<p>". . .remembering snippets of essays is a nice parlor trick but the students would never even be standing there if their grades, tests scores, ec’s and other achievements weren’t of the highest caliber."</p>
<p>I agree, but Harvard says that at least 80% of its applicants have the grades, tests scores, ec’s and other achievements to succeed at their school. So, most students applying to Harvard already have achievements of the highest caliber. Eighty percent of applicants are in that pool already.</p>
<p>" . . .there isn’t a one size fits all approach to successfully handling college admissions."</p>
<p>"There is an entire section of “Chance me” threads on CC, which is sometimes where the moderators of this forum move these kinds of threads. I think they do so because they understand that by the time a kid is a junior in high school, there isn’t much they anyone can say that will improve their chances, other than to be glib and say, “You need to write a really powerful essay” or “Your teachers must present a compelling argument on why you should be accepted to Harvard over anyone else from your high school or the world.”</p>
<p>“Actually, I don’t know. My kids wrote great essays and had veteran teachers with thirty/forty years of experience write that they were one of best student’s they’ve had in their entire teaching career (a teacher gave my son a copy of his letter of recommendation – I’m assuming their other letters gave them equal praise). Beyond that . . . I have no idea what they did to set themselves apart – my daughter was very involved with her high school theater program, appearing in 8 plays/musicals and my son played varsity baseball for 4 years (not at a competitive level). Besides being top students at their high school, neither of them did any research, community service, or were Intel winners etc. What made them stand out? Essays and teacher recommendations!”</p>
<p>I’ve really got to stop using quotation marks and learn how to do that awesome box cutout thing!</p>
<p>Anyway, okay then since you say “Actually, I don’t know.” except that they had great essays and recs that explains your approach to college admissions where teacher recs and essays are the most important factors. Playing devil’s advocate, what actually constitutes a great essay in this day and age and how is it that most of them aren’t merely retreads of the same old ideas given the tremendous increase in the volume of applications over the last half-decade? Also, how do admissions officers even know how much of a “helping hand” kids are getting these days. Teacher recommendations are much more trustworthy but unless kids are from top high schools, most of the teachers out there don’t know how to write recommendations that address what AO’s are looking for. So using your premise, colleges routinely reject brilliant kids with great characters if their essays aren’t memorable or their teachers don’t know how to write great recs.</p>
<p>No use in going around and around with this. I wish that all kids could experience your children’s good fortune. Do well in school, write good essays and make sure their teachers say they’re the best in 25 years of teaching - and they are in. There’s just a small matter of space at these schools if this really were the case.</p>
<p>I may be wrong but I believe most parents WOULD be able to say why their son or daughter was accepted to a HPYSM (and at least 10 more letters). if not, then the whole premise of my first post above is wrong and kids should not be looking for advice from former alumni, successful college students or their parents.</p>
<p>“So using your premise, colleges routinely reject brilliant kids with great characters if their essays aren’t memorable or their teachers don’t know how to write great recs.”</p>
<p>INMO, brilliant kids with stellar GPA’s and 2400 SAT’s get rejected every year because their “character” doesn’t really come across all that well in their essays or teacher recs, or it just comes across badly or blandly.</p>
<p>“I may be wrong but I believe most parents WOULD be able to say why their son or daughter was accepted to a HPYSM (and at least 10 more letters).”</p>
<p>Other than saying “My kid wrote great essays and had stellar recommendations” or “My kid was a good all-arounder” or “My kid was an Intel winner” or “My kid did ______ research for 4 years”, no I haven’t heard another parent say why they thought their kid was accepted to HPYSM (and at least 10 more letters). And I think most accepted students would say about the same thing. If there was a road map to acceptances, everyone would be following it.</p>
<p>All right, gibby. I respect you too much to let this devolve into one of those back and forth threads that I hate seeing on this forum. The basis of my post was that there are things that high-achieving kids can do to increase their chance of acceptance well above the dismal rates that are the norm. I think that writing great essays and stellar teacher recs are usually necessary but in no way sufficient. I still feel that many of the kids on this forum who post their data can be greatly helped by some friendly advice rather than met with a defeatist attitude or being directed to PR pieces by college admissions officers who don’t always practice what they preach (anyone care to do a 5 year study on z-listers?).</p>
<p>This is my last word on the subject, I yield the floor to you…</p>
<p>“I’m convinced that after all the comparing of transcripts, test scores, etc, it all comes down to the essay and teacher recommendations!”</p>
<p>I’m not. I think this is likely closer to the truth:</p>
<p>“If there was a road map to acceptances, everyone would be following it.”</p>
<p>And if everyone knew the road map and followed it, the components comprising it would no longer be of use to the admissions committees at selective schools, because they would no longer signify those qualities for which admissions committees are looking, but rather they would signify which students (and parents) had learned the road maps the best.</p>
<p>There is absolutely no road map but there are things kids should and shouldn’t be doing if they want to maximize their college acceptance chances. This varies from person to person and it depends on their circumstances and access to resources. However, generically speaking, some of the things that will serve all students well are:</p>
<p>Darn, I should have started the last one with an E-word and created the acronym ALICE. Oh well, in the absence of a specific plan (which I think can be created and modified along the way for any individual), follow the above and the grades, ec’s, letters of rec and hopefully essays will naturally follow.</p>
<p>"GPA:3.8 unweighted (Problem is that I go to an average high school) " </p>
<p>Not sure that I follow you. Are you saying your GPA is a 3.8 BECAUSE you go to an average high school or that you think that going to an average HS is a problem. I’m assuming it is the latter. </p>
<p>There is nothing wrong with going to an average high school, especially if you demonstrate that you have taken advantage of all that the high school has to offer, however limited. In many ways, it is easier to stand out at an average school, especially if you look to create opportunities to enrich yourself outside of school which apparently you have. Also, there are numerous online courses offered by the top universities which are completely free. My daughter told me tonight that a friend of hers in her average HS took Harvard’s extremely popular computer science class CS50 class free online which we had no idea was even offered. You can demonstrate your love of learning even at a school with limited resources in this way. You also have shown you are a person of character with the charitable work you are doing. Plus, the Stony Brook research program, as you know, is very highly regarded. I would think about retaking the SATs only if you have not taken it several times before and you think that studying this summer would yield significant benefits. Otherwise, you seem to have decent shot at landing at a top school. As gibby says, make sure the teachers and your GC have nothing but positive things to say about you which I’m sure they do. GL</p>