I don't think any adcoms will understand my situation

Applying to College
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<p>dunbar: No body on this forum know enough about you to determine that you do not have a chance in Ivy’s. Ivy’s are competitive for just about anybody and may be with good recommendations and good essay, you may have a chance if you can explain how got over what has handed to you. There is a whole book/documentary “Homeless to Harvard”.</p>

<p>That said, there are some very good schools who may not be Ivy but you can get great education. Also, what is your financial situation? Would you be better off going to a school that gives better aid, if you are looking for one?</p>

<p>World does not come to an end if you do not get to an Ivy. Even many students with opportunities do not get to Harvard. As they say when given a lemon, make lemonade. Think how you can use your situation to your advantage. I am sure you can. You will not get sympathy in this forum, but if you give details and ask for suggestions, there will be many.</p>

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<p>Okay, everyone needs to calm down and stop being so rude. He asked for your advice, not for you to mock him. Some of you ought to consider a situation when you didn’t know something and it was important to you that you found out.</p>

<p>OP- your ECs don’t need to be national to be worthwhile and appealing. Just package yourself well and you definitely have a shot.</p>

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<p>

Figure that one out for yourself. Do you, at heart, truly believe that hundreds of thousands of 18-22 year-olds in the US have national-level ECs?</p>

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<p>I feel for you dunbar. The level of venom you are getting in this thread is uncalled for. Until I visited this website, I never heard of all the competitions, research, and summer programs that many posters on this board seem to think is a prerequisite for a prestigious college. The fact that you didn’t go out and find out about this stuff on your own, if not exposed to it in high school, is not surprising. Don’t beat yourself up about it.</p>

<pre><code>Running cross country and track are great ECs. Participating in 2 varsity sports is incredibly time-consuming. Even though you think you are not recruitable, have you thought about contacting DIII college coaches? There are some exceptional LACs that might suit your desire to be at a top-notch school, and where your running ability might give you a boost in admissions.
</code></pre>

<p>Best of luck!</p>

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<p>dude… if you want to apply to an ivy league college for whatever reason. then do so. If you’re grades are good and you have some kind of ec’s you have at least a shot. essays are important too. just send the apps and see what happens…</p>

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<p>Guys… i think he has better use for the 60$ he would spend for the application. I think he should buy some candy bars to cheer himself up for an hour or two instead of his negative chance of getting into a good Ivy (Brown doesnt count).</p>

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<p>Dunbar…</p>

<p>the problem isn’t that you have “some” ECs, the problem is that your ECs aren’t unique. Nearly everyone letters in a sport these days. The point is to be different - to have a state or national recognition.</p>

<p>You’re being VERY naive if you think that you’ll only be “amongst your own” at an ivy league school. There are super-smart kids at all top privates and flagships. Your stats are similar to my son’s stats (my son: Val, NMF, high 700s SATs, etc), yet he’s at a state flagship. He’s in an honors program with kids like him - all really smart - average ACT 33 in his honors program - which is 99 percentile).</p>

<p>Look at it this way. The ivies reject thousands of super smart kids each year. Where do you think that they end up going??? Do you think they stay home? No! They go to another private or state flagship school. So, thousands and thousands of kids like you (99 percentile) are at schools other than ivies. Go to their schools, and you’ll be amongst other brainy kids. :)</p>

<p>Good luck! :)</p>

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<p>I suspect you might find many top colleges might be interested in having you. Many campuses are aware of the cultures that define individual high schools. Sports are like any other EC the top colleges are looking for students that made a commitment to their sport as opposed to those that joined a team simply to tack another EC onto their resume.
Make sure you send a copy of resume to the individuals writing your LORs. Include a short narrative about your passion for your sport.
By the way I attended a top 10 LAC. While I played football in high school I was not good enough to play in college. Given that varsity sports required a minimum of 3 to 4 hours 5 to 6 days a week I had little time for other ECs. Yet one of the admissions officer I later became friends with mentioned that my LORs made references to my HS football career and ‘team spirit’. It turns out the coach thought I was a blast. When the defense was on the field I was one of several offensive players he would consult with. In short our fullback was recruited by Ohio State but our coach consultants attended top10 colleges.</p>

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<p>ok so how about – whatever about your ECs. that’s water under the bridge now. now, you REALLY need to sit down and evaluate what about Ivy leagues makes you want to go there. You mentioned that it wasn’t prestige, and I’ll grant you the benefit of the doubt. You also mentioned that you want to surround yourself with academically-inclined students. That’s chill. You will find those types of students at a LOT of colleges. a LOT. If you’re going to an Ivy for the opportunities after college, guess what? Yep, a lot of colleges open MANY doors after graduation. E.g. a little college called ‘Polytechnic Institute of Brooklyn’ (recently bought by NYU and renamed NYU-Poly) scored 7th, I believe, on top-salaries according to PayScale. But it’s not the only institution. A lot of them have their alumni connections, their networks, their reputations for being strong in core areas.</p>

<p>So I ask you: What do you want to study? Why? Where do you want to study? Where do you want to hang out during college? What kind of atmosphere would you be most comfortable in REALLY? How much do you, or your parents, want to spend? How much free time do you want in college? What do you want out of it? It takes a lot of visualizing, believe me, and you’ll find out in just a few months that you are rooting out colleges you were accepted to based on reasons you never anticipated. Like, you didn’t like how Villanova got your gender wrong, or Carnegie Mel sent their financial aid notification to you too late and the people there seemed too depressed and you took that as a warning. Or you didn’t want to go to NJIT despite a full ride because you realized you’d prefer a school in NYC over one in Newark, NJ. Maybe you wanted to go to a school with hotter girls. Or warmer weather. Or a simple change of scenery. Maybe you want to initiate a culture shock. Maybe you want new, almost-experimental learning. Figure it out, bud.</p>

<p>Also, you are soooo not alone about finding out ECs are important. It hit me end of junior year actually, by which time I grinned and bared it as inevitable. And I wanted to go to MIT. A part of me always knew I couldn’t get in b/c I had zero engineering ECs in high school besides being a SWE member. I got deferred though.</p>

<p>Hence, I still encourage you to apply to Ivy League schools! Because hey :slight_smile: ya never know. maybe they like runners. or your essay. or your interview.</p>

<p>good luck :D</p>

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<p>dunbar, I totally understand your feeling. Seems like EVERYone here on CC has such amazing stats and ECs, so why didn’t your teachers tell you about them? I wondered that for my DS3 also. Except I realized I needed to do the looking and much sooner than when the deadlines are passed.</p>

<p>Remember, the kids on CC are also a unique bunch. Bet the kids in your school aren’t so world-traveled and award-studded. They are your competitors too.</p>

<p>I discovered CC much too late. My DS3 is a senior, and DS1 and DS2 are already in college. But, nonetheless, here’s a book that might get you investigating to see what you still want to do while you can, called What High Schools Don’t Tell You and another called What Colleges Don’t Tell You It’s filled with all sorts of programs I wish I knew about.</p>

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<p>

Amazing!! Do you really believe pretty much everyone who pursues ECs does so because they were angling for admissions to an elite college? Practically none of them do it because they really love science, or helping others, or writing, or whatever else they did? That really says a ton about you and your outlook on the world. Do yourself a favor and have some trusted adult look over your essays so your bitterness and misanthropic views can at least be hidden while you’re applying.</p>

<p>Forgive me if I don’t join your pity-party… Pretty much what you’re saying “I decided running 15+ hours a week was more important to me than getting involved in any other activities at school or doing anything such outside of school. But now that I’ve learned top colleges like to see those things, I feel so cheated because I wasn’t told about it. I would have pretended to be that kind of person so that top colleges would pick me.” Yeah, my heart really goes out to you in your predicament.</p>

<p>And as said before, there are plenty of kids that <em>were</em> told and did those things. So what? Life isn’t fair. You live in some fairy-tale world if you think its supposed to be. And if you want to get some gut-level understanding of “life is fair” then volunteer at your local hospital. You know, one of those ECs that looks good on the app; hey, maybe its not too late. Visit with some of the kids who are sick (and some terminal). Then whine again about the bad deal you’ve gotten…</p>

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<p>

C’mon now. No need to be downright incendiary. I think, if anything, OP has seen the preachings that go on at CC emphasizing the importance of ECs. dunbar, you’ll most likely do fine, and I really mean that. Like mom2collegekids said, you might get into the elite schools, and you might not. You don’t need national ECs to get into top schools; they certainly help, but they aren’t a prerequisite.</p>

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</p>

<p>You need to get over the presupposition that the Ivies and similar colleges are the only places for top students. There are high-achieving, intellectual students to be found everywhere. </p>

<p>Plus, really, CC is overblown. I personally know kids going to 3 of the top 20 schools (one being an Ivy) who didn’t have any national or even state EC’s … just typical school things, playing sports, doing community service locally, acting in school plays, etc.</p>

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<p>NOTE TO OP:
DO NOT BE DISCOURAGED. APPLY IF YOU HAVE GOOD GRADES AND GOOD SAT SCORE. YOU HAVE TRACK FOR 2+ YEARS SO THAT SHOWS DEDICATION.</p>

<p>EVERYONE ON CC WHO THINKS YOU NEED INTERNATION/NATIONAL AWARDS RECOGNITION FOR YOUR EC’S IS WRONG.</p>

<p>FOR MORE DETAILS, SEE THIS INTERVIEW (DEAN OF ADMISSIONS, HARVARD):
(insert you tube here).com/watch?v=WSUcwGMwc2E</p>

<p>sorry for typing in cap…i am angry at everyone who thinks you need international recognition to get into ivy (no offence :)</p>

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<p>1.) Ignore the nastiness. It is utterly uncalled for. If you can’t ignore it, try to be amused by the bizarro arrogance, as in, you won’t get into a good Ivy and Brown doesn’t count. Right.</p>

<p>2.) Even if you had a world class EC, the 3 or 4 schools you are being so nastily told you won’t be getting into are very, very difficult for anyone to get into. So even then, you would need to find a bunch of other schools – lower reaches, matches, safeties – where you could be extremely happy and find your intellectual peers.</p>

<p>3.) Good news – There are many, many LAC’s and universities where you can do this. Your lack of EC’s does not limit your options to Southwest Podunk Beauty College.</p>

<p>4.) Go ahead and apply to your reaches with as open, enthusiastic, and positive an attitude as you can muster. Write great essays. Just because running is you major EC doesn’t mean it’s your only interest. Let your voice, personality, and character shine through. Make sure that whoever reads that essay has a sense of who you are.</p>

<p>5.)Talk to the coaches at top Div III LAC’s and see if you get any traction there. </p>

<p>6.) In another thread (maybe on the parents’ board) that will hopefully not pull for the kind of vitriol you’re getting here, talk about what you want in a college, talk about your stats and EC’s, and see what suggestions you get.</p>

<p>7.) If you are at a hs that isn’t giving kids much info about colleges and college admissions, it makes sense that you might think that the Ivies are the only excellent, well respected colleges around, and the only place where an intellectual kid will fit in and be stimulated. They’re not. Do you have info about, for example, the very intellectual University of Chicago? The University of Michigan’s honors program? Top LAC’s that are not the the Northeast such as Pomona (West coast) and Davidson (deep South)? (Or LAC’s in the Northeast, for that matter, from Amherst and Williams to Middlebury to Swat – there are quite a few!) Are you aware that Wash U in St. Louis is ranked higher than more than one Ivy League school? (And yes, there is a lot of controversy about this, but still…) What about Johns Hopkins, Northwestern, Duke? Would you enjoy a Wes or Oberlin kind of vibe? Not that any of these schools is easy to get into, but the point is, there are a lot of really good options beyond New Haven.</p>

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<p>You are a high school student from the northeast with 1 major EC, high standardized test scores and a presumably high GPA who comes across as having a grossly oversized sense of entitlement when it comes to Ivy admissions . I suspect this makes you similar to 75% of the Ivy applicant pool. In your posts you have blamed your narrow EC profile on your school and your admissions ignorant parents, while at no time accepting any personal responsibility for your “situation”. That attitude simply begs for a rejection letter.</p>

<p>The time has come to accept that at this point in the process “you are what you are”, and to adjust your expectations accordingly. While mikemac’s use of the word misanthropic might be a little strong, he raises a very valid point. Your posts here have for the most part, resulted in very negative reactions. You need to be sure that your essays don’t bring out similar responses in adcoms. Blaming others for your “plight” comes across as whining. Combining that with your belief that only an Ivy is worthy of your intellect makes you sound naively arrogant. As others have said, you need to expand your list of colleges beyond the Ivies. Frankly, I think you would find more overall success at a small LAC.</p>

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<p>:) :slight_smile: :)</p>

<p>Apply to 2 or 3 ivies of your choice (maybe include 1 which is less difficult to get into - altho all are difficult).</p>

<p>But, since you are from the NE, you are competing against others from your area that have been preparing their ivy-bound resumes since they were born. Many have “gamed” the system by striving for super success in an area, or by starting a politically-correct organization. Others have just achieved their “hooks” the old-fashioned way - my nephew became an Eagle Scout in the 7th grade (very rare!) and continued in the “post-Eagle” program throughout high school. That was his “hook”. We weren’t surprised when he was accepted.</p>

<p>Your life isn’t over because you may not be ivy-bound. I realize that you live in the NE which considers ivy-life the “end all”. Frankly, you may need to get out of the NE to experience the rest of this great country. :slight_smile: Apply to Vandy, Emory, Santa Clara, Rice, Georgetown, UVa, and some top LACs. </p>

<p>While an LAC might be a good fit, I think you’d enjoy a bigger school with a good name that provides “everything” from great academics, to spectacular facilities, to a super-fun sports program. :)</p>

<p>You’ll also need some safeties… What is your likely major? And, can your family pay “full-freight,” or would you qualify for aid because of a lowish family income?</p>

<p>:)</p>

<p>So, what is your new plan of action??? :)</p>

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<p>

</p>

<p>This. This so much.</p>

<p>Listen, OP. Does your lack of unique ECs mean the Ivies are a reach? Sure. But they are reaches for almost everyone. Honestly, you probably won’t get into Harvard (though I do know people there without national awards!), but you might get into one of the slightly less selective ones – most kids from my high school don’t have national awards, but we routinely send people to Brown, Penn, Columbia, etc. And you have great stats. Just having demonstrated passion in ECs can be enough if everything else is good and you get lucky.</p>

<p>And, as others have said, there are PLENTY of non-Ivy Unis and LACs that are full of very smart students, but often very smart students who didn’t have quite as many impressive ECs or whatnot than the people who get into Harvard. You could pick lower reaches and matches from the top 50 or so Unis and LACs and be surrounded by smart students at any of them. </p>

<p>With your SAT scores, some very excellent schools will probably be low reaches or matches for you – but NOT if you complain about your situation. Just present your accomplishments and personality in the best light, and you’re bound to get in someplace great – maybe an Ivy, maybe somewhere else.</p>

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<p>Try harder to present what you have in the best light possible.</p>

<p>If you don’t have as many extra curriculars as you would like because of track, say so. Why did you choose track over other clubs? What’s so compelling about it?</p>

<p>Essay prompt: What about what you have has defined your life?</p>

<p>500 Words. Heck, I’ll be frank, because nobody follows it anyways: 500 to 750 words.</p>

<p>If you can answer my question, then you will be ready to go.</p>

<p>Whether or not an admissions officer accepts your reason (which is what your application is) for a specific school is, at the end of the day, arbitrary.</p>

<p>All you can do is present this reason in the best manner and light possible, which makes that single arbitrary decision of their’s easier.</p>

<p>I feel that you do believe you have a shot, which means you do. It’s when you stop trying (and fixing that application) that you truly lose a shot at any college. Your responses in this thread show you have at least some degree of optimism. If not that, (righteous?) indignation at the negative comments. With that level of self-confidence, it is obvious that you believe you have a shot.</p>

<p>If you believe it, that means it’s true. (Barring the impossible, of course).</p>