PSA - focus on developing a comprehensive narrative

[Anonymous]

I went through the process with my DC and he did not do any of this manufacturing and DC ended up at a great school and the whole process was smooth. DC had very pointy interests, nothing too unique, and there was just a single main essay and then 1-2 very short ones in the schools he applied to. I guess I missed the memo but despite being Ivy educated myself do not really understand all this make-work.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I went through the process with my DC and he did not do any of this manufacturing and DC ended up at a great school and the whole process was smooth. DC had very pointy interests, nothing too unique, and there was just a single main essay and then 1-2 very short ones in the schools he applied to. I guess I missed the memo but despite being Ivy educated myself do not really understand all this make-work.

Where did he end up? And where did he get in?
I thought this post was about T20 only.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Agree with this EXCEPT for a real hook, you need to start earlier. Beginning of sophomore year. Ideally aim for national recognition in something niche, or at least clear, serious, dedication to something clear and specific. I interviewed one private counselor in spring junior year and she basically told me it was too late to help my kid.

I’m the OP.

I let the hook naturally develop from middle school and for the first two years of high school. It was a natural evolution of a deep personal interest - that has both academic and non-academic angles, and not something contrived. And it was clear by junior year how that hook fit in to the larger story. But yes, if you were trying to manufacture it or your kid has no drive/ unique interests independently, you need to start earlier.

To be clear, though, you're phrasing this as work on a narrative hook put together BY YOU, the parent. That seems inappropriate to me, and I'm a parent of a kid aiming for a t20. She is doing her own work on her college applications.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Agree with this EXCEPT for a real hook, you need to start earlier. Beginning of sophomore year. Ideally aim for national recognition in something niche, or at least clear, serious, dedication to something clear and specific. I interviewed one private counselor in spring junior year and she basically told me it was too late to help my kid.

I’m the OP.

I let the hook naturally develop from middle school and for the first two years of high school. It was a natural evolution of a deep personal interest - that has both academic and non-academic angles, and not something contrived. And it was clear by junior year how that hook fit in to the larger story. But yes, if you were trying to manufacture it or your kid has no drive/ unique interests independently, you need to start earlier.

Sounds contrived to me. How many 13 year olds in middle school have deep personal interests with academic and non-academic angles?

I think it depends on the kid. My oldest got really into an EC club in middle school. She ended up leading that club in HS, plus developing a whole program to bring other kids at the MS and HS program into it, including a ton of volunteer work and developing a trainnng program. This was all her and I wasn’t involved at all.

My other kid has 15 interests that he is interested in for approximately 2 days and then moves on. He will have no hook and I can’t artificially generate one. Occasionally I suggest a way to develop on one of his interests through a service angle or something, but he rejects my ideas and we move on.

Anyway, some kids do this stuff naturally but other kids don’t. Either way is fine. It’s not a bad idea to think of things this way … eg if your kid is really into scouts, is there an scout based service project, or maybe an outdoor based service project that would complement that? (Like — from camping with scouts I developed a passion for the outdoors, so then I became involved with my local parks facility to help eradicate non native invasive plants and also worked with younger scouts to educate them on this issue, blah, blah). If the kid isn’t passionate about it already, it will all be forced and unpleasant, but if the kid does have an interest that they are passionate about, sometimes there’s a way to leverage that into a compelling narrative about who they are.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I went through the process with my DC and he did not do any of this manufacturing and DC ended up at a great school and the whole process was smooth. DC had very pointy interests, nothing too unique, and there was just a single main essay and then 1-2 very short ones in the schools he applied to. I guess I missed the memo but despite being Ivy educated myself do not really understand all this make-work.

Where did he end up? And where did he get in?
I thought this post was about T20 only.

GMU. No complaints.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I went through the process with my DC and he did not do any of this manufacturing and DC ended up at a great school and the whole process was smooth. DC had very pointy interests, nothing too unique, and there was just a single main essay and then 1-2 very short ones in the schools he applied to. I guess I missed the memo but despite being Ivy educated myself do not really understand all this make-work.

Where did he end up? And where did he get in?
I thought this post was about T20 only.

GMU. No complaints.

Is this supposed to be a dig on GMU? Anyway, I am the poster quoted and no, DC did not end up at GMU. It was not a top 20 but is one that those on this board still consider acceptably selective. In any event, I don't see Mason as a school to come and mock.

[Anonymous]

Ok but this whole narrative/application theme is not necessary for schools outside of T20.

So while your exp is great, it’s irrelevant.