My daughter has a 4.0 uw GPA with a rigorous course load, a 2120 SAT, and is interested in engineering. She is light on ECs and has nothing specific to STEM. She works around 20 hours a week, has participated in one sport for many years, and started an organization for beach clean-ups.
Would the following activities improve her application, detract, or seem like unnecessary fluff?
She models. Not a lot, but she is signed with a local agency and has had a variety of paying gigs.
She designs and sews bikinis. This she does just for herself and friends.
She is a longtime vegetarian and excellent cook.
The activities say a lot about who she is but not how successful an engineering student she would be. It might make her stand-out but maybe not in a good way. Do you think they should be incorporated in her applications?
I definitely think she should include them. 1 & 2 show some project/time commitment. 2 & 3 show some self-sufficiency (I believe this is lacking in many kids today…maybe they don’t seem like a big deal to her, but it shows she has some skills to take care of herself). Perhaps most important is that she might bring these “hobbies” to campus…and students with interests outside of academics tend to get involved on campus, and find healthy ways to wind down/handle stress. Colleges want to see that.
I have a friend who makes bikinis with her friends and they have their own website where you can go order their products. But if your daughter just does it leisurely, I wouldn’t mention it. I don’t think this is the best topic for an entire essay either, although you could mention a sentence or two about it.
I wouldn’t put this as an “activity” on the Common App, but I think it would make an awesome essay topic.
Absolutely include them. Fleshing her out (especially in a pool of one-dimensional STEM applicants) will be refreshing to her application readers. I can totally see her EC list like this:
Sport A: JV 9; Varsity 10-12
Job B: April 2012 to present, 20 hrs/wk
Beach Org: Sept 2013 to present, 60 hrs total
Modeling: signed by XYZ agency, various paid jobs (5/12 to present)
Hobbies and pastimes: bikini design and manufacture (1/14 to present); gourmet cooking
Thanks so much for the feedback, everyone. It’s been a struggle for her to synthesize herself into a neat little package of, “Yes, pick me! You won’t regret it!” I guess it is an unnatural process for most kids.
As her parents, her independence can be exasperating. My husband is actually a high school math and computer science teacher. Does she avoid his help at all costs because she wants to figure it out herself? Ugh, yes. A lot of her activities hark back to the fact she is very independent (modeling - her idea and drive, cooks for herself - no one else in the family is a vegetarian, got a job as soon as she was legally able since she likes having her own money). She is actually taking all of her classes this year as dual credit at a community college because she felt stymied by her high school. We wish she had preferred a more traditional high school experience, but we can’t fault her drive.
I am going to suggest she keep the framework of independence in mind as she fills-out her apps. Hopefully, it will appeal to schools.