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September 28, 2006
Does the admission race kill creativity?
There was an interesting article in the Cleveland Plain Dealer about college admissions anxiety. One of the points, made by an admissions counselor at MIT, that really caught my eye was this:
The students were remarkably accomplished, but she worried the résumé rat race had quashed creativity..."You don't see the kind of wild innovation from individuals you used to see," Jones said over lunch during a recent interview. "You see a lot of group and team projects overseen by professionals, but you don't see the kind of rogue, interesting stuff that we used to see at MIT."
It made me think of all the unexpected, creative and downright weird things that I've heard of our students doing on the side. Like the folks at the Case Daily cartoon (not to be confused with the official Case Daily. Or the guys who invaded MediaVision-broadcast Chem classes in Pacman outfits. And those are two recent ones I can think of off the top of my head, link to, and not get anyone in trouble.
Case admission counselors LOVE unique admission essays that reveal candidates individuality (see admission essay tips) or personal interviews in which students really reveal their creativity.
Which makes me wonder... Is the creativity not happening, or is it often just not being communicated to admissions? There's this idea floating around in culture and the media about what a "perfect" application looks like, and I wonder if people edit out the off-the-wall things and just focus on extracurriculars, leadership positions, etc., because they think that's what is expected.
How has admission pressure affected you? Has it cramped your style and creativity?
Posted by pls9 at September 28, 2006 11:01 AM
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