A New Approach To College Admissions
Over the past decade I have counseled high school students as they write their college application essays. What I have observed more and more in recent years, is that students who will clearly be extraordinary citizens are overlooked by top universities. These are students who are intelligent, have worked hard academically, are creative and have made longterm commitments to causes that they believe in their hearts will improve society. These are students with strength of character and the ability to work well with others. The problem is, they may not be a valedictorian. They may not have near-perfect SAT scores. They may not have done anything eye-catching or glamorous that they can write about in their essays. For example, they may have spent four years on a committee working with faculty and staff of their high school to improve the student academic experience rather than placing 2nd in a national spelling bee or starting a tech company. In other words, colleges do not seem to have a good way to recognize excellent human beings.
Fortunately educational institutions are beginning to recognize this shortfall. The article below from InsideHigherEd.com points to a groundswell of reform thinking and the potential for new and improved assessments and transcripts.
