The New York Times Presents a Q+A on College Admissions
This week the New York Times published a question and answer session with several deans of admissions from popular American universities. Covering topics from financial aid to standout applications, the Q+A is a worthwhile read for any student who wants to know what admission officers are thinking while reading applications.
Here are a few of the best parts for those of you who won't read the whole thing:
On the most misunderstood part of college admissions:
Jeff Brenzel of Yale University: It is not well
understood that we are not aiming to pick out the best candidate in a
particular school or from a particular area, as measured by some
predetermined criteria. Rather, we are trying to assemble the most
varied and most interesting class we can from an extremely diverse
group of close to 25,000 outstanding applicants.
Steven Syverson of Lawrence University: [T]he common perception tends to be that all colleges are
difficult to get into. The reality is that nearly 90 percent of
America’s four-year colleges admit more than half their applicants, and
with the exception of students who apply only to hyper-selective
institutions, most applicants are admitted to one or more of their top
choices.
On innovative applications that students have used:
Mr. Poch of Pomona: What works best is what best and
most fully and consistently represents the applicant. Tricks that don’t
fit the person end up looking like gimmicks, without real substance.
The student who years ago sent in a life-size doll who was her “best
friend,” equipped with a recorded endorsement of the applicant, left
the admissions staff feeling like it was in a Twilight Zone episode.
Creepy.
Jeff Brenzel of Yale University: We’re much less
interested in innovative applications than we are in innovative
students, who have shown over time the spark of real intellectual
curiosity and a real enthusiasm for engaging with peers, schools and
communities.
On applicants "shooting themselves in the foot" on their application:
Mr. Syverson of Lawrence: It is reasonably common for
students to try to impress us with how much they love our particular
college, by incorporating a mention of our college into their essay.
(For example: “For the past four years, every time I was ready to give
up on math, the thought of gaining admission to Lawrence University
inspired me to redouble my efforts.”) But it is also a not-infrequent
experience for them to forget to replace all the mentions of some other
college in their essay.
Mr. Syverson of Lawrence: But the most frequent form of self-inflicted damage is careless
preparation of the application. In the days of handwritten
applications, it might have been poor handwriting. Currently it is
simply that they waited until the deadline to finish their essay and
complete the remainder of their application, so they are hurried and
don’t proofread carefully. A poorly presented application can, in fact,
have a negative affect on the admission decision.
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Got any questions for the Deans? Leave them here and we will forward them on to the NYT staff!