One of the most common first questions I ask a student when we first meet to discuss their post-secondary plan is: “What are you thinking?” The question is meant to be vague and can yield a wide range of responses. For the highly competitive academic student, and one that wishes to go and study in the US, a very common response is: “I want to go to Harvard (or Stanford or Penn)”. They simply think that they have high grades (maybe even at the top of their class) and/or test scores and that in some way, this makes them a shoe-in for admission to the most highly selective schools. Some of them come fully equipped with an arsenal of extra-curricular program participation to go along with their transcript. Captain of the Hockey team, Student Council President, Debate Team member, Swim Team, Jazz Band, summer school abroad and so on. Some of them have been building their resumes since the start of their high school careers. They have gained experiences from all over, they have first-class academic results and they have a laundry list of items to tell about in their application. But then decision day comes and they are devastated with the result. They need to be reminded that the acceptance rate to Harvard generally varies between 5-6% with almost 40000 freshman applicants per year. But what they really need to be aware of is that old strategies do not work as well today as they once did.
Collecting a resume for the sole purpose of admittance is denying students from really finding their passions and seeing what comes out of them. Let me explain through an example and you decide which student is more desirable in this particular case: Student A has over 200 hours of community service over the past 4 years with over 20 different organizations OR Student B has 150 hours of community service hours with 3 different organizations that all theme around a single community need. Which would you pick? The one with the most hours or the one with the most amount of “meaningful” hours. Sure, one student has given more of their time and has volunteered to help many causes. However, the second student has a story. Why so many hours to help a singular need? Why are they passionate about this cause? Have they been able to demonstrate more leadership or entrepreneurship with their extended time in one place? What are their thoughts about using their education to help this field in the future? Even though their resume may be shorter, I am betting that they would be able to answer these questions with more clarity, desire, and hunger. I am betting that their words would show their devotion rather than tell about their participation. This kind of authenticity is worth more than 50 hours of community service or a third club at school, it is what gets a student considered. Sure, the grades have to be there, but the story and its articulation is the secret ingredient. This is what a holistic application is all about. What do your grades say about you? What do others say about you? And what do you say about yourself?
We are starting to see this shift lately as colleges and universities are changing their lens, realizing that resumes alone do not move the needle anymore. The Making Caring Common Project, developed out of Harvard’s Graduate School of Education, published a report called Turning the Tide: Inspiring Concern For Others And The Common Good Through College Admissions. In it, they highlight recommendations to reshape the college admission process. Recommendations that focus on “promoting meaningful contributions to others, community service and engagement with the public good” and “redefining achievement in ways that both level the playing field for economically diverse students and reduce excessive achievement pressure.” Basically, students should not feel pressured to collect experiences and focus entirely on getting the highest test scores, but rather, hone in on areas that make them tick and figure out how to change the world doing what they love and are interested in. Another good indication that admission decisions are moving towards a larger weighting on character is through the increase in optional standardized testing requirements. Last month, the University of Chicago, boasting an intimidating 7-8% acceptance rate, announced that SAT/ACT test scores are completely optional for freshman applicants. This means that students no longer need to spend hours preparing for, writing, and paying for these exams. Instead, they can pay particular attention to giving back to their communities, becoming young entrepreneurs, and making an impact on their local, national and global communities. These trends remind me of a recent conversation I had with a student and her parents. “We want her to go to an Ivy League school,” the ninth-grade student’s parents said. When discussing her interests, the student spoke about her love for business but that there was no DECA club chapter at her current school and so she’d have to join another “similar” club or organization. When I suggested that she contact DECA to find out how to enlist her school as an official chapter and then begin the process of doing so, she finally realized the point I am trying to make. If there is something meaningful to you, go out and do it with all of your heart. At best you will impact your community in profound ways, at the very least, the experience will provide you with a story that may end up being the reason you get into a highly selective institution. Stop collecting experiences, start creating an impact and no matter what, you will find your best fit in life!
If you need help figuring out how to best articulate your story as part of the admission process or how to get involved in your community, contact Best Fit Educational Consulting at info@guidingyourfuture.com OR follow us on Twitter @EducationalFit.
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