Extra Curriculars

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Thanks, pp. Very reassuring advice. Do you know which colleges are particularly interested in interviews? I've heard some don't allow them or don't consider them very important.

Check the websites.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Depends on where your DC wants to go. Getting into the top colleges is far more difficult than when we were applying. The top schools require pretty much all As and great extra-curriculars that show leadership and creativity. The only exceptions are special cases -- athletes and under-represented minorities. Recruited athletes are held to a very different standard.

Would legacies and students from under-represented states (like North Dakota, for example) fit into this special cases category?

[Anonymous]

Legacies not so much unless the family represents major donation potential. I do think kids from under-represented states have it much easier. All of these schools want to say that "we have all fifty states and 100 countries represented..." or something like that. So your basic Washington D.C.-area kid is held to a much, much more difficult standard.

[Anonymous]

I'm not really sure if top scores are that important. Had a friend whose son was a fantastic student and he had a perfect SAT score. He tried for Princeton, but didn't get in. 2 of his classmates got into Princeton on sports scholarships, even though they were not as good academically. He went on to go to a public university and now is a medical doctor. So I think as long as you have the drive you can succeed.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm not really sure if top scores are that important. Had a friend whose son was a fantastic student and he had a perfect SAT score. He tried for Princeton, but didn't get in. 2 of his classmates got into Princeton on sports scholarships, even though they were not as good academically. He went on to go to a public university and now is a medical doctor. So I think as long as you have the drive you can succeed.

Recruited athletes, under represented minorities and lower income applicants (and sometimes legacies) are an exception (they probably get a bit of a break from the admissions committees). Otherwise, I'm certain that Princeton and other top 20 schools could fill their freshman classes with students with near perfect SAT scores and grades (at least that's what their admissions committee members tell parents during information sessions). In my experience, top scores are a minimum requirement. The drive to succeed may make a nice essay topic, however.

[Anonymous]

For Princeton, a legacy status is what you need to get in

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We're on our 3rd round of college admissions and while I agree that it's pretty competitive -- especially for kids coming from this area where there are so many great schools and well-qualified applicants -- I would urge parents not to stress your kids out any more than they already are due to peer pressure. Yes, good grades and test scores are important, and yes, so is a record of participation in activities that demonstrate the applicant's commitment to and engagement in learning. But . . .your child doesn't need straight As or 15 different activities or a "passion" (which I think the admissions officers have now realized can be artfully created for purposes of college applications just as much as the padded resume can be). Our older kids had none of these and both are now at great schools (yes, Ivy League).

What's most important is whether the applicant has gleaned some meaning from his/her activities and how this meaning is expressed in essays and, where offered for evaluation purposes, interviews. For the most selective colleges, there are plenty of applicants who are qualified by virtue of grades and scores. Beyond that, they're trying to figure out who your kid is and what he/she would bring to the school in terms of perspective and personal qualities. If you want to be cynical, they're looking for a hook. But, really, that hook can be having worked at McDonald's after school -- if the applicant can express how that experience has shaped his or her perspective -- on work, on people, on food, on the meaning of life, on . . . whatever.

Finally, I'd just reasure everyone that there are many great colleges out there where your kids will flourish and grow. Don't fixate on any one school and have faith in your kid.

this is one of the best posts I read on DCUM in a while (good antidote to my mistake of clicking on the seal team thread which turned political/asinine)

thanks pp!

[Anonymous]

Hey everybody, I intern for a company called Mytonomy (www.mytonomy.com)

This site has a boatload of short videos from top students at UVA, W&M, Va Tech, you name it!

Here are some links to just a few videos on extra-curriculars in high school on both the Youtube Channel and the website.

http://www.mytonomy.com/videos/importance-of-extracurricular-activities-in-high-school

http://www.mytonomy.com/videos/finding-the-balance

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bIEq4qXuMBE

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_GddOJYFuTk

There's hundreds more where these came from!

[Anonymous]

Thanks for those videos -- I plan on showing them to my daughter. Very nice!

[Adam]

Once you joined into the college, you have to joined the group of social workers and also find the par time job for making money.