Reply to Where do smart kids go who aren't overachievers?

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]Carnegie Mellon
Grinnell
Oberlin
Kenyon
De Paul (for theater) 
Sarah Lawrence[/quote]

Grinnell, Oberlin, Kenyon out of reach for student fitting this profile.[/quote]

DC has a 3.6  GPA and very, very strong PSATs. These schools are definitely within reach. Some of these others suggestions - such as community college -- for this profile are just ridiculous. OP, don't be afraid to aim high.[/quote]

OP described her child as having a 3.6 GPA without many AP courses.  She also noted that [b]her daughter doesn't hold a leadership position in any organizations.  [/b]It's unlikely that high scores will  compensate for these factors.  So, I'd agree that Grinnell, Oberlin and Kenyon are real long-shots (and Carnegie-Mellon, which has an excellent theater program, even longer).  That said, there are many other great schools along the selectivity spectrum.  It's fine to aim high with a couple of reaches, but every student needs likelies and safeties to anchor their list.  
     [/quote]

I have had it up to HERE with leadership positions!  Everyone is not a leader.  Some of the most accomplished, talented students I know, actually, are too busy doing and creating things to want to deal with the hassle of holding meetings and managing their peers.  Talented writers and artists, talented actors, talented athletes, talented techies can be high achieving without ever holding the title of president, editor or captain.  So to say that someone's lack of a leadership position would hurt them is ridiculous.   Imagine a college where everyone is a leader?   What would that even be like? [/quote]

I'm the PP you quoted, and actually, I'm in agreement with you.  But, as an alum interviewer, I've found that it's an uphill battle for applicants who don't hold a leadership position.  Some of these students are extraordinarily talented, and I've heartily recommended them for admission, but I'm not the decider (to paraphrase our former fearless leader).     [/quote]

That's sad.  I don't know what university you are an alum interviewer for, but would not want my kids attending a college where so much emphasis can be put on something that can be so easily faked.  A few years back my kid, who's now in a great college, was the top performer in a very high visibility and award-winning club at his school.  He was vice president by his sophomore year and could have walked into the presidency his senior year.  Instead, he quit the club.  When I asked him why, since being president would have seemingly been the natural progression and looked good on paper, he said because he hadn't learned anything new in a year and no longer found the competitions challenging.  The club sponsor wanted him to start "mentoring" the underclass men, which to him seemed boring and like standing in place.  He ended up using the time he would have spent in the club to learn and compete on his own.  I had to respect him for caring more about the actual process of learning than what his position was.  Not all kids fit the same mold, thank goodness. [/quote]

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