<p>My HS sophomore son has a goal to become Valedictorian and I think he'll probably do it or come close. Most likely, like his brother, he'll have great test scores too. As far as ECs go however he has no real "hook." He'll do varsity cross country and soccer, and speech and chorus. And he has a part-time job. So aside from that nothing extraordinary. Does this mean schools like Northwestern, Rice, Wash/St. Louis and others on this level are out of the question?? Doubt he'll be interested in the Ivys. It would be nice to know if these are out of his league now so we don't waste our time. BTW his interest lies in math & science but he's also a very good writer too.</p>
<p>What about Robotics? Does your school have one of these on campus? My S who was very interested in math and science helped start one of these clubs on campus - they went to several competitions. It was a great hook and something that he enjoyed, too.</p>
<p>Well, I guess what I’m saying is that he doesn’t want to do any other ECs. So, if this is the case, will this type of a kid, even though he has 4.0 and great scores, be brushed off by the schools I mentioned?</p>
<p>I believe that test scores and GPA are of a paramount importance.
Everything else is secondary. And looks like your son does have some significant EC activities. Not everybody “cures cancer”, you know ;)</p>
<p>As for robotics becoming a “great hook” - I doubt it.</p>
<p>Not out of his league for admission at all-- but are you looking for merit aid?</p>
<p>Those schools are not out of the question, but of course they are selective enough that there are no guarantees. </p>
<p>It’s early yet, your son may develop interests you don’t know about yet. My younger son turned a hobby of playing with origami into a small business. Another interesting activity fell into his lap when he needed some volunteer hours to fulfill a government requirement. My older son spent a week at a computer firm at the end of summer sophomore year. They were so impressed with him they hired him the next summer and paid him at the same rates they paid college grads. </p>
<p>And yes test scores and GPA (and rank) will be by far the most important factor in determining where your son will be a viable candidate.</p>
<p>Kelowna,</p>
<p>Anything can be a great hook if it becomes a passion. The OP said her son is a sophomore. There is time for him, still, if he chooses to add more ECs. And no, not everyone cures cancer, this is true. </p>
<p>If he isn’t interested in anything else, than he isn’t. Right now, the climate is that students are facing tough admissions cycles, getting tougher. Being more competitive is becoming the standard at more than just the Tier One and Two schools. </p>
<p>I wouldn’t add an EC just to add one, but I would like to see a student reach their potential. If that is simply high grades and scores, that’s great. But schools want to see leaders, too.</p>
<p>If he is Val or Sal with great test scores, he has a great chance. And the ECs you mentioned are pretty interesting. Northwestern, WashU, UChicago etc. are interested in bright well-rounded kids (BWRKs). Those schools are absolutely not out of his league, but he should also have one or two safeties etc. since these schools are very selective.</p>
<p>I understand that admission are tough, but please let’s not go crazy here.</p>
<p>The OP stated : “He’ll do varsity cross country and soccer, and speech and chorus. And he has a part-time job. So aside from that nothing extraordinary.”
I see two sports, forensics, music and a part time employment. And in my world holding a job while maintaining a high GPA does point a leader. Much more clearly than a mission trip to Guatemala over the summer vacation.</p>
<p>Sounds to me like a great kid who is on track to be in the mix for all those schools. However, speaking of wasting time: Two months into his sophomore year is really too early to be spending time speculating on admission chances at any specific school. Relax. You will be much happier with the outcome if you let him do what he loves and then find a college to fit that, then picking out some colleges and having him do what you think he needs to do to get accepted.</p>
<p>
That’s plenty. Let him do the stuff he wants, and do it well instead of creating a laundry list of meaningless activities.</p>
<p>the almost tippy top schools (schools ranked approx 10-20) are more focused on GPA/SAT than the truly tippy top schools Very high stat kids are more than likely to get in to these almost tippy toppers. The OP’s son is a good possibility with what he has now for just about all the USNWR schools ranked 10-20. The schools OP specifically mentioned – WashU, Rice, NU, are all in this category that is a likely match to a highly statted kid with good but not exceptional ECs.</p>
<p>However, the very tippy top <em>expect</em> 1500 ±100 on the SAT, and 4.0 ± 0.2 on unweighted GPA, and a most demanding course load. They expect all those and still reject the vast majority of the applicants who meet those standards. These HYPSM + maybe Columbia, Penn, Duke, Williams, Amherst, Pomona, etc want to see the high stats plus some PASSION and possibly eccentricity that is woven through the ECs, essays, recommendations and course selections. It also helps if the adcom puts down the file and says “I really want to meet this kid”. That is what separates the 80% (there is a group of let’s say 20% that super reaches, or has hooks, without the stats) or so of high statted applicants from the 10% that are accepted.</p>
<p>Oh yeah, it actually doesn’t matter much what you do at his point. If he is a fascinating person, it will come across in ECs, essays and recommendations. Just tell him to do what he is interested in. YOu can’t fake out adcoms … after all they do this hundreds of times each year and can spot a phony from across the room.</p>
<p>
Yes, but you don’t need any special “kind” of EC, or 20 ECs on your list. You have to show passion and high level of achievement in something, not in everything.</p>
<p>^agreed…</p>
<p>Thank you all for your great replies. And for the record, some responded as though I was wanting him to do more ECs. I want him to do what he enjoys and make sure he can still balance everything. So it is perfectly fine and actually preferred that he just stick to the ECs he’s doing now. Again, what is most important to us is finding a school that values what he has to offer.</p>
<p>I’d make one suggestion. If he likes to write, seek out some writing contests and have him enter them. (In some cases, he’d have to write an essay, etc. specifically for the contest; in others, he could use something he’s written for class.) Maybe he shouild put together a portfolio for the Scholastic contest. </p>
<p>if he’s a good speaker, have him enter one or more of the contests in this area–there are many. </p>
<p>In other words, it MIGHT be possible for your son to get some “out of school” recognition for thiings he already does. It’s one thing to have a teacher write “he writes well” in a rec and another to say he got a gold or silver key in the Scholastic contest or had his writing published in one of the publications for young writers. This sort of thing definitely helps and in many cases, it doesn’t involved a whole lot of extra effort.</p>
<p>Jonri – How would we go about finding the writing competitiions you’re talking about?</p>
<p>Google is your friend and, if you’re lucky, so is his guidance counselor. </p>
<p>Sites include [Fastweb</a> : Scholarships, Financial Aid, Student Loans and Colleges](<a href=“http://www.fastweb.com%5DFastweb”>http://www.fastweb.com), [Alliance</a> for Young Artists & Writers](<a href=“http://www.artandwriting.org%5DAlliance”>http://www.artandwriting.org). I’m sure there are a gazillion more. Don’t overlook local contests.</p>
<p>Please note that while the amounts awarded for prizes tend to be rather small, being recognized at all–even if your kid doesn’t do well enough in the competition to get $–helps boost admissions odds. The “key” awards from Scholastic–see the art & writing site, the second link above–really do matter. It’s one thing to say your English teacher thinks you write well; it’s another thing to say that independent judges think you do.</p>
<p>cbug,</p>
<p>S1 had literally perfect SAT and stats from a magnet HS rated within top 10 in the nation. NO EC TO SPEAK OF, much worse than your son. No sports. No arts. No job/work, No musical instruments. NO NHS (did not bother to go through the application process). No drama. No volunteer hours. No nothing. Nada!!! </p>
<p>This kid spent first two years of his high school playing online computer games in all hours except when he is sleeping or at school. did his home work at school in between classes. No prep for school tests/exams at all. Last two years, he read everything and anything he could lays his hands on in matters of international finance & investment - became a minor expert in this field on his own, but no institutionally recognized award that he could list on his college application. that said, he did write very interesting essays on his views of international banking and finance.</p>
<p>Results: got EA acceptance from U Chicago (last time I checked, within USNWR top 10). Got a full ride offer from a terrific OOS public school. With these in his pocket, he only applied to the likes of HYP during the RD cycle. Rejected by all - which did NOT surprised me at all given his non existent EC profile. </p>
<p>Rumor has it that U Chicago is not so hung up on “interesting & exciting EC” as part of the college resume building exercise. Not sure whether this is grounded on truth or not. However, at least it seemed to be case with my son. There was another kid from his HS. Another one with a literally perfect score with no EC. He applied to Dartmouth ED, and was accepted. Another one from his school, again with sky high stats (if not literally perfect) with so so EC is at Amherst with good merit award. My general sentiment is, ED round is a bit kinder to applicants with unbalanced application profile (like high stats but so so EC, visa versa). Of course, this is just my personal hunch. </p>
<p>He is a sophomore at U Chicago now, and thriving beyond my wildest imagination. Funny thing is, all the things he should have done to build himself up as an attractive candidate, he started to do with vengeance after all the admission decisions came out. The joke in the family is, if he had done 1/3 of what he has started to do after the college application/admission season was over, he would have been a perfect candidate. </p>
<p>So, my input: the lack of blockbuster EC may be a real liability in some schools, but there are other terrific schools where your son will still be very well positioned. </p>
<p>Good luck.</p>
<p>You should check the thread started by Sally Rubenstone back in the summer re: activities that we don’t often consider but are equally valid (as in, hobbies that don’t manifest in a “club” but take up a big chunk of time). Also, Val and Sal tend to trump a lot of other things, and your S does appear to have EC’s (sports).</p>