Anonymous
Post 11/19/2025 14:08     Subject: What activities are considered "impressive" to potential schools
Anonymous wrote:my DC was able to nurture and cultivate an interest in helping special needs children, and in applications expressed an authenticate interest in becoming a special ed teacher - backed up by ECs and even a fairly faux internship. Wove the essays around this theme and landed at a T20. DC changed mind about career interests and now on IB track


This teacher-to-business route is used by many ORM female applicants.

They use their camp counselor experience, their tutoring experience, their great writing/English-related ECs, and co-founding peer mentoring clubs in HS to create a strong "education" narrative. Usually, major: education (or sociology of education). Works well, especially at Vanderbilt ED.
Anonymous
Post 11/19/2025 14:06     Subject: What activities are considered "impressive" to potential schools
Anonymous wrote:my DC was able to nurture and cultivate an interest in helping special needs children, and in applications expressed an authenticate interest in becoming a special ed teacher - backed up by ECs and even a fairly faux internship. Wove the essays around this theme and landed at a T20. DC changed mind about career interests and now on IB track


lol.
let me guess. Northwestern or Vanderbilt?
If T25, WashU.
Anonymous
Post 11/19/2025 14:04     Subject: What activities are considered "impressive" to potential schools
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Gymnastics captain
AND Lead Cheerleader
AND Math team captain
AND Debate co-captain
AND Faculty award for top student in HS

In at two of HYP


Other than being good at becoming captain, I don’t see anything stand out in this resume. Where is the impact? How many times AIME qualified?


DP.

It demonstrates a remarkably diverse skill set. I can’t imagine that schools see that combo very often.


That is the point I was trying to make. So much focus on "passion" and "pointy", but plenty of well rounded kids end up at HYPSM.

She did not make it to AIME and is not the strongest math student actually. My kid was in the same grade as her and went to same school for 9th grade before transferring to another HS. My kid also ended up at one of HYPSM and recently got a look at the admissions file. Academic rating was 1 and that was got DC in.



You're the one who listed the stats of a kid who your kid knew from 9th grade only who got into 2 HYP based on your claiming the kid just had some so so in school activities? So in essence you have no real idea what the kid's stats were or what the hooks were. You have an overview of what you believe the kid did and that's it since the kid applied to college 2.5 years after your kid left the HS.

As for the award...it is entirely meaningless. Marshall/Oakton/Madison have one like that but it is NOT a faculty award. I'm guessing it is the same or a similar one...where it is an optimist club (for adults) award and is NOT given to the "top" student in the HS and it is NOT a faculty award. For example, at Marshall, which is one of the 3 participating schools, 5 juniors are nominated (so a total of 15 juniors get a nomination) and "nomination" means that a single faculty member nominates a kid likely without any basis of knowing if the kid is more or less deserving than others in the school. The winner out of the 15 nominees is selected by the optimists club. There is NO award in FCPS where the "faculty" gives an award to the "top" HS student. It doesn't exist.


DP. OCD much?
Anonymous
Post 11/19/2025 14:03     Subject: What activities are considered "impressive" to potential schools
my DC was able to nurture and cultivate an interest in helping special needs children, and in applications expressed an authenticate interest in becoming a special ed teacher - backed up by ECs and even a fairly faux internship. Wove the essays around this theme and landed at a T20. DC changed mind about career interests and now on IB track
Anonymous
Post 11/19/2025 13:58     Subject: What activities are considered "impressive" to potential schools
Anonymous wrote:I think research positions that the kid has secured independently (not through a parent or one of those pay-to-play gigs) looks good. My kids were lucky enough to gain research experience through cold emails to professors. We live in the same city as our state flagship, which made it feasible. Part time jobs are great, too- my DD didn't have hers listed on her common app and her school counselor insisted that she add it. I think that AOs will look at certain activities and know which ones are the most time-consuming. For instance, my kids are both year-round swimmers. AOs know that's a big commitment, as opposed to golf team, which my kids did as well, but it's a very low level of commitment, in terms of practices/matches, compared to swim. Classical music or band at a high level is also valued- shows discipline and commitment.


There is no way to know this.
Anonymous
Post 11/19/2025 13:57     Subject: What activities are considered "impressive" to potential schools
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Gymnastics captain
AND Lead Cheerleader
AND Math team captain
AND Debate co-captain
AND Faculty award for top student in HS

In at two of HYP


Other than being good at becoming captain, I don’t see anything stand out in this resume. Where is the impact? How many times AIME qualified?


DP.

It demonstrates a remarkably diverse skill set. I can’t imagine that schools see that combo very often.


That is the point I was trying to make. So much focus on "passion" and "pointy", but plenty of well rounded kids end up at HYPSM.

She did not make it to AIME and is not the strongest math student actually. My kid was in the same grade as her and went to same school for 9th grade before transferring to another HS. My kid also ended up at one of HYPSM and recently got a look at the admissions file. Academic rating was 1 and that was got DC in.



You're the one who listed the stats of a kid who your kid knew from 9th grade only who got into 2 HYP based on your claiming the kid just had some so so in school activities? So in essence you have no real idea what the kid's stats were or what the hooks were. You have an overview of what you believe the kid did and that's it since the kid applied to college 2.5 years after your kid left the HS.

As for the award...it is entirely meaningless. Marshall/Oakton/Madison have one like that but it is NOT a faculty award. I'm guessing it is the same or a similar one...where it is an optimist club (for adults) award and is NOT given to the "top" student in the HS and it is NOT a faculty award. For example, at Marshall, which is one of the 3 participating schools, 5 juniors are nominated (so a total of 15 juniors get a nomination) and "nomination" means that a single faculty member nominates a kid likely without any basis of knowing if the kid is more or less deserving than others in the school. The winner out of the 15 nominees is selected by the optimists club. There is NO award in FCPS where the "faculty" gives an award to the "top" HS student. It doesn't exist.
Anonymous
Post 11/19/2025 13:28     Subject: What activities are considered "impressive" to potential schools
I think research positions that the kid has secured independently (not through a parent or one of those pay-to-play gigs) looks good. My kids were lucky enough to gain research experience through cold emails to professors. We live in the same city as our state flagship, which made it feasible. Part time jobs are great, too- my DD didn't have hers listed on her common app and her school counselor insisted that she add it. I think that AOs will look at certain activities and know which ones are the most time-consuming. For instance, my kids are both year-round swimmers. AOs know that's a big commitment, as opposed to golf team, which my kids did as well, but it's a very low level of commitment, in terms of practices/matches, compared to swim. Classical music or band at a high level is also valued- shows discipline and commitment.
Anonymous
Post 11/19/2025 13:22     Subject: What activities are considered "impressive" to potential schools
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Gymnastics captain
AND Lead Cheerleader
AND Math team captain
AND Debate co-captain
AND Faculty award for top student in HS

In at two of HYP


Other than being good at becoming captain, I don’t see anything stand out in this resume. Where is the impact? How many times AIME qualified?


DP.

It demonstrates a remarkably diverse skill set. I can’t imagine that schools see that combo very often.


It actually makes it seem like none of those activities take a significant amount of time or commitment - which is odd, because I can tell you at our HS, it would be impossible to do them all together - debate would conflict with math team and gymastics, probably with cheerleading as well. You could do gymnastics and cheerleading for a different season, and maybe squeeze in math OR debate, but even then you would have to miss games, competitions, practices - which is really frowned upon at our school.


"Tourist" activities: they fill their activity list with busy titles that sound impressive but have no substance. Typical kids like this in high school go for the titles in each club they participate in. Admittedly they may be popular kids and/or maintain a good relationship with coach/teacher. AOs see through this immediately and it's frawn upon.
Anonymous
Post 11/19/2025 13:19     Subject: What activities are considered "impressive" to potential schools
This thread may address your question somewhat.

https://www.dcurbanmom.com/jforum/posts/list/1301742.page
Anonymous
Post 11/19/2025 13:05     Subject: What activities are considered "impressive" to potential schools
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Gymnastics captain
AND Lead Cheerleader
AND Math team captain
AND Debate co-captain
AND Faculty award for top student in HS

In at two of HYP


Other than being good at becoming captain, I don’t see anything stand out in this resume. Where is the impact? How many times AIME qualified?


DP.

It demonstrates a remarkably diverse skill set. I can’t imagine that schools see that combo very often.


That is the point I was trying to make. So much focus on "passion" and "pointy", but plenty of well rounded kids end up at HYPSM.

She did not make it to AIME and is not the strongest math student actually. My kid was in the same grade as her and went to same school for 9th grade before transferring to another HS. My kid also ended up at one of HYPSM and recently got a look at the admissions file. Academic rating was 1 and that was got DC in.

Anonymous
Post 11/19/2025 13:01     Subject: What activities are considered "impressive" to potential schools
coaching soccer for autistic elementary aged kids.
Anonymous
Post 11/19/2025 12:57     Subject: What activities are considered "impressive" to potential schools
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Gymnastics captain
AND Lead Cheerleader
AND Math team captain
AND Debate co-captain
AND Faculty award for top student in HS

In at two of HYP


Other than being good at becoming captain, I don’t see anything stand out in this resume. Where is the impact? How many times AIME qualified?


My guess this is fake. The poster needs to disclose what FCPS school gives an award for the highest GPA. There isn’t one.


Faculty award for top student in HS is not based on GPA. It is the most impressive student according to faculty given to one student per year.

If I tell the school you can easily out the student. If you dont believe it, it is your problem.





Anonymous
Post 11/19/2025 11:45     Subject: What activities are considered "impressive" to potential schools
For math at least: number of times qualified for AIME, number of times for USAMO/JMO and hopefully MOP. Again, doesn't work for most T20s (save MIT)
Anonymous
Post 11/19/2025 11:42     Subject: What activities are considered "impressive" to potential schools
Anonymous wrote:How is Girl Scouts seen these days? If my daughter has earned her Gold Award in Girl Scouts (the highest award) and has been scouting since third grade, is that seen as impressive anymore?


Does the project tie into the ultimate theme of the application/major? Any other national awards?
Public or private HS (yes it matters).
Major?
Anonymous
Post 11/19/2025 11:36     Subject: What activities are considered "impressive" to potential schools
How is Girl Scouts seen these days? If my daughter has earned her Gold Award in Girl Scouts (the highest award) and has been scouting since third grade, is that seen as impressive anymore?