Scrolling through the blog, I've noticed a lot of people are deciding to use their one college-rant post up this week. It's totally understandable seeing that we are in over-drive mode at this point for all those early applications. Although I've clearly set myself up to broach the subject, I don't think I'm ready to get my rant out. In fact, while I completely understood and felt myself many of the complaints of my peers, I want to respond with a little look on the other side.
Colleges are deluged with applicants in a nation that overbearingly pushes the necessity of the experience (albeit this may be largely colleges' fault). To continue to be profitable and considered "good", colleges must wade through their applicant piles to find the students who will not only do well and push themselves while attending, but will also make the campus a better place to be and make a good name for the college by doing well afterwards (plus hopefully repay them with hefty donations). Test scores and GPA will likely inform a college as to the first point, but they don't display what kind of personality they are accepting onto their campus. But just as it's impossible for a student to explain their whole life in a single essay, colleges are left in the position of never being able to know as much as they'd like, no matter how many questions they ask. And their admissions counselors certainly wouldn't have enough time for it if there was a way.
So colleges have screwed us over, but they've also screwed themselves over. College admissions go badly for everyone involved, until the tuition deposits flow in and it all seems to gloss over again...
This anti-rant counts as a rant, I think :)
ReplyDeleteI really like this post. I think most people neglect to realize that college and the college application process is a business. Some people are in it just to make money.
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