@PassionatePoet If you’re big into blogging, that is absolutely something you can and should put on your application. If your blog clearly shows leadership in some way—for instance, by focusing on getting the word out about some problem that needs a solution—you can definitely use that as “leadership.” Even if it doesn’t, you may be able to spin it that way if you’re a good writer. Getting into Harvard and other top schools is about being yourself (and doing really well in school, on standardized tests, etc.). So focus on your “passion”—if it’s blogging, that’s perfectly fine.
Here’s another thing- I get that HYPSM expect exceptional students. But being pretty introverted, I’m worried that lack of leadership and initiative will really hurt my chances. So do you know any other good schools that do not put as much emphasis on this? (other parts of my application should be fine) I keep seeing people founding national NGOs, charities and big drives that enter the press… and I just can’t figure out how they do it? Where do they start? If any of you have any experience, can you please share it?
@PassionatePoet Being introverted won’t hurt you. The Internet is a perfect place for an introverted person to launch some sort of organization, and since you already have a blog, that would seem to be a natural way to do it. Whatever it is you’re passionate about in your blog may have a natural extension that will give you leadership experience. For example, say you blog about poetry, since your name here is PassionatePoet. Is there an unmet need among poets that an online organization could fill? Look around and see what else is out there—see if there’s a hole you could fill (and draw in others to help fill). Then create a website and start trying to attract readers/participants. But be sure whatever you end up choosing is something you’re really interested in, because it may keep going for years, long after you’ve gotten into college. If you’re really interested in it, that shouldn’t be a problem.
Oh and are students allowed to see the letters of recommendations before they are sent in?
That’s a quote from William Fitzsimmons from: http://thechoice.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/10/27/ideal-grad/
I imagine quiet people are easy to miss because they don’t often raise their hand in class and lead classroom discussions, so their teacher recommendations must someone note both their shyness and their scholarship.
Before you can assign recommendation writers on the Common Application, you must agree or not agree to the FERPA authorization: https://appsupport.commonapp.org/link/portal/33011/33013/Article/92/Waiver-of-access-FERPA
Some teachers are uncomfortable knowing that a student will ultimately see their comments and will not write LoR’s for students who do not agree to sign the FERPA waiver. So, you should really feel out your teachers on this before asking them for a recommendation, In addition, from everything I’ve read, when a student waives their right to see their LoR’s, Admissions Officers feel like they get a more honest assessment of an applicant. FWIW: both my kids signed the FERPA waiver. My daughter’s teachers did not let her see her LoR’s, but one of son’s teachers gave him a copy of the letter. So, it really depends on the teacher.
Oh and I get that this is COMPLETELY unrelated… but can you please answer this?-
I recently wrote a 5000 word paper, and included almost 35 citations. Do teachers generally go through every link and make sure that it is the accurate page? (just a curious question, seeing that some papers have over 100 references)
I would imagine it depends on the professor and the college. Both my son and daughter’s college papers were submitted electronically to their professors – either as WORD docs or pdf’s. This makes it quite easy for a professor, or teaching fellow, to submit them to something like: http://turnitin.com/en_us/about-us/our-company.
As accuracy can be easily verified, why chance turning something in that is not 100% accurate? Besides, at places like HYPSM et al, there is a culture of integrity and honesty. And next year, Harvard, like Princeton, will have an honor code: http://harvardmagazine.com/2014/05/harvard-college-adopts-honor-code
Part of the reason colleges have mandatory freshman writing classes is to help students’s understand how to correctly cite, and use sources: http://usingsources.fas.harvard.edu/icb/icb.do
One side note: Turnitin is also being used to scan college admissions essays, so don’t even think about it!
Ok… so let’s just assume that I try for Princeton, who really expects amazing applicants. My awards will be great, but for leadership- is this enough?
Founder and president of Poetry Club
Organizer of literary section of school festival
Editor of school newspaper
Organizer of city book garage sale
@PassioatePoet: You’re looking for a yes or no, is this enough, answer, when there isn’t one. Colleges judge you in the context of your school and the resources available to you. They will also be comparing you to all the other applicants from your high school who are also applying to a specific college. So, about how many other students from your high school might be applying to Princeton, and how do your EC’s stack up against theirs? No one but you can answer that question. Here’s what Harvard says they judge applicants on. How do you think you stack up? https://college.harvard.edu/admissions/application-process/what-we-look
You seem really interested in leadership per se. Just listing things you’ve done is not enough for anyone here to go on, and not enough for admissions officers to go on.
Being a leader doesn’t mean being first or doing the most. Leaders have followers. They inspire people. The positions you’ve listed might have involved that; but they might have been things you did by yourself; or they might have been positions that normally come with opportunities for leadership, but maybe you did not take those opportunities, because you are really a loner.
It’s hard on the Common App to list everything you’ve done AND provide enough explanation for readers to really know. That’s one of the things a guidance counselor can do in their part of the application, especially if your recommenders don’t have intimate knowledge of what you did.
Fixated on it, some might say.
FWIW: In high school, my daughter was very involved in theater, appearing in about 8 shows over the course of 4 years. She was also the flyer on her high school’s cheerleading team. My son was the catcher for his high school’s baseball team (non-recruit). Neither one of them was a captain, co-captain, president, co-president or founder of anything. They also did not do any community service, as most of their time was spent on their EC’s. That didn’t stop them from being accepted to HYP.
Bottom line: Everyone can’t be a leader. And in the end, leadership doesn’t seem to matter all that much.
In the past few weeks, I’ve talked to a number of admissions officers and I think all of them brought up leadership on their own.
^^ Well with a campus full of leaders, who’s going to be the followers? Or, maybe all the leaders will have to fight it out to see who’s going to lead and who’s going to follow.
I don’t think that leadership is the number one decision factor. What also happens is that applicants make it look like they are leaders when that isn’t really the case.
You also have to consider that some are stronger leaders than others. You can have a deck full of lieutenants to organize the crew, but a commander or captain or two will really put some backbone into it.
Everyone that has answered your questions have been incredibly patient and courteous to you. When will you be satisfied with what they are trying to tell you?
No one on College Confidential – not even an Admissions Officer – can give you a sense of your odds, or whether your EC’s are competitive, or if you have enough leadership qualities, or how you might do in the Admissions process based upon your GPA, or test scores, or listing of EC’s. That because for most applicants, it all comes down to a “feeling” that an Admissions Officer gets after reading your teacher recommendations, guidance counselor’s Secondary School Report (SSR), essays and alumni interview report. And that “feeling” is subjective. What one AO may like at Harvard, another might not like at Yale, or Princeton. It’s impossible to figure out what school will “like you” the most. So, if your GPA and test scores are within a college’s range, student’s just have to send their applications out into the universe and hope for the best!
On another note… have any of you heard of CBSE? For those of you who have, do you know if colleges accept this Indian curriculum as much as they do IB or AP? (This is a q on behalf of my friend)
And another q from another friend- she has bipolar disorder. Will this help or hinder her?
Admissions Officers who read international applications are experts on each country’s curriculum, and accept students from India every year. For example, there are currently 21 students from India at Harvard College, so Admissions obviously understands and accepts CBSE. See: http://www.hio.harvard.edu/statistics and https://college.harvard.edu/admissions/application-process/international-applicants
One of highest expenses at colleges today is the cost of health care. In fact, some student health care systems are already maxed to capacity. If you were an Admissions Officer, would you admit a student who might cost the university large sums on money for monitoring their mental health issue(s), especially with the added stress of college classes and exams? No, you would find some other reason to not admit this student and move on. See: http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2013/03/18/mental-health-breakdown-when-harvard-fails-its-students.html
Therefore, the prevailing wisdom is that student’s should not mention any mental health issue(s) they may have, and should not write about the issue for their essay. A student’s mental health issues(s) may nonetheless be mentioned by their guidance counselor or teachers in their recommendation letters, but that is out of a student’s control.
Question on behalf of another friend-
If a person got in a bit of trouble at school, but was not suspended, expelled or convicted in any way, will it still show up on their application in any way?
^^ While the incident may not show up on a transcript, a teacher or guidance counselor may bring up the issue in their recommendation letters. This is really a question for your friend’s high school’s guidance counselor – that’s what they are there for, to answer questions like this one. As they know the student and the issue, they can give a more honest assessment.