Tips to Becoming a Competitive Applicant for NCSSM
Summary
TLDRThe transcript from a video discusses the importance of standing out in college applications, emphasizing that grades and statistics are not the sole differentiators. The speakers highlight the significance of personal essays, suggesting that applicants should share unique experiences or traits that set them apart. They encourage creativity and personalization in writing, advising applicants to reflect on what excites them and to express their genuine interests, not just academic achievements. The conversation also reveals that the School of Science and Math values a well-rounded application, including a strong humanities department, indicating that a diverse range of interests is appreciated.
Takeaways
- 📚 Grades and statistics are not the only factors that set you apart from other applicants; personal essays play a crucial role in showcasing individuality.
- 💡 It's essential to write about unique experiences or personal traits that distinguish you from other applicants, rather than common activities or achievements.
- 📝 Personalize your essays by incorporating your writing style, humor, and creativity to make them engaging and reflective of your personality.
- 🍣 Use anecdotes or relatable stories to illustrate your points and connect with the reader on a personal level, as exemplified by the sushi essay analogy.
- 🌟 Highlight your passions and interests that drive you, whether they are academic or personal, to show what genuinely excites and motivates you.
- 🤔 Reflect on your 'spark' – the thing that makes you happy and eager to learn, which can be a significant aspect of your application narrative.
- 📖 Don't be afraid to discuss non-STEM interests and experiences; a well-rounded application that includes humanities and other passions is valued.
- 😅 Writing about personal experiences can be uncomfortable, but it's an opportunity to show depth and allow admissions officers to truly understand who you are.
- 🏆 While academic achievements are important, the application should have substance beyond just grades and awards; it should tell a story about you as a person.
- 🏫 The school values a diverse range of interests and offers a wide variety of courses, including a strong emphasis on humanities, indicating that STEM is not the sole focus.
Q & A
What is the key aspect that can set an applicant apart from others according to the speaker?
-The speaker emphasizes that while grades and statistics are important, they are not the only factors that can set an applicant apart. The most significant aspect is what the applicant writes about in their essays, particularly how they can express their unique experiences and qualities that distinguish them from others.
Why are essays considered important in the application process as per the transcript?
-Essays are crucial because they allow the admissions committee to understand what makes the applicant special and why they should be admitted over other candidates. They provide insight into the applicant's personality, experiences, and passions, which are not reflected in grades or test scores alone.
What type of content should an applicant avoid in their essays according to the speaker?
-The speaker advises against writing about common experiences that many other applicants might share, such as attending a popular coding camp. Instead, applicants should focus on unique experiences or aspects that are specific to them and set them apart.
How can an applicant make their essays more personalized and engaging?
-The speaker suggests making essays more personalized by incorporating one's own writing style, being creative, and not being afraid to include humor or anecdotes. They also recommend starting with an engaging anecdote to capture the reader's interest.
What is the significance of the 'tell us your story' essay prompt mentioned in the transcript?
-The 'tell us your story' essay prompt is significant because it allows applicants to share a piece of their life that has shaped who they are. It helps the admissions committee understand the applicant's background, passions, and what excites them about learning and engaging with the world.
Why should an applicant not focus solely on STEM-related experiences in their essays?
-The speaker points out that while the school is a School of Science and Math, it values a well-rounded application. Applicants should not only focus on STEM experiences because the school seeks to understand the whole person, including their interests, passions, and personality outside of STEM fields.
What advice does the speaker give regarding the difficulty of writing introspective essays?
-The speaker acknowledges that writing introspective essays can be uncomfortable and challenging. However, they emphasize that if done well, it can greatly help the admissions committee get to know the applicant on a deeper level, which is extremely important for the application.
How does the speaker describe the importance of the humanities department at the School of Science and Math?
-The speaker highlights that contrary to common assumptions, the humanities department is the largest at the School of Science and Math. This indicates that the school values a broad educational experience and encourages students to explore various fields beyond just science and math.
What is the speaker's perspective on the variety of courses offered at the School of Science and Math?
-The speaker appreciates the wide variety of courses offered at the school, noting that it's not just limited to science and math. They mention that many students enjoy humanities and social studies classes, suggesting that the school provides a diverse educational experience.
Why is it important for applicants to show they are more than just their academic achievements, according to the speaker?
-The speaker stresses that while academic achievements are important, the application should have substance beyond that. Applicants need to demonstrate their personality, interests, and what makes them unique as individuals, not just as academically successful students.
Outlines
📝 The Impact of Personal Essays in College Applications
The speaker emphasizes the importance of personal essays in college applications, suggesting that while grades and statistics are crucial, they are not the sole differentiating factor among applicants. The speaker advises applicants to write about unique experiences or qualities that set them apart from others. They also stress the significance of being genuine and creative in essays, using personal anecdotes to illustrate points and making the content engaging. The speaker shares a personal example of relating the experience of trying new foods to the desire to attend a specific college, highlighting the need to showcase individuality and passion.
🌟 Showcasing Individuality and Passion in College Applications
The speaker discusses the importance of selecting events or experiences that genuinely spark interest and reflect one's personality when applying to colleges. They mention that while academic achievements are important, focusing solely on STEM subjects is not necessary, even when applying to a STEM-focused school. The speaker encourages applicants to be authentic and not to fabricate their interests to fit the college's profile. They also highlight the value of self-reflection and the discomfort that may come with it, suggesting that a well-crafted, introspective essay can greatly assist the admissions process. The speaker concludes by noting that the application should go beyond grades and achievements to demonstrate substance and a well-rounded personality.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Statistics
💡Essays
💡Personalized
💡Anecdote
💡STEM
💡Extracurriculars
💡Humanities
💡Passion
💡Well-rounded
💡Discovery Day
Highlights
Statistics and grades aren't the only things that can set you apart from other applicants.
Essays are a key aspect that can make your application stand out.
Discussing what makes you special or why you should be admitted over others is crucial in essays.
Avoid writing about common experiences; instead, focus on what's unique to you.
Personalize your essays to reflect your individuality and interests.
Incorporate humor and creativity in your writing to make your essays memorable.
Start your essays with an anecdote to engage the reader.
Showcase your personality and what makes you excited about learning in your essays.
Reflect on your passions and interests to craft a compelling personal narrative.
Don't be afraid to discuss non-academic interests that define your personality.
Admissions officers want to see a well-rounded individual, not just academic achievements.
Writing about personal growth and self-reflection can be challenging but is valuable for the application.
The application should demonstrate substance beyond grades and achievements.
Good teacher recommendations are also important to support your application.
Even though it's a school of science and math, the humanities department is the largest, indicating a well-rounded education.
Many alumni have pursued diverse careers outside of STEM, showing the broad impact of the school's education.
During the discovery day, you'll notice that many panelists come from varied backgrounds, emphasizing the school's diverse focus.
Transcripts
[Music]
what is one
aspect one thing that that made you guys
stand out over the other competitors
um basically what do you think
is the biggest aspect that made the most
impact on your application
i think um for me a lot of people think
that
statistics are everything but you know
if you have all a's
um there's going to be a decent amount
of other people that are applying that
have all a's
um and so statistics and grades aren't
just the
only thing that can set you apart from
others i think the one thing that really
um it's kind of obvious that makes you
different than all the other people that
are
that are applying is what you write
about in your essays um specifically
i believe they're doing this i believe
they have this essay this year too but
last year i'm pretty sure a specific
essay talking about like
what makes you special or like why
should we admit you
over someone else um and you really want
to talk about something that
not a lot of other people can relate to
so you know if you went to
like calendar like if there's a coding
camp that you went to you know that's a
great topic for like the stem interest
essay or another
essay or to put on your extracurriculars
but there are other people that went to
that camp and so you don't want to
talk about something that other people
share so you want to talk about either
something that you got
individually from a shared event or you
want to talk about something
that is specific to you and that sets
you apart from other students so
i know this isn't really super helpful
it's not like i'm oh my grades got me in
or my scores got me in but um
i think it really is what you write
about in your essays and specifically
like
what they can tell about you that sets
you aside from other people
i think like in addition to that like
because parker nailed it on the head too
um was that like i know that something
that i did is to make them more
personalized is that
and this is my personal writing style
and it's you can definitely
uh like mod modify like your essays just
make it sound like you
don't be afraid to crack a joke make it
creative um i started mine with like a
little anecdote so
in one of my essays i remember i
remember like
i was looking through my uh old essays
before we came on this and it was like
how i related sushi to why i needed to
go to ncsm
because i was talking about how my
experience was trying new foods it's
like taking new opportunities and stuff
like that
um make it uh they i know they have that
one essay that's like
tell us one thing that you haven't told
us already about
but every essay like they've all all the
rest of the panelists have
been saying is that um tell like
tell a little piece of yourself in each
essay
and um for like i just got a question of
like
how would you recommend answering the
tell your story question
um like you can either and the
the follow-up question was uh should we
focus on one experience
uh that kind of thing is definitely uh
that's up to you
find like something that you're
passionate about or that's has like
that has like greatly affected your life
just they want to
get to know you because they want they
want well-rounded
like complex individuals they don't want
just like
i did this they want to say like
in like three two one the buzzer goes
off or something like i don't know they
want to they want to get to know you
because the admissions people are great
um
so don't bore them with your essays my
best advice
um i think one one important thing is
just thinking you know like
what is your spark i guess what you know
like
what what makes you really happy and
excited to get out in the world and
learn more things and you know for me
that is my research
i absolutely love my research i spend my
free time reading the american journal
of virology because
i'm a huge nerd and that you know that's
just what interests me that's what i am
passionate about and that's you know
i am willing to spend my time to learn
new things about that because it makes
me excited
and i you know i i try to do a good job
of portraying that in my essay
you know and if it's you know oh i like
i do a really good job of
i don't you know it doesn't have to be
something academically i do a really
good job
of you know caring for people and
you know my i don't know my my
grandmother lives in an assisted living
facility and like
when i'm there with her you know i'm
able to
to help her out and it just shows that
like you know i have a strong sense of
empathy and
you know it can be anything but you
really think about when when they ask
you like tell us your story they want to
know
what makes you excited and that actually
was what tell us what makes you excited
was one of the prompts for
i believe class of 2020. that was one of
their
essays but then they've been cutting
essays down since then but
you know just think about that what you
know like when you wake up in the
morning what
what makes you think oh i can't wait to
go out in the world and learn more
about this
yeah i'd like to piggyback off of that
um i feel like picking events that yeah
really spark your interest and
make you want to do them i would focus
on them and like um i said it doesn't
have to be
a purely academic thing right like i
know for you
is your research which is it coincides
with stem obviously but
um i think personally what what i chose
was uh something related to my
volunteering
that i do in the community uh either
that or it shows
something related to sports i'm not
entirely sure um
but some you really want to
like you don't want to come off as if
you're trying to fake your personality
just to get into ncssm
right because the admissions officers
they want to see
what makes you you and that that doesn't
mean just because you're applying to a
stem school then focus only on stem and
nothing else
right because um they want to have they
want to see your personality who are you
as a person
and what are your interests so don't
make anything
don't make everything about science and
math but also
i'm going to try to mention it just talk
about
uh your story what makes you happy what
makes you
not so happy and what you like to do in
the future
i'm sorry one last thing i think one
important thing to note is that writing
about something like that and really
reflecting on yourself can be
uncomfortable it can be a really hard
essay to write and i'm sure that you
know
anyone else who's ever applied to a
program
you know like ncssm can tell you it's
it's really hard to think like
oh you know how do i write like how does
this change my view of the world and how
why why am i so excited about this
it can be a really uncomfortable essay
to write
but if you can do it well enough it
really it
it really helps the admissions company
get to know you and that
is you know by far the most important
thing that you can do in your
application
and one thing i really want to emphasize
is the application
is definitely more than just the grades
the achievements the extracurriculars
even though it is the school of science
and math they
are not just going to take who they
believe the top
whatever amount of students are in the
science and math fields you actually
need to have substance
to your application in the essays um
and good teacher rex would also help you
need to show that you're
a good
so that maybe you're you're like the top
science student
in your whole district but if you don't
write solid essays you don't show
solid evidence to show that you are more
than just
science awards uh you're not going to
get intense use them
yeah actually a fun fact about um and to
stem is that even though we are
the school of science and math um our
largest apartment is actually the
humanities department
um i think some people are kind of
surprised by that but
i know a lot of people that they come to
the school you know wanting to take
you know the high level math classes and
the really really niche science classes
that you don't get to take at your old
school
um but i also know a lot of people that
come to the school
and their favorite classes are their
english classes you know there are
social studies classes
so don't feel like just because you're
coming here you're like restricting
yourself to science and math it's
definitely
a wide variety of courses to choose from
and the humanities department is the
largest department in terms of courses
so i think i think that's a great point
parker and actually like i mean i've
told you guys already i'm definitely a
stem kid you know i love my research but
my favorite class this semester that i
took by far was american studies
just because you know my my teacher was
wonderful
and she you know she just did a great
job of helping me you know learn more
about you know our country and the world
and
and that's really important when you
guys come for
or i guess you'll do your discovery day
virtually but
when you do that you'll notice most of
the panelists are
actually not oh you know we went and won
a nobel prize in chemistry or
you know a lot of them are oh i'm a
filmmaker now i'm a lawyer now
i you know i'm an english professor it's
it's things like that so so science and
math
you know even though we do have science
and math in our names that is
certainly not all we do at all
[Music]
you
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