@intparent Thank you. This is very helpful. Since we live in a big city, there are countless opportunities to do interesting things, and then there are the summers for dance intensives and writing workshops. Thanks for reminding about Scholastic comps. Sounds like your girls were very creative in their EC choices. I was concerned because my D doesn’t seem interested in the things I read about on CC such as student govt and academic competitions. Her “hooks” are probably dancing and writing, so she will have to make the most of those two things. Thx again:)
The question that your daughter’s GC will have to answer (in the form they will do for her apps) is whether she “took the most rigorous course load” – that doesn’t mean that she has to have APs in every category. My STEM kid did/will take APs in USH, Gov., Spanish and Econ., but his counselor and I were totally fine with him skipping AP Lit (his school doesn’t offer AP Lang – Juniors have to take electives in US, British, and World Lit). I think a STEM kid taking Greek Tragedy is just as good and I think your humanity girl taking chemistry and physics shows a willingness to challenge herself even without the AP. Unless your counselor says that not taking any AP science takes her out of the most rigorous category, let her follow her interests.
Also, there are many ways for your daughter to show strength in ECs. Adcoms know that there are only so many leadership positions and not every kid wants to be in charge – they want a range of kids with different strengths. There are plenty of quiet kids who don’t enjoy competition in every selective college. Honestly, I think they’re all a little skeptical about the hundreds of kids who are “forming clubs” that they, of course, end up leading. In terms of full disclosure, my son also has no interest in running for any kind of office, considers most school clubs to be kind of a joke, and told both me and his math teacher that he would rather eat glass than be on the math team (okay, he was a little more tactful with the teacher). However, he has several solid activities that he’s done since the 6th grade and that’s more than enough for him to convey who he is and what his interests are. He’ll be pitching his impending first-responder wilderness certification and his experiences rock climbing and mountaineering as his approach to learning leadership and collaboration. It’s not the typical mold, but I don’t think kids need to tick every box in exactly the same way.
Your daughter will be a great fit for a lot of great colleges. It will be clear that dancing and writing are sincere interests and that’s much better than a list of clubs and offices. Wake actually sounds like a good fit; if you visit the area, take her over to see Davidson as well. I have a friend whose daughter is extremely happy at Kenyon. Don’t get sucked into the CC hype (“what, you haven’t formed your own charity – well there’s always community college”). There’s a lot of stuff on some of the threads that are more urban myth than actual knowledge.
Sometimes that is the best thing.
@higheredrocks So very helpful!!! Thanks so much for your feedback. I think I’m spending too much time on CC and starting to worry about my dd having the perfect “resume”. Yes, Wake does sound very appealing for so many reasons, and Davidson is definitely a school of interest. I wish your son the best of luck. I think what he is doing with the wilderness training sets him apart, and I bet that will pay off. Thanks again for putting things into perspective for me.
I certainly hope so. But if he doesn’t get in to his first choice (I was hoping he wouldn’t have one, but he fell in love over spring break), I firmly believe that his lack of interest in club joining and academic competitions will not be the reason. I’m more concerned about him being engaged when he does his essays.
@citymama9 – I spend too much time on here too. Started with PSAT/NMSF cutoffs and couldn’t stop. I work at a top-20 (definitely not admissions, but we cross paths), so I sometimes feel the need to disagree with blanket statements about the process. I’ve stopped talking admissions with my adcom colleagues because my son is likely to apply here and I don’t want them to feel like I’m fishing for inside information, but I’ve definitely had enough conversations over the years to know that they can spot the contrived applications and don’t put much weight on long lists of activities.