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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 11:01 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
September 20, 2006
Keep your options open
Right about now you may be considering that long list of colleges you might apply to with an eye toward editing it down. You may decide to cut the ones that are too close, or too far away. Or too small, or too big. Whatevery you do, don't cut a school just because it's expensive. You may decide not to go there. You may decide you can't afford it. But you won't really know how much it will cost you until you get admitted, learn if you are eligible for scholarships, and see what the financial aid packages looks like.
I feel very passionately about this because I went to a private college. Not only was I the first person in my family to attend a private college, but I was part of the first generation of my family to go to college at all. My older siblings went to public colleges (not that there's anything wrong with that). Most people we knew were pretty sure that my mom and I wouldn't be able to afford a private education, but my sister convinced me to keep an open mind and see how the financial aid panned out.
In the end, it was going to cost just as much for me to go to a public college as a private one. Of the places I visited, the private college I attended was the college where I felt most at home.
I was reminded of all of this today when a colleague forwarded me the article A Little Learning Is an Expensive Thing. It makes some really excellent points. Like your family won't be paying for it yourselves, and you wouldn't like college if it was scrimping on facilities, and your future income will more than make up for educational expenses.
And then there is the acknowledgement that many students begin their adult lives in serious debt. Recently, my husband and I have been looking at houses to buy, so borrowing and affording have been hot topics of conversation. My mother in law brought up that favorite point of realtors: in a few years, your payment won't seem big anymore. You income will go up, inflation will go up, it'll start looking like a cute little sum next to, say, your gas bill. Student loans are the same way.
The other bit of wisdom we've been getting from my mother in law is to not be afraid to spend a bit more on something we will really be at home with.
That's definitely the case with education. Sure, the student loans seem eternal (their not), but at the end of it all, will you still be happy with your decision? I know I was because I went with the one that fit instead of the one with the lowest sticker price.
Posted by pls9 at 02:13 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
September 14, 2006
Reflections on 9/11
On Monday morning, members of the Case community paused for a moment of silence at the Binary Walkway, against a backdrop of 3,000 US flags, planted in memory of the victims of 9/11. Blowing gently in the wind, the small flags that proudly used to symbolize our childlike “love for country” somehow changed. I headed back to my office to begin my daily tasks but knew it would not be business as usual.
As commentators and media outlets began the tireless search for tomorrow’s news items, I quietly reflected on the important lesson 9/11 taught me: the deep human connection we all share. After seeing the horrible images that day five years ago, family was the only word, the only thought, on my mind. I needed a safe corner where everyone and everything was familiar. I desperately wanted to hug my sister and brothers and hear my mother’s reassuring voice say, “Everything’s going to be alright, honey.”
At the time, I was working as an International Student Advisor and felt my students’ anguish at not being able to touch or hug a family member. I had a unique perspective on 9/11, with one part on US soil and the other, an acute global view; answering phone calls from frantic parents in South America, Asia, the UK and the Middle East. We stayed glued to TV/computer screens, watching survivors, completely covered in gray ash, trickling out from the rubble. They were all one color and the message was clear: we are all one race, the human race. These students were innocent and our staff comforted them and each other.
The outpouring of world-wide compassion was emotionally overwhelming and was what we needed as a country, as a community, and as individuals. In that moment, we were united as one against the horrors of hate and intolerance. We realized how truly grateful we were to have family. If we did not have a family, our friends became family and our international neighbors became family as well. We shared that indelible, intangible connection called humanity. We cried from our souls for those who lost their lives that day. We prayed for mercy and guidance. As the incredulity of the scenes flashed across our screens, we all needed a national security blanket, a safe haven, to restore our sense of faith and trust. We needed to make sense of the events that morning: not only here in the US, but overseas as well!
I ponder today, where are we now as a nation five years later? Are we “kinder and gentler?” Have we built a “safer, stronger and better America?” Can we ever find that elusive ideal called peace? I believe we can. The sense of human connection we felt as a global community that terrible day is just beneath the surface. If we dig deep enough we can judge one another by the “content of [our] character” and our mutual strengths.
We all desire to be loved and needed. We hope to make positive contributions to society. We all have a unique journey. These common threads unite us all but we have to move beyond the barriers: cultural differences, dress, religion, accents, and race.
The question we must also now deliberate is where we will be 10, 20 or even 50 years from now. I see misplaced nationalism substituted as patriotism. Civil liberties are stripped away every day and the search for WMDs has shifted to IEDs with very little outcry. How long can we continue to have an “us vs. them” mentality? As Dr. Martin Luther King once said, “We must learn to live together as brothers or perish together as fools.”
We have to work harder each day to live productive, positive lives and unite as a global community. It can be done but it will come down to every individual choosing to do so.
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Please share your thoughts on this topic. Where were you on 9/11? What activities have you, your school or your community done to commemorate this day? How can we as individuals help unite our global community?
Posted by cxc11 at 02:29 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack