The Stone Cold Truth About College Admissions
If you have a high school freshman, sophomore or junior it's high time you learned the hard facts about what it really takes to get into a top college, today.
The earlier you learn this, the better your kiddo's college acceptance results will be.
In contrast, failure to understand the "secret", unwritten Rules of The Gamecan have tragic, easily-avoidable consequences.
We call that "Admissions Armageddon."
WARNING: the following may be a wee bit harsh:
Every extracurricular activity is NOT treated the same.
In other words, that volunteer walk last weekend to find a cure for 1. autism, 2. breast cancer, 3. autistic mothers with breast cancer and 4. a disease to be named later won't move the needle with admissions officers.
Neither will a membership (or bumper sticker) in National Honor Society.
At most high schools, NHS membership is reserved exclusively for the most elite, exclusive 70% of 11th graders.
Hello, academic participation trophy!
When it comes to extracurricular activities, think "CASA:" Consistent, Atypical, Student Activities.
The C and the A are the most important.
Consistent means, don't wait until 11th grade to join 17 clubs and found three charities out of the blue. We call that spasm "Born Again Junior" syndrome.
(Plus, everyone, including admissions officers, knows mom is behind this newfound flurry of activity, not the student.)
A, "atypical," is self-explanatory. If your son or daughter does the same sh-t as everyone else, he'll get average results, by definition.
Instead, think about "plussing" or going deeper with a current interest. Then doing it another two-three times.
One of the best examples that comes to mind stems from twin clients, approximately 6-7 years ago, Mat and Andrew. (Yes, Mat is spelled with one T.)
I tell this story at our workshops and webinars, because it's a good one.
They were your typical, introverted robotics kids, looking for a spark to set them apart from the competition at the Ivy League school they were gunning for.
Mat (still one T) and Andrew discovered a way to accentuate their love of robotics in a way that NOBODY else was.
By definition, that's atypical.
The result? You'll have to attend either our in-person workshop tomorrow, in Glen Head, or the webinar on Thursday to find out! :)
(I'm sure you can guess the result, but HOW they got there is instructive.)
Here's where to go to learn more about each event:
Hope to see you tomorrow or Thursday!
- Andy "Consistently Atypical" Lockwood
P.S. Please share this invitation with anyone who could use this information.
We have five seats left for tomorrow's live workshop in Glen Head, more availability for the webinar.