OCTOBER 2022
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THE BRIDGE TO COLLEGE

What Parents Get Wrong About U.S. College Admissions

By Robert LeVine

Let’s start with the basics. The U.S.A. is, well, the U.S.A. We do things differently here, like our addiction to individual freedom. And college admissions.

As a starting point, recognize that American colleges are actually older than the U.S. itself. Our country started with a revolution in 1776. Harvard began 140 years earlier, in 1636.

As a result, our system of higher education developed from private groups, often churches. Later, when the 13 colonies became 13 states and then 50 states, our concept of federalism (separate sovereignty between federal and state governments) led to the development of public universities. Florida has 12 public universities. California has nine undergraduate institutions, plus 23 campuses of its state university system.

Although both state and private universities are open to everyone, they have different purposes. The Ohio State University is designed for the citizens of the Great State of Ohio. Ivy League schools? They are not owned or designed by any federal, state or governmental entity. While the job of a public university is to educate as many students as possible, the job of a private university is to educate students as well as possible.

The best part of the U.S. college system is that our schools do not agree on how to educate. They employ a wide variety of curricular structures. You can find schools that teach in ways that you learn best. Yet although they disagree on how to present education, they agree on one thing:

To offer the best possible education, utilize every resource you have. The most significant asset on campus, in both quantity and quality? The students.

At every school, there are more students than professors, and students talk to each other much more than they chat with their teachers. Therefore, our best colleges want to collect and enhance the education that naturally arises from human interaction. This is why diversity – of all types – is so important to our schools. When students share diverse ideas and experiences, they teach and learn from each other.

For this reason, America’s best colleges tend to be residential schools, institutions where students stay on campus instead of splintering into apartments. To achieve the goal of robust interaction, the colleges select students who interact well with each other.

Think of it this way. If a student does not talk or otherwise interact, does that student contribute to anyone but themselves? If a student is unpleasant, does the campus community benefit from a social cancer?

I remember asking my first Harvard admissions representative to explain the single most important factor in admissions decisions. How did the committee make its choices between applicants? Sophia’s answer has stuck with me for over a decade: “Usually, it’s the nicer kids who get in.”

Nice???

Yes, personality matters. In fact, of all the factors used to grade applicants in our holistic system of admissions, who you are as a human being is the most important determinant. You may not want to believe that, but trust me, it’s true.

In simple terms, college applications are evaluated in two stages. The first pieces are primarily objective: grades, test scores and performance in extracurricular activities. The second pieces are almost exclusively subjective: essays, recommendation letters, school reports and interview reports.

When admissions officers read your application, just “stay in the game” for the first part. Be qualified. Yet many, many applicants are qualified. For the second part of the application – the essays – charm them. Get into their heads and their hearts. It’s a concept often called “reader love,” and it’s universal. When humans read written materials, human nature becomes involved. Admissions is emotional.

That’s why you’ll often hear me say: “Admissions is much more like dating than you can ever imagine.” Remember, few people decide to date someone because of a resume!

The colleges are trying to create communities. Make a relationship with them through your application.

What do parents get wrong about admissions? I heard it just yesterday: “How do we prove that our daughter is better than the other applicants?”

It’s not about “better.” It’s about “more desirable.” Nice people tend to write essays in a way that is endearing; after all, being nice is natural to them. Nice people tend to excite and energize teachers to write better recommendation letters. Nice people get stronger support from their high schools. Nice people enchant interviewers.

Whenever we hosted a dinner party for our new Harvard admits, the one line that was spoken all night by our people?

What a nice group of kids!

Robert LeVine is the founder and CEO of University Consultants of America, an independent educational consultancy assisting students around the world with applications to colleges, universities and graduate schools. For more information, call University Consultants of America, Inc. at 1-800-465-5890 or visit www.universitycoa.com


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