the X factor?

Applying to College
1

<p>how important is the "interesting factor"?</p>

<p>I just recently read the thread about a girl who got into harvard, stanford, yale, and columbia mainly because of her essays. From what I gathered so far, she was a very interesting person, and would definitely stand out from the general "qualified muddle"</p>

<p>Also i know of a kid (from an extremely competitive suburban public HS) who got into MIT despite a subpar gpa and a low SAT score...his ECs were average except for one great rec letter from a place he interned at...also he is a very creative person, the type who was building gadgets and gizmos from an early age. He is also a very quirky, intellectual kid, and his essays probably reflected this.</p>

2

<p>Eh, my opinion is that personality is important moreso as a tiebreaker rather than a complete compensation for a low GPA/SAT. </p>

<p>But every case is individual and unique, so..</p>

3

<p>Well depends how interesting. Just being personable will only give a slight boost. Quirkiness is generally a plus as adcoms will remember you better, but I have the feeling that the kid who got into MIT came across as someone with some kind of very positive character trait, and as a creative type that would be an excellent fit for MIT. Adcoms have been known to take risks on candidates. However, I don't think being quirky as a tactic is advisable, because it seems very hit and miss, and it's not the quirkiness that gets them in, it's the quirkiness that somehow fits the university.</p>

4

<p>Essays getting people in with stats that are subpar are a myth. If you can't compete at all with your numbers a good, quirky essay can't even get you in.</p>

5

<p>^^ I disagree. I've seen it happen.</p>

<p>And what do you mean by "subpar"?</p>

6

<p>like 2000 sats and a weighted gpa that doesn't even break 3.9</p>

7

<p>^: No, that is definitely possible. We had a 1880 or something go to Stanford.</p>

8

<p>It is VERY possible. =P</p>

9

<p>
[quote]
Essays getting people in with stats that are subpar are a myth. If you can't compete at all with your numbers a good, quirky essay can't even get you in.

[/quote]

Sorry to say, it happens all the time (as in quite a bit of people every year) even in the most "elite" universities...</p>

10

<p>Actually, I don't think that it's something to be negative about. </p>

<p>Some people are just not good at the standarized tests and take classes that don't help boost your GPA. It sucks that the bulk of what colleges consider are things like that.</p>

11

<p>If I were colleges, I'd prefer interesting, quirky people.</p>

12

<p>Me too.
I think they do, which is why some people who get in don't have super high test scores.</p>