depth of her commitment.

[Anonymous]

A current Cornell junior spoke to my son's club during Covid year. They asked how he got into Cornell. He said he started a nonprofit.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:At our school, this started last year and has really accelerated with this year’s senior class. And not just non-profits, but also starting small businesses. Personally don’t like that colleges are rewarding kids starting something and ditching it once apps are done vs. helping established non-profits or learning to work at a typical summer job.

+1 if you actually want to make an impact, dedicating your time and resources to an already functioning, effective non-profit makes a lot more sense than starting up something from scratch to compete for donations to fund your vanity project.

But you learn more starting your own

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:A current Cornell junior spoke to my son's club during Covid year. They asked how he got into Cornell. He said he started a nonprofit.

a) He is likely mistaken and possibly lying.

b) How would he know what tipped the scales? It could be he was admitted DESPITE having listed a non-profit he started that was obviously just padding for the resume.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:A unifying theme among ED admits from our Big 3 school (those that have posted their ED to social media) seems to be that they "started a nonprofit." One or two I have seen seem fulsome and ongoing. Others, not so much.

Is this the latest "angle" parents in the DMV are encouraging?

Good works, even if done for a short period of time, are still worthwhile. And not all efforts will be successful. But anecdotally, it is curious.

Sad. Not one of them care to continue their charities after then get in to college and most are frat-bro d-bags with not a single charitable bone in them. Basically, they are lying scammers who take after their parents.