I'm a Coca-Cola Scholar AMA

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Spin off that other thread.

I was one of only 100 kids to get it (2 from each state). I was picked by the local bottlers association.

I met who became and still is my best friend from MIT (I convinced her to come with me).

My parents weren't involved in any of it, but I did have a college coach. I started an organization at our school, was the VP of another, did crazy amounts of community service with the Red Cross and other organizations. I won multiple national business competitions and awards.

I won many scholarships and it resulted in my financial aid being taken away. So I did all that work for nothing. It was the first of many life lessons in failure at MIT.

The other thread was about the high school Coca Cola scholars program, which is 150 kids total and not limited by state. You seem to have participated in a college version which is less selective (the high school one generally has ~100,000 applicants for the 150 winners)

I was in the high school program

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have a question OP: why in the world do you think any of us cares?

Here is the interesting tidbit that some of us parents of 1st gen kids might not know in advance. We surely didn't.

Outside scholarship money your kid earns can be deducted from financial aid. That can come as a very bad surprise and trigger a deflating and 'what the heck did I do all this for?' feeling.

Congrats to the poster to have been selected!

I wasn't even first gen, but my parents weren't really involved and had no idea that they take away aid if you have scholarships . So it's really only worth it if you are rich and receive no aid.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Spin off that other thread.

I was one of only 100 kids to get it (2 from each state). I was picked by the local bottlers association.

I met who became and still is my best friend from MIT (I convinced her to come with me).

My parents weren't involved in any of it, but I did have a college coach. I started an organization at our school, was the VP of another, did crazy amounts of community service with the Red Cross and other organizations. I won multiple national business competitions and awards.

I won many scholarships and it resulted in my financial aid being taken away. So I did all that work for nothing. It was the first of many life lessons in failure at MIT.

The other thread was about the high school Coca Cola scholars program, which is 150 kids total and not limited by state. You seem to have participated in a college version which is less selective (the high school one generally has ~100,000 applicants for the 150 winners)

The program was different when I did it, but it was the high school program.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have a question OP: why in the world do you think any of us cares?

Here is the interesting tidbit that some of us parents of 1st gen kids might not know in advance. We surely didn't.

Outside scholarship money your kid earns can be deducted from financial aid. That can come as a very bad surprise and trigger a deflating and 'what the heck did I do all this for?' feeling.

Congrats to the poster to have been selected!

I have another tidbit to share. Our child goes to college on a full ride scholarship, and the outside scholarships were paid to the child in cash. An outside sponsor sent the scholarship money to college, creating an overpayment on the account that had a zero due balance. Thus, an overpayment was returned to the student directly.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I was wondering the same.

I'm glad OP posted. Folks push their kids hard. Here's someone who did all the things.

You say the community service and awards were all for nothing because you lost the financial aid. What was driving you to accomplish so much? Sounds like external motivators. And if yes, what do you wish you had done instead with all that dedication?

Oh no, I dod not mean to imply I wasted my time on community service. I only wasted time on those applications. That said, the Coca-Cola Scholar Program was definitely worth it.

I worked at the Olympics in Greece and got to meet other scholars and access VIP areas. I've kept up, many years later with the people I met. Some of the cooler experiences in my life like meeting Paul McCartney came directly from the volunteer work I did too. Definitely a good use of my time.

are you talking about 2004 games.

PEOPLE. College admissions, competitive scholarships, competitive summer programs, math olympics TOTALLY CHANGED in the last 10 years. At least half the people who got into top 10 colleges (or won competitive scholarships etc etc) in 2015 would get in today. Your. Experience. Is. Not. Relevant.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have a question OP: why in the world do you think any of us cares?

Here is the interesting tidbit that some of us parents of 1st gen kids might not know in advance. We surely didn't.

Outside scholarship money your kid earns can be deducted from financial aid. That can come as a very bad surprise and trigger a deflating and 'what the heck did I do all this for?' feeling.

Congrats to the poster to have been selected!

I wasn't even first gen, but my parents weren't really involved and had no idea that they take away aid if you have scholarships . So it's really only worth it if you are rich and receive no aid.

Oh dang, so you're saying these kids really don't have a passion for social justice, serving the community, and advocacy? It was all for nothing if they didn't get all the money? That's a shock.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I was wondering the same.

I'm glad OP posted. Folks push their kids hard. Here's someone who did all the things.

You say the community service and awards were all for nothing because you lost the financial aid. What was driving you to accomplish so much? Sounds like external motivators. And if yes, what do you wish you had done instead with all that dedication?

Oh no, I dod not mean to imply I wasted my time on community service. I only wasted time on those applications. That said, the Coca-Cola Scholar Program was definitely worth it.

I worked at the Olympics in Greece and got to meet other scholars and access VIP areas. I've kept up, many years later with the people I met. Some of the cooler experiences in my life like meeting Paul McCartney came directly from the volunteer work I did too. Definitely a good use of my time.

are you talking about 2004 games.

PEOPLE. College admissions, competitive scholarships, competitive summer programs, math olympics TOTALLY CHANGED in the last 10 years. At least half the people who got into top 10 colleges (or won competitive scholarships etc etc) in 2015 would get in today. Your. Experience. Is. Not. Relevant.

This isn't true. The high achievers play by the rules at the time it matters for them. New players come along, the rules evolve, and everyone adapts. The same people would be high achieving no matter when they matriculated. The rules change, not the people.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I was wondering the same.

I'm glad OP posted. Folks push their kids hard. Here's someone who did all the things.

You say the community service and awards were all for nothing because you lost the financial aid. What was driving you to accomplish so much? Sounds like external motivators. And if yes, what do you wish you had done instead with all that dedication?

Oh no, I dod not mean to imply I wasted my time on community service. I only wasted time on those applications. That said, the Coca-Cola Scholar Program was definitely worth it.

I worked at the Olympics in Greece and got to meet other scholars and access VIP areas. I've kept up, many years later with the people I met. Some of the cooler experiences in my life like meeting Paul McCartney came directly from the volunteer work I did too. Definitely a good use of my time.

are you talking about 2004 games.

PEOPLE. College admissions, competitive scholarships, competitive summer programs, math olympics TOTALLY CHANGED in the last 10 years. At least half the people who got into top 10 colleges (or won competitive scholarships etc etc) in 2015 would get in today. Your. Experience. Is. Not. Relevant.

I disagree. Just because there are 10x applications doesn't mean they are quality applications. The pedigree I had back then would still make me competitive today. I know, my child has a college coach too and they recommend the same things I did.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I was wondering the same.

I'm glad OP posted. Folks push their kids hard. Here's someone who did all the things.

You say the community service and awards were all for nothing because you lost the financial aid. What was driving you to accomplish so much? Sounds like external motivators. And if yes, what do you wish you had done instead with all that dedication?

Oh no, I dod not mean to imply I wasted my time on community service. I only wasted time on those applications. That said, the Coca-Cola Scholar Program was definitely worth it.

I worked at the Olympics in Greece and got to meet other scholars and access VIP areas. I've kept up, many years later with the people I met. Some of the cooler experiences in my life like meeting Paul McCartney came directly from the volunteer work I did too. Definitely a good use of my time.

are you talking about 2004 games.

PEOPLE. College admissions, competitive scholarships, competitive summer programs, math olympics TOTALLY CHANGED in the last 10 years. At least half the people who got into top 10 colleges (or won competitive scholarships etc etc) in 2015 would get in today. Your. Experience. Is. Not. Relevant.

This isn't true. The high achievers play by the rules at the time it matters for them. New players come along, the rules evolve, and everyone adapts. The same people would be high achieving no matter when they matriculated. The rules change, not the people.

as a person who grew up in the midwest, this is bullshit. I was the only one who applied to an Ivy League school from my high school .. ever. But now, plenty do. where their kids who could have handled top tier colleges from my high school back in the day. good lord, yes. and those kids did just fine going to U of I and then onto med school, etc. but they're own kids apply to Ivies. because the internet happened and the world got flat.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have a question OP: why in the world do you think any of us cares?

Here is the interesting tidbit that some of us parents of 1st gen kids might not know in advance. We surely didn't.

Outside scholarship money your kid earns can be deducted from financial aid. That can come as a very bad surprise and trigger a deflating and 'what the heck did I do all this for?' feeling.

Congrats to the poster to have been selected!

I wasn't even first gen, but my parents weren't really involved and had no idea that they take away aid if you have scholarships . So it's really only worth it if you are rich and receive no aid.

Oh dang, so you're saying these kids really don't have a passion for social justice, serving the community, and advocacy? It was all for nothing if they didn't get all the money? That's a shock.

As I clarified, I wouldn't have wasted time on the apps. Did you apply for scholarships? It's like applying for college except every application is custom. I applied for the National Merit Arts one and had to get my portfolio pulled together. A bunch of extra essays, recommendations, you name it. That process is not worth it if they take the money away.

[Anonymous]

I assume you're older and did not attend college recently. If so, your experience, while great for you, will provide zero insight into today's college scene. There is a reason that it is much harder to get into schools now. Harvard's acceptance rate when I applied to college was the same as UVA's now. What you listed in your post regarding activities is not really the "off the charts" amazing that is expected now for just good (not the best) schools. Do you think you'd even get into MIT now?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I assume you're older and did not attend college recently. If so, your experience, while great for you, will provide zero insight into today's college scene. There is a reason that it is much harder to get into schools now. Harvard's acceptance rate when I applied to college was the same as UVA's now. What you listed in your post regarding activities is not really the "off the charts" amazing that is expected now for just good (not the best) schools. Do you think you'd even get into MIT now?

Yes, I had every box checked to get into a school like MIT. Scores, national awards, leadership, community service, strong evals, strong alumni evaluation and that something "extra" (two interesting hobbies where I won awards).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I assume you're older and did not attend college recently. If so, your experience, while great for you, will provide zero insight into today's college scene. There is a reason that it is much harder to get into schools now. Harvard's acceptance rate when I applied to college was the same as UVA's now. What you listed in your post regarding activities is not really the "off the charts" amazing that is expected now for just good (not the best) schools. Do you think you'd even get into MIT now?

I don't know why you think OP wouldn't get accepted to MIT. You would be surprised how many "normal" kids are accepted to these schools.

The problem is the kids that get the press fall into the rarefied group where their chances of acceptance were actually like 90%...not 5%. Those are the kids that admissions accepts upon a 15-minute review...they never traverse into the "maybe" category.

They get all the press attention which then skews the perception for everyone.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I assume you're older and did not attend college recently. If so, your experience, while great for you, will provide zero insight into today's college scene. There is a reason that it is much harder to get into schools now. Harvard's acceptance rate when I applied to college was the same as UVA's now. What you listed in your post regarding activities is not really the "off the charts" amazing that is expected now for just good (not the best) schools. Do you think you'd even get into MIT now?

I don't know why you think OP wouldn't get accepted to MIT. You would be surprised how many "normal" kids are accepted to these schools.

The problem is the kids that get the press fall into the rarefied group where their chances of acceptance were actually like 90%...not 5%. Those are the kids that admissions accepts upon a 15-minute review...they never traverse into the "maybe" category.

They get all the press attention which then skews the perception for everyone.

Ha ha. Good one.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I was wondering the same.

I'm glad OP posted. Folks push their kids hard. Here's someone who did all the things.

You say the community service and awards were all for nothing because you lost the financial aid. What was driving you to accomplish so much? Sounds like external motivators. And if yes, what do you wish you had done instead with all that dedication?

Oh no, I dod not mean to imply I wasted my time on community service. I only wasted time on those applications. That said, the Coca-Cola Scholar Program was definitely worth it.

I worked at the Olympics in Greece and got to meet other scholars and access VIP areas. I've kept up, many years later with the people I met. Some of the cooler experiences in my life like meeting Paul McCartney came directly from the volunteer work I did too. Definitely a good use of my time.

are you talking about 2004 games.

PEOPLE. College admissions, competitive scholarships, competitive summer programs, math olympics TOTALLY CHANGED in the last 10 years. At least half the people who got into top 10 colleges (or won competitive scholarships etc etc) in 2015 would get in today. Your. Experience. Is. Not. Relevant.

This isn't true. The high achievers play by the rules at the time it matters for them. New players come along, the rules evolve, and everyone adapts. The same people would be high achieving no matter when they matriculated. The rules change, not the people.

as a person who grew up in the midwest, this is bullshit. I was the only one who applied to an Ivy League school from my high school .. ever. But now, plenty do. where their kids who could have handled top tier colleges from my high school back in the day. good lord, yes. and those kids did just fine going to U of I and then onto med school, etc. but they're own kids apply to Ivies. because the internet happened and the world got flat.

I still disagree. Just because everyone applies doesn't mean much. People who were destined to go would still be able to get in. What didn't happen was that everyone also decided to shoot their shot.