<p>Re post #452:</p>
<p>If Harvard was merely looking for the most intellectually capable students, it would be a problem that they were missing some under-the-radar students – the type that the high school teacher don’t notice because the kid quietly slips off every day for concurrent univrsity enrollment.</p>
<p>But Harvard, in particular, happens to be looking for students who will be future movers & shakers in society. Harvard highly values leadership & people skills – and it likes to have the type of student who draws attention to himself (or herself), whether naturally or with deliberate effort. Because unless there is a change or growth in personality, the smart kid who is invisible to his high school teachers is likely to some day end up as a worker who is invisible to his superiors, passed up for promotion while others get ahead. </p>
<p>So when you raise the very real issue that some very smart students aren’t drawing attention to themselves and therefore come up weak on the LOR front – you are right – but my point is that I don’t think Harvard and other elite colleges particularly want those students. They really don’t want the type of kid who will arrive at college, spend their free time studying in their dorm room and library, show up to class, get straight A’s… and nothing more. They want students who are engaged and active and will be creating the vibrant campus environment that is part of the elite campus experience. </p>
<p>Parents who really want their kids to get into elite colleges may want to help their shy or introverted offspring learn how to draw attention to themselves and their strengths & contributions in positive ways… its a life skill that pays off in many ways.</p>