<p>What sets the OP apart is his high school experience. Fourteen hour days of primarily religious study is certainly unique when compared to the “cookie-cutter” profiles of 7-hour class days with 3 APs, 3-hours/day sports and 2-hours a week community service that are presented by the overwhelming majority of high school students. His hook is that his experience is unlike virtually any other applicant’s.</p>
<p>In many ways OP’s profile has similar problems to those of home-schooled candidates, i.e. they present a challenge when trying to compare them to the primary population. That may or may not be an advantage, but presented properly I think some elite schools would at least consider the profile, if only for its uniqueness. </p>
<p>I’m not saying that OP has a good or even average chance at his schools of choice, after all, with Harvard at 8% admittance, Columbia 10% and Penn 14%, no one has a good chance. But I do think it’s worth a conversation with the admissions offices of those schools.</p>
<p>That’s a really good point silverturtle, but I think that a really insightful essay about life in a school like that could really make it into something of an edge, which may, depending on the quality of the essay, be enough to sway an admissions officer to overlook the lack of ECs. But it would have to be one stellar essay, and recs would also need to be very good.</p>
<p>It’s not a hook but his dedication to his school is demanding in itself, probably more so than a typical applicant’s ECs. It is unique and with high grades and SAT scores I could see him using it as an edge. Not a hook (only national achievement ECs are hooks anyways), but if he can give himself an adequate tip with his essays, he has the potential to go to some top schools.</p>
<p>He is the true essence of what colleges speak of (or at least what they should be speaking of) when they claim that their admission processes are holistic.</p>
<p>Silverturtle/monster 344- but in the end it’s not that every kid on the school is doing the same thing as me…I have the highest avarage in the whole HS, and am keeping a perfect 4.0 unweighted gpa since I started.</p>
<p>Vinceh-My school has been around for 20 years, but that said I’m pretty sure no one has ever gotten into those schools…or even tried for that matter…in the community/culture I come from, people either stay in religious study, or go to a local college such as Brooklyn College. However, I do know a few people from my school that ended up going to ivies for graduate school. </p>
<p>I do tutor, and I have participated in charity drives that have raised about $3,500 in one night. </p>
<p>Sirensong- I do think that I can get my situation across on an interview. The problem I have with writing my situation in my essay is that I’m afraid to focus on religion lest the adcom be anti-semitic…in which case my situation only hurts me more. That’s besides the fact that i already have an essay topic about me almost drowning when i was younger.</p>
<p>I have a question about the references though…I am well liked by every teacher who’s taught me so I can get letters from a lot of people. So I would like to know if getting a letter from one of my religious teachers who can both recommend me as well as explain my 14 hour situation be benefitial, or if I should just stick to 2 secular studies teachers to write for me?</p>
<p>The drowning topic is probably very interesting, so I would definitely stick with that. If you happen to have room, and there’s an applicable space for another essay (ie an EC essay), I would probably write about your school. I really don’t think you have to worry too much about anti-semites marking you off for your religion (I’m also Jewish, as are many of the other applicants you will be competing against. You could use the same argument for being african american etc., but obviously blacks are not at a disadvantage for getting into top schools). But I do agree that an interview would be very effective and valuable.</p>
<p>I think that you should write your essay on your unique HS situation as opposed to almost drowning when you were younger. The latter essay topic may come off as “pity-me” and is a bit clich</p>