Wow, far, far too much emphasis on passion. As a Stanford former dean of adissions is on record saying, who really expects a 16 year old to identify passions and have a record of related activities, much less achievements?
And no, it’s not just any “passion” or fantasy about the future. Imagine if your kid honestly claims a passion for, oh, say, gardening or collecting Hummel figurines (real) or you-name-it. How is that relevant, when being reviewed for a very top college? (Meanwhile, in this ditz about “passion,” too many kids miss more solid opportunities.)
And so, writing that dreamy little essay about your Hummels won’t get you far. No matter how “choerent” the picture. It’s not coherent, it’s about relevant.
Been there. Seen the reactions.
Blossom’s words about Boho point this out. It’s not just about being “you.” They aren’t choosing kids for being, at the moment, entertained and fulfilled. They’re looking for kids who fit their ideal, who stretch and contribute in ways adult adcoms, working year in and out for a highly competitive college, knowing its types, want to see.
And yes, no matter what anyone says about not doing something you don’t feel for (the example here was comm service,) you’d better go ahead and do it. And again, something meaningful.
If you know your college targets well enough (from their persepctive, what they say and show,) you get an idea of what’s meaningful to them. After all, they do the choosing.
Life is like this. You do what a potential employer wants to see, you think along the lines they do, you build the record. You don’t get a dream job based on passion.