Dear College Applicant
Dear College Applicant,
Are you a junior? A senior? Have you just taken your first look at the Common Application? Or are you trying to create a list of schools based on virtual tours, Zoom sessions, and information you have gleaned from various college sites? You are not alone in the universe...3.7 million high school students are expected to graduate this year.
Can I make you any promises? One, well two; the process will be time consuming and arduous, but, two, it WILL be all worth it in the end.
College will likely prove to be one of the most memorable and enjoyable times in your life. You will have autonomy like you probably have never experienced before, and, for the most part, you will be exploring subjects and choosing courses that you want. You will make friends that will stay friends for life and you will grow and mature in ways you could never have possibly imagined and ways that will set you up for your next steps in life. It is a time of choice and independence, of being treated like an adult.
As a college student, you will be challenged, but in a good way. Your mind will be opened up to embrace subjects you enjoy in much deeper and more complex fashions; work in college will not be ‘busy work;’ there may be more of it and it might be more intense, but you will be excited about it and committed to it. Intro classes may start larger, but the more you specialize, the smaller classes will get, and professors -while still calling the overarching shots - may feel more like colleagues and less like teachers.
You will be in charge of your schedule, your time, your fun. You need to exercise self-discipline and organization, or this could go awry and that won’t be fun for anyone. Colleges and universities also have personnel to help with this if you feel some help is needed, but unlike high school, you need to be proactive and go and ask for it.
You’re roommate(s), floor mates, dorm mates, will not be your parents or siblings; you’ll be living with peers. It may not always go smoothly but it will be an opportunity for fun and bonding, and remember it did not always go smoothly at home either.
Mom won’t be cooking for you and your refrigerator will likely be a mini fridge, your kitchen a microwave. But frequenting cafeterias on campus can be some of the most social times of the day - a nice reprieve from school work, and no one will be telling you what to eat or now much, but choose wisely young grasshopper.
Your school will have a fully outfitted gym and tons of other options for recreation through clubs, organizations, intramurals sports and more. Get involved, stay healthy, and find balance.
In essence, so much of what happens at college is richer: more diverse friend groups, endless academic options and opportunities, the ability to make those steps into adulthood and the responsibility that comes with it, unlimited moments to grow.
That’s my description of promise #2, and it is also the carrot I dangle as the reward for sticking with and giving your all to promise #1 -- application to college has fun moments but is probably not what you would describe as fun and will require unwavering commitment to quality work and effort. Reminder: it WILL be worth it.
The college application process may just be the most complicated application undertaking you ever complete. It certainly will be the most complicated process you have seen thus far in your 17 years.
You’re likely studying for an SAT/ACT, taking AP and honors classes and preparing for your AP tests. You are being very conscientious about your GPA and now you need to identify your interest and desires, as best you can, and create a list of schools through hours of research, visits, and online sessions. The list must demonstrate balance between: likely, target and reach schools. For the actual application, you will need to draft an engaging and unique common app essay, potentially complete 2-3 supplements per school, endless short answer questions, possibly interview prep, and a full-fledged resume. Yikes!
It is hard to know how and why this process became such an undertaking. Some suggest it developed historically over time in a search for equity as our country grew. The first applications, in the early 19th century, were simply transcripts meant to prove that the required work individually established by each Ivy League school to be college eligible had been completed. Once this was established, admissions committees would select applicants on the basis of family connections, the prestige of the prep school they attended, and other exhibitions of favoritism. While the 1810s application might have been easier to complete, getting in might not have been.
Things changed in the late 1900s. There was an attempt to standardized application requirements and transcripts, and essays were now required -- sound familiar? Harvard pioneered this movement to the inclusion of an essay; it was, “a short extemporaneous essay rated by teachers.” In which, “more than half of the students failed, and many had to take "subfreshman" courses or undergo extra-curricular tutoring.” Maybe that was a sign :).
The evolution of college admissions did not stop there. Aptitude tests were yet to become a factor. This changed post- World War I with the introduction of the first IQ tests to help sort draftees. While these tests were quickly discredited, the notion of using a measure to assess aptitude stuck and in 1926, The Scholastic Aptitude Test was introduced - the SAT - which gained significant momentum with the advent of scanners that completed the grading. All these changes gave way to the prototype of the college application we have today which saw its last noteworthy change with the arrival of the Common Application in 1998.
Where students used to apply to 3-5 colleges, the Common Application now made it ‘easy’ to apply to 10 or more schools, providing you are willing to complete the additional school specific supplements.
Philosophically, each metamorphosis of the college application was set in motion to address a bias. It would be hard to remove any of these factors without the potential or reintroduincg the bias that was meant to be addressed or creating new ones. Given, there is probably little argument that college admissions still has inherent biases, a movement to less complicated admissions processes seems far less likely and the development of ones with more components seems more probable. Just examine the last year with test-optional admissions becoming the year’s norm as a result of Covid-19. Arguments could easily be made on both sides of the bias issue with testing not being required.
In any event, the process we face this cycle is as is. Is it daunting? Yes. Are the expectations and requirements formidable? Indeed they are. Does it require time and discipline? Unquestionably. But you will only do this once - unless you decide to transfer schools - and transfer applicants usually have very good reasons for taking on this exercise a second time.
Our advice remains steadfast.
Start early
Stay organized
Chunk the work to avoid becoming overwhelmed
Be deadline conscious
And seek help should you need it
After all, you are only 17.
Sincerely,
Gateway Admissions