Passion: that's the key

Applying to College
1

<p>My daughter, who is a senior, wants to attend a college that is part of the Elite Group. She has worked hard and has compiled a pretty good record: Sat score of 2250, many leadership positions in her school, NMF, and a good volunteer record (that is from the heart, not engineered). She has a broad range of talents and interests and an interest in a great variety of social issues and academic interests. </p>

<p>The problem, as we saw it, was that she did not have that single passion that so many on CC cite as essential to deliverance to the promised land. We both saw this. Unfortunately, I now think our closeness might be her undoing. </p>

<p>She has a wide range of musical interests, including some of those old 70s and 80s sounds that were from my day. It seemed like a good idea for her to form a passion about music, and we (OK, I) came up with the idea of a BEE GEES passion. She has BEE GEES bedsheets, BEE GEES radio, BEE GEES umbrella, countless BEE GEES shirts, and every 8-track and vinyl BEE GEES album ever made. To show that her passion is not a momentary thing, she has a BEE GEES tatoo on her shoulder. She is working the BEE GEES into nearly all her application essays. It's a great passion, and she really didn't have one before that she could identify, so I think she is now a least a viable candidate for the Elite Group. </p>

<p>But I'm sick with worry. Could a silly or irrelevent passion be worse than the kind of generalized passion many kids her age have for learning and life itself? Nobody at CC or anywhere else told us what her passion was supposed to be--only that it was necessary to have one. Now, she truly is passionate about the BEE GEES, and I'm afraid I have lost the wonderful generalist she once was. Time for intervention?</p>

2

<p>The thing is, the college ppl need to be able to tell from the girl’s ec’s that she has expressed devotion and commitment to that passion.</p>

<p>How are you going to show, with all these volunteer hours, that she is committed to and passionate to the Bee Gees?</p>

<p>Has she gotten a leadership position on the Bee Gees fan club? Has she raised money to help advertise the Bee Geees?</p>

<p>Honestly, having a passion for the Bee Gees seems kind of ridiculous. Compare that to someone with a passion for a musical instrument, acting, helping homeless people, art, and a passion for a Bee Gees seems kind of weak.</p>

<p>No offense.</p>

3

<p>“It seemed like a good idea for her to form a passion about music, and we (OK, I) came up with the idea of a BEE GEES passion.”
Is this a ■■■■■? You came up with a passion? That’s not how it works, you don’t sit down and decide to be passionate about something. You become passionate about something by experiencing it.</p>

<p>“Could a silly or irrelevent passion be worse than the kind of generalized passion many kids her age have for learning and life itself?”
Again, you seem to be missing the point, a passion, by definition is not silly or irrelevant.</p>