Anonymous
08/26/2025 01:10
Subject: Admissions Spikes
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:My kid didn’t have a spike. Very well rounded ECs. I was nervous because we started hearing that being well rounded is undesirable. Kid (from overrepresented area) ended up being accepted to all of HYPSM (applied as a STEM major) in RD.
That’s impressive — all of HYPSM! Where do you live? Public or private HS?
Thank you. They were very lucky and surprised. From a high performing Public HS on the East Coast (major metropolitan area)
Anonymous
08/25/2025 19:56
Subject: Admissions Spikes
Latin/classics major as mentioned earlier. Has to have real EC and high school coursework
Anonymous
08/25/2025 18:56
Subject: Admissions Spikes
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:What the heck is a humanities spike?! Are there really humanities activities that are that unique and unusual?!
Published in Concord Review or Adroit.
Iykyk.
TCR (academic & historical writing)
Adroit, Blue Marble (literary journals)
Scholastic Gold
YoungArts
John Locke
Princeton HS Poetry Prize (11th only)
NHD/WHD
State Youth Poet Laureate
Foyle Young Poets
Bennington
JFK Profile in Courage
Have you seen the list of winners? Many are fake just to get in to college.
What makes you think the winners are fake? Do you know the winners?
You can't fake most of this. My kids are involved (and won) several of these and it's all natural interest. There is nothing I can do to help them with it... in fact, I'm usually telling them to stop writing, stop reading, stop playing your instrument, stop singing and do your schoolwork. In fact, it is a constant battle.
Because a couple of years later they major in CS at Stanford.
Haha. That is one person. I am pretty sure many kids change their majors in college. Maybe my kids will too... who knows?
Our local high school had two kids published in Concord Review. One developed a humanities spike but is majoring in CS. The other had a STEM spike with this random publication. Physics/EE major. I would guess both kids had consultants.
Anonymous
08/25/2025 18:53
Subject: Admissions Spikes
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:My kid's friend is a refugee from Afganistan. He's only been in the US for 5-6 years, but has top grades and test scores. His only EC is part time work-- as he does'nt have reliable transportatin and has responsibility with many younger siblings at home. He's applying to UVA and W&M, but he is seriously thinking about CC to state school route.
My child is trying to convince him that he should apply to top needs-meet schools like Harvard and Yale. It is a lottery but he is a better candidate for these schools than possibly anyone else in their cohort.
I work with some refugee families but with little resource at home and gap in education in earlier years, their kids tend to struggle in school-- this student is truly exceptional.
Yes, absolutely. You are right he should apply. He can list intellectual hobbies as ECs. If you post more about him here, we'd be happy to crowdsource ideas for this kid.
And tell him to join Matriculate or Upchieve and get free college counseling help.
https://matriculate.org/
https://upchieve.org/
I know kids who had mentors from Matriculate. Yale students. Students were rejected from Yale even though they were admitted to Stanford and/or Cornell. I would stay away from Matriculate. Don’t know about upchieve.
There are private IECs who do pro-bono work. Look for them.
Anonymous
08/25/2025 18:48
Subject: Admissions Spikes
Anonymous wrote:My kid didn’t have a spike. Very well rounded ECs. I was nervous because we started hearing that being well rounded is undesirable. Kid (from overrepresented area) ended up being accepted to all of HYPSM (applied as a STEM major) in RD.
That’s impressive — all of HYPSM! Where do you live? Public or private HS?
Anonymous
08/25/2025 18:34
Subject: Admissions Spikes
Anonymous wrote:My kid's friend is a refugee from Afganistan. He's only been in the US for 5-6 years, but has top grades and test scores. His only EC is part time work-- as he does'nt have reliable transportatin and has responsibility with many younger siblings at home. He's applying to UVA and W&M, but he is seriously thinking about CC to state school route.
My child is trying to convince him that he should apply to top needs-meet schools like Harvard and Yale. It is a lottery but he is a better candidate for these schools than possibly anyone else in their cohort.
I work with some refugee families but with little resource at home and gap in education in earlier years, their kids tend to struggle in school-- this student is truly exceptional.
Yes, absolutely. You are right he should apply. He can list intellectual hobbies as ECs. If you post more about him here, we'd be happy to crowdsource ideas for this kid.
And tell him to join Matriculate or Upchieve and get free college counseling help.
https://matriculate.org/
https://upchieve.org/
Anonymous
08/25/2025 18:10
Subject: Admissions Spikes
My kid's friend is a refugee from Afganistan. He's only been in the US for 5-6 years, but has top grades and test scores. His only EC is part time work-- as he does'nt have reliable transportatin and has responsibility with many younger siblings at home. He's applying to UVA and W&M, but he is seriously thinking about CC to state school route.
My child is trying to convince him that he should apply to top needs-meet schools like Harvard and Yale. It is a lottery but he is a better candidate for these schools than possibly anyone else in their cohort.
I work with some refugee families but with little resource at home and gap in education in earlier years, their kids tend to struggle in school-- this student is truly exceptional.
My child is trying to convince him that he should apply to top needs-meet schools like Harvard and Yale. It is a lottery but he is a better candidate for these schools than possibly anyone else in their cohort.
I work with some refugee families but with little resource at home and gap in education in earlier years, their kids tend to struggle in school-- this student is truly exceptional.
Anonymous
08/25/2025 17:41
Subject: Admissions Spikes
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:What the heck is a humanities spike?! Are there really humanities activities that are that unique and unusual?!
Published in Concord Review or Adroit.
Iykyk.
TCR (academic & historical writing)
Adroit, Blue Marble (literary journals)
Scholastic Gold
YoungArts
John Locke
Princeton HS Poetry Prize (11th only)
NHD/WHD
State Youth Poet Laureate
Foyle Young Poets
Bennington
JFK Profile in Courage
Have you seen the list of winners? Many are fake just to get in to college.
What makes you think the winners are fake? Do you know the winners?
You can't fake most of this. My kids are involved (and won) several of these and it's all natural interest. There is nothing I can do to help them with it... in fact, I'm usually telling them to stop writing, stop reading, stop playing your instrument, stop singing and do your schoolwork. In fact, it is a constant battle.
Because a couple of years later they major in CS at Stanford.
Haha. That is one person. I am pretty sure many kids change their majors in college. Maybe my kids will too... who knows?
Anonymous
08/25/2025 16:54
Subject: Admissions Spikes
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:What the heck is a humanities spike?! Are there really humanities activities that are that unique and unusual?!
Published in Concord Review or Adroit.
Iykyk.
TCR (academic & historical writing)
Adroit, Blue Marble (literary journals)
Scholastic Gold
YoungArts
John Locke
Princeton HS Poetry Prize (11th only)
NHD/WHD
State Youth Poet Laureate
Foyle Young Poets
Bennington
JFK Profile in Courage
Have you seen the list of winners? Many are fake just to get in to college.
What makes you think the winners are fake? Do you know the winners?
You can't fake most of this. My kids are involved (and won) several of these and it's all natural interest. There is nothing I can do to help them with it... in fact, I'm usually telling them to stop writing, stop reading, stop playing your instrument, stop singing and do your schoolwork. In fact, it is a constant battle.
Because a couple of years later they major in CS at Stanford.