10th grader with no interesting ECs, top grades and scores

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Coach little kids in golf

Get a job at a golf course as a caddy or in the pro shop

Work at a mini golf place

These are better than nothing but wouldn’t move the needle at top schools

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Thanks all for the advice. I do not think he will get into mit or the Ivy League schools. I am discouraging him from thinking with that mindset. With prep, I think it’s reasonable he will have over 1500 sat. He is a great test take and on track for 12 APs, he has 2 5s from 9th grade already. He is smart. He would be fine at a top school, at least academically, but I know he won’t get in since he isn’t special. I want to ensure he can at least get into a school like BC or BU at minimum. Thanks for all the suggestions.

I don’t think BC is possible they care about ecs and,leadership. BU maybe if you do ed1.

[Anonymous]

OP, see if you can go into the common app for a rigorous school or even the UC app(not sure if you can go in as a 10th grader), but maybe show your kid the type of questions asked--there is space to include 20 activities, honors, leadership, awards, etc. Not trying to overwhelm, but he's going to need to be able to write about more than golf. Even if it's an easy summer job or volunteering to help lead a younger grade at school or something. There are schools that will value GPA/Scores more highly than others (think big state schools that don't have time to do a deep dive into apps), but even they want to see something.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Coach little kids in golf

Get a job at a golf course as a caddy or in the pro shop

Work at a mini golf place

These are better than nothing but wouldn’t move the needle at top schools

I think they are good enough for 40- 50 ranked schools

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Coach little kids in golf

Get a job at a golf course as a caddy or in the pro shop

Work at a mini golf place

These are better than nothing but wouldn’t move the needle at top schools

I think they are good enough for 40- 50 ranked schools

Maybe a big state school that admits based on stats, not a private. Many posters here seem as unfamiliar as op withhow competitive admissions are these days. Grade inflation at most high schools has forced colleges to move to things like extracurriculars and awards as ways of distinguishing between the tens of thousands of kids with 4.0s.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Coach little kids in golf

Get a job at a golf course as a caddy or in the pro shop

Work at a mini golf place

These are better than nothing but wouldn’t move the needle at top schools

I think they are good enough for 40- 50 ranked schools

New Poster: not really bc they are essentially the same (a golf related job), and likely a kid would have one of those jobs OR a single golf related job that encompassed several roles. So, it’s better than no job but minimally.

[Anonymous]

Might be a truism that large publics tend to be more score driven rather than the other parts of the application…

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:DS is a 10th grader at a suburban public. He is in all AP and Honors courses and a straight-A student. Just got back from PSAT and was in the 98th percentile without prep. He is a smart kid but seems to have no interests or EC that will make a different. He is on the golf team, and that's all he really does at school, and he isn't a great golfer/won't be recruited. I am trying to figure out how to make him interested in college apps and start to develop a passion or interest in general. Summer after 9th grade he did nothing. He wants to go to a place like MIT or an ivy, and that just won't happen even with good ECs of which he has none. I mentioned this to my friend who works at a top DC private and she bluntly said, well he will get into a school like UMD or BC/BU if he is lucky. I was taken aback as this is a kid who is at the top of his grade and views himself as "better than" a school like UMD or a 40/50 school like BC or BU. He won't be hooked for admissions anywhere, aside from us being full pay which I know is not a hook but she said it can make a difference at some SLAC. What do I do??????????

Do what? Just let your son do his best and apply to the schools he’s interested in. Encourage him to broaden his options beyond just MIT and the Ivy League. School admissions are determined by such a complex mixture of factors, you never know what the outcome will be.

My child, with similar stats, an IB diploma, and stronger extracurriculars, was only interested in one Ivy League school. She also applied to several private and public universities that she liked. Among her acceptances, she chose BU. At first, I thought she might be slightly overqualified, but boy, was I wrong. BU is full of smart, talented students, and she’s building great friendships there.

I also have another child who attended a top 25 school (based on US News rankings, which I no longer trust), and I’ve come to realize just how underrated BU is—or how overrated the other school might be. Of course, others might have different opinions or experiences, but that’s my anecdotal experience. I’m guessing many schools we initially overlook are in similar situations.

Just do your best wherever you are, wherever you end up, and make the most of it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:He is going to be fine. There is no reason a 10th grader should be interested in college apps or focusing on something to get into college. He sounds like a good kid and a good student. Let him be that.

+1
Even if he doesn't excel at getting accepted to a top college, he may just excel at LIFE!! Maybe he will be a great family man or start a wildly successful business.