How to get into Harvard, by the kid who didn't. | Shyam Handa | TEDxYouth@CherryHillEastHS

How should a student mold their lives to have the best possible chance of getting accepted to an Ivy League school? The answer might surprise you... Shyam Handa is a senior at Cherry Hill High School East. When entering high school, many people told Shyam to be as well-rounded as possible. He listened. During Shyam's high school career, he conducted impressive research on myocardial ischemia reperfusion, he raised over $28,000 for the Ronald McDonald House of Southern New Jersey, he participated in tennis, he played piano, and he was the co-captain of the Cherry Hill East Ethics Team. When it came time for college acceptances, though, he noticed an interesting trend. He began to think that maybe being well rounded is a detriment when applying to Ivy League schools. He did some research, and this is what he found... This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at http://ted.com/tedx