Thursday, January 15, 2009

Applying for college - almost like rolling dice

Kathleen Kingsbury reports on Dirty Secrets of College Admissions. She starts with:

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While you’re anxiously mailing off those college applications this week, you might want to recalibrate your expectations based on your race, your wealth, and whether the NFL team in the city where that college is located is on a losing streak. The shadowy world of college admissions has left millions of confused and frustrated rejects in its wake. (So stop practicing the oboe.) Current and former admissions officers from colleges and universities across the country talked to the Daily Beast about why attending a good high school can hurt your chances, the perils of too many recommendations, and why white girls from Jersey barely have a chance.
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The rest of the post is quotes from admissions officials and others involved in the admission process. One admission official said:

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One night, I got food poisoning at a restaurant in Buffalo. The next day, I rejected all the Buffalo applications. I couldn’t stomach reading them.
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It is an interesting article. A bit scary just how arbitrary the process seems to be.

(Hat tip Lillian Jones via the HSC mailing list)


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1 comment:

Angela said...

Huh. I applied to one university, which I got in to. I think the 'roll of the dice' only applies to schools higher up on the tier. Don't most universities practically have open enrollment (the reason for so many remedial classes)?