<p>So, I am a typical jock. I am the captain of the football and baseball teams, and I also play basketball. I have a cheerleader girlfriend and a large group of friends. I am the stereotypical jock straight out of a movie hahaha. However, I do very well in school with a 3.9 unweighted GPA and a 2250 SAT score. I will probably rank top 10% though I could have been higher if I was more devoted to school. My question is, is a kid like me considered a "minority" at top tier schools like the ivies or HYPSM? Can this aspect of my personality give me any pull in the admissions office? I am aware that sports are extra curricular activities so obviously this will help, but is it uncommon to find a kid like me? If so, and I am not sure that this question can even be answered, is there any information/rumors that any of those schools in particular look for students like me in order to create a diverse student body? I am looking to apply to 2 or 3 of the ivies/MIT as they obviously will provide me with amazing opportunities. Any advice on where to apply? Also, any tips on how to highlight this aspect of my personality or to demonstrate this truly in my application? Im sorry for the long paragraph and slightly vague question, but all help is appreciated and taken into consideration. Thank you so much! :)</p>
<p>As I may be in HS, even I know minority doesn’t mean your HS life story and what your social life is/was in HS</p>
<p>@wildfactor - He put minority in quotes, so he knows it isn’t the usual definition of the term. He clearly is asking if being the captain of two major sports teams and being a high achiever academically is fairly rare and will make him stand out or not.</p>
<p>@Heytray - It is not all that rare, but not really common either. One of those “you don’t see it all that often, but we all know people like that” kind of thing. So yes, I think it will help you with your admissions, because it shows leadership and a balance between your physical life and your academic one. I think you can leave out the cheerleader girlfrined part, though. Not relevant and a little too cliche, as you say. ;))</p>
<p>You have the stats to have a chance at those schools, I would think. I am not sure one of the Ivies/MIT looks for these things more than another. They all value these qualities. You don’t mention how many AP courses you have taken, that will be a factor as well, given the competition you are up against. All applicants that matter here have great academic records. Most people applying to these schools have qualities and talents that make them stand out beyond that. For one it might be being a master oboist, for another maybe being a highly skilled pilot. For you it is being a high level athlete and a leader of your teams. The place to bring that out is in your essays and during the interviews. What has this taught you as you move forward and (presumably) are no longer competing in those sports at a similar level? How will those experiences make you more successful? Why should, e.g. Yale take you over a similar academic student who was a semi-finalist on “The X Factor” or whatever one of those shows are called? Or one who started a charity that has provided thousands of medical kits for poor villages in the Dominican? Seems to me that is what you have to get across to them.</p>
<p>This all assumes, of course, that you don’t think you could be a recruited athlete at any of these schools for either sport.</p>
<p>Heytray: Congrats on your achievements to date – lots to feel proud about. But in reality, I knew lots of guys/gals like you college. Don’t let that deter you however. If you really want the academic challenge and feel you can contribute to a top school’s community, market yourself as such. Hopefully, you’re the kind of person who has been an opinion leader and not just the titular captain of your team and indeed, among your peers. Top schools want people who are not only super scholars (like you appear to be (although I second fallenchemist’s question about your APs and transcript rigor – hopefully you’ve taken them)), but also those who are committed to others, their community and the deep pursuit of knowledge and the common good (I know that sounds corny…). Would your teachers attest to these facts? You joke about the Hollywood “jock” image. That usually is slaved with a snobbish and bullying boor. If this might describe you, it may come across loudly and thus sink your chances with schools who will get 1000s of apps from people who share your profile.</p>
<p>Good luck though.</p>
<p>Your background is the rule, not the exception, at the most elite colleges. If you visit a number of campuses you will perceive that immediately. Are you being actively recruited as an athlete? If not, then your athletic accomplishments will be nice extracurricular activities to list, but not necessarily more compelling than leading nationally-ranked robotics or debating teams. You are qualified for almost any college, but nothing stands out that would make you highly unusual at Ivies or Stanford. You might be something of an outlier at MIT and CalTech, but they still get a few well-rounded white guys (if your cheerleader girlfriend has the same stats as you have, she’d be in). My preppy, lily-white nephew arrived for registration at Columbia Engineering school about 20 years ago, and people kept directing him toward the Columbia College tables because he was what you would call a “minority.”</p>
<p>@fallenchemist first of all, thanks for understanding my question! Haha I hope that everyone realizes that I’m nont trying to sound cocky and jerky but rather making fun of my self in a sense. I do take lots of AP courses by the way I forgot to include that. Thanks for the tips on highlighting this, but I’m wondering, is this enough to be my “X-Factor”, as I have not cured cancer or saved the president? Is the “jock” essay too cliche? Thank you!</p>
<p>@T26E4 Thanks that means a lot! I do feel that I am a strong leader and that I have a strong influence on my peers. I am very friendly, probably the farthest thing from a bully. I have two main groups of friends I like to call them my “regular” friends and my “AP” friends haha, so I’d like to think that I am a genuinely nice person and anything but a bully. So don’t try to sound cocky in my application? And i do believe I will have strong recommendations as I have good relationships with my teachers.</p>
<p>@woogzmama Thanks for putting things into perspective for me! That story about your nephew is a funny one, and a light at the end of the tunnel! hahaha 
</p>
<p>@Heytray - I know you used the examples of curing cancer and saving the President because people say that kind of thing all the time, but in all seriousness not one applicant to the Ivy Leagues from their founding until now has done either of those things. My point being that you don’t have to be extra extraordinary, just extraordinary. And virtually by definition you are, given how few people out of the 2.5 million or so that will graduate high school this year have your level of grades, test scores, and high level success in sports. That gets you in the discussion, but any more than that takes great essays, great recs, and a little luck.</p>
<p>I don’t really know what the “jock essay” is, but it seems to me that if you want to use that facet of your life in your essays (which makes sense since it is clearly a major factor) the trick is to write something thoughtful about how you have used it beyond the field. You also don’t mention any other EC’s you have been involved with. I know these sports are very time consuming, but it will hurt you if that is all you have are the sports. Unless, again, there is a chance they would recruit you to play for the school. Is there any chance of that? But back to the essay, just writing about being an athlete probably won’t be all that interesting to them. Remember you only have so many words. They aren’t looking for a short story. They want to know in a relatively short essay why you will be an asset to the school. If you aren’t going to be playing that sport for the school, simply telling a jock story is kind of irrelevant, isn’t it? Unless, to say it again, it reveals something else about you, about your character, that makes them say this is the kind of kid we want.</p>
<p>So I would say no, the sports themselves are not your X factor, even with the captaincies. It would be the sports plus something that could make it your X factor. Or something else aside from sports entirely, if you have other ways of letting them know who you are. Remember, you are not Heytray the athlete, you are Heytray the student who is a good athlete as well. Who is that student? Let them know.</p>
<p>@fallenchemist thanks so much for your extensive replies. There is a chance that I could get recruited by these schools, however, I have come to the decision that I do not want to play at a college level. Why? I won’t bore you with that. I do not have many other EC’s aside from mathletes and sports outside of school. By “jock” essay I mean the essay about how you won the championship or scored the winning touchdown. I think these essays are poor and cliche. Can I bother you with a few ideas about essays? I have only started to think of possible essay topics since the dawn of this post.</p>
<p>@Heytray - yeah, I have to say I don’t think those would do what you hope. So sure, I would be happy to discuss other ideas with you. Feel free to send me a message.</p>
<p>Like I said before, your typical “jock” lifestyle is very common in schools around the US (why do you think you see it so much in movies and your easy to define yourself). Ordinary/Common is not what will separate your app from the rest of the pile. Some admissions officers may misinterpret your character with the bullying aspect of the “jock”. IMO leave all that out but keep your ECs, don’t gamble with a chance of making your app negative.</p>
<p>I’ll offer my observations from the perspective of a parent of two academically strong recruited athletes who’ve successfully been through the process.</p>
<p>First; congratulations. Balancing academics, athletics, and a social life is quite an accomplishment. Regardless of where you go to college, you have a bright future ahead of you.</p>
<p>Second; the “popular scholar/athlete” combination isn’t really all that rare. Your definitely in a minority (though obviously not a disadvantaged minority). When you get to college, you’ll quickly learn that there are lots of similarly gifted kids.</p>
<p>Third, and most important; I believe the best way to “market” your special qualities to colleges is to not market them yourself, but to let others do it for you through recommendation letters. A recommendation letter saying something to the effect of: “Heytray’s unique combination of academic and athletic excellence and leadership skills have made him a pleasure to have around…” will be more effective than anything you could write. Unfortunately, many people have a tendency to resent kids like you who seem to have it all and manage to make it all look easy. Letting others toot your horn allows you to project an image of humility, and it’s harder to resent a humble superstar. </p>
<p>Why am I reminded of the quote for today’s generation - “You’re unique - just like everyone else.”</p>
<p>Remember the Winklevoss twins, as depicted in the movie “The Social Network?” One of them says, “I’m 6’5”, I have a 3.9 GPA, and there are two of me."</p>
<p>@Heytray - I have to disagree with some of what wildfactor says. First of all, we aren’t talking about just being a “jock”. We are talking about being an athlete with excellent academic success that puts you in the top few percent of students of all types, and being a 2 major sport captain. If that is all that ordinary, to the point that they are “very common in schools” and they have presumably admitted many of these students, why would they think the students they admitted are bullies? Sorry, can’t have it both ways. But by definition it really isn’t all that common, not when we are talking about the combination of the academics, the athletic ability and the leadership. And he/she really expects you to leave out the fact that you played varsity sports and was captain of the teams? That is nonsensical, IMO. Even a bit bizarre. Just really bad advice, I think. The issue remains that the athletics, in and of themselves, can’t be what solely defines you outside of academics. You have to dig a little deeper and then get that across to them.</p>
<p>Schools do find athletic prowess an asset. The Greek ideal isn’t dead. It just needs to be presented in a way that fits our society today as to how it translates to being the kind of student they want at their school.</p>
<p>@sherpa I really liked what you said and it is definitely advice that I am going to take! I do believe that I am humble because I don’t come off as the superstar that people are inclined to resent. I am very close with one of my teachers that has insisted upon writing my rec, and I will request that she mentions my athletic/leadership achievements, as she has attended a few of my games. Thank you so much and congrats on raising some studs!</p>
<p>@fallenchemist I actually just got a kick out of your reply to wildfactor and Lol’d. I’m going to shoot you a message concerning essays</p>
<p>Are you going to be a recruited athlete? If not it doesn’t seem that athletics are much of a “hook” if that is what you mean by “minority,” and then you are not actually a “superstar.” Still, you have good grades, scores and ECs. Sports is “the” EC around here and I am sure it is the same at thousands of public HS around the country. It is not at all uncommon here for an athlete to be a top student. Prep schools are also FULL of high achieving athletes. The comment about the cheerleader gf and having lots of friends struck me as odd…not usually the type of info people put in a chances thread…you may want to reflect on your reasoning for including that information.</p>
<p>@planner03 I already stated that I included that information to almost make fun of myself because it seems so typical of the “hollywood jock”. Thanks for your input tho. I am not going to be a recruited athlete, but I could have been.</p>
<p>If you don’t want to be a recruited athlete (and I totally understand the why behind that decision and respect that), – then you need to be able to answer the following question to the Ivies that you wish to go to – without sports, what are you going to offer to each school? And what about each school is the right fit for you? </p>
<p>I think that the OP is a textbook “Golden Boy.” The Ivy League has never had a shortage of them. Outside of STEM colleges like MIT and CalTech, they are at least as abundant as nerds on campus. I think most admissions officers like a nice balance of freaks, geeks, and jocks; it’s even better when they can find a candidate who embodies qualities of all three (ie. a physics major who plays cello and lacrosse equally well, and has been trekking in the Himalayas). Maybe they prefer “aesthetes” to “freaks,” but every college wants diversity in outlooks and interests as much as in melanin and tax brackets.</p>
<p>@woogzmama That is a lot of what I wanted to know. Thank you</p>
<p>@Momof2back2back hmmmm I guess I have to figure those questions out!</p>