<p>I'm hearing-disabled, and a couple other friends and I have toured around the area as a band. (They're all hearing-disabled too) I think it's pretty awesome what we do, we go around doing what people say we can't --make music. Now, am I getting too carried away with myself, or will this ring with an adcom?</p>
<p>I need an objective eye.</p>
<p>It sounds great, I would have thought it to be impossible, how did you manage to do this? Are you fully deaf?</p>
<p>Not totally, though my hearing aids are set pretty high. The guy who plays bass guitar has to “feel” the beats I send him. lol.</p>
<p>Wow that is really cool! As long as you spend a lot of time on it and really enjoy doing it, this is about the best EC I have ever heard of!</p>
<p>That’s damn cool. If you wanted to elaborate on that in an essay, I think it’d be incredible on your app.</p>
<p>It is truly unique. But make sure when you write your essay write about how you overcame your challenge and how you impacted the lives of yourself/others. Never talk about how awesome you are for doing what you do, it sounds pretentious whether you really are awesome or not. :P</p>
<p>are you serious? that is so awesome :D</p>
<p>Thanks! Any other opinions?</p>
<p>That is definitely awesome, but like others said, spend time on it in an essay. I don’t think it will resonate with admissions officers if you only write “I’m in a band of hearing disabled people.” in the EC section. This is an incredible achievement, and one that deserves to be highlighted. I can’t imagine any one who would not be impressed by this if it were explained properly, so do consider dedicating an essay to it. At the very least, explain it in the EC short answer.
Good luck!</p>
<p>Send a tape along of your performance – or post it online and provide a link to it in your essay. Great idea if you present it right in your essay!</p>
<p>Bump. Any other thoughts?</p>
<p>I would say that’s pretty darn unique. How many stories like yours are going to come across an admission officer’s desk? Very, very few, if any - that’s how many. Now, if you want to go to Gallaudet, it may not be quite as unique, lol, but if you want to go anywhere but there, I think you’re in good shape!</p>
<p>You are pretty amazing. Just saying.</p>
<p>haha if everyone on CC is so impressed i.e. people who are sometimes tougher than adcoms, I’m pretty sure that it will help with college ;P</p>
<p>I’m really flattered. 
To be honest, I was expecting more of a “your EC is soo bad/stale” kinda comment. I’ve looked at too many chance threads. More opinions/suggestions welcome!
EDIT: How does it change the stakes/approach if I’m applying to top schools, eg Stanford, UChicago, HYP?</p>
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<p>You will also need very high grades and ACT/SAT scores, although they won’t need to be perfect. Top schools LOVE distinctive ECs thought up by one-of-a-kind kids who look so very different than the undifferentiated masses. If you take your project one step further, you could have an exceptional shot at admission: by “one step further” I mean do something related as a community service project: play some gigs and get a few friends to help you do some fundraisers, then donate the proceeds to help some hearing-impaired kids in poor households in your community get hearing aids or other help (your dual purpose: raise funds and raise awareness).</p>
<p>Wow! I had the idea of doing this for some time, and it’s awesome to hear somone also suggest it. I guess my main problem is “how do I noticeably express all this fundraisor stuff on the Common App?”
Would writing an essay on the band’s activities and donations do it? Any advice is greatly appreciated.</p>
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<p>It’s definitely worthwhile to dedicate an essay to explaining how you never wanted to be defined and limited by your disability and, as a consequence, what you did about it. It’s really the purest way to talk about yourself in a meaningful way (with real examples) that won’t sound like a book-report autobiography. And it will be an essay that is uniquely you.</p>
<p>I’d guess the rest of the stuff I list relating to that: “fundraised x dollars, gave motivational speeches, etc” would fall in by itself?</p>
<p>Thanks for the help.</p>
<p>I bet Beethoven could have gotten into whatever school of music he wanted.</p>