Although the essay is well-written, this isn't necessarily true. I think the best way to get noticed by a top-notch university is to be damn great at something.

Although the essay is well-written, this isn't necessarily true. I think the best way to get noticed by a top-notch university is to be damn great at something. It doesn't really matter what that something is, and more fundamentally, I think it's important to have a life goal to be damn great at something (irrespective of college). If you find a passion and work hard at it, applying to college is actually pretty straightforward. From my experience, top colleges (at least the handful I got into) respected me for my extreme passions rather than looking for a stereotypical club president, NHS leader, community service organizer, all-stater, etc. (none of which I had). Yea, it's obviously important to get good grades and SATs, but beyond that, there's no silver bullet formula. Of course some kids can apply with filler resumes full of leadership positions, etc. and get in, but the majority of kids I've talked to who go to great schools have great passions that they would've pursued college or not.