Ridiculous reject train ride 2022

You need to demonstrate that you have something that the college wants. period, full stop. A college in Maine or Vermont (two of the “whitest” states in the country) are going to want ethnic and racial diversity more than a college in the middle of Chicago or California. A small, tuition dependent college is going to care about full pay a lot more than a college whose endowment is bigger than some countries GDP. A college with a highly regarded orchestra but without a music performance major or affiliated conservatory- is going to be a lot more excited about a talented cello or oboe player than a college with a full on, “we train professionals” program-- because the former needs the talent even if it isn’t conservatory level, and the latter admits via audition so they can cherry pick exactly what they need when they need it.

A common mistake is to assume “my transcript is my transcript, my EC’s are my EC’s, here is my list”. You need to show a college you are what they are looking for. Believe it or not, there are fine institutions trying to increase their enrollment of Asian men. They are not named Berkeley, but that doesn’t mean you can’t get a great education there!

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