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<p>This is a lie. Don’t fall under the illusion.</p>
<p>I can windmill dink on a 10 ft rim. Well, maybe not windmill, but I can dunk. So Im a shoo-in for Georgetown and Duke</p>
<p>@FutureVpFinance</p>
<p>Well, I can windmill dunk AND crush a building by staring at it. No doubt Harvard is going to accept me!</p>
<p>i am not worthy then. I guess community college is all I have now</p>
<p>@FutureVpFinance
Yep. Sorry you don’t have powers like mine.</p>
<p>Being really, really good at one activity and proving that through earning accolades or in other ways. I wish I could say that about myself. For instance, if you are a top-ranked athlete you will get into a top college unless your grades and scores are in the gutter (and even then, many manage to). Athletics is a big one, but academic competitions, artistic competitions / other similar things, or huge amount of volunteer work (over 1000 hours of some significant thing) can have a similar effect. There are also other, unique activities that are less known but could probably do the same thing, but I can’t think of one off the top of my head.</p>
<p>Anyone you know with a low GPA (3.7 and below) that got into a good college?</p>
<p>What are their EC’s?</p>
<p>I placed myself in an awful predicament this year so I really need to work hard this summer.</p>
<p>Looooool, since when is a 3.9 low???</p>
<p>Never mind, I saw that ninja edit.
Plenty of people get into top colleges with a GPA of 3.7 and below. Test scores, recommendations, outstanding ECs (I won’t be specific) and essays, and hooks all contributed to their acceptances, though.
Plus, they could have had extenuating circumstances, or they could go to a rigorous prep school where virtually no one gets a high A average.</p>
<p>Sent from my iPhone 4 using CC</p>
<p>@MarinebioSax</p>
<p>Thanks for your input!</p>
<p>So in consensus, to get into a top-tier college, you have to prove that you an individual who shows dedication, leadership, communication skills, and genuine interest in learning. Also, you have to “think outside-of-the-box”, be articulate, and intellectually curious.</p>
<p>That’s my statement as to what makes on stand out to colleges.</p>
<p>Opinions?</p>
<p>You’re welcome!</p>
<p>And pretty much. Like you said (“think outside-of-the-box”), if you want to stand out you have to be “unique”. You have to think to yourself, “What will separate me from just about EVERYONE else in the applicant pool? What will make a good, long-lasting impression on the adcom?”
At top schools, tons of applicants will have leadership skills, a boatload of AP classes, good test scores, etc. How will you be different from them?</p>
<p>My love for Japanese Culture. That’s about it LOL</p>
<p>As many people have mentioned, your ec’s and college essay is a great way for colleges to acknowledge you independently.
You don’t necessarily have to have a ton of ec’s either, colleges generally focus on activites you’ve done over the course of a long time as well as ways you have reached out to the community.</p>
<p>Essaaaaaaaaaaaaaaays. If everything else is good and you’ve got the baseline ECs and grades and scores (and seriously rain, your ECs and grades look very good; you should stop worrying) I really believe essays are what make or break you.</p>
<p>Post a naked image of yourself.</p>
<p>That will surely make you stand out.</p>
<p>I’m starting a fundraiser for children with cleft lips and cleft palates. Will this make me stand out?</p>
<p>@AJ84567 That is pretty unique.</p>
<p>I got invited to a middle school and vocational school in China to teach the students breakdancing and talk about life in America after teachers saw me dancing in the public (no joke). They loved the fact that I’m an Chinese-American too so they just invited me. </p>
<p>I also played solo in Carnegie Hall multiple times for the piano, and I have interned in Credit Suisse and traded stock with a proprietary trader there. Do these things stand out for top schools?</p>
<p>-I have some pet crickets, praying mantises, rolypolys, etc. that I take care of and study
-By the end of my Senior Year, I will have been in at least Science Bowl, AcaDeca, Marching Band, a student-run magazine organization which impresses some very notable magazine companies and Robotics (each for all four years)
-I’m a supposedly a very talented writer
-I know how to play several different instruments (some of them well-heard of, some extremely quirky) very well</p>
<p>I make very good ramen.</p>
<p>I present at and help organize the largest community-run open-source technology festival, as well as building robots as a hobby? Would that look good?</p>