Today more then ever myths and misunderstandings dominate the process of going to college.
Community service/volunteer work have a significant impact upon being accepted into the college of choice.
Yes: At Yale they reject many students with at least one perfect SAT score and who have 100+ average from high school. For the very very top colleges they have the best of the best applicants. You need to show you are more then just school. You need to find qualities that set you apart on your application.
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NO: For the average/good/even most very good colleges they play a small part. If you are on the cusp it may help push you over the top to being accepted.
Myths: I was at the Bellmore Street Festival and a really good person I knew from the Boy Scouts was telling parents being an Eagle Scout gives your kids a five point boost on their average when applying for college. Being an Eagle Scout is a great accomplishment that shows determination and ability. It does not add five points to your average in applying for college.
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Myth: At junior golf many parents believe being part of golf will get them into college. One young person spent a good deal of their time on the course believing it was their ticket to Cornell. They played a real nice game but the ticket was school and they were crushed when rejected.
I went for a tryout for the NY Mets when I was 18. I had the best fastball in Massapequa. At the tryout I met the best fastball from Westchester, the best fastball from West Islip, etc. I was really good competing on Long island and thought I had what it takes. There are thousands of communities around the country and they all have someone with the best fastball. I went to college and worked hard realizing my future was not sports but college. I still play but after that day I realized it was always for fun.
The Basics: Grades, strength of schedule and SAT scores are 1a, 1b, and 1c in importance in getting into college. 2 are the service, activities, volunteer work.
Magic: There is no magic activity or volunteer activity to get you into college. It is a combination of the solid basics with some outside activities. Hard work and determination in high school is what gets you accepted into college.
Over the Top service: Many affluent parents send their kids on over the top service opportunities to try and wow colleges. They go to other countries and help out in needy places. There is a great need here in the United States and the over the top service goes no further then solid service opportunities here, even on Long island.
College Admissions: The role of the Admissions Office is to get you to apply to their college and if accepted to enroll. Many Admissions Offices create myths about the level of salary you may obtain after graduation and your employability. Many Law Schools have gotten into trouble using data that shows their graduates have had better employment opportunities then they really had.
Go to the College Navigator: http://nces.ed.gov/collegenavigator/
There you find statistics on colleges. Many students never graduate from the college they first go to. Find information and retention statistics on MUST go to colleges. Many times you see transfer out rates that are very high. (30% and higher) That means many students started at a certain college and realized it was not an appropriate fit. These are figures the Admissions Office is not going to tell you.
Work hard in high school, challenge yourself, prepare for the SAT or ACT. There is no magic service or volunteer opportunity to get into a college. It takes hard work!
