<p>I'm a senior and I have some advice for you all...
DON'T BURN YOURSELVES OUT!</p>
<p>Yes, working on that college profile is important. But seriously, if you don't make time for yourself and connecting with other people, you'll end up hating yourself because you never learned what you like doing outside of developping a "college-appropriate" passion. </p>
<p>If you do one thing this year in the midst of all the SAT/AP/IB/ec/etc. madness, take a couple days off - refuse to think about college, the future, and even high school and just hang out. Give yourself a mental break. Trust me, you'll all need one. </p>
<p>Besides, from the looks of it you will all get into a good college (even if it's not HYPS, it's still ok!). The place you go for undergrad isn't the end of the world. Why even go right away? What about a gap year to travel or volunteer or work (deferral after getting in even... they have a whole section on this on the Harvard college admissions website)? Don't sell yourself short by not thinking about the possibilities... your life shouldn't be a checklist, it should be a journey. Consider all the paths before you start stressing so much about where you may end up.</p>
<p>asiaknight - lol I completely agree. I was thinking about writing an essay regarding how stupid colleges are for taking in people with "passion" rather than based on their intellectual abilities for one of my application essays. The colleges are forcing some people to do stuff that they do not want to do. . .And if you people are going to argue that we should not do anything that we don't want to do, you have to realize that it is expected of many students to go to HYPS.</p>
<p>As a Canadian, I hate to break it to you, but it is harder to get into the ivies from Canada than from the US. Even if they do consider us as practically a "state", they have a lot less places for internationals than for americans and yes, officially, we fill up those international spots along with people from other countries as well. </p>
<p>I'm pretty sure the other ivies have similar stats. </p>
<p>I'm not trying to discourage any of you, I'm just giving you a more realistic perspective. You need something special to be an international at HYPS. For that reason, try not to get overly stressed working towards the stupid unattainable goal of having HYPS as your match schools. Life goes on.</p>
<p>Seriously, fewfdsagdsag. I mean, I want to go to MIT more so than any other school, but isn't the point of college to find out what you want to do? Why the f*** should I already know that?</p>
<p>I agree that life for us 16 to 18 year olds should be alot more than college planning. I play varsity tennis not to get into college but because I love tennis. I join the clubs that I do because i am interested in what we do in them. I tudor grade school kids because they give me joy and help me while I am helping them. However there is no getting around the fact that if you are reaching for a top school, ivies or otherwise the competition is extreme and getting worse and if we don't plan and build our resumes NOW we will be out of the running. If you are happy to go to a safety or match school then some of the pressure is off. </p>
<p>A hook is more than something u like to do. A hook is something that makes u shine that others haven't done. For example and please don't think I am bragging, I wrote a play and I won a young playwriters contest and was named best young playwriter for philadelphia area for the year of my contest. My play was produced and directed at a local university by a professional director. </p>
<p>You don't have to choose things to create a phony passion that u have no interest in. But you do have to show that the things you have chosen to do are things you are passionate about.</p>
<p>See, I'm totally not against the whole passion thing. I know so many people who get phenomenal grades but are practically robots because that is their ONLY FOCUS. They can't understand how a personable student or a student who deeply cares about something (other than grades) and works to achieve it gets in to better schools than they do. (I know not all people who declare themselves passion-less are like this though). I can see where colleges are coming from--people who have a major passion tend to be more directed towards something, and probably have more background, ability, and aptitude in it. If you get a bunch of sort-of involved people in a room together, not much will happen. If you have a bunch of super specialized students together, there is more diversity and more potential for great things. Passion means you care deeply about something other than grades, and I think that is a VERY positive thing.</p>
<p>That being said, I do think that colleges may be taking the whole passion thing too far. I do think that being well-rounded with a definite prefered interest is better than being so one-sided. We are 17-18 when we apply, and so we must have already developed a passion for X before we were 15. It is expecting a bit too much, but isn't that what the Ivy League is all about?</p>
<p>I've always held high expectations for myself, and I am not opposed to colleges that expect a lot, even if I can't get in. I respect people with more talent and willpower, and they rightly deserve the spot more than I. But what many of the ivies are doing right now is not expecting too much, much less than expecting the wrong thing. Most people who have "passions" (again, I HATE that word) are more than likely to change them in the near future. The assumption that just because one has not already developed a "passion," one is not as capable or determined as those who have already developed them is just wrong. I just wish it were as simple as it was in the old days.</p>
<p>I think many of you are miscontruing the word "passion". It's not just something you like to do, or simply something you're good at, but a combination of them. You cannot simply create a passion out of thin air, and most likely, if you do not have one already, you probably will not have one by college: Passions take years to develop and require a LOT of committment.</p>
<p>Asiaknight, I disagree that most people who have passions will change them in the future. That defeats the whole purpose of a passion. A passion is something you enjoy doing, regardless of circumstances, that you would enjoy doing even if were already in Harvard.</p>
<p>I think my problem with "passions" tie into the hook thing. I think my passion is children. I love volunteering with them, talking to them, etc. But how do I know if I am really good at it or not? I put a lot of hours into it and I am thinking about starting a "children's club" at school where the members would spend time volunteering with children or helping child-based programs, but I haven't won any awards and a love for kids isn't exactly uncommon....this leaves me hookless.....</p>
<p>There is a difference between hook and passion. A hook can be something such as URM or first generation to college, etc. Basically, it can have nothing to do with passion. Passion, however, can be a hook if you've won some award in that area or achieved a certain level.</p>
<p>Again, my passion is politics, anything to do with politics, international affairs, social reforms, economic developments/set backs, etc. How on earth can I show this passion in a way colleges can understand that I'm truly into in it?</p>
<p>But Gxing, will you become a professional table tennis player? If so, that's great. But if not, I don't see why your passion for table tennis should put you ahead of another candidate who is good at everything he does but doesn't have too much of an interest in any of them (definitely not me, by the way). He would certainly be capable of success, but just doesn't know what he should succeed in, which really shouldn't be held against him.</p>
<p>BTW, I'm not ragging on you; it's great that you found something you deeply enjoy doing. I love ping-pong, but I'm pretty bad at it, so mad props.</p>
<p>asiaknight, I probably will not become a professional table tennis player (the idea is pretty exciting though). What I meant was that one should continue doing that activity after college and for the rest of his/her life. And that, for table tennis, I most assuredly WILL do. Also, colleges like to see students that are good in one area, in other words, not well-rounded. They want well-rounded classes, but not well-rounded students. And if there is a person that exists who is good at everything he does but is not interested in any of them, then that person should stop what he is doing, and find what he really loves doing.</p>
<p>A passion for table tennis could help in admission, but would not counterbalance a lack of well-rounded excellence. Passions don't matter unless they make you stand out; a passion for playing the violin wouldn't help at all, whereas a passion for table tennis possibly could. In this way, passions could act as hooks.</p>
<p>However, a kid who gets in because he's the world champion for table tennis is not getting in because of his passion; he's getting in because of his achievements. In that case, his passion wouldn't even be considered, the fact that he has achieved significant success in any field and has sufficient academic ability qualifies him for admission.</p>
<p>It is very rare and difficult for someone to not be passionate about something and at the same time have outstanding achievements in that activity. A passion is not always a hook, but a hook based on achievement almost always involves passion.</p>
<p>Affirmative action is a topic tough to reply to without being railed against for being politically incorrect. The US Supreme Court has upheld certain affirmative action activities at the Univ. of Michigan but struck down others as unconstitutional. I believe that although not all public schools are equal and that urban schools in many states are poorly funded with a high percentage of urm's there has to be a point in time that all students are judged from square one as based upon their merits. There can be poor white kids who are as disadvantaged as poor black or Latino kids. It's difficult to espouse any position on this issue without someone being offended and calling one a rascist.</p>
<p>I think that AA among URMs that are necessarily disadvantaged is wrong. I think that AA for students who have disadvantaged backgrounds, regardless of race, is excellent and should be supported by every school.</p>