| This senior is getting an early lesson of how far BS on a resume can go in the real world. I think this quote is funny: "I also probably should have started a fake charity. Providing veterinary services for homeless people's pets. Collecting donations for the underprivileged chimpanzees of the Congo. Raising awareness for Chapped-Lips-in-the-Winter Syndrome. Fun-runs, dance-a-thons, bake sales—as long as you're using someone else's misfortunes to try to propel yourself into the Ivy League, you're golden." If you set up a site called "savethecongowithbongos.org", copy and pasted the correct affiliate code and HTML for Amazon.com's catalog of bongo and bongo-like instruments, posted it on your Facebook page, and then donated the meager proceeds to some Congo-related charity, why couldn't you credibly claim in an application essay: -----
"As a sophomore in high school, we learned about the great need of the impoverished in the Congo. But I felt unsatisfied about writing just reports about the problem. So I built a HTML5 website, using Twitter's latest bootstrap technology, and partnered with Amazon.com to crowdsource funding using a Kickstarter like model to Congo charities in need. While most of my friends were at the swimming pool in the summer, my charity, Save the Congo with Bongos, received hundreds of page views, thanks to a successful viral and grassroots social media campaign, and delivered to Congo charities donations from places as varied as Tokyo, Japan to Boise, Idaho. Since starting Save the Congo with Bongos, I've become more greatly aware of how the world is tied together through today's networks and I hope to continue to harness these amazing connections to save the Earth." ---- Now this is not a bad project, maybe. but it's not even close to this-kid-could-make-the-next-facebook-in-her-dorm-room quality, and a lot less work and character-building experience than the typical teen summer job. But I bet it'd be a killer story for a application essay |