Admission Intuition

This article came out last year. I just rediscovered it and thought it was insightful!

Opinion | Build Your Own College Rankings (Gift Article) The values that you care about most should inform your top college choices.

Stanford has been judging my students for years now, chewin' em up... spittin' em out. College admissions is such a breeding ground for people with power letting it get the better of them, judging things they really don't know, scrutinizing, assuming, expecting moral- if not academic- perfection. Now this. It honestly makes me laugh.

Stanford President Will Resign After Report Found Flaws in His Research Marc Tessier-Lavigne was cleared of accusations of scientific fraud and misconduct. But the review said his work had “multiple problems” and “fell below customary standards of scientific rigor.”

The Supreme Court Killed the College Admissions Essay

The end of affirmative action will pressure high schoolers to write about their race through formulaic and belittling narrative tropes.

By Matteo Wong
Illustration by Joanne Imperio / The Atlantic
June 30, 2023

Nestled within yesterday’s Supreme Court decision declaring that race-conscious admissions programs, like those at Harvard and the University of North Carolina, are unconstitutional is a crucial carveout: Colleges are free to consider “an applicant’s discussion of how race affected his or her life.” In other words, they can weigh a candidate’s race when it is mentioned in an admissions essay. Observers had already speculated about personal essays becoming invaluable tools for candidates who want to express their racial background without checking a box—now it is clear that the end of affirmative action will transform not only how colleges select students, but also how teenagers advertise themselves to colleges.

For essays and statements to provide a workaround for pursuing diversity, applicants must first cast themselves as diverse. The American Council on Education, a nonprofit focused on the impacts of public policy on higher education, recently convened a panel dedicated to planning for the demise of affirmative action; admissions directors and consultants emphasized the need “to educate students about how to write about who they are in a very different way,” expressing their “full authentic story” and “trials and tribulations.” In other words, if colleges can’t use race as a criterion in its own right, because the Court has ruled doing so violates the Fourteenth Amendment, then high schoolers trying to navigate the nebulous admissions process may feel pressure to write as plainly as possible about how their race and experiences of racism make them better applicants.

Turning personal writing into a way to market one’s race means folding oneself into nonspecific formulas, reducing a lifetime to easily understood types. This flattening of the college essay in response to the long hospice of race-based affirmative action comes alongside another reductive phenomenon upending student writing: the ascendance of generative AI. High schoolers, undergraduates, and professional authors are enlisting ChatGPT or similar programs to write for them; educators fear that admissions essays will prove no exception. The pitfalls of using AI to write a college application, however, are already upon us, as the pressure to sell one’s race and race-based adversity to colleges will compel students to write like chatbots. Tired platitudes about race angled to persuade admissions officers will crowd out more individual, creative approaches, the result no better than a machine’s banal aggregation of the web. Writing about one’s race can be clarifying, even revelatory; de facto requiring someone write about their racial identity, in a form that can veer toward framing race as a negative attribute in need of overcoming, is stifling and demeaning. Or, as the attorney and author Elie Mystal tweeted more bluntly yesterday, “Why should a Black student have to WASTE SPACE explaining ‘how racism works’”?

Such essays can feel prewritten. Many Black and minority applicants “believe that a story of struggle is necessary to show that they are ‘diverse,’” the sociologist and former college admissions officer Aya M. Waller-Bey wrote in this magazine earlier this month; admissions officers and college-prep programs can valorize such trauma narratives, too. Indeed, research analyzing tens of thousands of college applications shows that essay content and style predict income better than SAT scores do: Lower-income students were much more likely to write about topics including abuse, economic insecurity, and immigration. Similarly, another study found that girls applying to engineering programs were more likely to foreground their gender as “women in science,” perhaps to distinguish themselves from their male counterparts. These predictable scripts, which many students believe to be most palatable, are the kind of stale, straightforward narratives—about race, identity, and otherwise—that AI programs excel at writing. Language models work by analyzing massive amounts of text for patterns and then spitting out statistically probable outputs, which means they are adept at churning out clichéd language and narrative tropes but quite terrible at writing anything original, poetic, or inspiring.
To explore and narrativize one’s identity is of course important, even essential; I wrote about my mixed heritage for my own college essay. Race acts as what the cultural theorist Stuart Hall called a “floating signifier,” a label that refers to constantly shifting relationships, interactions, and material conditions. “Race works like a language,” Hall said, meaning that race provides a way to ground discussions of varying experiences, support networks, histories of discrimination, and more. To discuss and write about one’s race or heritage, then, is a way of finding and making meaning.

But molding race into what an admissions officer might want is the opposite of discovery; it means one is writing toward somebody else’s perceived desires. It’s not too dissimilar from writing an admissions essay with a language model that has imbibed and reproduced tropes that already exist, blighting meaningful self-discovery on the part of impressionable young people and instead trapping them in unoriginal, barren, and even debasing scripts that humans and machines alike have prewritten about their identities. Chatbots’ statistical regurgitations cannot reinvent language, only cannibalize it; the programs do not reflect so much as repeat. When I asked ChatGPT to write me a college essay, it gave me boilerplate filler: My journey as a half Chinese, half-Italian individual has been one of self-discovery, resilience, and growth. That sentence is broadly true, perhaps a plus for an admissions officer, but vapid and nonspecific— useless to me, personally. It doesn’t push toward anything meaningful, or really anything at all.
A future of college essays that package race in canned archetypes reeking of a chatbot’s metallic touch could read alarmingly similar to the very Supreme Court opinions that ended race conscious admissions yesterday: a framing of race “unmoored from critical real-life circumstances,” as Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson wrote in her dissent; a pathetic understanding of various Asian diasporic groups from Justice Clarence Thomas; a twisting of landmark civil rights legislation, constitutional amendments, and court cases into a redetermined and weaponized crusade against any attempt to promote diversity or ameliorate historical discrimination. Chatbots, too, make things up, advance porous arguments, and gaslight their users. If race works like a language, then colleges, teachers, parents, and high-school students alike must make sure that that language remains a human one.

In reading the Supreme Court decision, something strikes me and really confuses me. The below quote is at the beginning of the ruling. It's taken from the part where Harvard's admissions process is described in detail.

"At the end of this process, the racial composition of the tentative applicant pool is disclosed to the committee. The last stage of Harvard’s admissions process, called the “lop,” winnows the list of tentatively admitted students to arrive at the final class. Applicants that Harvard considers cutting at this stage are placed on the “lop list,” which contains only four pieces of information: legacy status, recruited athlete status, financial aid eligibility, and race."

FINANCIAL AID ELIGIBILITY???? I thought Harvard was need-blind? What does this mean? Are they using need as a positive to increase economic diversity? Still, that wouldn't be considered a need-blind policy. Are they culling the class based on need? That defines a need-aware policy.

I wonder if anyone will pick up on this and explain it? I'm not sure who to ask about it.

https://www.cnn.com/politics/live-news/supreme-court-decisions/index.html

Live updates: Supreme Court decision on affirmative action The Supreme Court is releasing key decisions on issues such as affirmative action, student loan payments and LGBTQ rights. Follow here for the latest live news updates.

Here's the prelude to the brilliant story which is posted below.

Here's a brilliant story about well, college consulting? hopes and dreams? false constructs?

The Harvard Whisperer – Necessary Fiction We begin here: Mae was late. Not only to this particular appointment, but in a broader sense: lateness seemed a part of her. As she rushed up the front steps, tripping on a flagstone levered upward by a tree root, she was flooded with the sensation that for years, possibly for her whole life, she ha...

Look... it happened. College now costs over $90,000/year. USC is actually over $91,000 but they decided to slip in the part about the $450 new student fee at the end so no one would notice. This is getting stupid.

Bed Parties? $3000 of bling?

You’re About to Pay $300,000 for College. What’s Another $3,000 in Campus Swag? Parents are spending big on hats, clothes, mugs, shot glasses and banners to show off where their teens are going to college; ‘It’s obscene’

For juniors, here is the most updated list of colleges and their standardized testing policies. Over 200 schools haven't updated the info for the 2023-24 admissions cycle. But Fair Test will report new info as it becomes available. When reviewing this chart, make sure you are seeing 2024 in the appropriate column.

ACT/SAT Optional List - Fairtest The official List of Test Free and Test Optional colleges and Universities

Good for UNC.

Opinion | UNC Takes on the University Echo Chamber A public university has a novel idea for creating a true marketplace for ideas.

High school students often wonder how they should spend their summers. Often students frame their summer plans in terms of which summer activities will boost their college admission chances. I prefer to start by considering summer activities another way. I like to ask: which summer activities will help you learn about yourself and explore topics that feel meaningful to you? Which activities can help you discover what pursuits feel worthwhile to you? What activities might help you explore the academic subjects that spark your curiosity?

Summers don't have to be fancy. Getting your hands dirty volunteering in your community is better than going on an expensive international pre-made volunteer trip. I have one student who got so involved in his school district's food bank that he ended up going every day and becoming a valuable leader there.

Having responsibility at a job can also be very important (and impressive). I have a student who worked at Jimmy Johns, and she ended up as the shift manager. That got the attention of her colleges!

Students often ask me how to get internships. First of all, what even IS an internship compared to a job? I think of an internship as a job (or volunteer position) where you learn about a potential career you might like. Internships will involve a degree of mentorship and exposure to a profession and will also give the student specific responsibilities and duties. Internships are hard to come by for high school students. To find them, you need to search specific companies and see if they have internships for high schoolers in place. Often they involve a competitive application process. Perhaps your parents have friends who can help you find an internship at their jobs. There's a difference between a formalized internship and a job shadow. Job shadows can also be good. They are generally shorter in length than an internship (perhaps a day or two) and involve a student following a professional through their daily routine. Job shadows can help you know if you want to pursue a particular field. They can give you good ideas for college essays. Job shadows are important for nursing applicants and pre-med students.

Taking a class at a community college or through a free online platform (see suggestions below) is just as good as taking a class on an out-of-state university campus. I have one student who regularly rode his bike to attend a class at the Auraria campus downtown. Showing that kind of drive and maturity should not be underestimated.

Spending thousands of $$$$$ to do a 1-3 week program at a fancy college is FINE and can show colleges that you want to learn more about a particular subject. But completing a regular college course through your local community college is not to be sneezed at! (bad grammar alert: I should say "... is not something at which to sneeze." But that's just not as fun to say.)

Colleges don't care so much WHAT you do. They just want you to DO!! And they hope that you do whatever that is in a way that is meaningful to you. Colleges want students who are engaged in their communities, vested in certain interests, and eager to get involved wherever their passions lie. Colleges are looking for students who like certain things so much that they give their time and energy in those pursuits.

I'm going to name a few summer activity ideas that come to mind that some of my successful students have done in the past.

taking community college classes in a particular area
(I said this one already.)

taking free online classes
Lots are sponsored by MOOC and Coursera and edx. Many kids explored this idea when COVID hit, but the idea caught on, and now lots of people do this.
https://www.mooc.org/
https://www.coursera.org/courses?query=free
https://www.edx.org/

taking classes in a high school program on a college campus
Most colleges offer summer programming for high schoolers. Just Google any college name and the words "summer high school," and you'll see what I'm talking about. Look for programs where actual professors from the college teach the class. Notice if you get college credit or not. You don't have to get college credit, but note that there is a difference between a college course and a high school summer camp that teaches about a certain subject. It's still good to do a non-credit class. Students in the past have enjoyed classes at Brown, Columbia, Duke, Dartmouth, MIT and on and on... but there are tons more too. These programs usually do not help you get into the particualar college that much. So take them because you WANT to- not because you think colleges want you to.

volunteering locally at all sorts of things from food banks to Clothes for Kids to senior living facilities to Special Olympics to churches to educational programs for younger kids
Google searches can lead you to oodles of ideas

internships in different political initiatives from helping with campaigns to working for the Governor
Some of these require applications that can be due fairly soon, so if you are interested in this, start looking online now.

good old-fashioned jobs like working at Michaels or babysitting or being on the cleaning staff at an amusement park (Yes, someone did this! And that kid just graduated magna cm laude and has such a fancy job-- oh and he's getting married! So be careful!)
Look for summer jobs before college kids are home for spring break or you might end up cleaning the amusement park!

science research at a college campus
There're lots of programs to explore here. Most require applications that should be considered now so you don't miss deadlines.

furthering non-profit work
Some ambitious students start nonprofits that support their missions. Gen Tech at Creek started at my kitchen table. DTC Computer Science Camp-- yup- started in my kitchen. Challenge School Speech and Debate Club- you know it, Karen's Kitchen. Vail Computer Science Camp... oh yes, those were the days. Tutoring programs where the proceeds went to underserved schools, the CCV Community Garden........thank you very much. But these involved projects are only possible when students take the initiative.

volunteering at a hospital
This is great for pre-med/pre-nursing students. I have had kids find opportunities at Children's, Swedish, Anschutz, and SkyRidge.

starting small businesses
Some examples are: a law mowing business, teaching skills to younger kids (like violin, chess, computer science, and art), selling art, mowing lawns, Etsy stores, nannying, pet sitting... the list goes on and on!

attending very selective programs - many of these in math or writing
MIT lists a lot of these VERY hard to get into programs. Most students are not competitive.
https://mitadmissions.org/apply/prepare/summer/

speech and debate camps!
I'm a big fan.

music performance festivals
These are very selective programs for top musicians.

working on personal skills and talents
Athletes are often immersed in training in the summers. Actors might be in a play. All of this is worthwhile!

Here are some good resources.

Get on it!

https://www.collegetransitions.com/?s=summer+program

https://www.shemmassianconsulting.com/blog/summer-programs-for-high-school-students

https://www.teenlife.com/blog/summer-programs-high-school-students/

https://www.volunteercrowd.com/

Student Volunteer Opportunities and Tracking Service | VolunteerCrowd The easiest way for middle school, high school and college students to find and track volunteer opportunities and build a volunteer transcript.

Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology, the number one ranked high school in America (not the TJ here in Denver- this one is in Virginia) recently failed to inform seniors that they'd been recognized in the National Merit Scholarship Competition. The Virginia Attorney General is investigating 5 other Virginia high schools who also failed to inform students of their NMSQT awards. While the investigation is ongoing, the director of student services at TJ said that they did this "to recognize students for who they are as individuals, not focus on their achievements" and that it delayed informing winners to spare the feelings of those who didn't qualify. I don't know who's paying attention to this, but to me, this is so dangerous. There's a fight going on against achievement at America. In 2022, TJ changed its very difficult admissions policy to eliminate the merit-based entrance exam to increase diversity. Do we want to live in an America with no TJ? There's got to be a way to increase access without ruining the academic programs of America's best schools. IMHO, it doesn't start with a change in admissions practices. Our bad education system isn't cured by culling the top programs so that no one has an advantage. It has to start in pre-school. Our failing isn't in having amazing schools that are really hard to get into for our top achievers. Our failure is the lack-luster pre-K-12 educational offerings for almost everyone else. As a professional who works with many students from all different high schools in Colorado, I can say that the quality of education available to most students is disappointing. I can't begin to wrap my brain around how to fix our education system, but watering down the few good programs that exist is not the answer. I wish every child had the chance to experience an amazing education from the beginning. I can't imagine how this can be achieved.

Opinion | The New Structural Racism In Northern Virginia, affirmative action has hardened into a war on high achievers.

Here are some early admissions trends from Top Tier Admissions. Of note: more and more students are applying early decision and restricted early action to the most selective colleges in the country. Duke saw 21% more apps in the ED round. Dartmouth saw 14% more apps. I was interested in hearing that Questbridge has become the main pipeline for underserved students to attend these institutions. I was also surprised that Columbia saw a downtick in numbers of applications in the early round, I suppose because of their drop in US News and World Report. Why am I surprised people hang onto those numbers so tightly? It's nuts. I find it infinitely annoying that U Penn, Cornell, and Stanford pretend to think that holding back their numbers reduces anxiety. It's clear to me that this protects them in ways they don't share while lessening the ability of students and families to make sound decisions. It sure keeps the application money rolling into these schools. Maybe it saves face? Who knows. Enjoy the data!

Early Admissions Trends: Class of 2027 - Top Tier Admissions We take a deep dive into the data to understand both early admissions trends and the institutional priorities that drove decision-making.

Dear High School Senior,

I'm so sorry you didn't get into your "dream" college today. But you know what? It was really only a dream. It was a fantasy of what you hope college will be. And guess what? Your college experience can still be every bit as wonderful as that fantasy because YOU write the script of that dream. Your beautiful path is somewhere, and we just need to learn where that path will be. It wasn't written for you at the school that rejected you today. It's so hard for you to see it now, but I promise, one day you'll look back on this day as the day that saved your life... that set you on the path to meet your best friends, your future spouse, your future children. Today is the day that will point you in the right direction towards your precious future. I see college admissions from a wide angle. It's a broken process that makes you jump through a million ridiculous hoops, work way past midnight, and throw your hat in the ring where getting a win is like winning the lottery. So trust a little bit in the universe, trust in yourself, and get excited to walk your path when you find it with self confidence and courage!

These are the latest announced ED/EA admission decision release dates- as of Dec 12.

Class of 2027 Early Decision and Early Action Notification Dates - College Kickstart Check out the latest early decision and early action notification dates for the Class of 2027 for several popular public and private schools we cover.

Time will tell if it's a trend.

Purdue University reinstates admissions test requirements for fall 2024 Like many colleges, the public institution waived SAT and ACT mandates amid the pandemic. It joins MIT bucking a trend of remaining test-optional.

Wow. Big sad wow... this is the first time since 1991 that the ACT average in America is below 20. And we wonder why normal people can't tell fact from fiction.

https://www.insidehighered.com/admissions/article/2022/10/17/act-and-sat-scores-fall #:~:text=By&text=The%20national%20average%20composite%20score,on%20the%20ACT%20is%2036.)

Notre Dame has announced that they will remain test optional in admissions for the 2023-2024 cycle.

Notre Dame to remain test-optional for undergraduate admissions through 2024 The test-optional practice allows students to choose whether to submit a standardized test score to be included in the evaluation of their application.

The Forbes rankings shook things up a bit this year. We college consultants are supposed to read college rankings with much skepticism and disdain. I find them useful. I think it's important to look at the variables they are assessing and know how they are coming up with their lists. Of COURSE they are imperfect at best. But I don't have a better way to assess a college. I think it's good to look at all the big rankings lists and put them together. Don't make fine distinctions between a few digits. But notice trends. Who has dropped and why? Which metrics matter to you? Ok, So Berkeley is tied for #2. It doesn't mean a student will thrive there with limited mentoring and hyper-competitiveness. But it's OK to notice where they do excel. Why did both Harvard and Yale fall from the top 10? Go Williams! I've always loved that little impossible-to-get-into wonderland.

https://www.forbes.com/top-colleges/

Forbes America’s Top Colleges List 2022 Our annual review of America’s best colleges spotlights schools that deliver a top-notch education for an affordable price, funnel graduates into high-paying careers and propel students to become successful entrepreneurs and influential leaders in their fields. Whether a school is in the Top 10 or...

Students, look at this!

https://www.today.com/health/mind-body/woman-goes-viral-exposing-easy-edit-body-social-media-videos-rcna42637?utm_campaign=likeshopme&cid=sm_npd_td_in_td-bio_180511&utm_medium=instagram&utm_source=dash%20hudson&utm_content=www.instagram.com/p/ChQxVf-hQP6/

'A body I don't own': Video shows how drastically social media editing apps alter your shape Emily Clarkson shared a video of herself using editing apps to alter the appearance of her body to show how harmful unrealistic beauty standards are.