Starting a "nonprofit" in high school

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This makes me tired. Just be a real person and do ECs that resonate with you. Help others. Or don't. But don't be duplicitous.

Most kids do this but selective colleges don’t reward them for their honesty. Colleges want to think they’re getting the most special snowflakes who really do have the maturity to pull of these impressive resumes. Truth: parents are driving most of it AND making most of it happen. So selective schools are filled with students of bad character and no integrity. Then they graduate with say….a Penn business degree and run major scams while appearing to be the vision of success. ‘Merica.

LOL. Do you really think Stanford is "filled with students of bad character and no integrity?"

Um....ever hear of Sam Bankfried? That guy was practically raised at Stanford by his two Stanford law professor parents (who appear to be deeply involved in the scandal as well)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This makes me tired. Just be a real person and do ECs that resonate with you. Help others. Or don't. But don't be duplicitous.

Most kids do this but selective colleges don’t reward them for their honesty. Colleges want to think they’re getting the most special snowflakes who really do have the maturity to pull of these impressive resumes. Truth: parents are driving most of it AND making most of it happen. So selective schools are filled with students of bad character and no integrity. Then they graduate with say….a Penn business degree and run major scams while appearing to be the vision of success. ‘Merica.

LOL. Do you really think Stanford is "filled with students of bad character and no integrity?"

Um....ever hear of Sam Bankman-Fried? That guy was practically raised at Stanford by his two Stanford law professor parents (who appear to be deeply involved in the scandal as well)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This makes me tired. Just be a real person and do ECs that resonate with you. Help others. Or don't. But don't be duplicitous.

Most kids do this but selective colleges don’t reward them for their honesty. Colleges want to think they’re getting the most special snowflakes who really do have the maturity to pull of these impressive resumes. Truth: parents are driving most of it AND making most of it happen. So selective schools are filled with students of bad character and no integrity. Then they graduate with say….a Penn business degree and run major scams while appearing to be the vision of success. ‘Merica.

Agreed, but it's not just about getting the special snowflakes. It's about admitting students whose parents have connections, especially fundraising connections. One PP discussed the how the nonprofits are viewed as Tier 1, Tier 2, etc. Getting those upper tier nonprofits means getting securing future donation $$$.

[Anonymous]

So, what do these nonprofits do? I'm still unclear about how "starting a nonprofit" is different from volunteering for an existing nonprofit.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Even adults who want to start a non-profit and who get real advice are advised that is is always better to join forces with an established non profit doing the same thing. Unless you have found a truly unserved niche, starting your own is wasting overhead and energy that could go to the cause.

Yes. Some students started one collecting glasses for needy people. Um, the Lions Club has been doing that successfully for ages. Why replicate something that already exists? if I were an admissions interviewer, that would be the first question I asked.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:So, what do these nonprofits do? I'm still unclear about how "starting a nonprofit" is different from volunteering for an existing nonprofit.

It’s different because it can check the leadership box on applications and kids can do the work in between their other activities without an adult expecting them to volunteer on a regular schedule.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Even adults who want to start a non-profit and who get real advice are advised that is is always better to join forces with an established non profit doing the same thing. Unless you have found a truly unserved niche, starting your own is wasting overhead and energy that could go to the cause.

Yes. Some students started one collecting glasses for needy people. Um, the Lions Club has been doing that successfully for ages. Why replicate something that already exists? if I were an admissions interviewer, that would be the first question I asked.

And I’d like hard data on how much was done for how many people.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This makes me tired. Just be a real person and do ECs that resonate with you. Help others. Or don't. But don't be duplicitous.

Most kids do this but selective colleges don’t reward them for their honesty. Colleges want to think they’re getting the most special snowflakes who really do have the maturity to pull of these impressive resumes. Truth: parents are driving most of it AND making most of it happen. So selective schools are filled with students of bad character and no integrity. Then they graduate with say….a Penn business degree and run major scams while appearing to be the vision of success. ‘Merica.

LOL. Do you really think Stanford is "filled with students of bad character and no integrity?"

Um....ever hear of Sam Bankfried? That guy was practically raised at Stanford by his two Stanford law professor parents (who appear to be deeply involved in the scandal as well)

Elizabeth Holmes sounds familiar too.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Sadly most of these are "charities" are scams.

But having experienced what it took for my unhooked kid to get into Ivy(+), I can see why others would look for an easier way out

What’s Ivy +? There is Ivies and non Ivies.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This makes me tired. Just be a real person and do ECs that resonate with you. Help others. Or don't. But don't be duplicitous.

Most kids do this but selective colleges don’t reward them for their honesty. Colleges want to think they’re getting the most special snowflakes who really do have the maturity to pull of these impressive resumes. Truth: parents are driving most of it AND making most of it happen. So selective schools are filled with students of bad character and no integrity. Then they graduate with say….a Penn business degree and run major scams while appearing to be the vision of success. ‘Merica.

LOL. Do you really think Stanford is "filled with students of bad character and no integrity?"

Yes. Not all but yes, lots. The cut-throat win -at-all costs mentality is what gets a lot of these kids into competitive schools unless they are hooked in some authentic way. It’s disgusting.

Well the trees that these apples have fallen from are on full display here on DCUM!

[Anonymous]

Not to be cynical, but parents aiding kids with non-profits and businesses isn’t really any different than parents hooking up their kids with jobs and internships, or helping budding scientists select science fair projects or find research/lab opportunities. There are always going to be kids and parents desperate to get an edge. We just let them do their thing and we do our thing. My DD looked for schools that wanted her, had many great choices, and is happy and thriving. That’s all that matters.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:A unifying theme among ED admits from our Big 3 school (those that have posted their ED to social media) seems to be that they "started a nonprofit." One or two I have seen seem fulsome and ongoing. Others, not so much.

Is this the latest "angle" parents in the DMV are encouraging?

Good works, even if done for a short period of time, are still worthwhile. And not all efforts will be successful. But anecdotally, it is curious.

It isn't just nonprofits. Kids are packaged as "entrepreneurs" as well.

They also file for patents for inventions.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Even adults who want to start a non-profit and who get real advice are advised that is is always better to join forces with an established non profit doing the same thing. Unless you have found a truly unserved niche, starting your own is wasting overhead and energy that could go to the cause.

Yes. Some students started one collecting glasses for needy people. Um, the Lions Club has been doing that successfully for ages. Why replicate something that already exists? if I were an admissions interviewer, that would be the first question I asked.

I agree. You can volunteer at existing places to collect eye glasses, feed the homeless and make computer coding accessible to under-represented groups.

[Anonymous]

Did the non-profit thing emerge after paying $$$ to volunteer at an orphanage abroad failed to impress admissions staff?

Now that universities like underprivileged and first gen applicants, what's the new approach?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Not to be cynical, but parents aiding kids with non-profits and businesses isn’t really any different than parents hooking up their kids with jobs and internships, or helping budding scientists select science fair projects or find research/lab opportunities. There are always going to be kids and parents desperate to get an edge. We just let them do their thing and we do our thing. My DD looked for schools that wanted her, had many great choices, and is happy and thriving. That’s all that matters.

It’s the same parents and all we’re asking is for the colleges to care enough to verify that the claims are true and not simply a result of their privilege- like kids who boast they raised 10x the previous record for xyz charity when their mom wrote a check for 90% of it. Unless top schools want the kind of kid who lies about their accomplishments and cheats to win a contest. Or for a grade. Maybe that’s what they want. I guess I can be cynical too.