<p>The smartest students, straight A's USAMO winners, siemens kids, etc,
most of the top kids who apply at HYPSM aren't exactly the most popular kids at school. Classified as nerds in the average status quo?</p>
<p>Well
How do you show colleges when you apply that you are a popular person and you have lots of friends, while still being at the top of your class and having pretty decent EC's? although not up to USAMO, Siemens etc.. But more along the lines of many leadership positions, and varsity sports.</p>
<p>Do you get points for being popular on a college app? Is what I'm pretty much asking.</p>
<p>And I'm trying to say this in the most modest way possible.</p>
<p>Just do what you like. It’s that simple. Don’t worry about coming off as being “popular” or whatnot, because ultimately you want to be doing things that you will enjoy.</p>
<p>Don’t use the word “popular” anywhere on your application. That gives the impression that you possess the maturity of a seventh grade girl. Now, if what you really mean by that statement is: “How do you portray yourself to colleges so that you appear socially competent?”</p>
<p>First off, I doubt HYPSM care much. Your essays should show your personality, your quirks, and what sets you apart. You have little to no space to spend discussing how “popular” or well-liked you are. In fact, unless you were a very eloquent speaker, saying that would almost certainly work against you.</p>
<p>If you have to feel like colleges know that you’re well liked, show it indirectly through your essays. But to be honest, it’s a waste of time. You should spend your essays discussing more meaningful topics, IMO.</p>
<p>Not trying to be mean, I promise. Good luck with everything.</p>
<p>BTW: your stereotype of the HYPMS student is way off. These ultra achievers all had significant impact as HS students. Sure, some were super genius types who may have been introverted – but the majority were top scholars **as well as **the most influential people at their high schools. </p>
<p>Your one dimensional view of them sounds rather foolish.</p>
<p>Thank you Decrescendo, that is what I meant.</p>
<p>So how do colleges find out if you are in their opinion, extroverted or introverted? Is the essay the only means of communicating that aspect? Also, would being extroverted or introverted have a impact on becoming admitted or not?</p>
<p>T26E4 BTW: I never stated that I possessed that stereotype. After browsing this forum for quite some time, I understand that many of these “ultra-achievers” have been extremely influential people. I merely stated that the common stereotype is that these people are introverted. </p>
<p>Your one dimensional view of me sounds rather foolish. Perhaps you think all kids who are socially competent, yet not a ultra-high achiever share that stereotype?</p>
<p>T26E4 is right in that HYPSM students, for the most part, played a central role in student life in their high schools. Now I imagine that most (except athletic recruits, possibly) were not partiers in high school, because well, how would they have achieved so much academically if they were too busy boosting their social status? I think that’s a reason why HYPSM doesn’t care too much about how “well-liked” you were.</p>
<p>Take me, for example. I go to a poor public high school; the majority of students do drugs/alcohol/etc. Me (and my very small group of friends) in the gifted/AP program are the only ones who typically abstain from that. Because of that, we are not as “popular” as other kids in the school. But IMO, that’s a good thing. I don’t want to be popular if it means getting wasted on the weekends. That’s why I’m ready for college, where hopefully, other, more meaningful things will determine the amount of respect I get from my peers. :D</p>
<p>To the contrary, 3 of the 4 HYPM kids that my school has churned out in the last 4 years were practically celebrities before they got in. We’re not an academic school or anything (our median SAT hovers in the low 1600s, to give you an idea); your name just gets passed around. The name recognition of the titans of academics, athletics, theater, dance, band, and attractiveness are very similar, in proportion to how thoroughly they dominate their respective fields.</p>
<p>As a side note, the morning announcement kids are the most “popular” of all. Literally everyone knows them.</p>
<p>hello: i’ll drop the “foolish” “non-foolish” thing. However, I don’t adhere to your thinking that "the common stereotype is that these people are introverted. "</p>
<p>Having attended an HYP college with these students and interviewing 100+ of them since I graduated, I can tell you that socially, they run the gamut. However, I’d say the vast vast majority are very outgoing and socially very interesting. Especially my classmates.</p>
<p>But introverted would be the exception rather than the rule: that’s my experience.</p>
<p>Well, in the Harvard 2014 group, most people have said that they drink a little–not THAT many people who totally abstain, and many fewer who “party” (ie, admit to getting smashed). And one of the guys from my school going to Harvard with me /has/ smoked pot a couple times. (Once or twice a year?)</p>
<p>Also, as an outgoing introvert, I would like to clarify what an introvert is. Introvert does not mean shy. Introvert does not mean socially awkward. Introvert means that someone, to recharge, needs quiet and alone time. You can still like people. Extroverts need people time and hanging out together time to recharge. I can tell a cheap Myers-Briggs online test from a good one by whether it tells me I’m an introvert or an extrovert. The bad ones claim I’m an extrovert, because I don’t loathe being around people. The good ones can tell that I’m an introvert, because while I like people, I also need my quiet time.</p>
<p>In the public school where I went to in my town being popular equals drinking, smoking and partying a lot. The funny thing is that this is considered to be a really good school (top ten in my country, ****ty country) .</p>
<p>I am not at all a nerd (I do study, I have some specific academic passions but I don’t just learn everything) but I only have some close friends because my bigges hobby is READING !!
Yes. Most of the people in there find my hobby absolutely dreadful and think I am a freak. Especially when I use some word that it is not in there 100-word range. (and no, I don’t just drop fancy words to brag about it, it comes naturally). </p>
<p>But I frankly don’t care. :D. Can’t wait to go to my new school, where apparantly being smart is so cool.</p>
<p>I don’t think drinking small amounts occasionally is a big deal. Many of my friends do, and some do it alot. I’m sure most HYP students drink occasionally, I mean, c’mon, we’re talking about 18-22 year olds here.</p>
<p>Still though, it’s far less prevalent, and there’s far less partiers than studiers. But most studiers are not shy, over-geeky social outcasts. Especially not at HYP - almost everyone there had leadership positions in high school. So they must’ve had competent social skills.</p>
<p>Lol, I wanted to say that I am not a saint and I do like drinking from time to time, but then I thought it may seem a little contradictory.
The thing is that some people literally don’t know the meaning of the word “limit”. They go out like 3 times/week and always get wasted. Even come drunk to classes and do drugs at school. This was what I meant by “a lot”.</p>
<p>And about the leadership thing, I do not agree. You must have some social skills (like have some friends and don’t be some weird freak) but nothing really complex. Most of people will choose as a leader only because they know you can and will do the work that they are too lazy to do. I do have a pretty significant leadership position (European Youth Parliament Ambassador) and I am not really friends with anyone from that group- we do chat and hang out together at times, but no bonding. Still, everything goes pretty awesome. </p>
<p>Having social skills doesn’t equal popular.</p>
<p>I agree. When I said “socially competent”, I meant outgoing, not “let’s go get wasted every Friday.” But most awkward, quiet kids don’t get leadership positions, even if they’re diligent: you do have to put yourself out there, otherwise no one will know you well enough to vote you into that position.</p>
<p>There’s a spot on the common app where fill in how many seconds you can do a keg stand.
Have you tried winning any national popularity contests?
The most important number on your application is actually your number of facebook friends.</p>
<p>Aced that section. Totally got bonus points with the adcoms: they must have been really impressed with my resistance to large amounts of alcohol. What can I say? I’m a natural.</p>
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<p>I was actually a semifinalist for one, but I got eliminated because of my SAT Popularity score, a mere 780 out of 800. :/</p>
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<p>Sad but true. I only had 657: my friend who had 1,277 got into Harvard, even with his 1700 SAT score. Popularity truly is the best hook of all.</p>
<p>Thank you to the serious replies to some people.</p>
<p>It’s really interesting as to why some people want to be sarcastic and pretentious in answering this question. I was actually pretty serious. Wouldn’t colleges want people who are socially competent and are liked by many people? I just wondered as to how they would find that out. That’s it.</p>
<p>Decrescendo and bobleman300 maybe it’s just me but you guys seem like little nerds who don’t really have social lives at school… You probably have friends but you’re probably at the outside of social circles. That probably makes you a little bitter in answering my question. My bad.</p>
<p>Yeah, of course they do. The only thing is … being socially competent and liked by many people is not something special that only you possess and is certainly not unique enough to matter for college apps. For the most part, HYPSM kids are socially competent and liked, or else how would they hold the leadership positions that usually distinguish them from normal applicants? Don’t you think it says something when they reject a lot of I’m-a-perfect-student-but-I-don’t-do-anything-and-have-no-leadership applicants?</p>
<p>And also, no need to get mad at T26E4 man. You say you don’t possess this stereotype of HYPSM kids? Think about that for a second. Look at the thread you just posted, and think about that for a second. Uh … dude, you just posted a thread asking if being popular helped your application on the grounds that HYPSM kids are stereotypically nerdy and then you say that you don’t hold that stereotype? So if you don’t think HYPSM kids are nerdy, where is the basis for your question?</p>
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<p>Hard to believe that someone with this kind of attitude can be popular, huh?
It’s called having a sense of humor and not taking yourself so seriously bro.</p>
Most of the people in there find my hobby absolutely dreadful and think I am a freak. Especially when I use some word that it is not in there 100-word range. (and no, I don’t just drop fancy words to brag about it, it comes naturally). </p>