The problem with college admissions

See also: admissions formula | selectivity | candidate examples

With the selectivity level of universities becoming legendary, the important thing to ask is: how can schools discern between the top students? I'm not satisfied with the current method of selection. The college admissions process has become a "game" of whoever can load the most significant extracurricular and academic activities on top of a crushing academic load (but I won't focus on grades/tests now). Oh yes, leadership should (must) be splashed in too, as well as some community service, possibly a job. Employment! Oh my, that can increase your chances of getting in by 75% whether you like the work or not.

I don't oppose encouraging students to do other activities; organizations typically depend on volunteers to carry out easier tasks, and it turns out to be a mutual benefit. Our strong extracurricular culture (especially sports) is one of the strengths of our educational system. Getting a paid job is also good for any teen in instilling responsibility. Lastly, academic prizes can encourage creative or critical thinking that will serve these students well later in life.

But I question whether this mechanical system of judging applicants by the level of achievements they accomplished in activities is a good way of selecting the freshman class. Colleges say that they aim to create a diverse, interesting student body; the students must add to the campus. Of course they have their own agenda of their reputation and endowment, and their selection must also consider those factors. But their current system fails to do both. It doesn't consider:
- whether any of the activities will continue
- students who wish to try new things in college
- anything deep about true character
- the student's self-motivation and leadership ability
- the student's willingness to pursue knowledge further (to be discussed later - this one may surprise you)

Some may disagree with those five points I just listed, saying that many of these characteristics are quite transparent in the essay, recommendations, etc. Indeed, all of those elements, especially the last two, can be shown in the application, and in multiple places, but the application is a document that is treated extra-specially - truths and facts are often twisted or exaggerated.

Doing a load of activities does not necessarily make you an interesting person. Obviously it is better than a person who does nothing... or is it? These two groups may both end up being bookworms in college. Listing something on the application does not imply a serious commitment to it after high school. Sadly, most do end up dropping their interests once they try to get that high GPA. Studying 40 hours a week will certainly not add to the campus life, though, and so if the admissions committee chose this student based on his excellent record in football or oil painting, they have made a grave error.

On the contrary, consider a student with an excellent personality, who doesn't shine in terms of his activities for whatever reason. The application does not leave much room to show your personality (the essay is supposed to, but everyone looks super-nice after 500 words of life highlights; the interview is designed to do the same thing but dressing in a suit/tie naturally makes people more polite than usual; the teacher recommendations should address maturity, motivation, etc. but what teacher would write negatively?), but character can add so much more to a campus in ways that no activity will ever be able to. Imagine - who would you rather take, a student who knows how to swim or a student who always makes the entire atmosphere lighter and more cheerful? Easy decision. But the second student will have a blank on their activities chart where the first would write his swimming accomplishments.

In this modern world, one of the most important traits to have is self-initiative. If you can push yourself to do a project and complete it, you are well ahead of the competition. These individuals know how to find new ways to promote themselves - whether it is writing a book, making a website, or starting an organization. If they can't get much money in their job, for instance, they can find other ways to supplement their income. Only luck can get in the way of these people; otherwise, they will find some way out of their predicament.

Motivation, fortunately, is more easily seen in the application. The essays are a beautiful way to communicate this information, but again, we must remember that even less-motivated students can turn a typical experience into one that demonstrates initiative, because they know how to play the "game". Recommendations can also reflect motivation, but I bet that not many high school juniors will go around talking about something they learned on their own or a project that they finished. In fact, since we live in a society where academics are scorned upon a little too much, such students may feel compelled to conceal their interests. Therefore, the college admission officers won't know much either about personal pursuits, and a perfectly well-motivated student may be facing rejection to a place he deserves to go to.

Leadership finds a similar issue. It doesn't have to be being the president of everything; in fact, this can really only imply popularity in most schools, which pretty much goes to zero in importance once in college. Leadership is more importantly the ability to organize and make things happen. A firm belief yet a willingness to compromise, a strong desire to lead yet the ability to listen to others, a keen sense of responsibility yet a warm consideration of others - these are all important facets of leadership that are almost impossible to delineate in an application.

Bottom line: the application fails to read an applicant's real character - the only parts that are actually revealing about personality (like the essays) are highly subjective and easily manipulated. The students who actually display great character or leadership may be overshadowed by those who far exaggerate their abilities. Yes, "selling yourself" is always important, but it may not be the healthiest way to build a strong, interesting, and diverse student body.