Hey guys, as the title suggests, I went to the Whitehouse for an orchestra performance when I was 11 and shook hands with Obama.
I know that you aren’t meant to include middle school accomplishments on college applications, but I don’t know if this is a different case. I’m basically just asking if I should find a way to include this in my application or just forget about it entirely.
By the way, I’m pretty sure my orchestra probably only chose me to go because I was the only black kid, and it would look good for them. Thanks.
The fact that you shook his hand wasn’t an accomplishment. The orchestra getting selected to go to the WH was. But as you said, it was MS. Is there something about that experience that affected/influenced you as a person and helped you to grow in some way?
I don’t think it affected or influenced me, because I hardly ever think about it. I only remembered it because I was thinking of stuff to put down as honors ore accomplishments.
Sure. It’s about as much as an advantage as for the middle school kid who more or less sneaked his way up to President Clinton back in the day and asked for an autograph. Clinton admired the kid’s spunkiness and obliged. The kid sold the president’s autograph soon thereafter, earning a lot of raspberries from the public. So no, admissions officers will not be overly impressed with your story.
You can write an essay about that day (make sure it fits the prompt though). Write about how it influenced you (whether you developed a new passion, overcame a fear, or even got to see things from a different light and perspective) and make it connect to your current passions and extracurriculars. Also, you don’t have to have a laundry list of extracurriculars and accomplishments to stand out. Use your essays to your favour. Show them who you are as a person and show them your values and passions. You can write about anything whether its a dead bird you brought to class or the pizza you love to religiously order. Make sure it genuinely reflects your personality and show your mature thinking and the lessons you’ve learned and how they affected you.
But perhaps you could use your reflection that “I’m pretty sure my orchestra probably only chose me to go because I was the only black kid, and it would look good for them” as the starting point for an essay.
Unless Obama would remember you today, I don’t recommend making a big deal out of this on your app (even though it is a big deal) but def in interviews it’s worth bringing up