<p>Oh, Cal Newport has a blog you could dip into: <a href=“http://calnewport.com/”>A $5.5 Billion Reminder that Email is Not Work - Cal Newport. </p>
<p>I actually emailed him when DD was a freshman to ask a few questions, he suggested that we chat via telephone and we ended up having an hour long conversation. Very enlightening to say the least. Get your hands on that book and check out his blog. It’s well worth it.</p>
<p>@dyiu13 I just scanned the website you listed, and it seems very interesting! I will have to explore it more. I’m also glad it explained the book a little more. Thank you!</p>
<p>Any other suggestions on how to increase admission chances? So far, we’ve heard that test scores, GPA, and extracurriculars are important, but it is difficult to change these later in school. The places you can really stand out include the recommendation letters and essays. </p>
<p>In addition, you will also stand out if you have unique extracurricular activities and can show the impact it has had on yourself and others. Being able to show accomplishments (such as awards, especially if they are state or nationally recognized) improves chances.</p>
<p>What about course selection in high school? What suggestions might you have regarding class schedules?</p>
<p>course selection? Course rigor is extremely important for top school admissions. If this hasn’t already been your hallmark since 9th grade, you’re going to be swamped by the competition. What “course rigor” means for you is in context of your school’s offerings. Like someone else said, if your school offered 15 APs and you took 2, that says something. But if you managed to squeeze in 8 or 9, that says something else.</p>
<p>@T26E4 Makes sense. I know personally at my school, I’ve taken the hardest class schedule possible. However, we have about 16 AP classes, but two of them consistently never run (AP Euro and AP Econ, Micro and Macro). They recently added AP English Lang for this upcoming school year, but it’s only offered to juniors and I will be a senior (of course…I was one year late), and they also added AP Human Geo, which is only available to freshmen. By the time I graduate, I will have taken 8 of the AP available to me, and I even self-studied one (microeconomics) this year.</p>
<p>What about activities during the summer? Would finding research opportunities (for STEM students) or camps make any difference during the college admissions process? Or what about planning for a science fair project to submit once the school year begins?</p>
<p>^^ It really depends on what research opportunity or summer activity you choose. For example, see: <a href=“Why Your Brilliant Child Didn't Get Into The Ivies | HuffPost Life”>HuffPost - Breaking News, U.S. and World News | HuffPost;
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<p>@gibby interesting article. So it says that research opportunities ARE important. But I also read that they don’t want well-rounded students? (I may be completely misinterpreting it; the article was a little unclear at times)</p>
<p>Are you by any chance a tenor? There’s always a shortage of tenors for college vocal groups, musicals, etc. </p>
<p>@rkepp12: No, you’re reading the article correctly. Colleges are looking for a well-rounded CLASS made up of LOP-SIDED students – students that are stronger in one academic area than the other, or have a particular talent or unique EC that they can bring to the campus. It’s easier for an Admissions Committee to admit a student that did something special, like running the Boston Marathon backwards while juggling 7 balls in the air, rather than an admit yet another yearbook editor, debate team member, or researcher. </p>
<p>FWIW: I think you’re going about this all wrong. You’re trying to second guess what a college is looking for, asking what will strengthen your application. When, in fact, most successful applicants have just pursued what they have enjoyed to the best of their ability . . . and as a result of their dogged passion, they were admitted to the college of their choice. You should read: <a href=“Applying Sideways | MIT Admissions”>http://mitadmissions.org/blogs/entry/applying_sideways</a></p>
<p>@janesmith I am a tenor, actually. That’s interesting to know, thanks! I guess I’ll have to take advantage of that!</p>
<p>@gibby Hmm, interesting. I’m guessing that goes against pretty much everything that both myself and other people have thought about college admissions in the past! Thank you! The article you posted also affirms what you said, so I’ll definitely rethink that. </p>
<p>It depends on when you wanna go. You might not stand out at Harvard, but an applicant like you would stand out somewhere like Arizona State University or the University of Alabama.</p>