First timer here… so be patient. I’m a parent to a high school sophomore. We’re starting to talk about colleges (and probably more me than her) figuring out what colleges, etc. I would like to ask how advantageous it is that my daughter taught herself Sign Language and has about 110k followers on a social media site where she teaches other kids across the country Sign Language through popular songs. There is nothing stupid or racy on her social media site. She was taught a long time ago that your digital imprint follows you forever so she’s been really smart about that. Quick backstory… her half sister (who’s 20 years older) was going deaf and my daughter was fearful that her half-sister wouldn’t be able to communicate with the family, etc. So my daughter immersed herself in Sign Language, started a club at school, started signing at her school masses, and even did a documentary about Sign Language which has been entered into many competitions. My daughter doesn’t have plans to study Sign Language in college but I’ve been advised it’s a great subject she can write about on a college application essay. The fact that Sign Language forces kids (people) to put down their phones and look people in the eye and engage with others… something lacking these days with all of us. I’d love any advice if this is a good route to go when she starts applying to college and writing those all important essays.
My daughter included a segment of herself signing in a video essay for a school that requested a theme about thinking outside the box. She showed how she chose ASL rather than a traditional world language as part of a series of activities that showed non-traditional ideas. Many colleges are embracing sign language now as a world language. I think it’s a big plus for your daughter, whether she wants to continue studying it or not…
The fact that Sign Language forces kids (people) to put down their phones and look people in the eye and engage with others... something lacking these days with all of us<<<<<<<<<<<<
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Diverting the point but in reality the phone (which is a sophisticated computer) is revolutionizing communications for the deaf as well as the rest of us. AI & ASL, text to speech, and whatever the new tech will offer, don't throw out the baby with the bathwater in any essay supposedly written by a teen is who very unlikely to say something along those lines. As the majority of people won't learn ASL, any deaf person that can use a smartphone has the ability to communicate quickly and easily.
Smartphones controlling and fine tuning wearable in ear devices are also going to be massive for the aging populations.
"Her half sister (who’s 20 years older) was going deaf and my daughter was fearful that her half-sister wouldn’t be able to communicate with the family, etc. So my daughter immersed herself in Sign Language, started a club at school, started signing at her school masses, and even did a documentary about Sign Language which has been entered into many competitions. "
This would be the main focus of a compelling essay. The social media parts - making the videos and # of followers - would be worth a brief (one sentence) mention to illustrate the lengths she’s gone to in her pursuit of this goal, but IMO aren’t a compelling main story.
I wouldn’t go into any of the parts about sign language forcing people to put down phones and communicate. It’s not a relevant part of your daughter’s story and potentially distracts from the essay.
I wouldn't go into any of the parts about sign language forcing people to put down phones and communicate. It's not a relevant part of your daughter's story and potentially distracts from the essay.>>
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The only reason I mention that is because a couple weeks I met a man at a local golf course who went to Yale, his daughter went to Yale, and he used to interview applicants out here in Los Angeles. We started talking about Yale (because my daughter did a summer program there and loved it) and the essays, etc. I mentioned that my daughter was very into Sign Language, what attracted her to it, and perhaps that would be the subject matter of her essay. What he said, no matter what she writes about, make it very personal, but also relate it to the bigger picture. His wife was a Lactaid nurse so growing up his daughter was always around bottles of milk in the family’s refrigerator and she was somehow able to use the bottles of milk as symbols of life, etc. Not really sure how she did it because our conversation was very short. But it really stuck with me and how one’s essay shouldn’t just be about your personal experience and journey but try and relate it to a big picture. That’s all I meant by the comments previously. Obviously it’s entirely up to my daughter how she wants to proceed.
May I just suggest that you keep your suggestions for the college essay gentle and light? If your DD is anything like my four, she’ll want to have some ownership of the subject and how she writes it. I love your idea, but let her develop it so it showcases her passion.
Writing about this for the personal statemen will depend on her college targets. Ultimately, it needs to be relevant to what they look for and want to learn about her.
In general, the number of social media followers isn’t a tip. List it on activities, sure. But a bigger plus can be what she does in real life with her fluency. Work in some way with the deaf or advocate for them? Top colleges, if she aims there, can want to see this followed up with direct interactions. Just food for thought.
Points all well taken. She started a Sign Language Club at her school and signs at school masses (both things done on her own accord). I’m a first timer here so I appreciate all the posts.
“ Iwouldn’t go into any of the parts about sign language forcing people to put down phones and communicate.”
Totally agree. Though you think it’s part of the “big picture” as Sybylla pointed out that technology has been life changing for many of the Deaf. It allows them to more fully participate in social society. My friends son who is Deaf became a teen just as texting became a “thing.” Because he was fully mainstreamed and the onky Deaf kid at school it helped him go from somewhat socially isolated to a large friend group where his funny texts made him a real hit and made kids who otherwise might not have taken the time to know him really know his personality. It allows him to move about in the world in a way he couldn’t have before in a million ways. Hailing an Uber means he doesn’t have to communicate with the driver, since that driver will already know where he’s going and that he’s Deaf. It allows him to order food on the go and pick it up without struggling to communicate quickly with the restaurant workers. He can communicate verbally but it makes life easier. At work he uses it to communicate with co workers on complicated issues. (He works on banking products for smart phone using millennials, a great fit for him).
Anyway missing the importance of smart phone for the Deaf community point may really hurt your daughter in the eyes of an admissions person who about that, especially when her essay is supposed to be about doing something that relates to this population. In other words it’s totally missing the big picture.
No, the inference was not for the deaf community/people to put down their smart phones. What I meant is that on this app my daughter has been able to teach hearing kids how to use Sign Language and in doing so these kids have to use both their hands to learn to sign and, even though they’re technically using a smart phone at the time, they (in a way) need to put their phones down and use their hands and effectively communicate to learn Sign Language.
Still, what she’s doing online is at a distance. It’s not hands on, in the sense of getting out in the real world, real issues. And a surprising and increasing number of kids of all ages are being introduced to ASL. Yes, she’s meeting a need. She can be proud. If my kids were learning ASL, I’d look for the site. But what next?
How does this relate to her academic interests? And what possible college targets? If she wants elementary educ at her flagship, fine. Great, even. She’s developing others’ learning skills. If she’s a budding CS genius and this is her own first from-scratch app, ok. But if you think she’ll want a high college tier, not the same as leaving the comfort zone of the hs to go stretch. She’s doing this for learners, not the deaf community or it’s needs.
Signing in hs isn’t the “it.” How many deaf in her chapel? I don’t mean to seem harsh, but this sounds like a platform from which to jump to the next level of vision and doing. If she’s truly fluent (beyond songs and the mass,) can she do more with the deaf? Or?
Follow the prompt for essays. There may not be any way to fold this in anyway. Don't focus on something so minor, plenty of schools don't really stress essays or personal statement in the process. Focus on the meat and potatoes vs the nebulous.
I think she can write about anything she wants in the main essay. I know one kid with a strong EC who nevertheless wrote about blueberry muffins
Then she can get the information about her ASL activities across in a variety of ways, depending on the school, and she can ask. The supplementary essay that asks what else you want the school to know about you that hasn’t been covered elsewhere for instance.
It may be possible to do an arts supplement to the common app with the documentary. In the arts supplement she would include a resume, including the competitions, as well as extra letters of recommendation if she wants, that are related to the documentary. he can also include the website. (The blueberry muffins kid did this with his EC)
Thing is, this is writing for a college app. You want an admit. It needs to show the qualities they want in students. You back into this with that in mind. It can be hard to turn a web site and chapel into more, without more.
OP and his D have lots of time to find the right topic.
And we have no idea of targets.
My thought is to learn more about those targets, before deciding on a topic based on the first part of hs.
