Re:Is this what it takes to get into college? (Score 1)

No its not what it takes to get into a good college. Don't take the fact that couple of kids from a couple of school districts pad their resumes as a sign that you have to do it. Nobody from my school district even entered in the Intel or Westinghouse, and we still sent plenty of kids to Ivy League institutions. My school district had the good sense to not offer these nationwide competitions, and let us focus on being students and having real lives. Don't blame the colleges for this. The blame lies with the school districts and the parents for making everything hypercompetitive. The admissions boards know what the standards and opportunities are in each district and adjust expectations to meet those standards. Articles like this just make parents fear that if their kid isn't in one of these hyper-competitive districts, and entering in these hyper-competitive competitions then their kids wont be accepted. Its not true and its not good for the students.