Reply to is THIS really what it takes for non-hooked kids to get into HYPS?

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]Take a look at this girl I just read about. Coolidge Scholar--full scholarship anywhere she gets into--she's a current 11th grader:

- AP Scholar with Distinction.
- Three summers helping with research on sickle cell anemia and calponin.
- Intel SEFMD Science Fair Grand Award winner and has qualified for the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair.
- Captain of the Forensics and Quiz Bowl Team.
- Co-editor of the high school newspaper.
- Founder and president of the "Leadership and Technology for Girls" club.
- Two-time DECA State Champion.
- Qualified for the 2015 National Quiz Bowl and the 2016 National History Bowl.
- 2014, finished 11th in the Scripps National Spelling Bee.
- Started a nonprofit, Helping Hands Going Global, that provides necessities for children in need around the world.
- She coaches mentally and physically challenged students for the Special Olympics.
- Seshadri has been a varsity swimmer and member of the Women's State Championship team since 2014. In 2013, she won a gold and silver medal in the Junior Olympics in the freestyle and backstroke competitions.

All of that PLUS colleges know ahead of time she has no need for aid = 100% lock for Stanford or Harvard.[/quote]
I'm not sure the point of this.  These types kids have always existed, and they were always nearly a lock anywhere.  This girl won a coveted scholarship...she's not typical of anything. 
 The question is whether these stats are requirements to get into HYPS.  I think the requirements have always been high, but what I've observed more recently is that a lot of kids seem to have a more entrepreneurial bent these days.  In other words, they started a non-profit, self-published a book, etc.  I'm not on a college admissions committee, but I do hire people, and I'm a little skeptical of some of this.  As Warren Buffet acknowledged when he donated his money to Gates Foundation instead of starting his own, if you actually want to accomplish a goal instead of getting recognition for having tried something, there is a lot of value in sticking with organizations that have a track record of doing it.  Why start a nonprofit to give to children in need instead of volunteering with one that knows how to do so already? Knowing nothing more than you've posted, it feels like resume-padding to me.

This is a little OT, but it's very interesting when thinking beyond college admissions.  I used to work in university administration for an internationally recognized public (i.e. one that is considered a coveted elite on DCUM).  One of the very large corporations that donated and did research with our university told us that they preferred to hire engineers from our university's engineering department rather than HYPS schools, because the HYPS students did not make good team players.  They always felt like they should be running everything rather than working with others.  I thought it was an interesting perspective.[/quote]

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