Anonymous
Post 03/13/2025 16:39     Subject: ECs - the most unusual or memorable ones
Anonymous wrote:I graduated from high school with a kid who started a robotics company in middle school. He sold it junior year for enough to pay for 4 years at Harvard and then some, after taxes. I was pretty impressed.


What’s he up to now? Just curious.
Anonymous
Post 03/13/2025 16:37     Subject: ECs - the most unusual or memorable ones
Anonymous wrote:I've been harping on my sophomore for 1.5 yrs to join something at school. Keep telling her on paper she looks like not that interesting. Then I was so ashamed that I told him kid she wasn't interesting! She is in almost year-round club sport and piano lessons and other than that, she seems to only care about her hair and makeup - no cap as the kids would say.

But, she works hard at her grades and I've decided to leave her alone. We will just try to ensure her essays convey a sense of her quiet confidence and creative interests. I've actually really come around to deciding that -screw the resume-building - I think it is cool she is happy opting-out. And now we have peace in the home. I've told her some doors may close but if she doesn't have the drive rn to jump through hoops for other ppl, a non top-tier school will be just fine.

She is smart and creative and has nice friends... She will get a part time job this summer and at least get some real life skills and have her own Starbucks money. As for the college stuff, we are just going to roll with it and see how it all pans out. I'm sure it will be fine.


Your daughter sounds like she has a good head on her shoulders. Kudos to you for letting her do her own thing and be true to herself.
Anonymous
Post 03/13/2025 16:33     Subject: ECs - the most unusual or memorable ones
We have a family friend who developed an interest in Alpaca's in middle school. By the time he was a junior, he was running a small farm with a side business for their wool. He was incredibly smart and worked hard. He was accepted at all the best schools and I imagine that no one had seen another kid who ran an alpaca farm in their free time.
Anonymous
Post 03/13/2025 16:31     Subject: ECs - the most unusual or memorable ones
I've been harping on my sophomore for 1.5 yrs to join something at school. Keep telling her on paper she looks like not that interesting. Then I was so ashamed that I told him kid she wasn't interesting! She is in almost year-round club sport and piano lessons and other than that, she seems to only care about her hair and makeup - no cap as the kids would say.

But, she works hard at her grades and I've decided to leave her alone. We will just try to ensure her essays convey a sense of her quiet confidence and creative interests. I've actually really come around to deciding that -screw the resume-building - I think it is cool she is happy opting-out. And now we have peace in the home. I've told her some doors may close but if she doesn't have the drive rn to jump through hoops for other ppl, a non top-tier school will be just fine.

She is smart and creative and has nice friends... She will get a part time job this summer and at least get some real life skills and have her own Starbucks money. As for the college stuff, we are just going to roll with it and see how it all pans out. I'm sure it will be fine.
Anonymous
Post 03/13/2025 16:28     Subject: ECs - the most unusual or memorable ones
I know of a kid who, along with his brother, created cardboard sculptures of comic book characters and sold it to vendors for display at conferences. got into stanford and mit.
Anonymous
Post 03/13/2025 16:22     Subject: ECs - the most unusual or memorable ones
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Kid who started a beekeeping initiative (already was certified master beekeeper from Cornell) with a local jail, and eventually inmates mastered beekeeping and made honey.
Kid packaged and sold the honey for them. Think inmates created a garden too and kid did same with that.

There's more to it, but that's the gist.
At Stanford.


That’s funny because I live on the west coast and kid beekeepers are kind of a dime a dozen out here. That and selling eggs from backyard flocks are both common crunchy educated kid activities in my area.


Once it worked once for someone, it's out there and is getting replicated a million times.

Truly unique ECs: no pain, no gain. The kid really had to go through a lot to accomplish something amazing.

The best thing is just to make sure your kids have enough free time to think, create and master something.


The reality is that most kids don't have that talent. The discussion here really is focusing on how to manufacture one. If the kid truly has talent, they won't be here asking ... But they still want to send the kid to a T20.
Anonymous
Post 03/13/2025 16:17     Subject: ECs - the most unusual or memorable ones
All of these ECs listed are called "texture". Have you heard of it?

Anonymous
Post 03/13/2025 16:09     Subject: ECs - the most unusual or memorable ones
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Kid who started a beekeeping initiative (already was certified master beekeeper from Cornell) with a local jail, and eventually inmates mastered beekeeping and made honey.
Kid packaged and sold the honey for them. Think inmates created a garden too and kid did same with that.

There's more to it, but that's the gist.
At Stanford.


That’s funny because I live on the west coast and kid beekeepers are kind of a dime a dozen out here. That and selling eggs from backyard flocks are both common crunchy educated kid activities in my area.


Once it worked once for someone, it's out there and is getting replicated a million times.

Truly unique ECs: no pain, no gain. The kid really had to go through a lot to accomplish something amazing.


Agree. The most memorable I won't share here - because they are so unique and personal to the kids. One of which is my own. But they are absolutely authentic. And definitely not created by anyone on the outside - entirely-kid developed. Parents may nudge for a certain "output" to have measurable impact after a few years, but the process is driven entirely by kids.

The best thing is just to make sure your kids have enough free time to think, create and master something.
Anonymous
Post 03/13/2025 16:05     Subject: ECs - the most unusual or memorable ones
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Kid who started a beekeeping initiative (already was certified master beekeeper from Cornell) with a local jail, and eventually inmates mastered beekeeping and made honey.
Kid packaged and sold the honey for them. Think inmates created a garden too and kid did same with that.

There's more to it, but that's the gist.
At Stanford.


That’s funny because I live on the west coast and kid beekeepers are kind of a dime a dozen out here. That and selling eggs from backyard flocks are both common crunchy educated kid activities in my area.


Once it worked once for someone, it's out there and is getting replicated a million times.

Truly unique ECs: no pain, no gain. The kid really had to go through a lot to accomplish something amazing.
Anonymous
Post 03/13/2025 16:01     Subject: ECs - the most unusual or memorable ones
Anonymous wrote:Kid who started a beekeeping initiative (already was certified master beekeeper from Cornell) with a local jail, and eventually inmates mastered beekeeping and made honey.
Kid packaged and sold the honey for them. Think inmates created a garden too and kid did same with that.

There's more to it, but that's the gist.
At Stanford.


That’s funny because I live on the west coast and kid beekeepers are kind of a dime a dozen out here. That and selling eggs from backyard flocks are both common crunchy educated kid activities in my area.
Anonymous
Post 03/13/2025 16:00     Subject: ECs - the most unusual or memorable ones
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:What are the most unusual or memorable ECs you've heard about this year?

I have a senior and an 8th grader - so it's really just curiosity or nosiness at this point.


If you are in the midwest on the country side, have family with high school grads and you do something in stem.....that makes it memorable for the AOs.

No kid from even TJ got into CEE RSI program this year so nothing unique that they haven't seen already. Very hard being in DC area


It's like if the kid lives in Manhattan and goes to Dalton, but worked in a McDonald in Newark NJ inner city every day for four years. That! Yes, I will accept the kid into HYP. The only question is would you let you kid do that?


Different city, but I know a kid who randomly started working at a McDonald’s during the summer. And then he stayed with it all through HS because he never got around to getting another job. He ended up fluent in Spanish with help from his coworkers and was promoted to manager before leaving for college.
Anonymous
Post 03/13/2025 15:55     Subject: ECs - the most unusual or memorable ones
Kid who started a beekeeping initiative (already was certified master beekeeper from Cornell) with a local jail, and eventually inmates mastered beekeeping and made honey.
Kid packaged and sold the honey for them. Think inmates created a garden too and kid did same with that.

There's more to it, but that's the gist.
At Stanford.
Anonymous
Post 03/13/2025 15:53     Subject: ECs - the most unusual or memorable ones
Anonymous wrote:I graduated from high school with a kid who started a robotics company in middle school. He sold it junior year for enough to pay for 4 years at Harvard and then some, after taxes. I was pretty impressed.

I'll add that his mom had died of cancer and his dad was super smart but severely medically disabled. They were living on social security payments and far, far from wealthy. The kid started the company to support his family the year after losing his mom and almost losing his dad to meningitis. As a 12 yo.
Anonymous
Post 03/13/2025 15:48     Subject: ECs - the most unusual or memorable ones
I graduated from high school with a kid who started a robotics company in middle school. He sold it junior year for enough to pay for 4 years at Harvard and then some, after taxes. I was pretty impressed.
Anonymous
Post 03/13/2025 15:47     Subject: ECs - the most unusual or memorable ones
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:What are the most unusual or memorable ECs you've heard about this year?

I have a senior and an 8th grader - so it's really just curiosity or nosiness at this point.


If you are in the midwest on the country side, have family with high school grads and you do something in stem.....that makes it memorable for the AOs.

No kid from even TJ got into CEE RSI program this year so nothing unique that they haven't seen already. Very hard being in DC area


It's like if the kid lives in Manhattan and goes to Dalton, but worked in a McDonald in Newark NJ inner city every day for four years. That! Yes, I will accept the kid into HYP. The only question is would you let you kid do that?