<p>for background purposes, i'm aiming for hyps(etc) and would like those in (or understanding of) the same boat to answer my questions just because maybe things are done differently out of ivies.</p>
<p>in my particular area in texas, most people aren't very knowledgeable of these things...so i resort to CC.</p>
<p>Do any of you know how the ivies read applications? All I know is that there are committees that vote. I would like to know the details of the process, e.g., how carefully they are read, if they take note of certain subtle things (for example, not having many leadership roles because of mid-hs transfers), background checks (i have several ec's that are not "official"...i don't want them to think i'm lying just because its not affiliated with an organization), how essays are read (is it true that they're rushing to get through applicants' essays)</p>
<p>I'm sorry if i seem like i'm trying to tailor my app to the process; it's just that i don't want to, e.g., write an essay that would be really subtle in expressing my character when they won't take time to really look into it, etc.</p>
<p>ideally, i'd like to get a response from someone who's actually been associated with an adcom, or someone who is willing to give me a legit source of info</p>
<p>also, from somebody who KNOWS and not just guesses, how much do SAT's matter? i did well in math+writing, but my critical reading is 740. i want to know if there's any point in retaking so that its above 750 (i love english and my score doesn't represent that). are 770/770/770 people better off than 800/800/710 ? (both total to the same) </p>
<p>also, another big question. i have been in a part of a particular club, and i don't think its right to pursue multiple clubs for the sake of application (everyone i know is like that and i think that's disgusting tbh); i do not have leadership positions because i am a recent intrastate transfer student. are colleges going to write me off because i don't have leadership on paper? if so, how can i show that i do, in fact, have leadership (i am even more passionate about other things so idk if i have an essay to spend on this particular club)? do i have to explain that somewhere in my app? also, am i at a disadvantage because i am not in multiple clubs?</p>
<p>^and i know, based on how great CC people are, that some of you may answer based on what is right for me as a person, but i'd like to know the dirty facts/frank truth.</p>
<p>also, i dont get how so much advice is contradictory. "Be passionate about a few things--too many superficial ec's will cloud your app" vs "more ec's show how much you take advantage of opportunity and how much variety you have", "you already wrote that award/ec in your resume, don't write about those in the essays. show more about who you are" vs "you are really passionate about that activity so show how important it is by writing an essay" which is it?</p>
<p>basically, i'm not sure how to approach my essays, have activities i can count in one hand, and an SAT score that is very good but is lopsided on a subject i am quite good at (despite the incoherence of this post...sorry i have to go eat soon and my mom is in the car waiting)</p>