Hi, I’m a junior and the past month has been practically hell for me because there has been so many major contests, and the results for some pretty prestigious summer programs also came out.
I have some small/regional awards (e.g. scholastic art regional gold, AIME qualification, placed at regional math contest), and I have some pretty well-rounded commitments (e.g. co-founder of relay for life at my school, member of a professional local art league, trying to develop a start-up and doing internship over the summer, playing a jv sport, doing research at local university). But I have nothing that a highly selective college would consider significant. I know quite a few people at my school who are ISEF qualifiers, USAMO qualifiers, accepted to RSI, etc. Compared to them, do I even have a chance at an ivy?
Actually I recognized that I probably would be much better-off now if I had concentrated all my time in one or two commitments, but I wasn’t really thinking about college until recently, you know? Now I feel really depressed and helpless. Please help because I don’t know what I should do next ):
You definitely have a chance! As long as you show passion and commitment, that’s what they want to see - and you shouldn’t tailor your life to colleges, so it’s kind of good you weren’t thinking about it before.
Comparing yourself to others is the worst thing you can do with college admissions. No one will ever know why they were either accepted or denied to any institution, so it’s no use hazarding a guess with other applicants as your gauge. Having said that, your portfolio stands a fair chance in Ivy admissions. Don’t let insecurity hold you back.
If you mean by being engaged in every single club, then no.
If you mean by having good balance of academics and have one or two things that stand out, yes.
It’s true that more competitive your school is, much harder the competitive will be. But hey…don’t compare yourself to others. It will get you nowhere. Pursue what you like and make some SIGNIFICANT results, and be proud of it.
What do you want to study, and what is your credential?
I’ve always heard college admissions people say they’re not looking for well-rounded students. They’re looking for students who get really into one or two things and contribute to a well-rounded student body.
@paul2752 but what would you consider a “significant” result? Would the ECs/awards I listed be significant? I have a 4.0 GPA and 2390 SAT score, but that’s pretty much expected when it comes to ivies.
@JustOneDad I mean, that really depends on the essay doesn’t it? Passion is so overused nowadays that I don’t even know how to express it anymore, and I doubt you’ll believe me if I told you I’m passionate about everything I do.
@JustOneDad um that’s because I am tired. I play tennis in the fall and draw occasionally. Of course I also procrastinate by socializing, listening to music, etc.
I don’t think you have anything to worry about. First of all, your resume is quite impressive.
Also, schools aren’t necessarily looking for someone who’s super concentrated versus well-rounded. You’ll be given a chance to tell your story in your essays when you apply to schools next year. Take that chance and use it well. Tell them about the things you’ve done or want to do and why they matter to you. Tell them about your accomplishments and your passions. I promise that being well-rounded is not a strike against you. The only danger was if you signed up for a bunch of things to pad your resume but it doesn’t look like that’s the case with you.
I went to an ‘Inside College Admissions’ event hosted by Tufts last fall that actually addressed this point as well. They said that selective universities look for both well-rounded and ‘specialist’ students and that what matters more is that a student shows passion and dedication in whatever it is they dedicate their time to.
Finally, try not to spent time worrying about what your chances might be. College admissions is fickle. You never know why you might be accepted or rejected from a particular school. At that same event at Tufts, they said sometimes it’s just a matter of, the school band needs a trumpet player and Applicant X plays the trumpet so they get a leg up in admissions. You’ll end up at a good school. Good luck!
I’m reaching the same tiredness at this time in my junior year so I feel you! Best thing you can do is just keep going stop procrastinating and never underestimate the power of sleep. Comparing yourself to others will make you go crazy(trust me I know the feeling). Just do what you have a passion for and you’ll end up at the right school for you. Good luck!
your anxiety seems to be driven in part by comparing yourself with you peers which is tempting but irrelevant as these ivies don’t have max quotas for high schools. I’m sure your schools sends a bunch of kids to ivies and that’s because there are a lot of talented people like you deserve admission. College admissions officers say the whole ‘we’re not looking for well-rounded students, we’re looking for a well-rounded class’ which might be insightful for an uninformed audience on college visits but what they really want to see is that you demonstrate some investment in your activities- more than ‘i was a member of club x,y, and z.’ From what you’ve stated you have significant involvement in a variety of activities so good work. What you should do next is work on that start up and enter some competitions for that research and not worry about others because what you have going is good.
