Reply to Parents of Ivy admits — what were their ECs?

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]So tired of all the advice that kids have to be pointy.  My kid rising sophomore is a regular kid with interests in sports, sneakers, and girls.

Somehow in the next two years, he’s supposed to develop deep intellectual interests, do innovative research, or somehow be the best in his field at something.

Is this real, or do normal kids have a chance at Ivy admissions?  Parents of Ivy admits, can you share what your kids ECs were?[/quote]

This depends what you mean by "normal". If you mean average HS student then no. One has to be exceptional in within their high school and AO region to be considered, whatever that means for the high school(does less than 1% get into ivies each year? or 10% of the unhooked high school class?).
The data shows the vast majority of unhooked kids have top scores and are at the very top handful of their high school. The ones who get into ivies do not have to have crazy ECs: many have 2-3 that they are able to write about intelligently and explain their impact. Intellectual curiosity is a common theme in "what we look for". I think the LOR from teachers can show this., as can essays, and the interview. Colleges want students to participate in class and in the community and ivies also want the brightest (or a hooked demographic or recruited athlete). 
Read MIT applying sideways. Every Ivy/T10 kid I know who got in unhooked happens to fit the description perfectly, organically, without parental help, AND they are at the top of their class: they have the intellectual interest and the desire to dive deep into ECs in addition to studies on their own. I do not think it can be crafted so if the kid does not have it, they do not, and they will still have schools that accept them. The harsh reality is that every year there are kids who organically have all of the above and still do not get into ivies/t10, yet peers who seem similar do. [/quote]

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