A former Ivy League admissions officer explains how students can stand out in a sea of excellent grades and test scores
Nelson Ureña advises students to turn their dreams into passion projects that make an impact. Nelson Ureña
During my time in the undergraduate admissions office at Cornell — and even more so as a college application adviser — I've come across stellar academic students whose applications didn't get the type of results they felt their hard work merited.
I often tell the story of an applicant to the atmospheric sciences program at Cornell whose application I remember reading.
This particular student wrote his essay about his passion for understanding weather patterns. That is certainly a trait expected in an earth and atmospheric sciences student, but this student's fit with the program really came to life as he described the weather station he had built at home.
He had been collecting data and providing information to a cable news station, who then used his data in their weather forecasts. In addition to his own account, I read a teacher's letter of recommendation which corroborated his passion for weather sciences, as well as his weather station story.
After reading, I thought, this student clearly will get my recommendation for admission, because he has the grades, the test scores, and a demonstrated intellectual interest in his chosen program.Trifecta! He had hit the nail on the head in expressing "fit and match."
I contrast that story with the dozens of high-achieving students whose applications I've read or whom I have advised over the years. They were academically stellar and had adequate standardized test scores, but their applications lacked tangible indicators of their passions: a project, experiment, portfolio, or an endeavor on which they spent substantial time learning, tinkering, or creating.
A few years ago, I advised a student who had near-perfect scores on the SAT, a senior year loaded with the most challenging courses his high school offered, and a GPA that placed him among the top 5% at his high school. As a counselor, I felt this student would be highly competitive to his chosen colleges, and he did receive admission to some great institutions. However, to his disappointment, he was only offered a spot on the waitlist at his top-choice universities.
I later asked a former colleague who worked as an admissions officer at one of the universities at which he had been waitlisted about what might have kept this student from being admitted. After a brief review of the student's file, my colleague explained that the student's grades and test scores clearly indicated he was capable of succeeding at that school and that he was no doubt an excellent student, but that his application lacked tangible evidence of his passion for design and computer science.
She went on to explain that though he fared well in the applicant pool in terms of his numbers (GPA, class rank, and standardized test scores), most of the students who received admission to the computer sciences program had some sort of passion project which demonstrated their skill and interest in the field.
That conversation has stayed with me, and I've made a point to encourage all students to turn their dreams into assets by working on passion projects. I have seen high school students apply themselves this way before, like the team of students who created a device which uses localized vibration therapy to help autistic children attend mainstream schools.
I know another group of students turning their school's used cooking oils into bio fuel to help their school reduce its carbon footprint and operating expenses. I'm really impressed by these students, because not only do their projects give them a "hook" in the college application process, the projects give them purpose, technical skills, and the understanding that even as high school students they can impact the world in a positive way. I continue to encourage students to combine their knowledge with passion and apply it toward making an impact.
Scholarships such as 99Dreams (of which I am a sponsor) are great resources for students looking for a little funding and guidance in jump-starting their ideas.
Nelson Ureña received his B.S. in communication from Cornell University. He worked as an admissions officer in the undergraduate admissions office at Cornell and is cofounder and COO of Mentorverse, an online platform connecting college applicants to mentors who can guide them in the college admissions process.
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