<p>We know of a student who is a champion juggler… ;o)</p>
<p>There were some posts here about what certain schools really look for…
IDK
Our student will attend a sought after U–“lottery” school as they have been called…</p>
<p>has the necessary academic and testing stats, 10 APs etc
AND
is a elite top athlete in a sport
received US Congressional honors
has achievements in select ECs
has 100s and 100s and 100s of service hours…
so not one sided, yet pursued passions…not a serial joiner and there isnt time for that if you pursue passion.</p>
I think this is the God’s honest truth. Most kids are wonderful and do things that make them interesting citizens, but there are some who take everything to a whole other universe and literally change the world.</p>
<p>IP, it depends on the high school. At our local high school if a student is a valedictorian with 2400, almost always get into a HYP type of school with very limited ECs. For this high school, doing well in academic subjects is considered an EC :D.</p>
<p>Here is another one for you.
Asian - track and field, summer internship for cancer at local top 50 university, nothing stands out in EC that I know off, 2400, valedictorian, Princeton & Brown. Rejected from Stanford.</p>
<p>IP, in this particular young woman’s case, she started her sport at around age six and had laid the groundwork long before she got to high school, both athletically and academically, so by the time she got to high school, particularly after she got her driver’s license, her whole support system was like a well-oiled machine.</p>
<p>^I think what people really want to know is how not exceptional can you be and still have a chance.</p>
<p>My son, for example, chose not to go the Intel Science research project route, (hated the coordinator), which many previous HYP admits had as part of their portfolio. So the big question in my mind was whether the activities my child chose to do, which didn’t have awards or school recognition attached to them would be good enough.</p>
<p>Most of the top kids in our school who get into HYP are both highly accomplished at something, but have at least one other thing they do well. So the science kids will also either play in the band or orchestra and be on one of the teams or be an Eagle Scout on the side. (Sometimes all three!)</p>
<p>I think you are being naive if you discount how heavily geography is a factor in the debate about being exceptional in one area vs. being very very good in multiple areas.</p>
<p>If you’re from a rural area in a state which doesn’t send a lot of kids to the college you’re applying to, go ahead and be well rounded. If your academics are at or above the bar, the college will look for a reason to admit you, and frankly, being a varsity tennis champ plus working 10 hours a week for the local Red Cross and playing the flute at a decent but not outstanding level may just be enough reason.</p>
<p>If you’re from Winnetka or Great Neck or Belmont or Atherton this rule does not apply to you if you’re applying to U Chicago or Yale or Harvard or Stanford. Then- being tops in one thing-- the opposite of well rounded- is the way to give the adcoms a reason to accept you. Stanford is not looking for one more local kid who plays tennis and the flute.</p>
<p>LOL, bovertine. Agree. Any chance the conversation can return to the original question, and not slide into yet another redux of the thread from which it was spawned?</p>
<p>In order to be good in anything, you have to start early. I have heard beautiful pieces by 6 year olds on the piano that brought tears in my eyes. They started at 2-3 years of age.</p>
<p>My nephew invented a board game and spent a summer shopping it around at various game conventions. I didn’t even know anybody played board games much anymore.</p>
<p>At any rate, he was not applying to the very top level schools, but he wrote about the experience in one of his essays and got into a school which was likely a bit of a reach for him.</p>
<p>A friend of my s’s designed and successfully marketed a video game. In this day and age thats probably not a big deal, but he did it about 10 yrs ago.</p>