He received notice yesterday that he got accepted to IU. He applied to Kelley but assumes (has not heard yet) that he will not get direct admit due to his GPA of 3.7 (needs 3.8), however he meets the other criteria - 31 ACT, many AP classes, incl. Calc, leader in business clubs, etc. He called Kelley admissions today and they said he was a good candidate for a petition, since he was only short one requirement - the GPA.
So he’s completing the petition now, but worried about his essay response on the question about his “greatest achievement.” He has already written about this achievement in a short response essay on the initial IU common app.
His achievement is that he started a successful business while in high school. He is convinced that he cannot write about this same topic again, as Kelley will see two essays on the same topic and they are looking for something different.
Will Kelley admission reps be reading both his common app and business school essays and not want to see a similar essay topic (even though it’s relevant)?
I thought maybe he could write about a different aspect of his business start-up, since he IS applying to a business school. Instead, he wants to write about being captain of his HS JV lacrosse team, so that he can introduce a new topic to the reviewers.
What do you think?
Any advice on this is very appreciated as he wants to submit the petition tonight. Thank you!
I would definitely write about the business. They may or may not read his application to IU, but I don’t see why they would care about hearing the same thing twice if the 2 essay prompts are similar.
Has his greatest achievement changed since he applied? Is this essay intended to be longer? I think he should write about the business again and follow your advice to write about a different aspect or add additional details in a longer essay if appropriate.
I don’t mean this in a snarky way. I am sure it’s an accomplishment, but writing about being the JV captain (vs. Varsity perhaps) seems a little “ordinary.” Lots of people are captains of teams. Not many people start a successful business. Tell him to listen to his wise parent.
Ok, I just showed him these responses and he agreed he should write more about a different aspect of his business. So thank you for the support - it helped that he heard it from sources other than his wise parent!
I don’t have access to the portal, but I think it said (I can ask him) that he was accepted to IU, and would hear from Kelley in a few weeks if he’s direct admit (or would hear nothing if not direct admit). Since he didn’t meet the GPA requirement, he assumes he won’t get direct admit, so last night he sent in his petition.
At first the portal looks the same whether you get DA to Kelley or not. It says “Univ Div Pre-Business”. My son got in on petition and it still says the same thing. I’m assuming the wording on the portal will change eventually.
It was 7 weeks between the IU acceptance and the Kelley acceptance email. But, he petitioned just a few days after the petition became available and I really doubt they started reviewing petitions until after the 11/1 scholarship deadline. I’m not sure, but I’d bet on it. I think you’ll hear within the next few weeks.