<p>how do you win awards at a school that offers no competition related events? I mean, sure, im captain of the academic team and we do go to competitions but our school is extremely subpar, making it unlikely for any of us to win awards against competitive schools like Pingry, Hightech, etc.
IF i want to apply to HYMSC, how do i stand out, in terms of EC accomplishment, at a below average public high school, at a place where opportunities are severly limited?
I've done the best i can to distinguish myself but i feel like it's not good enough, like it's not competitive enough.</p>
<p>Do you guys think i should spend all of my time on learning new things for the Academic team? That i should read tons of books, do practice tournament questions, etc in order to possibly gain a chance at winning an award my senior year? I feel like this is impossible especially since my competitors have put in so much effort in a longer period of time that no matter how hard i try to learn as much as possible over the summer, it won't be good enough.
I also started Debate club, in which we hope to make it competitive. Im also raising a fundraiser to help with the fees of the tournaments--next year, that is. What are some possible suggestions i could do over the summer that MIGHT help me win an award? that might help me advance my EC's thus far?</p>
<p>I come from a similar environment so I know where you’re coming from. I think the events you’re participating in [debate, academic team] require a successful team to win awards in. Why don’t you try for some individual awards? I started Mu alpha theta at my school and we took the AMC exam and did some cool stuff but I knew we weren’t going to be winning competitions because the foundation wasn’t there. It’s in place now for future success, but not in my year.</p>
<p>Why not start some new program to teach children how to debate and improve their communication skills. Get it across your district and you could get recognition from city hall or something. Instead of studying a ton for academic team, why not start a program to set up a bunch of academic teams in different schools and get a lot more people involved. That stands out more than winning a local award. Basically, make a list of your interests and see how you can make an impact on your community.</p>
<p>I don’t mind putting in the extra effort for the Academic team because i really do enjoy learning. The same goes for Debate club. It’s just that with my School’s status quo, I see it unlikely for me to win an award. or something.</p>
<p>Why not start some new program to teach children how to debate and improve their communication skills. Get it across your district and you could get recognition from city hall or something. Instead of studying a ton for academic team, why not start a program to set up a bunch of academic teams in different schools and get a lot more people involved. That stands out more than winning a local award. Basically, make a list of your interests and see how you can make an impact on your community</p>
<p>well the problem is that i have no guidance, as in, I have no idea how to even begin doing such a task.
I feel like my community is very constant, unwilling to change. I don’t know where i could get support for doing this. If i could i would do this by myself no problem. I need help, backup. Who do i talk to?</p>
<p>I have and was published on an internationally renowned website from my reasearch in a program. I applied to another this year but didn’t get in because i bombed the interview. But that’s all i have and it’s not unique, per se. Im taking college courses at Rutgers. That’s about it. Im getting the feeling that i should/could be doing more. I feel like im wasting my time and i just don’t know how to take the next step.</p>
<p>I can’t answer that because I don’t live where you do. Get on google and start searching for your questions. What exactly do you need help with? Call principals, call the national academic team organization, send e-mails, start from there.</p>
<p>A trait I’ve seen in many successful applicants is initiative. A person on CC once wrote that he couldn’t do anything in SGA because of a restrictive teacher and Northstarmom described some students who went above and beyond SGA duties despite limitations and they put in the effort by themselves to find the people who could help them get ideas going. I hate to be cynical but we can’t tell you what to do or how to do it - your initiative has to drive those ideas somewhere.</p>
And that is exactly the attitude that top colleges look for – look for in order to select someone else. What you’re really saying is that if someone takes you by the hand and tells you every step (or at least most of them) then you’re willing to put in the time. As if putting in the time is the important thing, distinguishing top kids from those that don’t bother. Hate to break it to you, but the top schools ( if that’s what you’re interested in) look for kids that figure out how to make it happen. And with the internet its become ridiculously easy compared to what it was 15 years ago.</p>
<p>^you misunderstood what i meant to say. When i said guidance, i didn’t mean “if someone takes you by the hand and tells you every step”. I meant more like a coordinator or a person in charge i could go talk to to start the program im interested. No student, no matter how independent he is, will just start whatever he wants to by himself. He will need help because society is larger than him. He will need backup. That’s simply what i asked for. I don’t need anyone to help me step by step. I started my own club. I know what it takes to do everything on my own.</p>
<p>Anyhow, I’ve decided that this summer i will start my own community service project. But first ill have to email the coordinator or whoever’s in charge for permission/legalities,etc. Thanks for all the help guys!</p>