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July 07, 2006
Tales from Admission
At office luncheons and gatherings, there is little that an admission counselor enjoys more than a raucous round of "you should have met this applicant..." or "you wouldn't have believed this parent..." The longer you work in admission, the more stories you have to share. And apparently we are not alone, as students swap college tour debacles and guidance counselors recall parent/child conflicts, as highlighted in The Chronicle of Higher Education article, "Bribery Attempts, the Unbearable Pushiness of Parents, and Other Admission Tales."
While out walking my dog recently, I met a neighbor who teaches at our Law School and she was fascinated when I told her where I worked. "What is the craziest story you've read in an application?" I asked her if she wanted to hear the craziest essay I've read or the craziest set of circumstances imparted in an application and she practically squealed with excitement, "Both!" I told her that among the thousands I've read, many essays and situations were remarkable in the moment but faded with time, while others are still unbelievably vivid.
The most distressing essay I recall is one which described a cat being run over and killed by a car - all told from the cat's perspective. There were three significant problems with this writing sample. First, I have a background in counseling and it is well documented that an interest in animal suffering is an early indicator of mental illness. Second, I share my home with two cats. Third and most importantly, what was this student trying to impart to us with such an essay? Our application states "The essay should demonstrate your best possible work and offer insight into you as a person." What type of judgment does such an essay demonstrate? Any "insight" this essay offered was not any I wanted to have. What can you do to avoid the "over the top" writing sample?
Lest you think me a hardened and heartless admission counselor, I have to tell you that I contacted this student's guidance counselor to see if he/she could shed some light on the situation. Unfortunately, that was not the case. The counselor was already concerned about this student and supported my denial of admission.
What about those circumstances I mentioned? Under that topic I have too many to mention just one - real life dramas that are more Morgan Spurlock than TLC. Situations where I had to call the guidance counselor to be certain that the application wasn't some big hoax. Like the time I read about a student who lost a sibling at a young age and whose parents decided to raise their surviving child as if the sibling never existed. Apparently all went well until this applicant was a sophomore in high school and another family member felt that the student should be made aware of this deceased sibling. At which point the student understood that the dim memories were not dreams but actual recollections. The relationship between the parents and student spontaneously combusted as the student felt that everything they had lived had been a lie. A tragedy overall and devastating academically, as the student began a challenging junior year of AP courses and SATs.
We've also had the application that was a big hoax - where the applicant had never attended the reported high school and where the teachers and guidance counselors (though real people) did not write the letters of recommendation included. That application prompted dialogue with the Common Application to alert the folks there and share the knowledge with other colleges where this applicant had sent the fictional credentials. How did we catch that one? There were some inconsistencies and the letters of rec were all very similar in tone and style - every statement was superlative to the extreme - this applicant was the "best in my career" for all four people? Doubtful.
So what's the up side? We admission counselors whisper and giggle like kids when we have a famous (or infamous) student or parent on campus. We swap instant messages and emails late in the night when we're at home reading apps. Here is the text from an email I wrote this year:
Subject: How you know that you've gone over the edge?
When you actually type “Eureka!” in an application review because you are SO excited to read a unique, funny, insightful writing sample from a PPSP (that's Pre Professional Scholars Program) applicant.
The topic? The applicant’s proclivity for canker sores.
I wouldn’t kid you.
Posted by kas45 at July 7, 2006 02:30 PM
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