"Standing Out"

Applying to College
21

<p>I stand out because....</p>

<p>-even though I'm from the bay area, I go to a school where hardly anyone applies to LACs.</p>

<ul>
<li><p>I'm clearly not very well-rounded academically (lower test scores & grades in math), but I excel in and am passionate about the subjects I like and do well in. </p></li>
<li><p>I'm also very passionate about community service and spending my life helping people, something that the teachers who wrote my recs know about and which came across in my interviews.</p></li>
</ul>

<p>-I could be wrong, but for some of my schools that are known for being more "nerdy" with hardcore academics (like Reed), I might stand out because I don't plan on getting my Phd or going into research or becoming a doctor. </p>

<p>-Writing is one of my strongest talents, I've won awards for it and both of my rec writers (English teacher and French teacher) anthused about my writing in their letters.</p>

<p>other than that, I'm just another white girl who sucks at math and wants to major in psych :-D</p>

22

<ul>
<li>I'm quadrilingual</li>
<li>I'm a foreign service kid and Swedish expat</li>
<li>English is my third language, but I'm a good writer and my essays are "beautiful" (direct quote)</li>
<li>I've taken black and white photography outside of school for three years because my high school didn't offer it, was featured in a juried exhibition of young photographers from the entire DC area, am the photo editor of my (award-winning) school newspaper, and submitted a portfolio</li>
<li>I'm also the News & Features editor (section editor) of my school newspaper</li>
<li>I've been riding for 10 years and worked 40 hours/week as a riding instructor this summer</li>
<li>volunteered 4 hours/week for almost two years (15 hours/week this summer in addition to working) at a local hospital</li>
<li>campaign coordinator for my school's chapter of Amnesty International (organizing events to raise awareness, fundraisers, letter-writing campaigns, and so on)</li>
</ul>

<p>So I'd say I stand out because... I have an unusual background, an obvious "passion" (photography, tied in with journalism) with many activities and leadership positions in the area, have shown commitment to an activity (riding) for 10 years and actually taught others, have volunteered at the same place for a longer period of time, have devoted energy to one student group throughout high school (member in 9th-12th, significant responsibilty in 12th) instead of being a "serial joiner", and because my essays are apparently pretty damn good.</p>

<p>I'm not trying to brag here (I'd be a fool to, because many of you have done much more impressive things than I have) ... I'm just trying to remind myself that there are SOME good parts of my application, because lately I've been second-guessing like crazy.</p>

23

<p>At every selective school there are thousands of applicants who apply for a small number of spaces. At the top ivy leagues for example there could be 22,000 applicants for a class size under 2,000. In that group of 22,000 there are thousands of applicants who sound similar. They have basically the same grades and SAT scores and their extra curriculular activities are almost identical. Yes, they are extrordinary students and most of them have leadership, but the areas in which they achieve are very similar to thousands of other applicants. You can read some of these chance threads and see the same type of applicants over and over: Captain of this team, editor in chief of the newspaper, head of debate, quiz bowl champion. Some have all or a combination of these type of activities and most have done some type of community service - although often the community service they post is not ongoing and attributed to one organization developed over years. These are the applicants who have the most trouble standing out. Some will be accepted where there is something almost overlooked that tips the scale in their favor.
The applicants however who will stand out over these applicants are those who show interesting and unique passions developed over years which are qualified by individual awards and achievements. These usually are in areas that would be very attractive to that particular school or where it is clear that achieveemtn in those areas could be transferred to other areas that would enhance the campus. In addition genuine commitment to a particular sevice organization over years with a major involvement would also be considered significant.
THe posters on this thread all seem to stand out in their own way.</p>

24

<p>I stand out bcoz</p>

<ul>
<li><p>Formed National Organization to help poors(~ 1500 hrs volunteering over 2 years)</p></li>
<li><p>Written few articles in National level publication</p></li>
<li><p>Started a company which soon became Bankrupt(not strictly in the legal sense)</p></li>
<li><p>Dramatic Increasing trend in grades form Sophomore to Senior year</p></li>
<li><p>I don't have a laundry list of EC's but i am passionately involved in few areas.</p></li>
<li><p>An accent thicker than Apu Nahasapeemapetilon - i wonder what i will do in my P'ton phone interview.</p></li>
</ul>

<p>There's no set formula that will let you stand out.</p>

25

<p>Why is this obsession with standing out? We'll all end up in the same place - heaven... lol.</p>

26

<p>Lol...who knows? Maybe we'll have to apply to heaven as well...and well...hell is community college.</p>

<p>It would be rather scary...think about it...ivy heaven, heaven SAT's, essays on "why you should get into heaven", your good deeds will be your ec's...</p>

<p>Maybe heaven is that competitive :)</p>

27

<p>I stand out because:</p>

<ul>
<li>I eat cereal with chocolate milk.</li>
<li>I am double-jointed.</li>
<li>I hate olives.</li>
<li>I pass for the teen mother of my six-year-old little brother.</li>
<li>My middle initial is "X."</li>
<li>I was almost in a cute-small-child commercial.</li>
<li>I laugh at inappropriate times. Like when a guy's head was blown up in "Saving Private Ryan."</li>
<li>None of the above helped me get into college. But I'm proud of them anyway.</li>
</ul>

<p>=D</p>

<p>To be honest, though, I think being a real person does help. I wrote my essay about growing up while moving around a lot - no hint of talent or excellence at all. I brought my resume to my interview (as requested), and the interviewer was visibly impressed that I did not mention any awards or accomplishments. I did, on the other hand, talk about my ideas, my opinions, my family. Maybe being normal is the best way to be noticed. =)</p>

28

<p>

That's what I wrote about, too... I guess I'll scratch that off the "things that make me special" list. :p</p>

29

<p>Yea, I think what the poster may fail to realize is that majority of kids are special, but not for awards or accomplishments. We're all unique and different and just b/c you didn't win stuff and aren't obssesed with joining 17 clubs at school doesn't mean you aren't special. </p>

<p>I know if I was an admissions officer, I'd kinda get sick of hearing 17 different accomplishments/awards. </p>

<p>I think having 2 or 3 things that you really excell at out of the school like an organization or a hobby like karate or music or w/e is great and that's enough.</p>

<p>SOME OF YOU GO WAY OVERBOARD AND IT'S PROBABLY YOUR PARENTS FAULT FOR PUTTING TOO MUCH PRESSURE ON YOU TO DO SO MUCH. </p>

<p>MORE ISN'T ALWAYS BETTER. </p>

<p>LIKE THE SAYING GOES: QUALITY OVER QUANTITY</p>

30

<p>
[quote]
SOME OF YOU GO WAY OVERBOARD AND IT'S PROBABLY YOUR PARENTS FAULT FOR PUTTING TOO MUCH PRESSURE ON YOU TO DO SO MUCH.</p>

<p>MORE ISN'T ALWAYS BETTER.</p>

<p>LIKE THE SAYING GOES: QUALITY OVER QUANTITY

[/quote]

My mom has always pressured me to be involved in music and sports. In high school I finally quit piano and volleyball and started doing things I really cared about--photography, journalism, Amnesty International, volunteering, self-studying a language, random art projects, and so on. I don't know about the other students who have posted in this thread, but each of these activities is one I've chosen because I enjoy it, and that I've continued with because it means something to me. I'm sure some students only join clubs or do activities to pad their resumes, but many of us just happen to be enthusiastic and overcommitted people who wish there were more hours in the day to fit in everything we want to do... which is fine, in the same way that being more laid-back or focusing on one or two activities is also fine. </p>

<p>Let's not generalize too much here. To each his own.</p>

31

<p>I play the piano...
Co-pres of NHS...
Co-pres of a cultural club...</p>

<p>You probably think I'm Asian, right?</p>

<p>Well, you're right. Hahhaaaa... :) </p>

<p>I tried to "stand out" with my environmental activism. I have most of the other bases covered (good grades, decent scores), but I guess my treehugging abilities kind of make me stand out.</p>

32

<p>Now see, as an adult reading these posts the only one that "stood out" is lackadaisy. The rest of you have me rolling my eyes--it's all me! me! me! and awards and trying to make things sound more important than they are.</p>

<p>You are all 17-18 years old. Stop taking yourselves so seriously and start thinking about how you can contribute to the community around you--your family, your school, your job, your friends. </p>

<p>A "standout" is the kid who, when forced to take home ec because he couldn't get into the honors class he wanted and found himself for the first time in a class with mainstream special ed and ESL kids decided to get to know an Ethiopian girl and a special ed boy in his cooking group while the other kids in the group tried to pretend they weren't part of the group. This kid just treated these two kids like he himself wanted to be treated. </p>

<p>Another "standout" I know was there for her little brother's best friend whose mom was dying of cancer. Here's this little sophomore who is getting lots of attention from the cool senior girls and who knows one of them is always available if he needs to talk. </p>

<p>Another "standout" that comes to mind is nice to a kid in her class who is what the kids call "unfortunate." She talks to him and jokes around with him--and she's one of the few who probably even acknowledge his existence at school.</p>

<p>All of these kids are top students; all are taking a ton of honors and AP; all work hard and don't whine and grade-grub. I think it comes across loud and clear that these are kids you want to have around because not only are they smart and likeable, they are kind and giving and committed to things bigger than their own achievements. Teachers see this and I believe it comes across in essays--it certainly comes across in recommendations.</p>

33

<p>
[quote]
Now see, as an adult reading these posts the only one that "stood out" is lackadaisy. The rest of you have me rolling my eyes--it's all me! me! me! and awards and trying to make things sound more important than they are.

[/quote]
</p>

<p>i know that was a general statement and we're not supposed to take this personally, but... ouch. that stings.</p>

<p>writing my post, i knew deep down that i am not special. i am like any other ridiculous so-called overachiever high school kid applying to college in this country, and i did mention that pretty much everyone here is more "amazing" than me. that's not really the point. i can't speak for anyone else, but i doubt anyone who's posted here actually believes he is god's gift to princeton or wherever. we're all just trying to make ourselves feel a little better in the time before decisions. please don't tell us how boring we are and how much we don't stand out because yeah, we know, there will always be someone who's better.</p>

<p>but please don't think that the condensed summary of activities here defines us as people, because that's pretty damn offensive. i could write cute little anecdotes until my hands went numb, and i'm sure that's true for many people here, but that's not what colleges are looking at, nor was it really what the original poster asked for. lackadaisy actually wrote about who she is, which is always more interesting. (and lackadaisy, please don't take that as criticism because i loved your post, and it made me wish i hadn't written mine because i hate the way i sound in it.) this isn't who we are; it's part of what we've done. it'd be foolish to think that's the whole picture.</p>

<p>so maybe we're redundant, unimpressive, uninteresting, and stand out about as much as a black cat in a dark alley. but with nothing but the information posted here--without essays, recs, art, interviews, and whatever other things colleges define us by, let alone having spoken candidly in person--honestly, who are you to judge?</p>

<p>it's been a bad week and i'm overemotional. i'm sorry. still, it always hurts to hear you're pretty much a waste of space.</p>

<p>p.s. isn't it a bit presumptuous to assume we're all grade-grubbers and terrible people because we wrote about some of our activities on a thread that most of us seem to have interpreted as asking about that very subject? i'm far from perfect, but i don't think i'm "unlikable" because i set aside time in my week to take photography classes, or whatever. i'm really not trying to argue, but... it seems so rash, that's all.</p>

34

<p>besides, there's only so much we can say in a few lines when we're trying to summmarize. when i write one line about "volunteering at the hospital for four hours a week during the year and fifteen in the summer", i don't mention the tearful mother whose teenage son had just been flown in by helicopter after an accident, or the elderly woman who accompanied her husband whom i was taking to bone marrow transplant in his wheelchair (or how he was mildly senile and kept asking where he was going and why, and how strong and patient and smiling she was through all this and him in his plaid flannel shirt and how all of it almost broke my heart), or my volunteer friend jennifer who attends a poor public school in south-east dc and works in a law office to help support her family, how embarrassed i was to admit i go to private school and only work for the experience, and how in the end she was the one who taught me the most about working with patients. or how about lee, the lone fourteen-year-old boy at riding camp who was thrown off his horse the first lesson because she spooked at the thunder, and how he got right back on once the storm had passed and took my breath away with inexplicably perfect posture?</p>

<p>does that make me a wonderful, virtuous, admissions-worthy individual? no, but that's not the point, either. </p>

<p>i don't know why i'm trying to prove to you that i'm not a bad person, because i know you weren't writing to me specifically. i guess i felt compelled to say something because right now i think we're all strung out about applications, and i'm sure none of us are really quite as morally repugnant as our previous eyeroll-inducing posts would make us seem.</p>

35

<p>If you read the Carleton College class of 2010 profile, you'll find there are unique ways to "stand out" - two of my favorites are:</p>

<ol>
<li> The one who won a grocery bagging contest</li>
<li> The one who attempted to set a new world's record for wearing the same pair of socks the most consecutive days.</li>
</ol>

<p>It doesn't all have to be academics or volunteer activities.</p>

36

<p>"does that make me a wonderful, virtuous, admissions-worthy individual?"</p>

<p>Well, that AND the usual grades, scores, etc. makes you somebody people want to be around, which would make you a strong candidate for admission. </p>

<p>D's friends just got their EA and ED decisions; the kids who did well were NOT the ones with the best grades or test scores or internships or achievements. The kids who did well had those things but were good and interesting people on top of that. They knew to write not about their achievements, but their contributions.</p>

37

<p>"I stand out because:</p>

<ul>
<li>I eat cereal with chocolate milk.</li>
<li>I am double-jointed.</li>
<li>I hate olives.
- I pass for the teen mother of my six-year-old little brother."</li>
</ul>

<p>Yeah, well, I pass for the teen mother of my TWO-year-old little sister, so... I stand out more. Haha. I'm SO getting into a better college than you.</p>

38

<p>I don't think Mombot meant anyone was a waste of space, rather she was pointing out the repetitiveness of achievements considered stand out...but Cameliasinensis...you write very well..I really enjoyed reading your response.</p>

39

<p>
[quote]
but please don't think that the condensed summary of activities here defines us as people, because that's pretty damn offensive. i could write cute little anecdotes until my hands went numb, and i'm sure that's true for many people here, but that's not what colleges are looking at, nor was it really what the original poster asked for. lackadaisy actually wrote about who she is, which is always more interesting. (and lackadaisy, please don't take that as criticism because i loved your post, and it made me wish i hadn't written mine because i hate the way i sound in it.) this isn't who we are; it's part of what we've done. it'd be foolish to think that's the whole picture.

[/quote]
</p>

<p>I completely agree with you, and I'm not offended at all. I was making a point about how "standout" and "normal" don't have to be polar opposites - quite the opposite. I know that every applicant out there has an interesting story, funny and poignant at once, and that every applicant is probably a great person in his/her own way - the difference is really how you present yourself. If you show that you are talented and "real" at once, I think people will probably like you all the more for it.</p>

<p>Oh, and in no way did I apply on the hook of "hating olives." Haha. I was differentiating there between what I said in interviews and essays, as opposed to my resume, extracurriculars, and presumably what my recommenders might have chosen to talk about.</p>

<p>And, to the OP - please don't be depressed or think you're a waste of space - this is a very worthwhile thread, and even more so because it does lend itself to the discussion of what "special" and "standing out" really means.</p>

<p>Cheers! =)</p>

40

<p>president of two clubs
captain of club soccer team for past 2 years
intership with skin doctor(published one study)
...</p>

<p>and im hispanic</p>