Myths and Misconceptions of the College Essay: Writing to Reveal Part 3

Myth #2: I have to tell the college what they want to hear.

Norman Rockwell's painting, "Girl in the Mirror", comes to mind.

This painting captures the tenuous nature of transition in life.

Here is a girl between bud and blossom.

Between her last doll and her first date.

Between childhood and adolescence.

She's alone somewhere in the house, probably in the attic, where she can be honest and vulnerable and real.

A magazine lays open her lap. A picture of a movie star stares up at her.

With her hands cupped gingerly against her chin, the young girl looks pensively into the mirror. One can only guess what she's thinking about. I surmise it has something to do with her past. And future. And whether or not she has that "star" feature, like the glossy woman in the magazine. And whether or not she will be accepted by the big, adult world out there.

Too often, I argue, our students think their essay has to be a mirror that reflects back to the college the kind of "movie star" personality that the college is searching for.

I have to sound cultured. worldly. sophisticated. erudite.

I have to look sharp. bookish. totally put together.

But the truth is that most colleges really aren't looking for a singular type of personalities.

Of course colleges are looking for bright, motivated, caring, and hard working students.

But all of those qualities come bursting through a student's transcript, resume, and teacher recommendations.

In the essay, however, colleges are asking, Would this student both contribute and benefit from our community?

Because in the end colleges are learning communities. Thus colleges are looking for a plurality of personalities. With different stories. And backgrounds. And voices. And perspectives.

That's what makes a learning community hum and pop with life, energy, and possibility.

Myths and Misconceptions of the College Essay: Writing to Reveal Part 2

Myth #1: I have to cast myself as the hero (aka The Superman essay).

Often students feel a pressure to use their essay to strip off their "ordinariness" and flash their heroic "S" to college admissions folk.

Undoubtedly, all teenagers struggle with a sense of identity. At 17 and 18 years old, we are all still trying to figure out who we are.

As a result, many students try to mask insecurity by projecting a titanic personality into their essay.

I started a school in Cambodia.

I revamped the Stuco system.

I hit the game winning shot against Heritage Hall.

So often student's fail then to understand that what the admission reader wants to connect to is the student's humanness. Not their superhumanness.

I learned my Cambodian alphabet from a six year old with scabs on her feet.

I served 600 pancakes in four years while on the Stuco leadership team.

I watched as my fall away jumper rimmed in and out as the buzzer sounded.

These are the stories that endear us to the reader and forge that connective tissue.

Myths and Misconceptions of the College Essay: Writing to Reveal Part 1

Mark Hoven and I had an opportunity to present at our annual GPACAC (Greater Plains Association of College Admission Counselors) conference in KC last week. Our presentation's title, "Myths and Misconceptions of the College Essay: Writing to Reveal".

Essentially this presentation was a distillation of what we will introduce to our seniors this summer during our college essay workshops.

Mark and I began by demystifying the essay's audience. Often times students broach the college essay thinking they are writing to an audience that looks like this guy.

A J.R.R. Tolkien type. Someone who wears a rumpled blazer. And smokes on a pipe. And lives among musty, old books. And peppers conversation with Latin phrases like "sine qua non".

This is the kind of person, I clarify with my seniors, you will write for in college. But not to get into college.

So who is my audience?

Someone more like this.


That's one of our Vandy college officers. His name is Chris. But I like to call him "JT" (aka Justin Timberlake). Believe it or not, most college admissions officers are far closer to a senior's age than mine. Like you (the senior), JT text messages probably 500 times a month; has a Facebook page; likes Taylor Swift's music if not has a crush on Taylor; and if you were to drop a one-liner from Wedding Crashers or The Hangover, he would probably laugh and retort with a one-liner himself.

What is important to remember is that 85% of the 3,000+ colleges and universities in the U.S. admit more than 50% of their applicants. That means that the majority of schools out there are looking for a reason to accept you as opposed to a reason not to accept you.

Vandy Fly-In

This last weekend I got a chance to attend a Vanderbilt fly-in event with 98 other counselors from around the country. It was my first time to both Nashville and Vandy. I couldn't have asked for better weather on the day we toured the campus. I was struck by the grand, colonial-style buildings with the red brick and white pillars.
Time magazine did a feature article on Vandy's new Commons. These living quarters house freshman and faculty. It's a bit of a social experiment to try and create a deeper sense of community among the students and professors. It's not "uncommon" (no pun intended) for students to watch ESPN game day on Saturday morning in their PJ's with their professor of sociology. One minute they are talking SEC football. The next they are talking about racial and socio-economic issues.

I had a chance to sit in on two classes. The first was a Modern Philosophy class. The lecture was on the Enlightenment Project, specifically the theological movement called deism. What I loved about this class was watching the students. As I watched this young man go from typing notes, to checking his Facebook, to shopping for a new polo; I realized that Vandy kids aren't that different than Casady kids.
The Vandy highlight for me was visiting Dr. Baldwin's class, "MLK and the Role of Social Religion". Dr. Baldwin's lecture unpacked Dr. King's metaphor of the "global house". I was reminded once again that, "Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere."
This is one of our Vandy officers. I called him JT because he looks like Justin Timberlake.

Admissions this year to Vandy were BRUTAL.

Here are a few statistics.

Vandy admitted about 38% ED.

Vandy admitted overall only 17.5%.

Cornell admitted around 17%.

Vandy is quickly becoming the "Ivy of the South".

Ten years ago Vandy admitted 60%.

My oh my. How times have changed.

Many assume that Vandy favors legacy student applicants.

This year 2,300 alumni kids applied to Vandy.

Only 22% were admitted.

So what I learned was this: if you want Vandy, you jump on the Early Decision Train.

Otherwise you better have an ACT of 34 and high (or SAT equivalent) in regular admission. If you don't, you just aren't getting into Vandy.

An Open Letter to UD Faculty

First off, I want to thank many of you who wrote letters of recommendation on behalf of our seniors. I can't tell you how many admission officers have singled many of you out as examples of the "best of the best" letters. Nuanced, honest, and anecdotal -- your letters really do positively influence the decisions that colleges make on our students. And thus far, I'll have you know, the majority of responses from colleges have been positive. Our kids are hearing a resounding "Yes!" from the majority of the schools they are applying to. Take Washington University in St. Louis, for example. Their acceptance rate hovers around 17%. This year, during their most competitive admission pool in history, Wash U admitted 5 of our 8 applicants. That's a tremendous testimony not only to our seniors but also to your talent, passion, and commitment to excellence as teachers.

Having said this, there are still a large bag of admission letters en route to our seniors. Like in years past, it will certainly be a mixed bag. There will be plenty of "Yes" letters; there will be a smattering of "No" letters as well. I say this to you because between now and April 1st you might want to keep an eye out for seniors who might need a word of comfort or encouragement. Don't be surprised if a handful skip a class or two, fail to submit homework, or bomb a quiz. It's important then that we are a community that showcases sympathy and understanding, while at the same time holding our kids to our standards. It's a tough tension to live in - I understand. And I find it is always a challenge this time of year to step into each student's world and just be present with them. To rejoice with those who rejoice. To weep with those who weep.

Finally, as seniors begin to weigh college options, please be sensitive to what you say if and when they ask for your advice. Your words carry immense weight. I learned the hard way that a comment as benign as "I"m surprised you would go to OU over X prestigious school" did more psychic damage to the student than I ever intended. It's only when I took this job that I discovered how every college choice a family (not just student) makes involves a complicated mass underneath, like an iceberg. In today's economic climate, in particular, I anticipate we will see more of our families place a premium on affordability and thus choose colleges that will meet that family need. So please be sensitive to all that is buried just beneath the surface with our seniors when it comes to their final college choice.

Thanks for all you do to help our kid's succeed both in college admissions and well beyond!

Cheers,

Josh

Henry Broaddus, Dean of Admission, William and Mary

Henry Broaddus, Dean of Admission at William and Mary, has a blog post today in The Washington Post entitled "Reading college applications."

Mr. Broaddus' insightful and entertaining article provides an eye-opening portal into the bleary-eyed realities that come with admissions work this time of year.

To read the full article click here.

On February 17-18, Mr. Broaddus will be on Casady's campus to speak and facilitate discussion at Junior College Night, as well as speak in chapel to all UD students.

The College Counseling staff is anxious to get Mr. Broaddus on campus to bring his expertise and relevant message to our whole community.

Class of 2010 Application Trends

Many of you have probably heard through the weekly UD push page about our college acceptances to date. I thought though I would fill you in on other statistics and trends that we are seeing with the Class of 2010.

What has held steady this year, like last year, is that our seniors are applying to schools that all have "the right fit" in mind.

As of 2:13 pm today, here are the numbers:

75 seniors

373 total applications to 131 different colleges and universities

4.9 application average per student

114 in state applications

259 out of state applications

54 early applications

by 31 students

The Top 10 Most Applied To Colleges:

#1 OU (60 apps)
#2 OSU (27 apps)
#3 TCU (19 apps)
#4 Tulsa (16 apps)
#5 Arkansas, Baylor, Rhodes, SMU, Wash U in St. Louis (8 apps)
#6 UCO, Vanderbilt (7 apps)
#7 UT, Trinity, Tulane (7 apps)
#8 Northwestern, USC (5 apps)
#9 UNC, Hendrix, KU (4 apps)
#10 Auburn, Belmont, UCLA, U. of Chicago, Emory, Kenyon, San Diego, Sewanee, Texas A&M, Princeton (3 apps)

New Colleges (at least one student applied to):

American Musical and Dramatic Academy
Averett University
Avila University
Cornell College
Drexel University
Elon University
Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University
Furman University
Fordham University
Lynn University
Montclaire State University
Muhlenberg College
UNLV
Ohio Wesleyan University
Rider University
Stetson University
Wellesley College
Westmont College
Wheaton College (MA)
Whitworth University

Last year 65% of our seniors went out of state. We anticipate the same percentage of seniors will do the same, especially if the scholarship/merit monies continue to pour in.

Overall, this senior class has embodied a spirit of adventure that has energized all of us on the college counseling staff. Way to go, Class of 2010!