Would beauty pageant Winning Titles help on College apps?

[Anonymous]

I think it really depends on the school and area and who happens to be reading your daughter's application. In this area I really can't imagine it would help, especially if the school is competitive.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:In the South. And not everywhere in the South. Maybe Vegas/Nevada

Beauty pageants big in Texas. So maybe UT-Austin?

Beauty pageants are big in most if Texas but Austin is very different politically &, in many ways, culturally, from most of the rest of the state. A lot of Texans -- & a lot of peoole living in Austin -- would be very happy if the state were to firce (or allow,depending on one's point of view) Austin to secede from the rest if the state. In the minds of many Texans, the only good reason why this hasn't yet happened (or, at the very least, why the Texas state capital hasn't been changed to a someplace more representative of "the real Texas") is that nobody has quite figured out how to move the historic, Texas-sized capital building to another, more worthy city.

All this is to say that, if the people in charge of admissions at UT-Austin are anything like the majority of people living in Austin, the likelihood that winning pageant titles will significantly improve a kid's admissions chances is probably not much higher there than it would be at UC-Berkeley.

If, on the other hand, OP's DD were to apply to, say, SMU, Baylor, or Texas A & M, then, yes, the probability of her pageant titles giving her a significant leg up in the admissions process would quite likely be much greater than it would be were she to apply to the vast majority of schools outside of Texas.

They like their pageant winners in Austin too.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think it really depends on the school and area and who happens to be reading your daughter's application. In this area I really can't imagine it would help, especially if the school is competitive.

Why not? Is there something in particular or this area that would be unimpressed by someone who won a beauty pageant?

[Anonymous]

See, i think it would help more at a very competitive school. More well-rounded and the school probably wants to pretty themselves up. Not that they would accept someone unqualified, but if it's a tie? Yeah, this woman would win.

[Anonymous]

Anyone else thinking Legally Blonde?!

Never know, it might make a person really stand out if it seemed 'out of sync' with the rest of the app- at least make it intriguing in a pile of the same? And this is from someone who thinks the whole thing should have been gone well before ww2!

[Anonymous]

Something that helps you stand out from the pack helps a bit, even better if you can explain why it took a lot of time and dedication, how it exposed you to diverse froups of other people, any service component, and if there is a "talent" portion. If it's just about showing up and being pretty, it's going to hurt.

[Anonymous]

I think it depends on the pageant. If it has a big talent or scholarship element (like America's Junior Miss, Miss America, etc.) then yes.

[Anonymous]

I knew several women at my HYPS that competed in high level pageants. They (pageant contestants) are not all empty-headed.
To answer OP's question, 19:07 is spot on, and the kid should have a good answer as to why her time was not better spent elsewhere.

[Anonymous]

Our current Miss USA is a nuclear scientist.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Our current Miss USA is a nuclear scientist.

Whose degree is fro. SC State. So A, Southern institution and B, got the title AFTER the degree

[Anonymous]

Yes. If it is part of the Miss America or Miss USA system.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Yes. If it is part of the Miss America or Miss USA system.

I remember reading an article about a family who hired a super expensive private college counselor. Their daughter was an Asian violinist who they felt wouldn't particularly stand out to colleges. The counselor advised them to have her enter one of these pageants (teen level) with the goal of trying to win the talent competition, which she did and ultimately got into an ivy.

[Anonymous]

My friend Elle went to Harvard Law.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Something that helps you stand out from the pack helps a bit, even better if you can explain why it took a lot of time and dedication, how it exposed you to diverse froups of other people, any service component, and if there is a "talent" portion. If it's just about showing up and being pretty, it's going to hurt.

This is exactly what I was going to say. I've never been involved in pageants, but I would imagine winning titles on the higher levels certainly requires more than just putting on a dress and walking across stage. Perseverance, honing a strong talent, thinking on your feet, service & charity work, responsibility. I think emphasizing those would be great. In fact, maybe her essay would be a great opportunity to talk about how something in particular from those experiences, especially something unexpected, made her into a better, stronger person.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Something that helps you stand out from the pack helps a bit, even better if you can explain why it took a lot of time and dedication, how it exposed you to diverse froups of other people, any service component, and if there is a "talent" portion.

This is exactly what I was going to say. I've never been involved in pageants, but I would imagine winning titles on the higher levels certainly requires more than just putting on a dress and walking across stage. Perseverance, honing a strong talent, thinking on your feet, service & charity work, responsibility. I think emphasizing those would be great. In fact, maybe her essay would be a great opportunity to talk about how something in particular from those experiences, especially something unexpected, made her into a better, stronger person.