Deleted
Posts: 0
May 19, 2024 5:35:22 GMT
|
Post by Deleted on Apr 10, 2016 19:46:21 GMT
Leadership is a more in-depth quality than just a title. I don't think that a leadership role has to be the "president" or "captain" of something. How has he expressed his leadership role in the activities he participated in? In what situations did he motivate or inspire others with his work ethic? I'd ask him to delve into his roles and think about how he has shown leadership skills in what he's already done.
|
|
Deleted
Posts: 0
May 19, 2024 5:35:22 GMT
|
.
Apr 10, 2016 22:01:02 GMT
Post by Deleted on Apr 10, 2016 22:01:02 GMT
See, that's leadership. That's exactly the sort of thing he can make clear in his essays. I don't think my daughter had any titles for leadership, but it didn't stop her from getting into her two top choices. I think the references are a lot more important than people think. A list on a resume doesn't necessarily give a good feel for a person's actual strengths.
|
|
peabay
Prolific Pea
Posts: 9,618
Jun 25, 2014 19:50:41 GMT
|
Post by peabay on Apr 10, 2016 22:30:52 GMT
My daughter is vice president of a school organization; a friend is president. My daughter does so much more than the girl who just wanted the "title" and that was reflected in the letters of recommendation for which both girls asked the same teacher advisor. Schools want kids who are passionate about things and who will bring something to their campuses. They want to know how this kid will fit and what this kid will do when they arrive. They want depth of experience, not breadth. Your son has shown commitment to his organizations. His letters of recommendation will reflect that.
Good luck to him! I just finished this process for the third time.
Three down for me and one to go!
|
|
|
.
Apr 11, 2016 0:56:20 GMT
Post by cindyupnorth on Apr 11, 2016 0:56:20 GMT
Every kid can NOT be a leader. Every kid is NOT a leader. I think colleges get that. I honestly think that getting in to the college of your choice these days, as long as you are getting ok grades, is pretty much a given. It's not highly competitive anymore. It's all about what the kid/parents can afford, and how much you can afford/pay and what the schools will give. Being accepted is nothing.
I had one kid that got ok grades. Not a leader, wasn't a shining star. She did do well in competitive speech and drama. She got in to her 1st choice college and has since graduated. She didn't get a lot of scholarships or grants though.
Youngest dd. got good grades. leader to the max,got in 1st choice college, got the highest scholarship pkg and extra scholarships and grants, including one for leadership.
|
|
|
Post by tracym1 on Apr 11, 2016 1:08:34 GMT
That really depends on what your "college of choice" is. If it is a "top-tier" school, it is actually way more competitive to get in now than when I was applying oh-so-many years ago. And, every year there are stories about how the valedictorian of one of our high schools didn't get into our state flagship school campus as a fall-admit. For "top-tier" schools and even for a state's best public schools, the competition is definitely there.
On the other hand, I do think that there is a college out there for everyone who wants to go. Kids are smartest to not get hung up on a "name" and really try to figure out where they will be happy and welcomed.
|
|
peabay
Prolific Pea
Posts: 9,618
Jun 25, 2014 19:50:41 GMT
|
Post by peabay on Apr 11, 2016 2:03:33 GMT
Wow - in my circles, it's still very, very competitive. Like, incredibly so. And so stressful. But I'm in a highly competitive suburban metro NY district. The kids are all vying for highly competitive colleges. Everyone wants to go to the Ivies or Georgetown or Boston College or Elon or Richmond - just like every other kid in the NYC metro area. Nothing is a given, nothing is a safety. Even our state flagship, UConn, has become incredibly difficult to get in to. And add to that that my daughter was auditioning and applying to BFA theater programs - added a whole other level of competition.
|
|
|
.
Apr 11, 2016 2:14:57 GMT
peabay likes this
Post by fotos4u2 on Apr 11, 2016 2:14:57 GMT
I honestly think that getting in to the college of your choice these days, as long as you are getting ok grades, is pretty much a given. It's not highly competitive anymore. It's all about what the kid/parents can afford, and how much you can afford/pay and what the schools will give. Being accepted is nothing. Definitely disagree here. DS was rejected by both his first AND second choice school as well as waitlisted by two other schools that we thought were reach schools (fwiw he applied to no Ivy's). This is a kid with a 4.2 GPA, 2100 SAT, tons of AP classes, top 10% in his class... His only downfall appears to be that he didn't have a ton of ECs (he's not a joiner). Thankfully we had him apply to a wide variety of schools so he had 7 acceptances and has narrowed it down to two schools that are good options (and is joining the waitlist for a third). With that being said, OP I'd try not to stress too much or it's going to be a LONG year. There is a school for everyone. Even if your ds doesn't getting into his top school (although I doubt it'll be because of "lack" of leadership positions) he'll find a school. While we're a obviously disappointed that ds didn't get into his top choices but now we're focusing on him picking and being happy with one of his backup choices.
|
|
Deleted
Posts: 0
May 19, 2024 5:35:22 GMT
|
Post by Deleted on Apr 11, 2016 4:48:57 GMT
DS is a Junior and will be applying to colleges this f=Fall. He has one school he will be applying ED to. His grades and ACT are right on par for the 75th percentile at the schools he is looking at, including the one he will apply ED to. He also has his safety schools. Here are his ECs: Sports: 3 years Varsity Swimming, 2 years Varsity Cross Country, 3 years Tennis, 2 on Varsity Volunteer Work: 2+ years volunteering at a local hospital on the General Surgery floor, will be in the ER this summer 2+ years volunteering with NICASA Teen Court Other local volunteer work: FMSC, etc. National Honor Society Inductee He will have strong references, his teachers like and respect him. The only thing I see lacking is the lack of a Leadership role. Our school is very large and there is a lot of competition for those spots. He works well within the groups he is a member of, but doesn't feel the need to hold an office. He is a "doer", and prefers to lead by example. Does not having held a Leadership position, really hurt his chance of admission to a top tier school? Thanks in advance. What WILL sink him is being white male with "only" a 75% percentile for the school he is looking at. Yes, he meets minimum qualifications but from there data starts to get sliced and diced around. Schools are looking to diversify. They will start sorting by gender, by ethnicity, or any other marker they are looking to use to diversify their campus. For the top ranked 50 schools (I assume that is what you mean by top tier) The acceptable cut off for the SAT/ACT is set to pull in a diversified student body. So female, ethnic or disabled students will be able/willing to apply. As a white male he needs to be in the top 10% and possibly even the top 1%. When a school has close to 90,000 applications or only accepts 5% of all applicants there is NO way they can be read individually and thoughtfully. There is an element of computerized sorting that happens (Gender, race, possibly socio-economic standing, etc coupled with SAT scores) so the apps get shaken through a computer filter first. If they feel they have too many applications from white males they can raise the standard internally so the admissions people will only see applications from white males with the highest end of the SAT scores. So the percentage of applications seen by the admissions team is in line with the percentage of white males they want to comprise their freshman class. After that cut then they will read reference letters and essay stuff to make further cuts. Unless he is a super unusual ethnicity he may have a good SAT score compared to the nationwide full range but once you start cutting off the lower performers by setting minimum standards you don't want to find yourself as the bottom performer and that is what is happening by applying to a "Tier One" school. Schools take from the top performers, not the bottom unless the bottom has something the SCHOOL needs (such as race/ethnic/religious/national diversity, or a big name politically, or a big name monetarily) You may want to look for how many applications his school receives and what their acceptance rate is: www.usnews.com/education/best-colleges/the-short-list-college/articles/2015/09/17/10-colleges-that-receive-the-most-applications. The US News and World Report is an excellent resource with articles on how admissions work, what the competition really is for each ranked school. You can access a few articles for free. The $29 they charge for a year is worth the cost imo. He doesn't have to have the title of "club president" as long as he has committee leadership and can detail what his committees accomplished under his chairmanships. How much money raised? What tangible goals were reached such as building a playground in a week end. And what ever he does. Make sure to proof READ. Do NOT depend on spell check! Do not use acronyms without first defining them; even then stick to mostly using the full name. YOU may think they are common. The admissions counselor may not. If I have to google to find out what FMSC or EC means I am finished reading and move on to a student with more concise writing skills. I do not have time to process my 500 applications this week and google to figure out what a kid has been doing. I'll look for one that can tell me. University applications can still be highly competitive. Most of the schools in the top 50 accept less than 25% of its qualified applicants. But, if you are willing to look at some of the universities ranked in the 60-200 list you'll find some fantastic schools that are not nearly as competitive. Also be sure to read what goes into ranking a college. Google Carnegie College ranking. You may decide what goes into it doesn't really affect your undergraduate student and there is no reason for him to be paying a tuition to support a graduate research program that gives a school its prestige while leaving him with teaching assistants for class instruction instead of an actual P.hd. Save the tuition at his undergrad level for his grad school (or I assume med school since he is working in an emergency room)
|
|
|
Post by littlemama on Apr 11, 2016 12:04:10 GMT
I think people are way too hung up on "top-tier" schools. Other than the obvious Ivy League Schools, I don't really think anyone cares where you received your degree as long as you complete the requirements and earn the degree. I know many will disagree, but that is my ten cents.
|
|
peabay
Prolific Pea
Posts: 9,618
Jun 25, 2014 19:50:41 GMT
|
Post by peabay on Apr 11, 2016 12:09:23 GMT
I know you're right, in the long run, littlemama, and I'm a huge Frank Bruni fan (NYT writer who says the same thing - his book "Where You Go is Not Who You'll Be" is fantastic) but when you're in a college obsessed culture like the northeast, it's hard to buck the trend.
|
|
|
.
Apr 11, 2016 12:12:15 GMT
bc2ca likes this
Post by debmast on Apr 11, 2016 12:12:15 GMT
Honestly, I couldn't tell you a thing about the college application process.
I have a college Sophomore and when she was applying, she did it all herself. Only thing we did was supply the application fee.
She got into her first choice during early admission, so she was one and done.
She was never in a "leadership" role, but had a varied group of interests/activities.
Good luck!
|
|
|
Post by bc2ca on Apr 11, 2016 18:59:04 GMT
Every kid can NOT be a leader. Every kid is NOT a leader. I think colleges get that. I honestly think that getting in to the college of your choice these days, as long as you are getting ok grades, is pretty much a given. It's not highly competitive anymore. It's all about what the kid/parents can afford, and how much you can afford/pay and what the schools will give. Being accepted is nothing. I had one kid that got ok grades. Not a leader, wasn't a shining star. She did do well in competitive speech and drama. She got in to her 1st choice college and has since graduated. She didn't get a lot of scholarships or grants though. Youngest dd. got good grades. leader to the max,got in 1st choice college, got the highest scholarship pkg and extra scholarships and grants, including one for leadership. Sadly, the bolded is just not true in CA. Two of the 9 UC schools have acceptance rates under 20%, another 4 are under 40% and you really hold your breath hoping that with your 4.0+ GPA, AP classes and solid SATs you get into one. Being accepted is not a given by any stretch of the imagination and the stress our kids are under is insane. ETA I do agree with everything you said littlemama and had my DS(17) read Frank Bruni's book last summer, peabay , trying to get the message across that he needed to look beyond the UC schools and that life was not over if he didn't get into his first choice.
|
|