<p>I think a couple of people here are going overboard with the EC’s and this may be unfairly discouraging to prospective applicants. It’s ridiculous to suggest one need to have written a novel or anything like that. Have some applicants to HYP done so? Yes, but rare indeed. While everyone is looking for a trick the real emphasis has to be academics. If you are scoring in the 700’s individually on SAT tests, 5’s on most AP’s then you stand a great chance. If you can excel on a nationally normed test like the American Mathematics Competition or a science fair then you are probably sealing the deal without a powerful need for any remarkable EC. The academics are the most important thing(barring legacy admit or athlete) particularly at any Ivy. Then HYP are hardest to get admitted. Stanford and MIT a little less so. Excellent schools at this level but not as difficult for an admit are U of Chicago and U of Cal, Berk. At the next level might be a Brown or Rice although Brown is close to the others mentioned above.</p>
<p>Thank you. Yes, I was getting ready to give up and apply only to Wash U. But, seriously, schools such as: Wash U., Chicago, Northwestern, Rice, and Emory are just really great schools.</p>
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Well, I would argue that those are remarkable ECs. My observation is that many of the admits to the most selective schools have significant achievements outside of the local high school–these aren’t necessarily ECs, per se.</p>
<p>If he’s written novels since 4th grade, maybe have him publish them, even if he has to self-publish (which is actually very simple to do). Even if he doesn’t do that, his ECs are certainly not bad, although for HYP they are definitely not excellent. As long as his recs are good, he has a fighting chance, although I would definitely have him apply SCEA to Yale if he’s truly set on getting into one of the big 3.</p>
<p>Better than yours.</p>
<p>Did your son know you made this post for him?</p>
<p>He did NOT know originally, but he knows now. He is a very outgoing and energetic young man. He has so many great activities this summer that he has very little time to work on college applications.</p>
<p>I have a demanding job, but both of my sons are busier than I am. So, I am just getting the basic data entered into the Common App – no essay, etc as that is strictly his job.</p>
<p>He wants to go to Princeton #1, but we know it is a “reach”.</p>