The Truth about College Admission | Alex Chang | TEDxSMICSchool 

"Focus on what you're good at" *Bold of you to assume I'm good at anything*

He's not saying not to work hard but to be authentic.

My view: Top tier universities are businesses that are trying to build their brand as much as possible. You build your brand by having famous and game-changing alumni. So admissions are based on how much potential the university thinks you have to become one of those accomplished alumni.

The Truth About College Admissions: A lot of qualified people get screwed, but we try anyway because that's the people we are.

I want this video to be a secret.

As an independent college advisor for 15 years, there is a MUCH bigger reality at play here that is not discussed. Top colleges want diversity among students--and that means students from every state, every country, African-American, Hispanic, Asian, Native American. They usually want a percentage of first generation college students, recruited athletes, musical prodigies, faculty/staff children, legacy/VIP Donor children---just to name a few categories.....Its not as simple as demonstrating a passion. It certainly won't hurt, but it needs to be set against the context of the bigger picture of why getting into the top colleges is so competitive......

Thats why I play fortnite instead of volunteering, it's my passion

Or you could donate a small loan of a million dollars and get in that way

"just be damn talented in anything"

Screw getting into Ivy League schools or any top 15 school for that matter. I want to retain my sanity and enjoy my young life thank you.

Lots of truth to what he’s saying about being absurdly talented in a single area of life. The hard part is that most people don’t know who they want to be or what they want to do until after high school because they are still exploring their options. Furthermore, for people who are passionate about lots of different things, it can feel impossible to choose a single path and stick to it so that you become “awesome” at it.

i almost died of stress just watching this

strategy #2 isn’t that easy. people who don’t have a lot of money or natural talent or know their exact passion that don’t live in extraordinary circumstances are put at a huge disadvantage and they both become stressful af strategies

Man, wish this video showed up in my recommendations in 7th grade

Being a sophomore and already halfway through my high school career, I would give anything just to go back into time and focus on things I’m passionate about.

Point being, I am a high school student How in the world am I supposed to know what i want to do for the rest of my life?

Who is Ted and why does he talk?

Lol I found Waldo in one glance... still not getting into MIT

God forbid that the hard working smart kids get into college.

But finding an interest is rly hard. I feel like my interests change weekly.

Roses are red Violets are blue There’s always an Asian Better than you

Seriously.....if people actually followed this in my country, children will be so much happier. Study all subjects and get great marks in ALL and do this and do that. We become robots who forget who we actually are. It ruined me for two years. The best thing to happen to me was that my freaking highschool got over.

This misses one important point. Most kids don't know what they want or are passionate about

as a current high schooler running varsity cross country, orchestra, hours of community service, a 4.0 gpa and an almost perfect SAT score, this makes me want to get my hours of sleep back

As someone who just got back from a trip building toilets in Ghana, this kind of felt like an attack 😂😂😂

I agree with the basis of this argument but it still seems like he puts too much of an emphasis on getting into the most elite schools. Your education is what you make of it. Sure, the top 20 schools will offer more resources and opportunities, but success in college is really about what you choose to do with your time and energy. In other words, the name of the college you get into is far less important than the things you do, the people you meet, the experiences you have, and the knowledge and wisdom you choose to gain.

Just so everyone can learn from my mistakes: it doesn’t matter if you have a 4.2+ GPA if you have a SAT score below 1300. It’s a sick disadvantage for poor test takers

My philosophy is that I want schools to want to have a conversation with me

Take this as you will, but at some point it feels like college admission standards are more of a joke than anything else.

"dont follow checklist" gives separate reworded checklist

Tip: Colleges look for students that have their own niche, somehting that they have been working on for many years and have surpassed the average amount of work/experience in...these students have a better chance of getting into their reach/fit schools that well rounded students that dont have any focused projects/activities

That's why the admission process is corrupt. It becomes subjective and there is no objectivity when it comes to getting accepted. So it is more luck at that point.

so college-ready isn't enough for me to get into college now? i have to be CAREER-READY? IS THIS A JOKE? ARE YOU SERIOUS? GUESS WE GOT MORE WORK TO DO MY DEAR FELLOW STUDENTS...

As a teenager my passion was depression :)

I've been told this a billion times but never once has it been explained to me how to go about pursuing my passions

This made me much more confident about my application. The sat and gpa are very important but it makes me glad that I am doing other things too! Appreciate the y’all thanks!!💎💎

I’ve already watched this talk when I was in secondary, so like 14 or 15 years old, but I’m rewatching it now, 17 years old. I realise I should’ve listened more

Idk...but this demotivated me even more. I'm just a less than average student and still don't know what I want and who really I am. It's freaking hard to study at school because besides having low self-esteem, the teachers aren't focusing that much on students who are always shy, inactive, and have poor performances.

Watch on 1.25 playback speed

The way it works is you're supposed to have an internship at your dream job, 18 college credits and 1000 hours of community service by 8th grade then you'll be all set for admissions by senior year.

In HS, I focused intensely on Math and Science, and was able to get into a top engineering school. However, after I graduated and obtained a job, I realized I am missing a lot of the soft-skills necessary for a successful career. Simple things like public speaking, and even some social skills to be able to navigate through a corporate organization. As a result, I ended up being stuck in relatively low engineering positions for a long time, and never received much promotions (and not much raises to go with it.) My pay wasn't bad as most engineers, even base level, are paid well. And my life was comfortable. However, I see others getting promotions and was not able to get one myself despite having a lot of the hard skills and definitely able to do the work and was probably one of the most productive engineers in terms of work output. So the right way is to be balanced, learn social skills and leadership skills as much as you focus on STEM topics. The key is balance. I was a really unbalanced person at the end of college. Someone who knows how to code, but outside of that, not much else. Don't be like that.

I started exposing my kid to all kinds of interests and activities at a young age. Once I figured out their passion I made sure they became the best they could be at it. Once they're in middle school it can be too late sometimes. Too many parents have their kids spread thin with activities. I think making them specialize in one area is the most productive. Sports, dance, music, art, acting, chess, building, creating, arguing. Whatever it is! Help them stand out.

The secret is enjoying life, not school titles. When you enjoy life, you go out and do things you enjoy, you find inspiration, amd most importantly, you meet people. Networking is the number 1 thing, people. Don't push people away and destroy yourself just for a school. Shine where you can, don't torture yourself. You will be fine. Edit: obv still work hard. Just know the difference between hard work and self destruction.

This video genuinely eases my mind, as my junior year has been hectic.

I really glad I watched this. I have relatively high grades, but I’m a horrendous test taker. My PSAT scores and my GPA were not telling the same story. I also was worried that I don’t do enough things to get into college. As a person, I find it hard to do things that I don’t like. I’ve tried out most sports and instruments, but lacked the motivation to push forward. After watching this, I’m glad that I kept at my passions( debate, teaching, and choir). I am still uncertain what I want to do, but this video really relieved a bunch if stress.

" Pretending vs Actually doing it " And I'm sure this was thing which turned us all on

The secret is simple: Don't go to Harvard. ;)

Such an inspiring TED talk and so helpful for teenagers looking for the truth behind college admissions!

While he has some good points, I disagree with his whole career-ready approach in high school. High school should be a time when individuals expand their knowledge in a variety of areas, not identify their strengths and hone their skills in one area. College is very similar! Unless you have your heart set on a specific career path, I recommend that college students take a liberal arts approach. Even after college, most people are unsure where they fit in the world, both professionally and socially. Your 20s should be spent trying out different things and finding your passion. Let kids be kids. Don't force more pressure on them by making them choose a path early on. Just my opinion.

My passions include not being stressed about college admissions

this kinda is a feel good way to make people who don’t get in feel good about themselves

The one thing that I learned from this is "learn how to be express and not to impress!"..❤

Life is not a race. Be yourself. Stop comparing. It doesn't end.

For those which it applies to: when writing your college essay make it really good, express your self and make yourself different than the rest be an individual

I love this! During high school, I was enthusiastic about AP English, the school newspaper, and Peer Listening, but I wasn't especially athletic and sure as heck wasn't good at math. Students and people in general need to remember what really matters in life: being genuine. It leads to inner satisfaction.

This guy had some really good points. The last point especially was 👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼

So glad I passed all this stuff 2 years ago... my advice to all to-be college students: be humble, be human, be yourself... no brand or admission to a brand will give you back the lost time invested in a false identity. Not even piles of cash.

Good info but I don’t know what I’m passionate about lol.

Very insightful. Thank you for this!

He isn't saying at all that if you are unique and passionate with bad grades you are going to get in. You still will need good grades for the most part, but not outstanding

No one: Literally no one Alex: bUiLdInG hOuSeS iN cAmBoDiA

Breath of fresh air for this high school junior! Thanks so much, Alex Chang!

This is a really good ted talk that helps students during the college application season!

This is amazing and so so needed in my life right now

I was talking to my wife about how to raise our two boys today. And we both agree that here in US, choosing the occupation is probably more important than choosing the school.

Great presentation!

This is very good talk. Well done 👍 and thank you for spread the words. 🙏

Thank you I really do learned a lot of things from him but he seemed to be so stressful !

Me, a Chinese, watching him say that a 1450 is a failure with my 1430: 😧

It really just boils down to being passionate, genuine, and capable

WHAT. OMG. Literally the first thing I see is that “high school students are stressed” checklist, and I literally have all of those. It’s honestly the truest thing ever.

Thanks, you really got me change my mind to prepare for my future.

This made me feel so much better about myself. I haven't ever done any internships, I did very little research work in HS, and practically no volunteer work. But I did spend a lot of time focusing on my strengths (writing and science.) So... I probably shouldn't freak out over all the common app guide videos where people talk about all the internships and community service hours?

This theory of his aligns with Erik Erikson’s stages of development. As an adolescent, you are supposed to be discovering your identity. This is the most important stage according to Erickson, as every stage beforehand leads up to this, and every stage afterwards relies on this identity. Waiting until college or even after college to figure out who you are leads to slower development, and ultimately a life that wouldn't be as happy as it could’ve been

No matter I learnt late but I will not give up just be myself love myself what I'm

I wish I saw this before I was in high school. My parents are Chinese immigrant; their idea of success in highschool was checking all the boxes Alex described early on, as was mine. I'm glad I have one rare extracurricular, but I feel like I could've done much more in highschool.

You didnt analyze that graph accurately. The rejected graph is concentrated in that corner because people with lower gpas and sat scores ARENT going to apply there in the first place. Most of the dots are going to be concentrated there regardless

I did do well in high school, except I was weak in French. I continued taking French and now live in France. Try to improve your weaknesses and focus on a s couple of strengths. Note that none of this talks discuss how important selecting a supportive mate.

JUST WOW!!! I am going to college and this...totally change my point of view

"it's really hard to find waldo" two seconds later *finds waldo*

Move to the left, don't block your own slide show.

I had 4 GPAs, 1600 in SATs and was an international badminton player and a science olympiad gold medalist..... I made my way into Harvard AND my asian parents told me to TRY HARDER.

This video has been on my mind from when I first watched it in seventh grade. Just admitted to UPenn. Thanks man

Thanks for the content.

One of the only times I have seen someone praise the US education system.

My advice to kids is to not worry about it too much. You're only a kid once, cherish those years and memories. Try your hardest to have fun and love your time being a kid. College is college. Stressing yourself out like crazy about applying to college isn't worth it. Your socio economic status is mostly what's going to determine where you go to college, not how hard you work. We are lead to believe in "the American dream" that anyone can get anywhere with hard work, but it really does not change much. For instance, for myself, I got the grades and test scores to get into better colleges than the one I ended up going to, but the reason I went to a lower ranked college was because I knew no matter what I could never afford going to a higher ranked school. All of my siblings also went to local low-tier colleges even though they had even better grades and test scores than me, and once again, it's because we were from the same socio economic background. This is why you can clearly see difference in tiers of colleges people go to based on their wealth. Where you end up going to college is already well determined before you even think about it. So, go have fun, see your friends and enjoy yourself. Where ever you end up for college, you'll be okay.

If you have rich parents who can "invest" in a new computer lab for the university, then you are "awesome" and will get in.

thank you for this

Good thing I’m watching this 3 days before my Harvard ea decision

Wish I didnt see this junior year rip

70% of princeton's class is either from legacy, recruited athletes, or questbridge (which is BS in many cases) kids. So basically, you're competing for 30% of the class size. so basically, you're screwed.

I recommend The Perfect Date for people who want to go to college, it shows that it's better to be yourself and enjoy life in high school than just living for numbers on a screen

The thing is, my passion is debate and speech but because many excellent students are doing it out of obligation and to spice up their applications, my passion doesn't seem impressive at all and I don't have anything else I'm truly passionate of :(

You have to focus on your ACT/SAT scores and GPA because thats what gets you in the door. How do you show passion? That part will be in your essay but they aren’t going to read it if your GPA and ACT/SAT scores are low. And if you can’t handle the stress of high school…you won’t be able to handle the stress of college. Stress is a part of life. How you handle it is key.

Don't stress your self out but know exactly who you are and what you wanna do in elementary school and only focus on that

I will be taking some of this information and applying it to the medical school application process...

What if you've been working hard your whole life and now going into senior year realized you don't know what you're passionate about?

I didnt know this, but strategy #2 was exactly what i did. I dont have a good sat score (1380 but i waived it hehe), and i'm most definitely not the top of class (top 3%, but i have a few B's in there). I know im not "smart," i just work hard. Definitely did not volunteer, and had limited leadership opportunities Stats wise, i would not have made it in WashU. So many more people are gifted than me. But i... i got into my dream school! I personally think it was how my application was me being true to myself. I spoke of my weaknesses as a human, and overcoming them. I spoke of a passion i was legitimately passionate about. I genuinely enjoyed my essays, which I believe is the number one most important thing in an application. If YOU cant enjoy your essays, then how can a person who has read some thousands of essays enjoy your essay? Do NOT force things--your writing exposes it; the reader knows. Be you. You might not be able to locate a passion, but its there. For some, it may be communication due to a passion to break free from societal norms, or even the fear of doing so (you want to break free from it). For others, it may be because you want to use your acquired skills to prevent others from going through what you did. theres something to talk about deep within you; the hardest part about college apps is locating what that "thing" is. once you find what that thing is, the paper writes itself. and you love it.

It's very interesting, thank you for this video

I wish I had found this before 3 am in the summer before senior year...