sup need app help

[silvers]

yo if there r any smart big brain brandons here, is there anyone who can help me out with my college applications? mainly just figuring out what exact stuff i should put in them. the reason why i am asking the synergy forums is cuz i'm putting some of my shit from here in my apps (it'll be a gamble ik). just lmk here or disc where i am more active: randwack (check status)#0542 

i may just be randwack#0542 soon so just a warning

 

 

[Fizzik]

What level school is it? If it's just a regular old state university, they'll probably just accept you to accept you. Look up their acceptance rates.

[Bbstine]

32 minutes ago, silvers said:

brandons

huh

[Marvel]

 

srry im 2 cool 4 school

 

[Sanchez]

@silvers What state do you live in? 

[silvers]

17 hours ago, Fizzik said:

What level school is it? If it's just a regular old state university, they'll probably just accept you to accept you. Look up their acceptance rates.

i'm lookin at UCs mainly, and other higher tier ones like NYU and USC. like probably the easiest one to get into is like a higher 30% chance of acceptance i think, but it goes as low as 10% or i think even 3% acceptance rate. but i'm just applying to those ones just for shits n giggles

2 hours ago, Sanchez said:

@silvers What state do you live in? 

cali

Edited November 20, 2020 by silvers

[Sinister]

Schools in Cali have generally low acceptance rates just because of the high population combined with the popularity of people coming from out of state. Just do whatever you can to make yourself stand out in applications.

Nothing specific imo, just think of your unique traits, and focus on that

[silvers]

16 minutes ago, Sinister said:

Schools in Cali have generally low acceptance rates just because of the high population combined with the popularity of people coming from out of state. Just do whatever you can to make yourself stand out in applications.

Nothing specific imo, just think of your unique traits, and focus on that

basically what i am trying to do, but with examples as to why.

 

this is what i want them to kinda get from my responses:

- my claim

- an example that supports that

- and my reasoning as to why that example connects to my claim and why it makes me worthy for their school

[Harsh]

Hey man, I don't know if this 100% serious or not, but as someone who is currently in college and went through the application process for over 15 colleges, I would be incredibly hesitant to include anything about Synergy/video games in general on my application. Most if not all of the people who will be reading your application will be older and likely have a skewed/stigmatized view of video games and this will do a lot to injure your case. 

As for some general tips, I would focus your common app essay on some event or activity you did in high school that you think defines the "you" that you want to show the colleges you're applying to. This last part is key: you want to show the school your best face - not the face of you sitting on the couch and eating pizza and playing video games, but the face of you going out in your community and doing good, or founding a new club, or participating/excelling in a sport that you enjoy. By far the most important thing for you to do is to write about something that makes you stand out.

I cannot tell you how many times I heard from my high school advisor that an admissions committee/application reader only spares your application at the most 5 minutes (in fact, this number is likely a lot lower). These people reads THOUSANDS of applications, and if yours doesn't stand out or make a compelling case, your chances of getting in to the school you love are shortened. To give you some hope though, you don't have to do some world-changing thing to get into a school. Pick something you love about yourself or your life and write about it well in an interesting manner. Read tons of examples of successful common apps that got people into different colleges. Think hard about what kind of image you want to present and what things in your life could help you present that image. Above all, put in the time and effort and have as many people read your application as is possible. 

Another piece of advice I can give that you've probably already heard is the ranking system for your schools. Apply to a certain number of dream, middle, and safety schools (fewer dream, mostly middle and safety) depending on your time constraints and how much money you're willing to spend (it's expensive). 

Finally, do your research, budget your time well, and do everything you can to increase your odds of getting in (visit the campus, follow them on social media, etc.). Again, I have to stress that you need to make your story unique - it has to be YOUR story. 

I hope this helps. You can also reach out to me on discord at harsh#3338 if you'd like!

[Pythin]

On 11/19/2020 at 1:16 AM, silvers said:

yo if there r any smart big brain brandons here, is there anyone who can help me out with my college applications? mainly just figuring out what exact stuff i should put in them. the reason why i am asking the synergy forums is cuz i'm putting some of my shit from here in my apps (it'll be a gamble ik). just lmk here or disc where i am more active: randwack (check status)#0542 

i may just be randwack#0542 soon so just a warning

 

 

I’m doin mine rn too. So if you need help let a brother know 

[Heart]

10 hours ago, Harsh said:

Hey man, I don't know if this 100% serious or not, but as someone who is currently in college and went through the application process for over 15 colleges, I would be incredibly hesitant to include anything about Synergy/video games in general on my application. Most if not all of the people who will be reading your application will be older and likely have a skewed/stigmatized view of video games and this will do a lot to injure your case. 

Half-true, I just said I managed documents for a non-profit community and they didn't really drill me on it. Just "What is it?"
"Just an entertainment community focused mainly on teens that need somewhere to go."
"litty welcome to KU"

Edited November 21, 2020 by Heart

[Harsh]

3 hours ago, Heart said:

Half-true, I just said I managed documents for a non-profit community and they didn't really drill me on it. Just "What is it?"
"Just an entertainment community focused mainly on teens that need somewhere to go."
"litty welcome to KU"

Oh wow this is actually super smart! I don’t know how comfortable I would be doing that because I don’t like stretching the truth too far, but this is a good example of how valuable framing can be. 

[Smeck]

As someone who spewed bullshit on his UCSB app and got accepted I can safely tell you that you really don't need to worry so much. Just write about your experiences and value as a human being. The Synergy thing Heart mentioned is funny but it legit works, trust. It can be applied to other things in your app as well, not just the server obviously.

[Sinister]

What Heart said is true. I talked about my previous experience in a different community (I was equivalent of Founder) and the Owner of the community was a reference as a “Boss”. I wrote about being on the executive board (which is what we called it) for a community driven program that developed leadership skills in teens (I was head of staff). So I never lied, I just never mentioned gaming so the boomers didn’t ignore it. 

 

Using the right language for your target audience is the key to getting anyone’s attention. 

[silvers]

On 11/21/2020 at 1:12 PM, Sinister said:

What Heart said is true. I talked about my previous experience in a different community (I was equivalent of Founder) and the Owner of the community was a reference as a “Boss”. I wrote about being on the executive board (which is what we called it) for a community driven program that developed leadership skills in teens (I was head of staff). So I never lied, I just never mentioned gaming so the boomers didn’t ignore it. 

 

Using the right language for your target audience is the key to getting anyone’s attention. 

 

On 11/21/2020 at 5:23 AM, Heart said:

Half-true, I just said I managed documents for a non-profit community and they didn't really drill me on it. Just "What is it?"
"Just an entertainment community focused mainly on teens that need somewhere to go."
"litty welcome to KU"

 

On 11/20/2020 at 6:34 PM, Harsh said:

Hey man, I don't know if this 100% serious or not, but as someone who is currently in college and went through the application process for over 15 colleges, I would be incredibly hesitant to include anything about Synergy/video games in general on my application. Most if not all of the people who will be reading your application will be older and likely have a skewed/stigmatized view of video games and this will do a lot to injure your case. 

 

Sorry for the late messages, but yeah I get you.

 

So basically, my goal is to make it not seem like anything gaming related at all. I am focusing on more of the staff side of it. Like leading a staff team of 70+ and whatnot, doc work. And talk about analytical stuff as the impact. I think I have enough information/stuff to make it less gaming-y. And besides, these r for more of my wildcard questions.

On 11/21/2020 at 1:12 PM, Sinister said:

I just never mentioned gaming so the boomers didn’t ignore it. 

 

eeexactly. 

 

On 11/21/2020 at 5:23 AM, Heart said:

managed documents for a non-profit community

SMAAART for using a non-profit community.

[Harsh]

30 minutes ago, silvers said:

 

 

 

Sorry for the late messages, but yeah I get you.

 

So basically, my goal is to make it not seem like anything gaming related at all. I am focusing on more of the staff side of it. Like leading a staff team of 70+ and whatnot, doc work. And talk about analytical stuff as the impact. I think I have enough information/stuff to make it less gaming-y. And besides, these r for more of my wildcard questions.

eeexactly. 

 

SMAAART for using a non-profit community.

Yeah these are some great points and you can definitely put an interesting spin on your experiences managing staff and such through Synergy - I understand that it's a lot of work and those leadership skills are certainly valid and valuable. 

I'd like to put some caution on using the "non-profit" angle, though. I started my own nonprofit in March, and the process is pretty hard to fake/bs about (you have to file articles of incorporation with the state, create a board of directors, most nonprofits go for 501(c)(3) status).

I wouldn't use the non-profit angle and instead just say you were working for some small business. While you are technically volunteering your time, you would be more akin to an unpaid intern as Synergy is a business that takes the money it makes and doesn't "give back" so to speak to underprivileged groups or anything like that. Plus, if someone asks you about it in an interview or something it could get weird. That's just me though; I like to be super cautious. 

[silvers]

1 hour ago, Harsh said:

Plus, if someone asks you about it in an interview or something it could get weird. That's just me though; I like to be super cautious.

Yep, I am mainly sticking to the "managing online networks" with a large staff team, giving jobs, etc. And I've talked with zim about the right stuff to call it. Since I'm going for a cs major, he said it would probably be best to call synergy synr.gg. but Idk I think I will call it synergy still. None of my schools currently require an interview, but sometimes they may ask for the email of the person in charge. So yeah

 

On 11/21/2020 at 12:37 PM, Smeck said:

As someone who spewed bullshit on his UCSB app and got accepted I can safely tell you that you really don't need to worry so much. Just write about your experiences and value as a human being. The Synergy thing Heart mentioned is funny but it legit works, trust. It can be applied to other things in your app as well, not just the server obviously.

what PIQ did u use synergy for? I was thinking to use it for the leadership one, but I may use it for the one PIQ that asks for my "creative side." I have another thing I did that I put for the leadership one and the ppl who read it over said I nailed it. Either I find another PIQ question for synergy, or I'll just use it for the leadership one and I can probably find a way to put my other thing in another question.

 

OH WAIT I was thinking about using synergy for the PIQ:  "What have you done to make your school or your community a better place?" 

 

I have heard that I can use online communities for this question, but idk hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm

[Smeck]

On 11/22/2020 at 4:19 PM, silvers said:

what PIQ did u use synergy for?

Leadership, I essentially boiled it down to keeping track of a small group of kindergarteners. 

[Spaghetti]

make sure to mention your previous ranks on synergy. easy acceptance