Myth: You should just apply! You never know

College Application Myth: You should apply to a school, even if you think you have no chance.

“Hey You Never Know”- Well actually, you do. Why Lottery Schools aren’t worth it.

College Application Myth: You should apply to any school you want to go to, even if you’re well below the middle 50% and know that you have no chance.

This myth is perpetuated by well meaning but under researched guidance counselors, ignorantly hopeful parents, and, unfortunately, the college admissions departments themselves.

They say, “Well someone has to get in, 25% of the incoming class is below the middle 50%, every year someone slips through the cracks- and that lucky student just might be you”

Lets talk about the reality of lottery schools and why you’re helping their admissions department more than they’re helping you.

First, I’ll make a point to say that I am talking about lottery schools NOT reach schools.

What’s the difference you may ask?

A reach school is a school you have a 50-60 percent chance of getting in to. You’re basically qualified but you can’t with any degree of certainty say you’ll get in. This is a school where you’re in the middle 50 percent, but just barely OR schools where the acceptance rates are so low that you have to consider it a reach.

A lottery school is a school that you cannot confidently say that you’re in range for. A school where, if by some miracle you get in, you’ll be in that magical, lucky, bottom 25 percent.

Someone applying to a reach school says, “Yeah, I’d love to go there, and it’s the most difficult school I’m applying to, but I think I could get in if the stars align.”

Someone applying to a lottery school says, “I know I have no chance, but I just need to know for sure I’m going to get rejected”

I’m going to break down how the myth of the lottery school is just that, a myth.

First of all: By applying to a lottery school you’re helping them more than they’re helping you.

“Wait?” You want to know, “How could that possibly be true? The school itself, the admissions rep I spoke to said that I should give it a shot”

Do you know what a school gets from an unqualified applicant (or a LOT of unqualified applicants)? They get your 50-70 dollar application fee. They get an easy applicant to reject (making their lives and jobs easier). AND the kicker? They get to decrease their acceptance rate! Which, as you might know, is a HUGE part of determining an USWorldNews rank. Schools try to get as many people as possible to apply, just so they can reject them and keep their acceptance rate low. Harvard is FAMOUS for this (I will write a whole other post about this strategy another day and link it here).

And what do you get? 10 minutes spent on your application (maybe not even that, cynical little me thinks they might look at your SAT scores and skim your personal information and throw it away) and a few months of hope finished by an envelope or email telling you “We’re sorry to tell you, you’ve been rejected. Thanks for the money and have a nice life!”

Secondly, I have to add, the bottom 25 percent probably isn’t for you.
Every school has a quarter of the incoming class who had scores below what they technically needed. But do you know who the lion’s share of those applicants are? The hooked applicants. I hate to use the word hook on this blog, but I will have to give you all an operational definition of hook.

A hook is a factor that will get a student in when they were otherwise unqualified. Hooks include recruited athletes, legacies from families that give money, famous people/children of famous people, and under-represented minorities (this does include geographic minorities).  

They DO NOT include: Being a musical genius, a child prodigy, a Mensa member, a national merit scholar, an Intel Finalist, being a friend of a famous person, being a legacy from a family that does not give money or much money, working at a prestigious place, being president of your school or club, or any “unique activities.” Those are all great part of your personal brand, but they are NOT hooks.

That bottom 25 percent is not saved for people who are unqualified. It is saved for people who will somehow bring prestige to the school despite their numbers.

Have I made myself clear? Good. Have I depressed you a little bit? Sorry.

I just have to give my two cents on these types of schools. To me, it is not worth your time or money. You’re better off using your enthusiasm to look for and apply to schools that you can actually get into. It will make you much happier (and save you money) in the long run.

Of course, several of you are going to apply to the lottery schools anyway. Because you are optimistic and you can’t give up. And I wish you luck! And if you somehow prove me wrong, send me a nice smug message telling me. I LOVE to hear stories of lottery schools paying off. Though, in most cases, it turns out the applicant was hooked after all.

Example: Everyone at a school was freaking out! This kid who had good but not great grades, and only decent SAT scores got into [insert prestigious school here]! Sigh there’s one every year isn’t there? But as it turns out, he had a connection to their program that he just didn’t brag about it when he was applying. He also had a lot of field experience in [whatever the program he got into is] through his incredibly well known family business, which the admissions committee for that program values heavily. And his family gives thousands of dollars a year. So not actually a lottery school after all.  

What I will say is; of the people I consult 1 on 1, everyone has ended up at their top choice school. Because they applied to top choice schools. Not type there is no way in hell schools.

So I declare the “Just Apply You Never Know” myth thoroughly busted.

What to Wear- Winter Interviews

“The Clothes Make The Applicant”

Or: What to Wear (Winter Addition).

Interviewing at schools or with alumni has slowly and surely become an essential part of the application. They’re all about the face-to-face meetings, gauging your personality, and getting unprepared and unpolished words straight from your mouth. They want to know what you sound like and how you think on the spot.

There’s one part of interviews you can prepare well in advance and polish to your hearts desire- your outfits.

So today CollegeApp chick becomes a fashion blog with:

 What TO wear- Winter Interview Addition

I will break down the typical interview situations, and how to dress for them.
Disclaimer: Boys have it much easier, because keeping warm in men’s dress clothing is easier than women’s). Girls have it easier in the summer.

Visit/Presentation at your High School or College Fair -

This is the most casual of possibilities. You will want to balance comfort with professionalism and neatness because having to change in the middle of the day can be a hassle. You may only get a few moments of face to face time with the rep, so you want to make a good impression and be memorable.

What to wear-

For the girls: I recommend wearing a nice, brightly colored, button down shirt or blouse, jeans, and riding boots. The bright color will help them remember you, and button downs look flattering on everyone. A sweater can also work. If you’re the type of person to wear dresses to school, a patterned dress, tights, and a cardigan or blazer looks great too.

For the boys: You have it easier. I’d say jeans and a button down or polo (or a nice looking flannel, go for preppy or quirky, not grungy). If you have shoes that are not sneakers, sandals, or dress shoes definitely wear those. Converse sneakers can look nice too.

Avoid: Don’t look like you’re trying too hard, as you can leave a  negative impression. Also don’t be uncomfortable, because you will have to wear it all day.

Coffee With an Alumni-

While this interview is fairly casual, you are trying to convince the alumni that you are [insert school here] material.

What to wear-

For the girls: Wear a nice dress or skirt and blouse. This should not be formal and should look professional (anything with a lot of satin or lace will not do). Tights, a sweater, and boots will keep you warm and look fashionable. I don’t recommend wearing pants, because they are so difficult to get right, but if you really hate dresses, go for dress pants and a sweater that are flattering.

For the boys: Wear pants that are not jeans or dress pants (kakis, corduroys). Wear a sweater if you have a nice one, or a clean ironed button down. Do not wear sneakers, but dress shoes are a little much. If you have something in between, go for that. If you don’t, go for the dress shoes.

On Campus Interview (no tour)-

Because you’re going into their arena, you will want to be business-casual for this interview. You’re taking the time to go to the school, so make sure they have an impression of you looking put together and neat. Not going on a tour gives you more options, because warmth and shoes are much less of an issue.

For the Girls: Try a dress, tights, and a blazer. The dress should be, at the shortest, two inches (index finder length) above your knee. You can also wear nice shoes (flats or small heels). Funky colors are okay as long as they’re balanced out elsewhere (one pop of color).  Look professional and err towards conservative, but stay age appropriate. Borrow from siblings, not your mom. You can definitely wear a funky necklace or funky earrings if you’d like, but nothing too big. Small conservative jewelry pieces look great too. Once again, if you must wear pants, do pants and a pretty feminine blouse that are flattering and make you look good.

For the Boys: Wear dress pants and dress shoes. You have a little more freedom on top. I’d say either go for a button down or, if you’re daring, a cool blazer (not a big boxy one, an age appropriate one). Bright colors or cool (tasteful) patterns on top can help you stand out from the sea of white and sky blue. Personally I think a tie is a little much, but if you can rock a skinny tie (and I mean rock it), that is age appropriate and tells them a lot about your personality.

On Campus Interview (tour)

This is basically the same, but there is the extra consideration of warmth here.

For the Girls: See the above post, but make sure to wear warm leggings instead of tights. In fact, my tip is to wear warm leggings over your tights (extra layer of warmth without extra bulk). Bring warm, weather proof boots to wear when you’re outside, but bring flats in your bag to wear in your interview.

For the Boys: Remember when I said you have it easier? Follow the post above. All you have to do is bring a change of weather proof shoes.

Overall Tips:

Hair: Keep your hair out of your face (boys and girls). It is distracting to both you and the interviewer. My rule of thumb has always been that the style should eliminate the need to touch your hair (half ponytail, headbands, clips, bobby pins) while still looking flattering.

Brief myth-bust here: It is okay to wear your curly hair curly. People say that curly hair is unprofessional, that’s a lie as long as it’s neat and out of your face (also, inbox or email me if you need curly hair tips, I have very curly hair and I know my stuff).

One last tip for the ladies: Make up should be minimal. If you don’t wear make up, wear a little chap-stick to keep your mouth lubricated to make speaking easier and to remind you to smile. If you do wear make up, make sure you look professional. No bright or dark colors or funky patterns. Look natural.

Remember, no matter what the level of formality, you want to look neat, conservative, put together, and clean.  But that doesn’t mean stuffy. Look age appropriate and feel good in what you’re wearing. If you’re happy with how you look, you’ll feel confident.

Of course, your interview skills are more important than the clothes you’ll wear. But it is better to look overly professional than overly casual. Look like you’ve made an effort, and it will pay off in spades.

No Rest For The Wicked: How To Spend Your Summer (Part 1)

Taking a fake “break”: Why Summer Classes Might Be The Choice For You

Summer Options Part 1: Classes

Over the next few weeks I will be talking about various options for the summer break. It’s that time of year where you should be thinking about how you’ll spend your time, and be filling out the applications.

There is only one wrong choice when it comes to summer, and that’s sitting around and doing nothing.

There are many ways to increase your strength as an applicant during the summer months, but for today I’m going to focus on Summer Classes

After you take your SAT you will probably have your mail box flooded with all types of offers for educational summer institutes. Some will be from prestigious schools, some offer a pre-college experience, and others from community colleges.

Today I’ll break down 3 common types of summer classes, and give you the pros and cons of each.

Type 1: Community College

Many high school students will continue their education over the summer by enrolling at the local community college for a few classes. This is typically a simple process for introductory level courses.

The Pros: This option is usually affordable. You will get to be home with your family and friends for the summer. You will have extra classes on your transcript when applying to colleges. This option shows drive and that you make your education a priority. These credits might also transfer when you matriculate, which will help you in the long run.

The Cons: This option can get a little boring if you’re not interested in the classes or if you have a bad professor. You will be spending money instead of making it. You will be at home with your family all summer. While extra classes look nice, this is a common choice and doesn’t make you as unique as some other programs.

Type 2: The Prestigious School Summer Program

While I’m not going to name names here, there are many programs offered by prestigious schools that claim to give you the “[Insert University Here] Experience!”

These programs offer the chance to take “classes” at a university with other “highly motivated” students like you. I’m sure you’ve gotten their post-cards in the mail.

The Pros: This will help you prepare for living at college. You will get to live in a dorm with other students your own age. You will get to have the name of the prestigious school on your resume. You might learn something interesting. You will probably have a lot of fun as the classes aren’t too difficult.

The Cons: Please note the "quotes" in the description. These options are usually very expensive. You have to live in a dorm with other high school students who are also unaccustomed to living unsupervised. While you have the name of the school on your resume, these programs are very rarely prestigious at all.* The classes are going to be easy, and you probably won’t get transferable college credit. The prestigious school you’re spending the summer at won’t look at your application more favorably than a person who did a similar summer program anywhere else. These programs exist as a money making tool for the schools.

*There ARE programs that are prestigious. But those ones are usually very difficult to get in to and probably aren’t mass-soliciting you. Look up the acceptance/rejection rates of the programs and ask your teachers.

Type 3: High School Summer School

Summer High School  is offered almost everywhere. Some offer academic classes, and other will offer you some fun electives or activities. Many students I know took drivers ed or a requirement they didn’t want to spend a year on.

Pro:  It is easy to get into (in fact, you probably don’t even need to apply). You will be ahead of the other students in your grade. Your GPA will improve if you take fun or easy classes. You will get more individual attention in academic classes due to fewer students. It is either very cheap, or free. There are no living expenses as you get to live at home.

Con: You might get bored being in your high school all summer. There is no prestige at all, it is simply extra high school. You will be at home all summer.  Your school might not have air conditioning! You will be with the same people you’re with all year. 

Summer Classes are a viable option to many. They can academically challenge you. If you’re living at the school its great practice at independence. And above all, they demonstrate a love of learning to the admissions committees.

There is no reason to waste two months of your time sitting around and relaxing. Making yourself a stronger applicant is easy and can be fun

What's 'sup with the supplement?

Or Common Supplement Questions and How To Answer Them

Ahhh, the supplement. The specific questions that each college asks to help them make decisions about you. This can be nerve-wracking, because you want to tailor the answers to fit the school. To effectively write these essays, you must first understand what they’re really asking.

So here’s CollegeApp Chick’s guide to college supplements.

The: Why Us?

EX: Why do you want to attend our school?

What they’re really asking: This question is the most straight-forward of all supplement questions. But don’t fall into the trap of telling them why their school is awesome. They know their school is awesome. They want to know how their school can help you.

How to answer it: Tell them why you are an awesome fit for the school. Talk specifically about things that you want to do as a student there. Give the specific names of clubs you want to join, classes you want to take, professors you want to do research with, traditions you want to participate in. Tell them how letting you attend will enhance their school. Flattering the school is a nice thing, and you should be overwhelmingly positive in this answer, but that’s not the whole essay. Make sure that it is tailor made to you and what you will do in the school. And double, triple, quadruple check that your information is accurate. Don’t talk about a professor that moved schools two years ago, and whatever you do make sure you are spelling the name of the school correctly. Too many people make that silly mistake. Don’t have your “Why I want to go to Hamilton” essay start “Colgate University…”

The: Diversity is a Priority

Ex: Our College is proud of our diversity, please elaborate on a time you felt diversity in your life.

What they’re really asking: Diversity is such a buzz word these days. Every college wants to tout the diversity of their students in their promotional materials. They want to know that A: you’re going to appreciate the diversity that they’ve worked so hard for, and B: You are going to add to the diversity.

How to answer it: If you are actually a diverse student (religiously, ethnically, culturally, geographically) play it up. Talk about how you love sharing family, religious, or cultural traditions with your non-diverse friends.  If you’re a northern student applying in the south tell a funny story about how diversity is in the little things, like trying grits on your visit to their school.
If you’re not diverse at all, talk about appreciating diversity and how you love learning about different cultures. Tell a story about attending a friend’s cultural celebration. Talk about going to dinner at your Indian friend’s house. Talk about visiting a village in South America.  Write about attending a friend’s sibling’s Bar Mitzvah. Assure the school that you’re going to add to the diversity discussion.

The: Outside the Box

EX: Find X. What is your favorite word? What is the warning on your life map? Give us page 205 of your autobiography.

What they’re really asking: This question has two goals. The primary goal is to see how you think, to see how creative you are. The secondary goal is to see if you’re going to make their school a priority. These questions are most often found at competitive schools, liberal arts schools, schools not on the commonapp, and (dare I say it) Ivy level schools that are not Ivys. They use these strange questions so you have to spend the time to write an essay for their school, no recycling allowed. 

How to answer it: Come up with an answer that is true to you. These questions are a great opportunity to show admissions something about you, to make yourself into a 3D person. Make sure that your answer is well thought out.
Two warnings. First of all please avoid clichés. Finding X is not all about the journey. Your favorite word is not achievement, passion, diversity, or excellence. You are more intelligent and creative than that. Also don’t be clever if that means less work. Remember the story of Bob? Using a short clever answer is going to make you look lazy and pretentious. The goal is to show them that their school is a priority. A 10 word essay isn’t going to show that.

The: Open Ended

EX: What about you can’t you fit in 500 words. What else can you tell us about you?

What they’re really asking: Make yourself into a real person for us. Tell us something unusual about yourself. This question is most often found at “quirky” schools.

How to answer it: This is your chance to be creative and a little wacky. This is an excellent chance to show why you would fit in with the school. If you’re good at making online videos, make a vlog about yourself (targeting the points to show why you’ll be a good match for the school). If you’re a dancer, choreograph a song to their fight song or Alma matter. There’s also no shame in writing an essay telling them something about you that isn’t going to show up anywhere else.

Avoid: Collages. So many people think they’re being creative by sending in a collage of themselves and their life. That’s cliché. Don’t do that. Also don’t send in cookies, it looks desperate.

The: Issues and Argument

Ex: Tell us about an issue you’re passionate about.

What they’re really asking: Will you be able to positively add to the discussions in our classrooms? This question wants to see that you can make a two sided, well formulated, and well organized argument. They want to see passion without pigheadedness.

How to answer it: Pick an issue that you really do care about and give your opinion on it. But make sure to A: Give the other side and B: Use facts and avoid logical fallacies. Don’t over use emotional response, you don’t want to be the applicant who made everyone depressed. Show the value of the opposing argument. Also, avoid anything too controversial. If you’re a middle class white girl, don’t argue against affirmative action. There is a forum for that, but this is not it. You don’t want to offend anyone.

Of course there are many different supplements, these are just the most common ones.

The key to a good supplement is to know the goal of the supplement before you write the answer.

If there’s a supplement that you’re not sure how to answer, or what the goal is, feel free to ask or inbox me about it. I’m here to help.

What's in a (Facebook) Name?

What’s in a name? or Why changing your name on Facebook will not make a difference.

There’s a bit of a trend for applicants to change their names on Facebook when applying to college.
While these changed names are incredibly amusing to see every September, they’re not accomplishing what you’re trying to accomplish.

Changing your name will not make your facebook unfindable, because you can still be found under your old name.
And then whoever is looking you up is going to ask “Well what are they hiding?”

So what should you do if your Facebook isn’t up to snuff?

Don’t hide it! Clean it up!

There are two ways to go about cleaning up your Facebook.

There’s type A (the one I recommend): There’s nothing to hide, look at my squeaky clean facebook

And there’s type B: You can look but you can’t touch.

First of all, your Facebook should be relatively private anyway, but I’d recommend bumping up your privacy very high. Make everything maximum privacy if you’re a type B.

Profile Pictures:

This will be easier if you’re a squeaky-clean type of kid. The goal is to look normal, but the best version of that.   

Make your profile picture of you and a friend, or you and your family. A formal event or holiday is best. Look put-together but normal. Go for clean cut, err on the side of conservative. Smiling is best. Your boobs or abs should not be out. No sexy pouts. You are not seducing your Facebook viewers. No visible alcohol (and in a cup or a koozie or disguised as a cat doesn’t work). Also couple pictures (with a bf/gf) are okay, but don’t be kissing or groping.

You should not use a silly picture. Though they’re cute at times (I love a good silly picture) having a picture that is attractive and smiley will subconsciously look better to anyone looking at your facebook. And when I mean attractive, I do not mean sexy. Do not use a sexy picture. 

And for heavens sake, no selfies! Anything that looks like one of these Bieber selfies will not do.

If you’re a theatre/performing or a sports kid, you can use a picture from a recent performance or game. If there are any pictures from traveling or from volunteering you’ve done, these work great as well.

Cover Photos:

Cover Photos are a bit harder, especially since they’re new.  I’ve had little time to test them for cleaning a facebook, and many of us have only had 2 or 3 compared to 20 profile pictures.

Your cover can be basically anything. Be sure it’s age-appropriate and grandmother appropriate.

My best suggestion is to use a group picture of your friends, maybe dressed up at junior prom, just clustered around on someone’s couch , or at a group dinner. You can use a silly picture (as long as its appropriate G-Rated silly) if you’d like.

Friend pictures to avoid:

Going out pictures (even if there’s no alcohol in the background the black miniskirts, sequin dresses, and bandage dresses are a giveaway) or beach pictures (to be on the safe side, ad reps don’t need to know what you look like in a bikini).

If you’re into art or photography use a piece of your work. If an organization you’re in is using it for an advertisement (this may be more common in college, but bear with me) and it’s recent, use that.
Or just use a pretty picture of scenery or something that matters to you.

Now I’ll go into the type specific adjustments.

Type A:
The idea is to make you look like a normal, thoughtful, clean-cut high school student (which you are). Your page will be available to view (more on this later) but it won’t matter, because you have nothing to hide or be ashamed of. You’re the type of Facebook who can be friends with their parents and grandparents.

First of all unlike any inappropriate pages you currently like (an R rated movie is okay, “I will enter the new year drunk” is not).
Update your “likes” to include things about you. Favorite movies, sports, TV shows, activities, books are all things that are appropriate ways to express yourself. Have at least 10 books “liked” on your facebook page.

Untag any pictures of yourself that aren’t up to a clean standard. I don’t care if college students drink. You’re in high school, you’re breaking a law, and  you’re documenting it.

Delete any wall posts people make that aren’t PG-13 or below.

Refrain from using bad language.

Go through your profile pictures and delete any ones that don’t meet standards, and delete any comments that aren’t PG-13 or below.

Post occasional statuses about what you’re up to (club meetings/events, community service, hanging out with friends, movies or TV you watch, books you read, etc) and post links about things that interest you. Funny links are okay too (just keep it PG-13 rated).

Set your privacy settings so that anyone can see your profile picture, cover photo, and posts by you. Keep all other things private (friends only or friends of friends only).

Now you should like the admissions page for the school your applying to (many have facebooks).

Do quick checks of other media accounts you use (Twitter, YouTube, Blogs, Instagram, Tumblr, anything that can come up by googling your name, username, or email).

That’s a Type A.

Now Type B is for the student who does have something to hide.

The game here is damage control and security. You are going to set your privacy settings to the highest one (friends only). The only thing someone who is not your friend should be able to see is your profile picture.

 You will go through your profile picture album and delete any pictures that are not G rated, and comments that are not PG-13 Rated.

Refrain from using poor language in any posts, untag yourself from drinking pictures.

Unlike any events that aren’t G rated (club promotions, house parties, the like).

Unlike any “likes” that aren’t clean (R rated movie example again).

Do not “like” the admissions page for your school or friend anyone who works at/goes to that school (unless you’re already friends and have vested interest in keeping them on facebook).

And finally do quick checks of other media accounts you use (Twitter, YouTube, Blogs, Instagram, Tumblr, anything that can come up by googling your name, username, or email).

And that should keep you relatively safe.

So ladies and gents, there’s the solution.

Changing your name says “I have something to hide, please don’t find me”

Having a high security facebook says “I’m a normal teenager who doesn’t want to interact with strangers online”

And why wouldn’t you want to use that to your advantage?

Myth: Not all activities are created equal

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Today’s Lesson: Your extracurriculars are valuable, no matter what they may be.

Myth: Colleges look for very specific activities on applicants’ resumes. Colleges love sports captains, no wait they love editor in chief of newspapers and yearbooks, no that’s wrong, they love student council presidents, no don’t be silly they love NHS treasurers, no, TV told me they love mouthy poorly dressed show-choir divas.  

Truth: They love all of these things and more.

Really, its not about what clubs you’re in, its about what you do in your clubs.

Any activity, no matter how silly or obscure can look impressive with commitment and good explanations.

The best way to make an activity look good on a resume is to have a high level of commitment to it. Join clubs your freshman year and stay with them for four years. If a club or team is only available after a certain number of years (maybe a group can’t be joined till sophomore year) note this in your explanations of the activity.

Do your best to become an officer. The size of your school will be taken into account with these things. If you’re in a school with 50 students in your graduating class there will be more expectation of officer positions than if there are 500. If for whatever reason you cannot become an officer, stay highly involved. Head up projects or events. An official title will look great, but its really the work that admissions are looking for. 

Just a reminder: List your responsibilities in the club on your resume.

If a club is difficult to explain or not easily explained from the title, make sure to clarify exactly what the club is.
It’s not that colleges prefer yearbook or sports to stranger clubs, they’re probably just a little confused about exactly what your club does and what your role is.

For example…

Your biggest activity in your high school is that you founded and are president of the “Table Top Troupe.”
If your resume simply states:

“Table Top Troupe, President/Founder, 10 hrs/wk, Freshman-Senior”

The person reading your resume is not going to learn anything or understand the high level of commitment you have to the club.

A better way to explain is:
Table Top Troupe (board and card game club). President/Founder, 10 hrs/week, 4 yrs

• Founded club aimed at collecting and teaching classic and modern board and card games.

• Grew membership from 10 members freshman year to 70 senior year

• Responsible for researching popular new table top games and running polls to gauge club interest in purchasing and adding games to the club library.

• Started fundraisers and budgeted for new games

• Developed and ran a Clue tournament as a yearly Halloween activity for the local Boys and Girls Club

That creates a much better picture of what your “silly little” club really is.

It shows that you came up with an idea, made it a real thing, helped it grow, and had some community service in there too.

Of course, you should join more than one club, but club membership is a balance.

You’re much better off having a high commitment in two or three clubs than joining ten and hardly showing up for them.

Colleges need table top gamers in addition to their sports captains.
Every single one of your activities  is valuable, as long as you are active in them.

The tragical tale of Bob, the Far too Clever Applicant.

A funny warning tale for you all.

About 6 years ago there was a young lad, a high school senior. Lets call him “Bob”

Bob was a very good student. Great grades, great boards, leadership in his clubs, the whole shebang.

But Bob had a fatal flaw. Bob was so clever that he tried to use his cleverness to escape work. Bob preferred being funny to being sincere.

Bob was filling out the application to his dream fairy tale school, and  was presented with this essay prompt:

“It is 45 years in the future. You are writing your autobiography. Please give us page 258.”

This is what Bob submitted. 

Was it clever? Oh yes!

Did it get him rejected from the school despite his other qualifications?
Oh yes! Yes it did!

So take the tale of Bob to heart. There’s a time and a place to be cute and clever. And there’s a time and a place to put effort into what could have been a really interesting (and short) essay. 

Because, though the details have become fuzzy over time, this really did happen. Someone really did do this. And I bet he wasn't the only one. 

So be funny and clever, but put in the time and effort too.