Anonymous
Post 07/18/2025 22:24     Subject: High Stat kid, no interests or leadership, where to apply?
Anonymous wrote:Full pay boy. High performing suburban HS of a major city (Boston/DC/NY). No legacy.

Going into his junior year of HS. In the top ten of his class, may end up being valedictorian. He’s very smart, has no leadership or interesting ECs. Minor volunteering, 2 JV sports, not recruitable and may not even make varsity. Ship has sailed for ECs, they would be meaningless at this point and I would not expect joining a club would have any impact on his results.

He is really smart, and likely would do fine at an Ivy, but he won’t get in as he doesn’t stand out at all. Where can a kid with high test scores and top of class at a strong suburban public get into that is still prestigious? What’s his best bet for ED? Could he possibly get into a rice or Cornell?

He has multiple 5s on APs and will have 1500+ on SAT (if he doesn’t get there initially, he will be tutored).


Emory?
Anonymous
Post 07/18/2025 21:53     Subject: High Stat kid, no interests or leadership, where to apply?
Anonymous wrote:Get a private counselor and get off here.


why?
Anonymous
Post 07/18/2025 21:52     Subject: High Stat kid, no interests or leadership, where to apply?
Get a private counselor and get off here.
Anonymous
Post 07/18/2025 21:45     Subject: High Stat kid, no interests or leadership, where to apply?
Anonymous wrote:op here. Thanks for the advice. I wish it wasn’t July. I should have made him get a job this summer. He did volunteering for CCD confirmation at a food pantry but I will make him start again this summer. I also don’t know if he will make his teams this year and if not I’ll force him to get a job. DS isn’t going to want to go to our state flagship - it’s strong but not a ton of top kids from our rich HS go there. It’s a perception thing, which is frustrating. Also re: marine bio - I also think it’s sort of ridiculous as he doesn’t even know what marine biology really is or what a marine biologist does.


Wants and reality are two different animals. Just based on your description of him, he needs a lot of growing up to do and find his own path.
Anonymous
Post 07/18/2025 21:27     Subject: High Stat kid, no interests or leadership, where to apply?
Anonymous wrote:op here. Thanks for the advice. I wish it wasn’t July. I should have made him get a job this summer. He did volunteering for CCD confirmation at a food pantry but I will make him start again this summer. I also don’t know if he will make his teams this year and if not I’ll force him to get a job. DS isn’t going to want to go to our state flagship - it’s strong but not a ton of top kids from our rich HS go there. It’s a perception thing, which is frustrating. Also re: marine bio - I also think it’s sort of ridiculous as he doesn’t even know what marine biology really is or what a marine biologist does.


Well, newsflash for your son: if you have nothing but excellent grades and high test scores on your application, then you end up at your state flagship. It doesn’t matter whether he “wants“ to go or not. He’s not good enough for any of these top private schools that others are recommending. It is just not going to happen. So tell him to prepare himself.
Anonymous
Post 07/18/2025 21:27     Subject: High Stat kid, no interests or leadership, where to apply?
Anonymous wrote:Just make up the activities. Many kids do this.


The things that don't matter, they don't verify. Cloud watching, putt putt job.
The things that matter, it's more likely they will find out. For example, AIME qualifier, Varsity captain, Student Council President.

Either way, it's not going to change anything.

The vast majority of colleges don't care about your ECs. With or without ECs, you are getting in as long as high stats.
T20 care about your ECs, but only the ones that matter. Putting cloud watching on the list does not make you a T20 admit.
Anonymous
Post 07/18/2025 21:22     Subject: High Stat kid, no interests or leadership, where to apply?
op here. Thanks for the advice. I wish it wasn’t July. I should have made him get a job this summer. He did volunteering for CCD confirmation at a food pantry but I will make him start again this summer. I also don’t know if he will make his teams this year and if not I’ll force him to get a job. DS isn’t going to want to go to our state flagship - it’s strong but not a ton of top kids from our rich HS go there. It’s a perception thing, which is frustrating. Also re: marine bio - I also think it’s sort of ridiculous as he doesn’t even know what marine biology really is or what a marine biologist does.
Anonymous
Post 07/18/2025 20:03     Subject: High Stat kid, no interests or leadership, where to apply?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Full pay boy. High performing suburban HS of a major city (Boston/DC/NY). No legacy.

Going into his junior year of HS. In the top ten of his class, may end up being valedictorian. He’s very smart, has no leadership or interesting ECs. Minor volunteering, 2 JV sports, not recruitable and may not even make varsity. Ship has sailed for ECs, they would be meaningless at this point and I would not expect joining a club would have any impact on his results.

He is really smart, and likely would do fine at an Ivy, but he won’t get in as he doesn’t stand out at all. Where can a kid with high test scores and top of class at a strong suburban public get into that is still prestigious? What’s his best bet for ED? Could he possibly get into a rice or Cornell?

He has multiple 5s on APs and will have 1500+ on SAT (if he doesn’t get there initially, he will be tutored).


Assuming he can test better than 1500, consider Oxbridge. They don't care about leadership or ECs. He'll need to take a specialized subject exam, though, and do really well on them.


HIGHLY unlikely. Oxford and Cambridge require intensive interviews with professors in the field of interest (it would also require him to pick a specified field and, at this moment, it sounds like he’s not there yet). Selected students have to show a very deep understanding of their interest areas. That doesn’t describe OP’s son.
Anonymous
Post 07/18/2025 19:17     Subject: High Stat kid, no interests or leadership, where to apply?
Just make up the activities. Many kids do this.
Anonymous
Post 07/18/2025 19:16     Subject: High Stat kid, no interests or leadership, where to apply?
Your state flagship is made for boys like this.
Anonymous
Post 07/18/2025 19:08     Subject: High Stat kid, no interests or leadership, where to apply?
Just make up the stupid ECs. There are examples listed like putt putt lol.

It’s not that serious.
Anonymous
Post 07/18/2025 19:03     Subject: Re:High Stat kid, no interests or leadership, where to apply?
Anonymous wrote:My young neighbor in NYC with a similar profile--except that he was coming out of Stuyvesant High School-ended up at SUNY Binghamton. He is enjoying it.

For the OP's kid, I would recommend getting involved in all of the Science Olympiads, taking the AMC or other math contests and if possible qualifying for the AIME. If at all possible, do a project for Regeneron and placing. https://www.societyforscience.org/isef/


This is the least fluffy, most solid, advice OP got today. This is the right approach.

Cloud watching or star gazing! What kind of insanity we have now for college admission!
Anonymous
Post 07/18/2025 18:56     Subject: Re:High Stat kid, no interests or leadership, where to apply?
Anonymous wrote:My young neighbor in NYC with a similar profile--except that he was coming out of Stuyvesant High School-ended up at SUNY Binghamton. He is enjoying it.

For the OP's kid, I would recommend getting involved in all of the Science Olympiads, taking the AMC or other math contests and if possible qualifying for the AIME. If at all possible, do a project for Regeneron and placing. https://www.societyforscience.org/isef/


This is a strategy to look like everyone else. I would not do this unless your kid wanted to do science Olympiad’s.

There are better suggestions in this thread.
Anonymous
Post 07/18/2025 18:34     Subject: High Stat kid, no interests or leadership, where to apply?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Why do we have high stats no ECs boys keep popping up recently? So many.


Because they stay in their rooms and play video games.


This is absolutely NOT true! I’m the parent who posted a couple of days ago about my rising junior son with very high stats but not great EC’s. He also happens to hate video games.

My son is a very hardworking kid who is extremely conscientious about his school work.
I think it’s ridiculous that we live in a society that expects 14 and 15 year olds to have found their passion and to work on that passion all throughout high school to impress college admission officers.

I was an excellent student who had no idea what I wanted to do with my life at 15. I ended up getting a PhD in a STEM discipline from a T20 school and have a successful career. Of course that was about 30 years ago before all the competitive madness with college admissions.


This thread is not about you or your kid (unless you are the OP). Calm down and start your own thread.
Anonymous
Post 07/18/2025 18:32     Subject: Re:High Stat kid, no interests or leadership, where to apply?
My young neighbor in NYC with a similar profile--except that he was coming out of Stuyvesant High School-ended up at SUNY Binghamton. He is enjoying it.

For the OP's kid, I would recommend getting involved in all of the Science Olympiads, taking the AMC or other math contests and if possible qualifying for the AIME. If at all possible, do a project for Regeneron and placing. https://www.societyforscience.org/isef/