Applying to college

[mefromsomewhere]

ok first of all i wanna say holy heck there are a lot of people here going to really good universities. johns hopkins, usc, washu, man that's incredible.

anyway! i posted in here a long time ago when i was stressed out about essays and decisions and stuff like that, but i ended up deciding to go to caltech! (go beavers!) i'll be swimming there too so that'll be really fun. ultimately i chose there because i meshed really well with a lot of the other incoming freshmen i met there and considering i'm gonna be a math major it would make sense for me to go there (i actually didn't end up applying to mit bc boston weather scares me lmao).

if i had to give any advice to any class of 2020 people in here, i'd say to try and make sure your essays draw upon some of the extracurriculars you do and why you're so passionate about them. ultimately your extracurriculars are a part of who you are (there's a reason you chose them after all, and you've probably learned something from them), and if you don't talk about how they affected you or why you did them, colleges can sometimes assume you only did them as a resume-builder (which may or may not be true, but universities don't need to know that). secondly, know everything's going to be okay! you're going to get in somewhere, and even if it's not your first choice, you'll find something there that makes you happy.

good luck to everyone who's currently facing down application season! you got this!

 

[earl]

I'm heading out to Macalester (Minnesota liberal arts college in St. Paul, 30-33 ACT average pretty nice school and quite affordable after scholarships and grants) this fall and here's what I learned from the process:

-Get letters of reqs as early as possible, preferably late 11th grade. Getting letters in 12th grade fall is a bitch

-I don't have too many extracurriculars (especially before senior year, where I at least got involved in the theater department) and the only thing carrying my application was a 4.0 GPA and a pretty nice ACT score. However all of the schools I applied to were small and I personally interviewed at each and every one of them- That's where I think I sold myself. Such golden points talked about included how the National Honor Society is full of a bunch of little bitches chasing them college brownie points. They don't give a shit about public service lol. Also brought up non-school related achievements such as printing out and selling 50+ T-Shirts in a week for a practical joke or writing a 70,000 word novel with some friends.

-My college essay was about fishing as a 9 yr old with my cousin during the summer, ending with a nice little moral about success coming in many forms. Gotta target that pathos without being super generic/too lofty mission-trip stories.

-Apply to 6 schools tops imo. Also keep most of them in your bracket, don't go for like MIT/Harvard or whatever unless you genuinely believe you have a shot (chances are you don't). Ask yourself if you legitimately want to go to the school over the safe school you're applying too. It's a waste of time and money to apply to like 20 places.

-Tour as early as possible to get a feel on the places you're planning to apply to. Try to get an interview if possible while at it


That's about all I got. I'm sure being unique also helps. That's probably how my metalhead dumpster-diving buddy got into Yale. Or maybe it was the fact that he'll eat anything for $5. Regardless I'll bet he'll fit in perfectly at Yale

 

[Drangonn.]

Bumping this thread because the season has come for people like myself to lose their shit over applying. I've stressed enough about my grades and ECs and I'm sure it's all fine and everything but as a really high-achieving student (really not trying to up myself here) I feel like people like myself lack perspective. As an upper middle class kid from suburban MA it feels like everyone around you is basically built for success and as an asian male it feels even worse to be a great student, but not a perfect one. I can't describe why but even though everyone says that the process shouldn't be stressful it really is. I feel like I'm being paranoid.

Either way, I'm kinda lost on my common app essay. I feel like the most genuine thing to write about would be robotics, which i've been doing for 4 years and have always competed at a pretty high level in. I wanted it to be about victory, and how wins and losses shape your character but a lot of people around me say it's kinda generic and that I wouldn't want officers to see something like that. The schools I'm EDing to (washu and emory) are mid reaches and high matches, respectively, and a lot of kids apply to them from my school so I'm not sure if I shouldbe as worried about uniqueness as people are saying. :/

Not sure how to end this, but TL;DR the process feels draining and terrible. I'm a really good student, but the process is really getting to me. Not sure how to clarify thoughts about common app (and essays in general) and deal with the stress all at once.

 

[earl]

Bumping this thread because the season has come for people like myself to lose their shit over applying. I've stressed enough about my grades and ECs and I'm sure it's all fine and everything but as a really high-achieving student (really not trying to up myself here) I feel like people like myself lack perspective. As an upper middle class kid from suburban MA it feels like everyone around you is basically built for success and as an asian male it feels even worse to be a great student, but not a perfect one. I can't describe why but even though everyone says that the process shouldn't be stressful it really is. I feel like I'm being paranoid.

Either way, I'm kinda lost on my common app essay. I feel like the most genuine thing to write about would be robotics, which i've been doing for 4 years and have always competed at a pretty high level in. I wanted it to be about victory, and how wins and losses shape your character but a lot of people around me say it's kinda generic and that I wouldn't want officers to see something like that. The schools I'm EDing to (washu and emory) are mid reaches and high matches, respectively, and a lot of kids apply to them from my school so I'm not sure if I shouldbe as worried about uniqueness as people are saying. :/

Not sure how to end this, but TL;DR the process feels draining and terrible. I'm a really good student, but the process is really getting to me. Not sure how to clarify thoughts about common app (and essays in general) and deal with the stress all at once.

RE: College Essay- do what feels most genuine to you, but also go for uniqueness. It also doesn’t need to highlight your intelligence or big-achievements either, as it comes off as superficial and pandering. Like my essay was about fishing every day when I was like 8 and never catching anything until I did on accident, and admissions loved it. Basically, don’t do the “Mission trip that changed my life because I am a great human” type essay. Also, if possible, try to get an in-person interview with the colleges. It helps a lot in distinguishing yourself and shows interest.

Best of luck!

 

[Drangonn.]

RE: College Essay- do what feels most genuine to you, but also go for uniqueness. It also doesn’t need to highlight your intelligence or big-achievements either, as it comes off as superficial and pandering. Like my essay was about fishing every day when I was like 8 and never catching anything until I did on accident, and admissions loved it. Basically, don’t do the “Mission trip that changed my life because I am a great human” type essay. Also, if possible, try to get an in-person interview with the colleges. It helps a lot in distinguishing yourself and shows interest.

Best of luck!

But does it matter if it's about a specific event that is super significant? The moment I was considering writing about is how my robotics team a couple of years ago was one point away (literally) from world championship qualification. It was a pretty depressing/devastating moment but I'm not considering writing about it because it's impressive but because it taught me a lesson about failure.

Also I'm doing an in-person with washu, already did one on campus tour but I'm in love with the school so anything helps I guess lol

 

[DiscoDucky]

But does it matter if it's about a specific event that is super significant? The moment I was considering writing about is how my robotics team a couple of years ago was one point away (literally) from world championship qualification. It was a pretty depressing/devastating moment but I'm not considering writing about it because it's impressive but because it taught me a lesson about failure.

Also I'm doing an in-person with washu, already did one on campus tour but I'm in love with the school so anything helps I guess lol

Absolutely. However, I think you'll need to expand on the point about "...taught me a lesson about failure." Failure is usually the lesson, and good essays elaborate how that failure changed an aspect about you. The competition component could certainly be a leading premise that transitions into the meat of the essay focusing on the aftereffects of that loss and how that has changed your outlook on things. Treat your essay the same as you would if you were meeting someone new for the first time. My essay focused on me throwing crude Lego airplanes made of flat and rectangle blocks out of my apartment's 25th story window into oncoming traffic when I was 5 and used that anecdote to transition into an introspective analysis of my character. A friend of mine got into Penn by formatting her essay in the form of a recipe for blueberry pancakes. You don't have to be that quirky, but be true to yourself while trying to impress the reader (kind of like going on a date).

 

[Morsel]

But does it matter if it's about a specific event that is super significant? The moment I was considering writing about is how my robotics team a couple of years ago was one point away (literally) from world championship qualification. It was a pretty depressing/devastating moment but I'm not considering writing about it because it's impressive but because it taught me a lesson about failure.

Also I'm doing an in-person with washu, already did one on campus tour but I'm in love with the school so anything helps I guess lol

Very few other applicants will mention something as cool and unique as qualifying for a world championship as part of a robotics team. I highly recommend focusing your essay on this as it will make you stand out. Focus on your role and contributions towards the team, how that experience helped you grow as a person, and how those skills and abilities you used on that team will help you be a successful student at that college. A lot of applicants will write about how they were 'executive vice president of my high-schools gingerbread baking team' or some other irrelevant shit. You really don't want to fall into that group who is obviously struggling with finding something interesting to say.

As for the expected writing style, do not treat this as a formal or "5 paragraph" essay taught in high school. Write it out as if you were having a conversation and describing your best qualities and experiences. It really should not be rigid and feel 'forced.' The best way to edit and revise stuff like this is to fully write a draft without thinking about it, wait 24 hours, and then begin to edit. Taking time away from your work will allow you to come back with a fresh mindset when you want to make revisions.

Overall, don't be too stressed about this. You have something interesting to write about that will help you stand out. If your grades are good and your essay is decent, then I don't see why you should have any problems in getting in. And even if you don't get in your #1 choice, it really doesn't matter much in the long run. Ultimately, it's up to you to decide what you do during your degree (the connections you make, work experience you gain, campus involvement, grades) and what you make of it. The choice of school won't make or break your career.

If you have any questions or need more advice, you can always message me. Best of luck.

 

[Drangonn.]

The thing is I have this weird compulsion in my head to just write a strange essay because I think it'll do me some amount of favors. All told I'm not exactly the most unique applicant (no sports, heavy stem ECs, etc) and I'm worried that if I don't expose a unique side of myself while writing them that colleges will just know me as that, a generic asian kid.

 

[Aragorn the King]

I'm not considering writing about it because it's impressive but because it taught me a lesson about failure.

Also I'm doing an in-person with washu, already did one on campus tour but I'm in love with the school so anything helps I guess lol

That sounds good to me, honestly. How you react to failure / grow from it is something colleges/employers really like to see, to gauge how successful you will be there. If you can show that you exemplify a growth mindset while at the same time describing a passion of yours (that you may or may not continue at college), that has the potential to be a very good essay.

Good luck!

 

[deetah]

I applied for college months in advance, I really didn't want to risk deadlines, not making it, and the like. For my application essay I just wrote about my career path and threw in some things to make me look good. I was very proud of being the valedictorian, so I definitely added that in. If you have any volunteer service, experience participating in clubs, or academic achievements those are good things to add in application or scholarship essays.

I start college on Monday and let me say time has flown by. I can say I'm both excited and nervous for the new chapter of my life. I'm definitely gonna miss some things about high school but overall I'm ready to move on.

If you're looking for advice regarding the entire process all I can really say is TIME. MANAGEMENT. Managing your time wisely is probably the most important aspect whether it's applying to or attending college, along with preparation. Obviously, completing your assignments helps too.

Best of luck to those attending / applying to college this year!

 

[DiscoDucky]

The thing is I have this weird compulsion in my head to just write a strange essay because I think it'll do me some amount of favors. All told I'm not exactly the most unique applicant (no sports, heavy stem ECs, etc) and I'm worried that if I don't expose a unique side of myself while writing them that colleges will just know me as that, a generic asian kid.

Very strong letters of recommendation help make a candidate stand out a lot. Colleges value the opinion of a teacher or mentor figure that can speak to your character in great depth. When I went back to visit my old debate coach my sophomore year in university, we talked about letters of recommendations. She then told me about how she wrote a two-paged recommendation for me that spoke about my time and dedication to the team.

With that said, you should start compiling a list of teachers that you are very close with or can speak to your characteristics. Once you have done that, e-mail your teachers as soon as possible to ask if they could write a recommendation on your behalf. Beating the rest of the student body for recommendations guarantee that you won't be rushing a deadline and your recommendation will be of higher quality.