He sounds like your niece and nephew in that he loves math and reading and politics. He really enjoys learning.
Taking advantage of the opportunities offered by elite universities such as Northwestern, Columbia, Chicago, Princeton, Stanford, etc. combined with hard work will yield a rewarding life in many respects. Yet, there will always be something missing, something sacrificed. But, that is what makes life worth living.
P.S. Some schools offer a degree in P, P, & E = Philosophy, Politics, & Economics. This may be of interest to your son. University of Pennsylvania offers this major.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philosophy_politics_and_economics
The wikipedia page does exist. It lists all universities around the world which offer a PP&E major.
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I tried to direct message you but couldnât figure out how to do so. Is there a way to message you?
Like @Publisher, Iâm not a nuts and bolts person with the specifics of the college process. I will say that at Northeastern (which I know is not Northwestern) that students have written the âWhy this collegeâ essay and then sent it to their admissions officer, even though it wasnât part of the official appplication. Those essays were accepted and appear to have had some favorable results as well.
So, if thereâs no option in the current prompts at Northwestern, then perhaps a supplementary essay sent directly to your sonâs admissions counselor might work?
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There are two problems with this approach.
One is that these essays are usually NOT as good as the writer thinks they are.
And two- adcomâs donât need to read more essays on âwhy your college is perfect for me and why I really really really want to attendâ. Any additions to what they ask for should be focused on ânew information about MEâ, NOT âold information about youâ.
Iâve had kids Iâve interviewed for Brown show up with a range of essays (neatly printed out and in a folder for my convenience). Iâve seen âNot as bad as it might have beenâ when a trite essay gets real right at the end, so thatâs a nice surprise. But most of them fall under the category of âplease donât send these to admissionsâ even though the kid already has.
If the application itself is inadequate to communicate what makes a kid special- then sure. A highly edited supplement (which is why performing arts supplements exist- you cannot communicate using words the type of artistry that a person has achieved). But an extraneous essay which extols a program the adcomâs are very familiar with, describes in baroque detail why âthis is a perfect fit for my needsâ, explains why the program is unique?
Mmmm⊠not sure this is the right strategy.
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Yale as well. It is basically their flagship program like Oxford.
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