<p>Is the book by Cal-Newport impactful or does it only help or pertain to a few individuals?</p>
<p>I love this book, I recommend it all the time. It can help you get a perspective on how colleges look at applicants, and also how to be creative in finding ECs that really reflect your interests and help you stand out in the applicant pool for colleges. It is more useful for a student who is just starting high school, though.</p>
<p>I thought the book was informative but not for ordinary average kids. I was rather disappointed.</p>
<p>I don’t know… I think the main points Newport is making are pretty valid. He is saying (1) there is a minimal academic standard that top colleges are looking for (around a 3.7 GPA, 2100 SATs, and take some AP classes); (2) after that it becomes about ‘other stuff’, and that one of the great ways to have that intangible ‘other stuff’ is to look more creatively at your EC possibilities. There are a whole lot of ways to spend your time outside of the “standard” ECs that can make you stand out – and if you can figure out something you are interested in and carve your own path to achievement in that area, that can really work in your favor in college admissions. </p>
<p>I do think a truly “average” kid isn’t going to get into HYPS on this advice. But a kid who CAN meet the academic bar and branch out in some creative way has a lot better chance than the kid who just does school ECs. I also think it can help kids looking at second tier schools, too. Admissions committees are itching to find students who are interesting, not “cookie cutter” kids. </p>
<p>I think this is a really good read for a kid who is just starting high school, or their parents – certainly parents play a role in giving their kids support or ideas of ECs to pursue. Some parents might think that yearbook editor is a better way for young James to spend his EC time, when he really wants to volunteer at the nature preserve near their house and help collect samples for a water study. I don’t believe that kids should pursue things they aren’t interested in, but something that helps them see that they don’t have to take every EC their school offers & be a captain, or get a perfect SAT or ACT, but can do things they are interested in and that make them interesting is also a valid strategy. </p>