Guest post by Evan Rabin of Premier Chess.
As you progress through high school, you develop your interests and figure out how you want to spend your time. For me, chess became a passion, and I became extremely involved in the competitive chess community. As a result, chess was a big part of my story when I applied to college.
Here are the ways that chess changed my life:
- College essays can make a big difference in your college profile. College essays can tell any story, as long as the story is told in an impactful manner and is authentic. My college essay, and everything I did to tell my story, helped me to get into my top choice college. My college essay focused on my experiences as the captain of a winning chess team during a national championship. I wrote about being a leader, a team player, a critical thinker, and a strategist. These are all skills that are essential to an effective chess player. These are also skills that are applicable in any academic and career setting.
- I was an IB Business Higher Level student, and I was able to analogize my experiences playing chess and managing a winning chess team to running a business. I was in charge of recruiting a team, performing market research, and creating morale for its members. My passion for chess and for running a business was evident in my story. And I had the experiences to back up my passions, from running a team to competing in state and national chess championships. Appearing on the cover of a national chess magazine was the icing on my experience cake. Everything in which you participate is part of your story. I was a strong student, but I know that playing competitive chess was an essential part of my story.
- Colleges and universities want to see that students are leaders who plan to contribute to their campus community. When I was in high school, I helped facilitate my school’s faculty-led club and ran a tournament at the school. Getting involved and pursuing your passions at college is just as important, as it helps you figure out who you are and where you want to go next. When I arrived at college, I became the co-president of the chess club. When I became involved, this was an informal club that met once a week in one of the campus cafeterias. I helped transform my school’s team, recruiting members, raising money from Student Government, joining tournaments, and working with our grandmaster-in-residence, Sam Shankland, who later became a US chess champion.
Pursuing my passion for chess helped me tell a holistic story which helped with the college admissions process. I continue to be passionate about chess, and this resulted in my creating Premier Chess, a full-time chess company that does school programs, corporate classes, private lessons and more.
GAMECHANGER Tutoring Connection is excited to introduce our latest guest blogger, Evan Rabin, the owner of Premier Chess. As your child considers pursuing their passions, contact GAMECHANGER Tutoring Connection for academic, extracurricular, college, and post-college guidance and Evan Rabin, the owner of Premier Chess for information on learning chess.
