How decisive or influential can be a college interview be in the admission decision of Ivy Leagues like Harvard, Princeton, Yale or Columbia, for instance?
College admission interviews are normally somewhat influential. They have greater influence if they go extremely well (somewhat unusual) or, alas, very poorly (rare). Virtually all interviewers are friendly, and they are primarily interested in hearing what most interests you and why. Review your passions, with details, before you are due at the interview. Go into your interview relaxed; your Ivy interviewer would truly like you to do well. Remember that service to your school and/or community is important; be sure to tell the interviewer about this aspect of your life and what it means to you. No interview will likely be decisive, but it gives you an opportunity to shine. Best wishes.
How much influence do US President's have at their Alma Mater's?
The current and previous US presidents wouldn't have to use any influence to get their own children admitted to any US college the kids chose to apply to, not just their parents' alma mater. Colleges don't care about letters of recommendation from people applicants or their parents happen to know, but if an applicant had actually worked for the president, then a recommendation letter from that president would carry considerable weight.
How can I be the best president of my school’s student council?
Okay, well it really depends on the power structure of your student council. Do you guys meet together often and decide on things, or is it like a formal meeting with no real decisions taking place. Or is it a place for people to complain?Here's some tips for both. Plan activities: lots of them. Small activities mixed in with bigger ones. As an example, you might set up a table and a sign that says, "free finger nail painting". Grab your moms fingernail polish and some friends and paint as many peoples (we only painted girl but whatever) nails as possible. Maybe paint them your school colors before a game. That activity takes no planning or advertisement really. Just set it up at lunch. A big activity might be a dance. Those take a lot of budget and planning and decorating. When I was the student gov. pres. I instituted Random Activity Tuesday. It was a way for me to put on something small and fun each week. Give power: assign a club or a class or a group of student council peoples one of those activities that were planned. Actually, if you've done some activity brainstorming with them, they'll have a lot more buy in. I'd encourage everyone you have some influence over to do something they'd brag about on a college or job resume. Service projects, activities, whatever. Just encourage them to do something worth being in charge of. Something that future classes would want to do again. I called those legacy projects. One of my classmates started a ping pong tournament with a rival school that continues today, almost 10 years later. Be everyone's friend: high school is hard. Not everyone has a friend. You should go out of your way to be friends with those people. You don't have to be their best friend. Just be someone that knows them and something about them. One time, I randomly gave a girl a hug and it turned out that her grandma had just died and she later told me that my random hug helped her make it through the rest of the day. You never know when your kindness will matter to someone. Get good grades: being president isn't as important as your school work. Just like sports it should never hurt your academics. If it does, try doing more delegation.
My past in Community College a negative for LAW school?
I didnt take Community College seriously before and have had many D's and some F's and dropped out of many classes. If I intend to go to a prestigious LAW school, say UCLA. Will they look at my University performance and Community College performance? Or just my University performance? As it goes with retaking some of the basic classes and not spending forever I should have a 3.30 gpa in Community College and intend to keep bucked up on University though. Optional extra question: What undergraduate degree should I take in case I change my mind from law school? I love dealing with people and can be very sensitive and cold, I am very analytical. I also love politics and culture.
What looks better for college: secretary or treasurer?
The office that would look best on your resume would depend on what you expect from college. The position of Treasurer is a position of higher trust, but you must also be good at math. The position of Secretary is very important to any organization because accurate records must be kept of discussions and decisions of the group. The ability to listen well and take accurate notes that can be transcribed into minutes which are understandable is important and might show good writing skills. You did not say what your college major would be, so I can't tell you if one skill is more important than the other to the college you would be applying too. An arts major might need to show writing and listening skills. Science and business majors would need to demonstrate the ability to keep track of expenses, donations, etc. and to manage the money to keep the organization out of debt. Having good fund raising ideas doesn't prevent you from providing either job, nor is it a reason to pick one over the other. Both positions are very time consuming, so go with the one you feel you will like best.