often I hear of the multitude of requirements that are necessary for college, and the other activities people do for the sake of a hefty resume and application. But does it matter that much compared to who you actually are as a person and how much effort was actually put into those activities?
How are colleges going to know or measure who you actually are as a person and how much effort you put into your activities? At the end of the day, colleges want to see that prospective students will succeed in a rigorous education at their school. And at the more selective schools, there is more emphasis on extracurriculars because colleges want to see that students are creative, inquisitive, dedicated to the community–whatever their values are–and that you know how to turn your passions into action using the resources around you.
Being yourself is important, and so is being authentic about what you like to do, and such a student may outshine another who seems very generic and like they’re checking boxes. But if you don’t meet the necessary criteria (it doesn’t necessarily have to be a hefty resume), your personality won’t get you in…
“Does it matter”-- to whom?
To me as a mom and a wife and a teacher, it matters far more WHO the person is than what they’ve accomplished. I’ve had some wonderful kids struggle in my math classes-- all it meant was that math wasn’t their strong suit and that their talents lay elsewhere.
But I’m not a college. Colleges don’t see people, they only get to see applications. And the perfect applicant for any particular institution is a different matter. So their ways of judging people is a lot more superficial than how I judge them as people-- it has to be. For starters, they’re institutions of higher learning-- they’re in the business of academics, so that’s far more important to them then it is to me. If they continually admitted wonderful people without academic talent, they wouldn’t stay open very long.
So, yes, strive to be the best person you can be.
But if you hope to get admitted to college, and to a particular college at that, you’ve got to show that that “best person you can be” is also the type of student they’re looking for.
The students who get the most forceful letters of recommendation have qualities of curiosity, creativity, and selflessness, alongside academic strengths and work ethics. They lead the classroom to make it a better place for all, and aren’t doing everything just for a grade.
I like to think you are the perfect student…The bigger question for you is what is your perfect school.
no who you are as a person matters very little. Most of the people who got into very little colleges whom I know were vicious and merciless. Many of them engaged heavily in academic dishonesty, or frequently used marijuana, and abused prescription drugs to better concentrate (took adderall, caffeine pills for tests), etc.
What matters is having every aspect of your application be perfect, or close to it; a 4.0 UW gpa with pretty good course rigor, above a 2300 on the SAT, having lots of prestigious leaderships, some research experience, and some solid non-academic talent. This is what for one to have a truly good shot at a school such as Harvard unless you are EXTREMELY gifted and can be recruited for D1 sports, or make it to international level olympiads (or the national camps), etc. Chances are that you wouldn’t be on this forum if you were.
well I know that I am not the poster child of Harvard, but I do maintain a 4.6 gpa and have been doing SAT prep. I am in around 6 clubs with leadership positions in 3 of them, and have a nonprofit. But sometimes I hear of these “insane intellect” students that can make Stephen hawking look somewhat average. But would a student with amazing grades get into school, even if they seemingly lack in extracurriculars or leadership positions? I just want to know what deems a student “good enough”. and hopefully, during college interviews, the interviewer could hopefully distinguish the ruthless and cheaters from the kind hearted and sincere…
Somewhere around 90% of applicants to Harvard are good enough to get in. But most won’t. There just aren’t enough slots. And kindheartedness & sincerity won’t necessarily move you up the list.
You won’t be “perfect” in any school’s eyes. But you can be a very successful applicant by recognizing how incredibly competitive it is, applying strategically to a wide enough range of schools so that you are likely to be admitted to several, and then choosing well among your acceptances for fit. Prestige is obviously a factor, but it shouldn’t be your most important consideration. There are hundreds of thousands of enormously successful people who received outstanding educations outside of the Ivies.
To a college, the “perfect” student is the person who, if they admit, will generate the college the most benefit. So if a person is likely to become a giant in a certain discipline or sport, likely to be a big donor in the future, or meet institutional priorities- then that person is “perfect” to the university.