<p>Now that I've been accepted into a school that I want to attend, I'm done looking at/posting on these forums. I've spent enough time and energy going through posts on here that I feel that I owe something to the community, so here it is.</p>
<p>I graduated from high school this year, applied to schools last year, was summarily rejected or waitlisted (because I tried to suck up), and decided to take a year off. I feel that this year has given me a greater insight on the application process, more than anything I could learn looking at a chance thread. I'd like to share what I've learned, take from it what you will.</p>
<p>I was accepted into a top 10 school while being ranked in the top 30% of my class, having zero hooks and no leadership positions in my school. Was I lucky to be admitted to Duke? No. Duke was lucky to get a second chance.</p>
<p>What many of you don't understand is that scoring highly on a test or being ranked number one in your class is not a ticket to a top school, and certainly not a guarantee of later success. If Harvard rejects 60% of people with perfect SAT scores, why should you be any different? You don't think that they're class president, three-sport athletes, and nationally-recognized researchers too?</p>
<p>Your application won't be decided by the number of clubs you start or AP classes you took. You need to clearly communicate confidence in yourself. Tell the admissions committee that they would be stupid to deny you, and they can go **** themselves if they do. I mocked Duke in my essay, because honestly, I wanted to let them know that denying me would have zero impact on my self-image. So, if you want to be admitted, don't come across as the stereotypical asian kid, make it seem like you see yourself as God's gift to humanity, even if you're some schmuck who's only ranked in the top 30% of his class.</p>
<p>Follow your own path, don't let high school dictate what you should pursue. I was barely involved in my high school, yet I created my own opportunities which were far more valuable. I'd much rather be a field organizer for the Obama Campaign in a battleground state and a project manager for an Internet startup than class president. The greatness that you convey in your application is a state of mind rather than an empirical set of numbers, and I think that many of you miss that. In the end, confidence in your own abilities will get you a whole lot further than a college degree. You can pay for school but you can't buy class.</p>
<p>So, goodbye college confidential community. It's been...interesting, and I think we'll all turn out alright.</p>