 College Admissions
A conversation with a Guidance Counselor I know:
...The focus is so entirely bent on "getting in" that "being successful once you
get there" is often egregiously overlooked. Instead of hiring costly private college advisors, the money might be better spent exposing them to situations
that will provide for helping to develop a stronger work ethic and
social-emotional growth, whether it's academic, artistic, or service related.
That actually comes up a lot with parents, and the thing that I try to urge them
to consider is what their kid is interested or passionate about and to give them
the chance to explore and develop those interests, as opposed to what they think
will "look better." A college is only going to care about doing community
service in an impoverished area or third world country if it's something the
student truly cares about. If they aren't going to get anything personal out of
it, it won't help them when applying to school - the last thing an admissions
officer wants is to read yet another essay from an applicant from Westchester
that's basically a variation of 'my summer working with poor people made me
realize I shouldn't have complained about having to wait for two weeks to get my
iPhone.' _______________________________________________________________________________
| I read similar advice
in this book about the admissions process at Wesleyan University.
p.89: "...of
more concern what the fact that she appeared to be the kind of
teenager who would become involved in a lot of extracurricular
activities only to drop them soon after. She had worked with AIDS
patients, repaired local hiking trails and volunteered as a government
intern -each for no longer than a year."
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The Early Decision Racket
- Students have a much better chance of being admitted if they apply early decision than if they wait to join the regular pool.
- The
more freshmen a college admits under a binding early decision plan, the
fewer acceptances it needs from the regular pool to fill its class—and
the better it will look statistically (acceptance ratio)
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Paying in Full as the Ticket Into Colleges
The Fat Envelope, Please
- With
lower endowments, most private colleges are admitting a larger number
of applicants overall and a higher percentage of applicants whose
parents can pay full tuition.
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Dirty Secrets of College Admissions
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Young, Gifted, and Not Getting Into Harvard
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 Who Needs Harvard?
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25 New Ivies
The
nation's elite colleges these days include more than Harvard, Yale and
Princeton. Why? It's the tough competition for all the top students.
That means a range of schools are getting fresh bragging rights.
_______________________________________________________________________________ Getting In
The social logic of Ivy League admissions. _______________________________________________________________________________
Debate: Does It Matter Where You Go to College?
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