Are any colleges interested in good students who are NOT joiners?

[Anonymous]

I hate this country's system.

[Anonymous]

Reed. St. John's
Oberlin
Ha record
Lots more. Letting him be who he is makes sense.

[Anonymous]

Haverford

[Anonymous]

I think one of the reasons that colleges do this is because introverts usually have higher gpas than extroverts. Sitting and quietly studying is after all a very introverted activity, and anathema to extroverts. However, those extroverts who are also leaders can be very useful to a college and to our society. So maybe even though they have lower gpas, the leadership position should count as a good grade.

[Anonymous]

My kids aren't college age but from what I'm reading it is all about having a deep passion, not having lots of activities on the resume. The selective colleges want students that have the grades along with the ability to contribute to the college community. I think it is harder if your kid hasn't find any long term commitments or the activity is something that doesn't impact anyone else like reading or playing video games.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My kids aren't college age but from what I'm reading it is all about having a deep passion, not having lots of activities on the resume. The selective colleges want students that have the grades along with the ability to contribute to the college community. I think it is harder if your kid hasn't find any long term commitments or the activity is something that doesn't impact anyone else like reading or playing video games.

Unless she/he designed the video game they're playing.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My kids aren't college age but from what I'm reading it is all about having a deep passion, not having lots of activities on the resume. The selective colleges want students that have the grades along with the ability to contribute to the college community. I think it is harder if your kid hasn't find any long term commitments or the activity is something that doesn't impact anyone else like reading or playing video games.

Agree. And if you want to "play the game" it's not hard for a thoughtful, quiet kid to find an interest to devote himself to in an "impressive" way. OP's son may already be doing this.

In terms of colleges that don't care so much about ECs, if your child has not only great grades in rigorous classes, but high test scores, colleges outside the US might be a good fit. McGill in Canada is a very good school that doesn't even ask about ECs on the application, and I think it's generally true of some of the top schools in Scotland too. Or just go to College Confidential and check the forums for threads about which colleges like "high stats" kids. If grades and scores are high enough, a kid can be automatically admitted to the honors programs at a lot of schools like University of Alabama, and receive good merit money.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My kids aren't college age but from what I'm reading it is all about having a deep passion, not having lots of activities on the resume. The selective colleges want students that have the grades along with the ability to contribute to the college community. I think it is harder if your kid hasn't find any long term commitments or the activity is something that doesn't impact anyone else like reading or playing video games.

Agree. And if you want to "play the game" it's not hard for a thoughtful, quiet kid to find an interest to devote himself to in an "impressive" way. OP's son may already be doing this.

In terms of colleges that don't care so much about ECs, if your child has not only great grades in rigorous classes, but high test scores, colleges outside the US might be a good fit. McGill in Canada is a very good school that doesn't even ask about ECs on the application, and I think it's generally true of some of the top schools in Scotland too. Or just go to College Confidential and check the forums for threads about which colleges like "high stats" kids. If grades and scores are high enough, a kid can be automatically admitted to the honors programs at a lot of schools like University of Alabama, and receive good merit money.

I agree that there are activities for a 'thoughtful quiet kid to participate in an impressive way". We also have insisted on one activity. For our DC, it was scouts. He was in Cub scouts and wanted to quit when he crossed over to scouts and we said fine as long as you find something else that builds leadership and skills, is social, adds to the college resume and gets you out of the house at least once a week. He said no to playing any instrument, Model UN, theatre, Lego team, rocket team, athletics were out... So he stayed in scouts and threaten to quit every year until about 9th grade. He is now a junior. He received his Eagle this winter and was the Senior Patrol Leader - which was a stretch but he found a way to do it quietly and will little fanfare (he turned out to be a great administrator and delegator).

[Anonymous]

If you have all A's and top 5% SAT/ACT scores, most colleges don't give a crap about your EC's.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If you have all A's and top 5% SAT/ACT scores, most colleges don't give a crap about your EC's.

Not true. There are a ton of kids with all As and top 5% scores. There has to be some way to make a decision when so many kids have the same stats. That's when schools look further.

[Anonymous]

Not true. There are a ton of kids with all As and top 5% scores. There has to be some way to make a decision when so many kids have the same stats. That's when schools look further.

PP said MOST schools. Someone on DCUM must have kids who go to a school that is not an Ivy or in the Top 30 to 40 nationwide. It is true that at most schools, having scores and grades above or near the top 25% of applicants should indicate a very high likelihood for acceptance. Schools report their GPAs and test scores for ranking purposes - they don't keep stats on the number of ECs and leadership positions their students have - so they want the high stats kids to boost their averages.

But yes, if a student is applying to a school where 75% of the applicants have a 4.5 GPA and 2380 SATs, then ECs would matter.

[Anonymous]

He'll get into a good enough college and then he will rise to the top because he is studious and intrinsically motivated. When it comes time to get a job nobody will care that he was not in student government in HS or college.

Basically what I'm saying is that you have a great kid who will flourish in any decent academic setting so you should not stress too much about the getting in part!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If you have all A's and top 5% SAT/ACT scores, most colleges don't give a crap about your EC's.

Not true. There are a ton of kids with all As and top 5% scores. There has to be some way to make a decision when so many kids have the same stats. That's when schools look further.

Not true. Statistically speaking, no more than 1/20 kids have top 5% scores.

[Anonymous]

Aah. Student Council is a popularity based, according to my son who ran and lost. Very hard to get for average kids.

If nothing in school interest your kid, find it out of school. There's must be something that he enjoys doing year in, year out.

My son couldn't get in varsity and student council, so he starting to care to get his eagle scout, play soccer and start coaching. He wasn't consistent before, but now that he's finishing sophomore year, he started to get into it seriously. Just do things that he likes consistently.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My kids aren't college age but from what I'm reading it is all about having a deep passion, not having lots of activities on the resume. The selective colleges want students that have the grades along with the ability to contribute to the college community. I think it is harder if your kid hasn't find any long term commitments or the activity is something that doesn't impact anyone else like reading or playing video games.

This attitude is so ridiculous. Ninety percent of the kids in any high school have no deep, abiding passion for anything. They have likes and dislikes, strengths and weakness, sure. But passion? Give me a break. Probably most adults couldn't tell you what their passion is, so why saddle a teenager with this?