Ideas for teen son to fluff up his college resume?

[LWJ]

Hello,
I have a 16 yr old son. He is an A- student and a fan of blues based rock. He is a pretty fair guitar player and has interest in guitar centric electronics- amps, pedals, wiring guitars. He is a great speaker, big thinker, and has interest in history and politics.

He doesn't have a sport. He doesn't have a charity passion. He is pretty vanilla on his resume.

He is at the end of his sophomore year. What can / should he do to stand out for college entrances? His peers seem to do all sorts of cool stuff.

Ideas?

Thanks in advance.

[kevin993]

I don't claim to be wise in the ways of what admissions officers value, but how about something off-beat like writing and self-publishing a book on some aspect of music history? It doesn't have to be a best-seller, but shows some initiative, enthusiasm, communication skills, and novelty. He might actualy enjoy it and learn something...

It also has the benefit of being more substantive than "member of XYZ club", so it is credible and not empty fluff.

[fintstone]

Study his butt off and get better grades...and take an SAT/ACT prep course to get a great score.

[LWJ]

Kevin993 great idea!

[John Rogers]

What ever he does always tell the truth! Don't build up with things that might be a little on the "iffy" side. If he is good with the guitar see if he can give lessons at the YMCA/YWCA or any neighborhood group.

[brshap]

-Write a music column in the school newspaper
-Give free lessons to young kids who otherwise couldn't afford it/ raise money to buy instruments or solicit donations
-Get involved in a school club- get a leadership position in the club
-Do well on standardized tests

[Iciclehead]

Emphasize what he can do and what kind of person he is, seeking ways to describe his personality and what kind of soul he is.

Also do not shy too much away from describing the environment he grew up in and the values that he has and has been given whatever the source.

I have found in my hiring experience of younger people, it reads effectively to describe him as a maturing adult with personality, humour, talent, principles and what they are grounded in,,,

Dennis

[wdfifteen]

Do some internships to broaden his experience.

Or - gain relevant life experience by sleeping in a van down by the river.

[LWJ]

Great stuff other than the van / river idea!

[McLovin]

I've gained LOT of experience in this field in the past 10 years.

I can tell you that the "resume builder fluff" you speak of is useless.

Higher level colleges are interested in, in level of importance:

1. SAT/ACT scores. (45%)
2. GPA, including rigor of coursework. (35%)
3. Application personal statement/essays (10%)
4. The rest combined (10%).

There's many reasons for the above.

You can see where a student's limited time and resources are best spent.

This does not include recruited athletes. Which is the biggest "side door" into the top schools.

Some extracurriculars do carry a little weight. For example, student body president or editor in chief of the school paper. Because these are tangible top leadership roles that not anyone can just sign up or volunteer for.

But for the non athlete, 1 and 2 are going to determine the tier or level of college you get into.

Curious, what's an A- student? What is his weighted and unweighted GPA?

It's a weird situation right now. There are over 3,000 colleges in the US. The competition for the very top (say Top 20-25 schools) is brutal. Schools that had a 45% acceptance rate in the 90s now are at 15% (e.g. Penn, Cornell). Schools that were at 20% are now at 5-7%. Without a top 1% ACT/SAT, a Non athlete, non-favored minority is almost certainly eliminated.

But still, of 3000 colleges, only 100 or so have an acceptance rate of less than 50%. And the vast majority accept 70-75% or more of their applicants. So there are tons of opportunities for any student who is genuinely interested in his or her education. (For example, in your state the flagship public college, University of Oregon, accepts almost 80% of all applicants, with averages accepted numbers of 3.6 GPA, 25 ACT and 1650 SAT, all very attainable numbers for most).

In the end, I've found that almost all students end up at a college that is within the range of their academic "fit." Which is good. A 3.0 student with a 22 ACT would have a miserable time and not survive at a school where the average GPA and ACT is 4.2 and 33.

[KFC911]

I'm an ancient old fart...but still younger than fint . Listen to McLovin....if your kid isn't hell bound on getting into one of those schools, tell him to be a kid, continue to get A's, and shut up and play yer guitar. There are MANY ways to be very successful in life imo, and it doesn't matter if one doesn't attend a top XX school...seriously, and WAY too much emphasis is placed on standardized tests....jmo. FWIW....I was gifted at taking tests and academics back then....placing in the top 1% on standardized was absolutely easy-peasy....no studying or practice will beat someone like I was...I was just gifted at taking tests pure and simple.

Friend's son is 10 years older than yours...at 16, he already knew what what he was gonna be....a guitar player, didn't give a crap about books....getting out of hs was an effort. But he's a great kid, following his path through life. Attended the Berklee College Of Music, has worked with a master luthier, is into old tube amps and related electronics, and doing just fantastic in life. And he is a great kid living his dream

When he was 16 with dreadlocks down to his azz, barely making grades....who knew ?

Oh yeah....he went to his interview at Berklee with those dreads....came back with short short hair and it's been that way ever since.

He is 100% successful imo...just traveling a different path than most here would or could...he's gifted...but not at taking tests.

Lots of ways to skin a dawg....

[Crowbob]

Does he have high cheek bones? Maybe he's a Indian. It does work.

[PorscheGAL]

Grades and Test scores will go a long way. My son is going to an in state school next year and had no problem getting in with no extracurricular activities. Not having anything extra does affect his scholarship chances. Money is where the extras will be necessary.

[flatbutt]

If you need advice on fluffing you should ping Livi.

[KFC911]

Originally Posted by flatbutt

If you need advice on fluffing you should ping Livi.

LOL...thread winner

[fintstone]

I used to work in admission/scholarships. If you do not have the grades/entrance scores...you were not really looked at at all unless an athlete or some sort of special case. So, if undecided on school, major, path...having those great scores are your best way to ensure you have choices when the time comes. You can always wash cars with good scores if you wish. If you change your mind later...you can still get into a pretty good school.

All the extracurricular things are how the folks with top grades/entrance scores compete for admissions/scholarships to elite schools with other folks that also have top grades/entrance scores.

Without grades/scores; might as well be realistic and look at a much lesser level of school...maybe even start with community college...unless you can get a DNA test and define him as some sort of unrepresented minority.

[Seahawk]

Originally Posted by McLovin

I've gained LOT of experience in this field in the past 10 years...

What an informative post.

I am frankly amazed at the pressure we put on our children (not you LWJ) to get into a specific college or make a career choice at 18.

If you listen and watch, they will tell you what they really want in deeds and action.

At the end of my son's sophomore year in HS, he expressed a desire to go to VMI (I have no idea why) and become an Army Officer. He was a 3.7 kind of kid...good, not great in academics. If he had any math skills he would have been 5.0.

So I bull****ted him a bit: ROTC is the best way to go, makes a statement, get funding, etc.

So he did because he wanted it. At a certain point where they go and how they matriculate is up to them.

In HS he was a four year varsity Letterman in CC and track and played in the concert and jazz bands. The only thing the VMI admissions person told me was everyone can play sports, but they viewed music as a "whole person" bonus.

[fintstone]

It is usually pretty easy for a bright kid to get a leadership role in JROTC. That plays very well in military schools and for Academy and ROTC scholarships. For some more liberal schools...it is better to leave that off of your resume.

Cross-country is good because the barrier for entry is low (even if you are not very good you are welcome) and running is a great lifetime pursuit health wise. I use to recommend it to kids I was working with to go to the Academy who needed a second sport. Another one that plays well is cheerleading if your school has competitive (with tumbling, etc.). For scholarships, if written up well, cheerleaders got credit for school leadership and a sport. Male cheerleaders are rare and in big demand in college...and all of the ones (very few) at my daughter's HS got scholarships (of some sort) for college.

My daughter also did ROTC in college with a full ride with living expenses...then they arranged another scholarship from the school for free room and board (to woo her from another school)...she also had a full scholarship from the same school for academic and a partial one for cheerleading and a couple she got for others various things where she write papers and competed, etc. She needed no loans and no money from me...and graduated with about $10K in the bank. Not paying much for her school made a big difference in our savings/retirement portfolio. We owe her a lot for taking that route/school...as it probably was not her first choice.

While in AF ROTC, she applied for a scholarship for medical school and got the as well (pretty easy to get if you can get into med school). She went to a private med school all expenses paid...with a significant living allowance (couple grand a month) to live on. She graduated with a job and about $20K in the bank. She is now a major (and doctor) in the AF and doing very well.

[reachme]

Have 2 into college and one on the way.

If your kid has something unique, and most do then apply for that major and reach out to that department beforehand. They can put in a good word. That makes you a great candidate "in that major" and that matters. We even got a big academic scholarship based on that because they calculated it on that one area of study. Once in you can change majors unless it's a specialized major like nursing.
If you don't have a specialty then consider something that no kid has a specialty in.
I have a friend who admitted he got into his Ivy league because he picked an esoteric area of classical study and had several chats with the chair of that department. He didn't have the grades but got in anyway and since he graduated nobody cares what he studied at that most prestigious school. Greek Literature or Chino-etruscan archaeology anyone?
They're all looking for protege's (or assistants to dig up old bones in Eritrea) and they're quaking in their boots the lights will get turned off unless they get the numbers up.
If you're game its a strategy.
Then change to business or something marketable before you get the first bill

[Les Paul]

Old one but good one.