<p>I was wondering what I should do that would look "special" or "unique" that would alert the college app guys and make them see that I am different from all the other students. I am thinking of applying to the Ivy Leagues and Stanford, and some others. What should I do to make myself stand out? For those of you math nerds, would doing the USAMTS, AMC qualifying to AIME, HIMCM, and others and succeeding help ? I just can't seem to think of other amazing things I could do well to look special. It would have to be pertaining to math, of course, not some foreign exchange/environmental services/fundraising/etc. etc etc.
Any ideas? Btw, I live in a small town in So Cal.</p>
<p>another one of these "how can I look special" threads....<em>sigh</em></p>
<p>Be yourself in your essay. Stop worrying so much about trying to pose for colleges. Also, do math stuff if you really enjoy it for the pleasure of doing math itself, not because you think it'll look good. I'm sure Stanford gets a lot of applicants who stand out in math. If you really like math, wouldn't you be trying hard for AIME, without the pressure of getting into college?</p>
<p>I think Stanford really cares about the character of the student, more than the achievements. A lot of people at my school applied to Stanford, and the ones who got in weren't the ones who made incredibly great achievements, but the ones who I think stood out because they showed that they loved to learn and that they did their best, even if they didn't stand out academically.</p>
<p>yeah..I try but no one in my school does the AMC/AIME so it's hard to register and find out info, if u know what I mean.</p>