<p>In "The New Rules of College Admissions," they keep talking about an overall theme to your application that can be seen in extracurriculars, jobs, essay, recommendations, etc... (Ie: politics, business, journalism, animals, etc...) </p>
<p>Do most of you guys have a theme to your app that you're trying to convey?</p>
<p>Actually, I think my app ended up having a few themes, but they were NOT intentional! I didn't even realize until afterwards, but all of my essays mentioned overcoming some sort of obstacle or challenge, and in terms of activities, I am really big on math and music, so they obviously came out. But I don't think you can or should really fake that sort of thing. The whole point of having a "passion" is that if you have certain fields that interest you, you will probably look for jobs and ECs that will have to do with those fields; you will talk about them in your essays; you won't be able to HELP having them all over your application because you just love X passion so much, it is everywhere in your life. So... I guess, don't fake having a "theme", but make sure you fully express your passions.</p>
<p>Yeah, I agree with not faking it and just showing your passions. Should I put Amnesty International, which I work with extensively, as my first extracurricular, even though I'm trying to have a business theme? I'm also trying to demonstrate my passion for global issues, so I think it would be okay?</p>
<p>I put together my application, and it was during interviews and talking with admissions officers that I saw what their interests in me were, and so I rolled with it. For example, I saw that a lot of smaller schools were interested in my swimming abilities, so I focused on getting coaches onto my side. (Coaches help with the admissions process.) I also saw that a lot of interviewers were interested in my artistic abilities, so I always brought my art along to share. I really worked with the whole "diversity" thing, too, because since I'm a white female (not very good for diversity) I wanted to emphasize the fact that I am Russian and interested in different cultures.</p>
<p>I agree with lalaloo, the whole point of having a "theme" is for admissions officers to see that the student has a sense of direction. You don't want to fake it, but maybe now would be a good time to sit down and think seriously about what your interests are, and how strongly you would like to pursue them.</p>
<p>I think that adding Amnesty International would be fine, as long as it's what you think is your number one EC. Don't think too much about your theme, just let it happen.</p>
<p>stephanie-
definitely include amnesty
1) because you have put the time into it
2) there is an awkard connection between business and human rights. It goes something like globalization to human labor to basic human rights.</p>
<p>just to add:
my freshman app definitely had a theme. All my ECs were arts, film focused, so I could go to film school.</p>
<p>My daughter's application definitely has a theme. All her answers/essays related to her favorite activity/EC/interest. So far she got into to her safety and match so I don't know how much it helped. But if she gets into her reaches then her themed application was helpful.</p>
<p>I think that your application will be tied together more if you had a theme. That way your application isn't just a bunch of loosely-related activities. I mean, I think your application would be stronger if it wasn't a compilation of very unrelated activities, recommendations from teachers from totally different subjects, and an essay on something unrelated as well. Most likely that won't happen. For example, I was on the math team in high school and I got a recommendation letter from a math teacher, because math is my strength. That's natural and obvious.</p>
<p>It would be interesting to try to tie in all your activities to some kind of theme. I was on math team, chess club, Latin club, and I worked for an after-school tutoring organization. My theme was that I liked to participate in group-based activities that are both fun and mentally challenging. It's a good way to reflect on your high school years, and a good way to think about what you want to continue doing in college and what new experiences you want to have when you get there.</p>
<p>I have three themes in my application: one academic, one extracurricular, and one kind of personal. All three are distinct and seperate, and yet they all connect in some (sometimes subtle) ways. I haven't tried to create these themes, as they are all important parts of myself, but have tried to emphasize them in order to create a more cohesive application.</p>