We are a told from a young age that we can do anything we set our minds to. Work ethic and perseverance are often seen as a means with which we can achieve all of our goals. Unfortunately, that’s simply not true. Although we may try our best, that doesn’t guarantee we’ll receive it.
The most egregious example of this truth is college admissions. At a lot of schools, admissions officers try and reassure students that they look beyond numbers. Along with a bunch of other buzzwords, they talk of a holistic process in which they look at everything. Grades and test scores are to be considered alongside personal characteristics and activities. While this process is great in theory, colleges neglect a major flaw.
At the young age of 17, we are asked to portray who we are, what we value, and what we want to do all in a series of short and lackluster boxes. Admissions officers are given 5 to 10 minutes to look at our whole being and make a decision. This process may be helpful for admissions officers, but it brings severe doubt, panic, and depression from the applicants.
Faced with rejection, we convince ourselves the process is random and unrelated to what we’ve done. In reality, this process is far from random. It may be instinctual, but decisions are certainly based on something. The problem with rejection from colleges, most of which use a holistic process, is that it’s not just a rejection of numbers, it is a rejection of your very being. A rejection means that an admissions officer looked at everything you provided and decided that it wasn’t enough. Even if they claim it’s a problem of “fit”, that just means that you aren’t able to truly assess yourself.
I don’t know about everyone else, but I’m not going to shrug off rejection. Looking inward, I’m going to meet each vapid rejection letter with serious thought.
Very true, do you think ND does the same thing?
ReplyDeleteI agree with the point you are making about the admissions process, but I'm not sure if I understand your opinion on it. Do you think that it's a mostly flawed system (that brings "doubt, panic, and depression) or that it provokes critical self-criticism in a positive way (encouraging "serious thought")?
ReplyDeleteI really like your passion about the college process. I think you expose a hard truth when you talk about the college admission officers rejecting who you are, and the blunt idea that, in their opinion, you are just not good enough to attend their college. I also respect your judgmental approach to rejection, because if they have a right to judge you, then you undoubtedly have a right to do the same.
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