<p>Basically the title is my question.
If a candidate has great stats (2350+ SAT I and 800/800/800 SAT II & rank high), has some good awards (including an international one), quite a bit of volunteer hours, but doesn't hold a lot of leadership position (only two at school-level), and is not interested in becoming a president/CEO, which top schools (both private schools & LAC) suit him/her? Or is he/she not suited for any top schools at all?</p>
<p>Caltech. Chicago.</p>
<p>Perhaps also some of the top publics.</p>
<p>Other people can answer in more detail, but I think you will find that as you get into the T20 range, schools will be inclined to overlook lack of leadership if your objective stats (SATs, GPA) are excellent. Having said that, what are you worried about? Two leadership positions are not insignificant, especially if they are activities you devote a lot of time and have made contributions to. Not everyone at Harvard wants to become ruler of the world. You have a shot anywhere you apply.</p>
<p>I’m going to say that I THINK just the opposite. “Leadership” is THE key buzzword at most top schools.</p>
<p>Um, I didn’t have that many leadership positions in high school. I think I was the editor of the literary magazine and that was it. I got into some schools considered “top” like Northwestern and Johns Hopkins.</p>
<p>Publics give less attention to leadership.</p>
<p>I don’t think a student with the academic profile the OP mentions needs to shy away from any top school because of a lack of leadership. While lots of kids at these schools have a lot of leadership, not all of them do. It’s one element.</p>
<p>Leadership can be defined in many ways. You don’t have to hold an office to demonstrate leadership. The titles themselves are not all that meaningful. You can demonstrate leadership through your actions. Did you organize something? Did you help your organization head in a new direction? Did you do something different at a place you volunteer? There are lots of ways to show leadership without having a title. Think about how you can highlight those things in your application.</p>
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<p>He/she volunteers as a teaching assistant and he/she has ‘innovated’ the teaching method for the teacher to make the lessons more engaging and it seems pretty successful. Does that count?</p>
<p>You know not everyone at top schools wants to president, right? I think leadership and Type-A types go hand-in-hand, which is why there’s more leadership-oriented kids at Harvard than your average state u, but what top schools want to see is initiative, passion, and achievement. That can be demonstrated in ways far more exciting than club presidencies. Your (I’m assuming they’re your) achievements are phenomenal. Assuming you have a sense of focus evident in the direction of your ECs, your shot at a top school is excellent.</p>
<p>The plethora of 2400 SAT scorers who do not get into the top schools they applied to is because they believe certain aspects of their application are simply “checks in the box”.</p>
<p>At the end of the road, you submit your application and you say to yourself, “Oh no, how do I compensate for that missing leadership component?”</p>
<p>In your essay, the way you write demonstrates leadership. Do you motivate people? Would I follow you? Your actions during an interview might demonstrate leadership ability. The courage to stand up for something and be passionate about an unorthodox idea would demonstrate leadership.</p>
<p>The number of cross-admits at to Ivies at my school is staggering, and most of them chose here over there because they were looking for something INTRINSIC, where the value of what you do comes from within, and not by the name of your school or what others TELL you is acceptable. Your ability to SHOW that you are not willing to settle for status quo through action will propel you into any school you want, no matter what your scores are - trust me on that one. You’d laugh at my scores if I told you where I applied and actually got accepted.</p>
<p>I agree with the poster who emphasized DEMONSTRATION of leadership through actions. Also, I don’t think any school is overlooking leadership in lieu of “stats”. Many admissions officers I’ve heard from say that leadership is the one area in this day and age in applications where you can actually get a leg up on everyone else. In an age when everyone is so conscious about the hard stats on paper, at the end of the day, we are all driven by emotions and motivation, and people who have the ability to influence the actions of others in a positive manner are worth more than those who can’t.</p>
<p>I’ve met many Harvard grads who I wouldn’t pay 2 cents for, and others who certainly “fit the bill”. On the same token, I’ve met grads from schools I’ve never heard of who can really make you take life in stride.</p>
<p>Happysunshine - I think that what you describe would be considered leadership. The student may want to talk about their experience with this in the essay. They might also ask the teacher they worked with to write an additional letter of recommendation discussing how the student’s innovations have made a difference for the students.</p>
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Is the teacher’s grammar important? The teacher cannot speak English very fluently and she probably can’t write a recommendation letter without grammer mistakes.</p>
<p>I think a lot of times schools look for qualities of leadership, rather than the oft-used definition of leadership (ie someone who leads others). For example, colleges might look for qualities such as integrity, initiative, and creativity in a student. So I don’t think you necessarily have to be a president, founder, or officer of a club or a student body president. However, I think most schools will value the aforementioned qualities, which you can demonstrate in your volunteer activities.</p>
<p>Some schools probably look towards technical schools more heavily than interpersonal skills, for example, Caltech and MIT most likely heavily consider an applicant’s math and science credentials.</p>
<p>If the teacher is willing to write a letter for you perhaps she can get another adult to help her with the grammar part. Or perhaps she can dictate the letter to someone and they can write it for her. Just some thoughts.</p>