Reply to Yale breaks own record with # of applications for 2016

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]I don't think that that kind of story works well for many upper middle class (private school?) kids.  It's just as generic as the other parts of the application.

What the privates offer wrt college admissions is not so much advice re packaging/storytelling as insight re which colleges are looking for kids like yours.  In my admittedly limited experience, they also do a good job with recs and deadlines and keeping everyone involved in the process on task and on time.[/quote]

[b]Why wouldn't it work for upper middle class kids?[/b]. I basically provided the formula for how to articulate the course you have charted as per 10:13, who said the same thing but was a bit vaguer in advice. Obviously don't sit there and spew off those sentences fill in the blank style, but if you can cover all those points with compelling, personal answers, you will drastically increase you me chances of getting in. [/quote]

In part because it *is* a formula. And in part because the obstacles are usually fairly trivial/similar (and the ones that are real -- e.g. serious depression -- may send up red flags).  Also, there's no way you can know these stories "worked" because you haven't seen the rest of the pool and other parts of the applications (e.g. recs).

I think that the difference between your answer and mine is not primarily the degree of specificity but a focus on where kids put their energy and why in the years leading up to college vs. a focus on how to play the applications game.  (I'd have different answers from yours re the latter question as well).[/quote]

*shrug* Well, if you have any specific advice, feel free to provide it instead of making vague arguments against mine. Once you have a certain level of accomplishment, it's all about how you sell your story.

Me: What types of activities are you involved with? Can you tell me a bit about that?

Kid A: I play softball for my school team year-round. I made captain my junior year. I really like it because it of the teamwork and it pushes me out of my comfort zone as a leader. We were state champions last year.

Kid B: I play softball for my school team year-round. I made captain my junior year. I was an only child growing up and the neighborhood kids would get together in a nearby field, so that's how I discovered my love of softball and the kind of teamwork it entails. Last year we lost one of our key players due to a really bad injury halfway through the season, and it really pushed me out of my comfort zone as a leader because team morale was really low. I pulled the team together by organizing trips to the hospital to visit our teammate, and we ended up becoming state champions.

Me: What are you interested in studying?

Kid A: I like science. It's my best subject.

Kid B: I like science. Last year in AP Biology we studied suriname toads, and I thought it was so interesting how their baby toads just pop out of their backs. It's my best subject.

Whether that's in an essay, rec, or interview, Kid B is way more memorable and likely to get in.[/quote]

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