How do you get accepted into a selective college? Join lots of clubs and activities. Be well rounded.
That is what most students believe. But the reality is that this is a terrible approach to try and get accepted into a highly competitive college.
The most selective colleges want well rounded classes. They want students involved in volleyball or who play the flute or who love doing research. But the strongest students will be those that have a passion for one or two of things.
It doesn’t matter what your passion is but the more you can demonstrate it, the better. If you have a passion for the tuba, play in your local school band and orchestra, start a jazz band with some of your friends, volunteer to play the tuba at local nursing homes or help teach younger students how to play the tuba. When colleges look at your application you will be the tuba kid.
This doesn’t mean that you can’t get involved in activities outside your passion. But, the more that a selective college can look at your application and say “this student clearly has a passion for x”, the stronger the applicant you will be.
So, what is your passion?
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This is a good observation. Think about going to an art gallery where all the paintings are “well-rounded”. Which will you remember?
Comment by Phil Roybal — September 1, 2011 @ 11:54 am
Hi, I would like to start a club or foundation somehow to raise money to help people in need, but I have no idea where to begin and who to call to start doing this. Also would this count as something of the above sort? Would it be considered a passion that colleges would like to see?
Comment by Angie — September 8, 2011 @ 7:13 pm
Angie,
Starting a club to fund charitable causes is a good idea. This shows leadership and compassion both of which are valued by the college. There is no one way to start such an organization. You need to determine how you are going to get members, what you are going to do for fundraisers and where you will donate the money. Start with the membership and then they can help give input on the other issues.
Comment by Todd Johnson — September 8, 2011 @ 8:02 pm