“We overwhelm teenagers with advice about choosing a college. Go big. Go small. Put prestige above cost. Do the opposite. We inundate them with tips for getting in. Spend summers this way. Write essays that way. Play a niche sport. Play an obscure instrument. And then? We go mum, mustering less urgency and fewer words for the subject of actually navigating the crucial college years to best effect. It’s strange. And it’s stupid, because how a student goes to school matters much, much more than where.”
What The People Who Read Your College Application Really Think - NPR
It's college application season, again. To a lot of students, the process seems wrapped in a shroud of mystery. What exactly happens when you send your application out into the unknown only to ... wait? Well, here's a glimpse behind the curtain at one school.
Advice College Admissions Officers Give Their Own Kids (NY Times)
Admissions officers tell their own children that high school is far more than just a pathway to college — it’s a time for maturation, self-discovery, learning and fun. They encourage their teens to embrace activities and courses that reflect who they genuinely are, not who they think colleges want them to be. The NYTimes interviewed admissions officers, who all emphasized the importance of their child finding a college that fits, not the other way around; here is their advice.
Common App’s New Leader Ponders College Access — and Holographic Video Interviews (Chronicle)
[note: subscription required]
The Chronicle caught up with Ms. Rickard, now vice president for enrollment at the University of Puget Sound, in Washington state, to ask about her plans for the nonprofit organization behind the widely used admissions-application platform.
Uncertainty, Unpredictability, Chaos (Slate)
Next year will be confusing for students, families, and most colleges in the admissions process.
Our Push for ‘Passion,’ and Why It Harms Kids (NY Times)
At some point in the last 20 years the notion of passion, as applied to children and teenagers, has taken hold. By the time a child rounds the corner into high school, the conventional wisdom is that he needs to have a passion that is deep, easy to articulate, well documented and makes him stand out from the crowd. This is madness. Read more...
You Were Deferred by Your Top College—What Now? (Time)
A deferral from a college admissions office happens only if you apply early decision or early action. It means that a college didn’t admit you in the early round but will reevaluate your application during the regular admissions period.
The Not-So-Early Decision (NY Times)
Thousands of students click “submit” on early-decision applications, hoping for a thumbs-up from their first-choice college. With competition for slots ever increasing, let’s assume the worst: You don’t get in. What then? For those eager to get off the college admissions carousel, there’s a second chance at an acceptance before spring: early decision II.