Video summary

HOW I GOT INTO Harvard, MIT, and Stanford with MID ECs | Personal Statement, Stats + Ecs, and TIPS

Main summary

Key takeaways

Educational

Main ideas, concepts, and lessons

  • The creator explains how she got into highly selective universities (e.g., Harvard, MIT, Stanford) and emphasizes that:

    • Luck and fit matter—not just stats and activities.
    • Some parts of her application (and how they might look online) felt embarrassing or weaker than other applicants she saw.
    • She posts her process because college-application guidance videos helped her, and she doesn’t want to “gatekeep.”

  • She provides transparency about her background and application profile:

    • Location/school context: High school in the Tampa Bay area, Florida; senior class size around 600.
    • Personal background: Born in America; moved to China to live with grandparents for 6 years; then returned to the U.S. and grew up in Florida.
    • Academic track: Completed IB and AP.

  • She stresses that rankings/academics don’t matter as much as people think, as long as you’re within an acceptable tier (she cites being top 10% as a guideline).

  • She argues that extracurriculars don’t need to be world-changing to be effective:

    • Her activities were mostly local rather than major-global-impact research.
    • The key is substantial involvement and meaningful contribution.

  • She explains her personal statement strategy:

    • The personal statement should show you as a real human beyond numbers.
    • It’s okay if the essay isn’t directly tied to ECs or a specific major.
    • Storytelling based on identity and lived experience can be powerful.

  • She recommends resources for essay examples:

    • College Essay Guy
    • TikTok/Instagram for supplementals and essays
    • “Classify” (with a warning)

Methodology / instruction-like guidance (detailed)

A) Academics & AP/IB approach

  • AP course selection

    • Take as many APs as your school offers.
    • If your school offers few (e.g., 2), that’s fine—take them.
    • If your school offers many, aim for close to the maximum (she mentions 20 as an extreme goal, but encourages “close to it”).
    • Nuance: in some cases, fewer APs can be better because it reduces the number of AP exams/classes you must manage.

  • IB program note

    • If your school doesn’t offer IB, don’t worry—colleges consider the school context.
    • Her IB higher levels included Math, Chemistry, and Art.
    • She also took Higher Level French for one year (implied it didn’t go as expected).

B) Test scores & GPA/ranking handling

  • SAT

    • Submitted SAT 1500.

  • ACT

    • Did not take the ACT to avoid additional prep time/cost.

  • GPA

    • Unweighted 4.0
    • Weighted 4.7

  • Rankings

    • Her school ranks separately for IB vs non-IB because IB courses boost GPA.
    • Within IB program ranking: 3
    • Overall ranking: 4
    • Guidance: rankings matter less than many assume:
      • If you’re around the top 10%, she believes you should be fine.

C) Extracurricular (EC) approach

  • Notable EC roles (in-school)

    • National Honor Society: Started and served as President
    • Math Honor Society: Vice President
    • French Honor Society: Vice President
    • Other involvement across years: Robotics
    • Considered Key Club and nearly joined FBLA, but didn’t due to time/interest

  • General strategy for club involvement

    • Freshman/sophomore: Join clubs you’re interested in; “feel it out.”
    • Junior/senior: Narrow down to about four clubs (she notes even four is relatively low).
    • In those clubs, make meaningful contributions, such as:
      • holding an officer role, and/or
      • starting something within the club

  • Out-of-school involvement

    • Worked at Kumon (math/reading tutoring for elementary-aged kids) for 3 years
    • Worked at her family’s restaurants
    • Museum advisory board role → later a more informal/chill internship
    • Summer program to learn to become docents, leading to serving as a docent
    • Volunteered at:
      • Dali Museum
      • a local arts nonprofit (summer camp help and ongoing involvement during the school year)
    • Anecdote: While volunteering, she was unexpectedly asked to walk the runway at a wearable arts fashion show because she was tall; tickets were expensive and the show sold out.

  • Reframing EC “weakness”

    • She explicitly compares her ECs to more extreme accomplishments she sees online (e.g., nationally recognized research papers, globally impactful nonprofits).
    • Conclusion:
      • You don’t need “crazy” achievements to get into elite colleges.
      • Start local.
      • Strong ECs can come from depth and personal narrative, not just novelty/scale.

  • Tools to find EC ideas/opportunities

    • LinkedIn: Look at people from your school who got into prestigious schools and review their EC lists for inspiration/opportunities.
    • Reddit: Find field-specific programs and summer opportunities.

  • Warnings about using these platforms

    • They can be toxic due to comparison spirals (seeing younger/successful peers).
    • Reddit can also encourage unhealthy comparison.

D) Personal statement process & writing guidance

  • Drafting effort

    • Went through about six drafts.
    • Began drafting in the summer between junior and senior year.

  • Timing warning

    • Starting very close to the deadline (e.g., a month before) likely won’t leave enough time for polishing.

  • Content expectations

    • She wished some parts could be improved; not everything was perfect.
    • She believed her supplementals may have been stronger than her personal statement.

  • How her essay was built (structure/theme)

    • Essay topic: zongzi (sticky rice dumplings) made with family.
    • Core narrative arc:
      • A child tries to perfect the process and “hide” part of their foreignness
      • A grandparent’s feedback reframes identity as evolving and multidimensional
      • The kitchen and repeated annual practice become an “archive” of memory and cultural persistence
    • She notes the essay begins/ends with the same phrase (“zongzi season”), and that the connection was intentional or naturally shaped that way.

  • Essay-to-application fit reassurance

    • She worried the essay wasn’t directly connected to her extracurriculars.
    • Final lesson: the personal statement is about you, not necessarily your ECs/stats.
    • She encourages students not to fear writing something unrelated to major/ECs (and says related essays are fine too).

E) Personal statement / supplemental examples resources

  • College Essay Guy: helpful example essays and tips
  • TikTok & Instagram: search for supplemental/personal statement examples and strategies
  • Classify:
    • Used for example essays
    • Warning: she didn’t feel the essays were that good

Overall conclusion / takeaways (explicitly stated)

  • Weak ECs aren’t the end of the world.
  • Online EC/stat posts may skew reality because people who share often feel proud and want to present their best work.
  • Students with less impressive stats/ECs can still get into top schools.
  • She offers help for application questions (including QuestBridge questions) via comments or her socials.

Speakers / sources featured

  • Jenny (the YouTube creator/speaker; “Hey guys, it’s Jenny…”)

  • Implicit referenced sources/tools (not speakers):

    • College Essay Guy (website)
    • LinkedIn
    • Reddit
    • TikTok
    • Instagram
    • Classify

  • People mentioned in the personal story:

    • her mother
    • yeye (grandfather)
    • the family’s Fujianese tradition/community (no direct dialogue beyond quoted lines)

Original video