I was wondering, does being well traveled count for anything in the admissions process? Do colleges care that you have traveled extensively and all that?
<p>more importantly, what did you learn </p>
<p>also, if you traVEL too much, they will think you are just a rich kid from an affluent family</p>
<p>ok... so I have to have learned something from traveling...</p>
<p>do colleges like seeing volunteer trips?</p>
<p>Where are you going to tell colleges you've travelled a lot? Unless you right your essay about the different places you've visited, then I'm not sure where else you could put it. Maybe under awards? "Awards: Traveled to 15 countries so far" or something like that</p>
<p>i read somewhere that georgetown likes people with international perspective and all that... :S</p>
<p>it's the experiences you gain. travelling to different countries is cool. what's wrong with colleges thinking you're a rich kid when you really are?</p>
<p>lol molly... i agree. so hard to travel and then think am i traveling too much that colleges think i'm a rich kid! :P</p>
<p>if they thik you are a rich kid, then they will expect more of you
what was a good SAT score of 2100, they will expect a 2250 because they THINK you have enough money to burn on private ttuors and that crap</p>
<p>not exactly. being rich would really only affect your chances of financial aid. being poor will help you, but i don't think being rich really hurts you.</p>
<p>wow iwantfood... i never thought of that!</p>
<p>molly thats not true at all</p>
<p>This is the same as colleges expecting a kid who goes to an elite prep school to take as much AP courses as he/she can. They obviously won't have the same expectation for a kid who lives in a poor area.</p>
<p>Applicants who come from a more affluent background are expected to have devoted more time to their extracurriculars and academics, while a son of a first-generation immigrant who works part-time bagging groceries would not have that same expectation.</p>
<p>Being well traveled is a wonderful thing. Make sure to state in your essays and interview how you were really privileged to have such an opportunity, and what perspectives traveling has brought to you in terms of your personality. That's what admissions officers want. They just don't want to know that you traveled; tell them your experiences and how it has impacted you as a person.</p>
<p>why do mediocre kids from prep schools get into top tier schools? while really high gpa and high SAT kids who go to my public school can't get into any Ivys. being wealthy isn't always a bad thing in this case.</p>
<p>what kind of travel do you mean?? Did you spend a week in Cancun over spring break......ski in Gstaad over Christmas...spend a month at Grandma's chateau in the south of France during the summer? Or did you spend 2 weeks helping build a clean water supply in Nicaraugua or something along those lines? Schools want to see that you learned something or made a contribution to society of some value - not that you found your way through the Louvre to see the Mona Lisa....or conquered the black diamond slopes. Those things are all wonderful and fun, but not given much weight in college admissions.</p>
<p>well, i've traveled throughout asia/europe with family... also went to australia and south africa... those were mostly touristy trips i guess</p>
<p>with my school, i've traveled to china to work at an orphanage, and also to south east asia for a service trip...</p>
<p>sounds good</p>
<p><<<why do="" mediocre="" kids="" from="" prep="" schools="" get="" into="" top="" tier="" schools?="">>></why></p>
<p>Molly, that's a myth
Unless they have connections at the school, it doesn't happen</p>
<p>MORE kids go to top tier schools from prep schools because prep schools are selective themselves</p>
<p>Underqualified kids do NOT get into the top tier schools. The kids coming from prep schools may have a lower GPA, but it's just because of the difficulty of the school</p>
<p>i know a guy who sent in a guitar piece that got him into stanford</p>
<p>Read A is for Addmission by Michelle Hernandez who was a Dartmouth admissions officer. She explained all of this. You are dealing with low paid adcoms. Avoid looking like an endulged rich kid. If your parents are missionaroes who took you all over the world to help the poor you're in great shape. If you spent summers in the South of France and winters on St. Barts, well......</p>
<p>She also talks about submitting art work (your other question) and music to colleges. Bottom line is you need to be really good or it hurts.</p>
<p>aka: don't be william hung</p>