How does one get into Harvard, Stanford, Georgetown or THE Ohio State for that matter?

The answer is simple: Be Unique.

We have all heard stories of the kid with straight As and perfect SATs who failed to even get waitlisted by a top school. While being a great student is admirable, it falls well short of the Be Unique standard.

Kids, everything is working against you. Our Industrial Age schooling was designed to stamp out uniform students who can regurgitate mostly useless knowledge at will. Teenage culture punishes anyone who dares to be different. Which makes Being Unique all the more special. It has an heroic quality.

So how does one Be Unique? If I could tell you that, Be Unique would become a formulaic, which is the opposite of Be Unique.

There are many, many paths Be Unique. Here’s one – Creative Problem Solving and Generosity. Go ahead, pick a problem…

  • Opioids
  • Suicide
  • Lack of clean water
  • Lack of shelter
  • Bullying
  • Cyber addiction

…and THROW yourself at it. Work long enough and hard enough at a problem and you will probably make some headway.

But most importantly, you will have a story to tell. And trust me, the Admissions Director at Harvard is looking for kids with stories.