The Gatekeepers
So, how are you all feeling about the college admissions process? Use this space to comment on the book. Pick out the most frightening bits of information. Find the things that give you hope. You can also engage in general discussions about colleges, the admissions process...it's pretty wide open.
For example, my tip of the week is to check out McGill University in Montreal. Top-notch school, a northern UC-Berkeley, in a great town (Montreal is tres cool), driving distance, and at about half the price of tuition at an equivalent school. Not a bad deal, if I do say so...
posted by Ms. Clapp @ 10:22 PM
37 comments
37 Comments:
Ladies and gentlemen, I feel your pain. The admissions process is a bit of a mystery..now while that's not that new, the business that has grown up around college admissions has changed the way the game is played and you, as MHS students, are not (remember this, Tania) starting in the same place as the kids at Exeter or Andover (the $35,000+ a year prep schools) and this is a disadvantage, but also can be an advantage. To clear a couple of things up: you need to remember that Amherst and Wesleyan are both top ranked liberal arts colleges...and a big part of that ranking has to do with number of applicants, number of students admitted, and yield. Some schools deliberately do not play this game because they want students suited to their school; this does not make them inferior schools. Get over the name. For example, do you know what school produces the highest percentage of students who go on to get a Ph.D.? Harvard? Wrong. Princeton? Wrong. Stanford? Wrong. Reed College? Bingo! Go look it up. And while you're at it, look at the percetage of applicants they accept.
Another book I really recommend is "Looking Beyond The Ivy League: Choosing the College that's Right for You." It will help you figure out what you want in a school besides what the sweatshirt says!
Tania, your life is not boring and it's not really what you've done, it's how you've thought about it and expressed it...Make a list of all of your clear memories, moments, good and bad, and really think about them. What have they meant to you? Who are you and how did you become this fascinating person?
Vinh, please don't use the M-word in your posts...
I'm about half way through the Gatekeepers now. The more i read this book the more nervous i get. The entire college process is so stressful and scary. I can't believe i actually have to go through it! Oh my! I'm reading about all these great students and all their excellent qualities that I don't have. I'm really worried about not having that special "ummph" that makes me stand out next to thousand of other students around the world. I don't have that one talent that can push me above and beyond other applicants. I mean, I don't play the oboe nor am I the top student of the class,who recieves the best grades. I am involved in the school, I'm officers of clubs, and i play sport, I get good grades, yet i feel so mediocre. Also I hate how this book stresses SAT scores a so much.I know how important it is, but I personally don't think this test should be held so highly in the admission process. In some cases they will show the true potential of a student, but other times it doesn't. I may just be saying this because my SAT scores were not so great, but i do get good grades in school and don't think this test shows my true academic abilities. I'm afraid it will counteract all my grades and extra-circulars. I am not saying this should not use the test in the process, im simply saying that it should not be considered so strongly. However, i would not oppose NOT having the test either.THIS IS ALL SO STRESSFUL! I don't even know what I am going to write about in my college essay. I feel like everything in my life is so typical, and since essays can either determine whether or not you can get into a college or not, I want mine to be good. No, I want it to be amazing, but i just can't find a topic that I think i can wow the admissions office with.Well, until then I will continue reading and see what else this book has to offer. I really do think this is an informative and helpful book.
I found the part in the book where Ralph sits down and reads through the applications at home rather interesting. I like how at times some factors can make the admissions officer sympathize with you. It can be beneficial or the complete opposite. I'm glad that in some cases your extra ciriculars can balance and cancel out average grades or vice versa. I agree with Vinh on how there is no one way of deciding if someone is admitted into a college or not. In some cases it depends on the person and their point of view and what they believe in. For example, one of the admissions officers strongly believed in affirmative action,therefore, he was in favor of Aggie Ramirez. Things like this make me a bit nervous. The whole process is a bit bias.I guess all we can do is just fill out our application the best we can and hope that who we are and what we have done is good enough for that college.
Hey Everyone,
Some very interesting comments here. While I agree with Tommy that you have to package yourself a little bit, the most important thing to think about it what college will be right for you. It can backfire on you to package yourself for a school that is not a good fit for you. I have a friend from LA who got into Brown, but ended up having to take some time off midway because he was not prepared for that environment. You need to spend the most time looking into colleges and picking the ones that would be a good fit for you, then presenting them with the best "you" you can be. Don't think "well, these are the best colleges, so I need to sell myself to them." Say "what will be the best place for me?" What do you really want - beside a name? And bear in mind that colleges, like people, have personalities. For example, Wesleyan and Williams are similar in rank, difficulty of admission, etc. But Williams is pretty conservative (think future lawyers/MBAs/Republicans) and Wesleyan is superliberal (think filmmakers/peace corp members/Democrats). You need to know a little bit about that personality to find out if you will see yourself there. Not that you shouldn't put yourself into a new environment, but this is definitely a consideration. A huge part of what the prep school colleg couselors do is help kids figure this out. Don't shortchange this aspect of your college search.
As for the SATs, they generally tell colleges about one thing: your ability to think quickly. You will all be interested to know that the students most likely to succeed in college are those who have taken at least one AP class. So look where you all are!
As for the M***** aspect, yes, you lose a little bit by not having the guaranteed gold star education of, say, Exeter. But you do have difference and the ability to stand out. And, you are unlikely to be competing for admission agains a large population of very qualified students from your own school. If you choose well, you will likely be one of a very few. Plus, you have the national standard of AP and the SATs to demonstrate that you have been challenged.
So the biggest message here is: CHOOSE, don't just follow the pack.
After reading this book I'm stressing over the classes I chose for next year. I feel like if i'm not taking 5 ap classes then the college will think im not challenging myself. I'm only planning on taking 2 next year and im not taking physics, so i don't have the three "golden" science classes. Most of these things the book looked down upon was something that I've done. It's quite fustrating. Now that I've finished the book, I'm as worried or even more than I was about the college process. It was really helpful seeing the entire process from the beginning to the end. I wish i read this earlier, it would have made a great impact on the last few years i've had in high school.However, it was nice seeing that the students aren't the only ones who stress over the admissions and acceptance process, the colleges do as well. It's nice to see them stress and try to win over the top students in the country. Jullianna, for instance, all the colleges wanted her to attend their school. It must have felt great knowing you were that coveted by all the top schools.
This book gave me a lot of insight into this dreaded process. I think im going to make my younger sister read it, because it's so informative. I wish someone made me read it when i was a freshman.I would have done a lot of things differently.
I haven't started the book yet, but I just wanted to share my thoughts on the whole college process.
I am terrified. I'm so scared that I'm not going to get into any of the colleges I want, and that I'm going to end up living with my mom 'til I'm 30 years old. Jobless.
Ok, maybe I'm exaggerating a bit, but I'm still really really scared. I went on a college tour this afternoon with Tania, and I don't know if it was because it was my first tour ever, but the tour just made me more tense about the whole thing. I've been obsessing over all this. I basically live on collegeboard.com and princetonreview.com (personally I prefer Princeton Review).
I really have no idea where I'm going with this, so I'll stop now. It's kind of random, but I was doing some serious college searching just now, so I decided to come on over here and post what I felt.
Ok then, goodnight all.
Once again, folks, less stress, more research. Select your college. And remember that there are a lot of myths out there about colleges that aren't true, such as Ivy League colleges are the most difficult to get into (as Becca and others found, Cornell is easier to get into than the little ivies) and there are many, many fantastic colleges you've never heard of. Look at U.S. News & World Reports list of say, the top 30 national liberal arts colleges. I bet you haven't heard of a lot of them and they are amazing. Grinnell. Macalester. Oberlin. If I had to apply all over again, this would be my list: Reed, St.John's(Annapolis), Carleton, Middlebury, Colorado. I'd probably still apply to Wesleyan (I'll forgive Huy for dissing on my alma mater, but I would recommend you look up the word "archaic" - it doesn't mean what you think it does)but, though I loved it, I might have liked one of the others better.
Take advantage of Lily's offer as well - those old APES have a lot to give...
I know that the college selection process is a rigorous adventure for students. This is why I've been looking into schools since I was much younger. I am the only person I know who does not care at all about a college's name. A college is a college and it's the matter of effort you put into it that determines the type of education you get when you graduate.
The only thing that I never really looked at before was the financial aspect of college. Since I've had my job I have seen first hand just how hard it is to earn a dollar.(Constant cuts, bruises, trips to the hospital, near death falls, near fatal accidents, but that's just me because I am willing to take the risk.) For me, I'm going to law school some time after college and I am positive that it will cost at least thirty thousand dollars a year. ($30,000 x 3 years = $90,000(Holy Crap!!!)) That total does not even include the 4 years of college I must go through beforehand! I would rather save up my money and use it on law school later in life especially since I will have a better-paying job while I'm going to law school.
To me, I'd rather get my diploma and education from a good state school than get the same thing from and Ivy League school plus a gigantic debt. If an Ivy League school wants to take me for free, I'LL SELL OUT hehe.
I'm looking towards the future where I'd rather not have to work for years to pay off my debts, but I'd rather work to earn my living and remain happy, not concerned about financial matters. Okay, so that was just my piece on the whole college portion.
So, I have finished the book and I have to say that I'm not surprised too much.
I honestly did not know how serious these officers took the admission process and that it was like the government going into a red day from the homeland security office. However, I did know the basis for how colleges accepted students and it works in both a good and bad way.
To me, the repetitive nature of the selections seemed to be according to race, and that really stuck in the back of my mind. The suspicion that I had was, "What if some white student whose dream it wass to go to a certain college is denied his or her dream because some racially diverse student who hasn't performed as well as his or her peer was accepted due to a racial quota?" To me, that seems odd. I don't think that race should play a factor in the selection process because race does not reflect who a person is academically. If you are offended by what I'm writing, it's just my opinion. I'm speaking this way because I can put myself in that position where I am denied not for my academic performance but for the mere factor that I am white. It just doesn't feel right to me that my dream should be crushed and my future altered for that simple reason. Granted I am somewhat for the process because it does give more opportunity to all students around the world, but with that opportunity comes a certain denial of someone elses. I really don't have a say in how the process works, I'm just speaking my mind.
There was a part in the book that set me off on page 142. At the bottom, it states that "had Aggie been white or even Asian American, Ralph had to concede, she'd have gotten a 3 from him." Now because Aggie was a Hispanic she received an extra point. That just didn't seem right to me.
Okay, that is the part that I didn't really like about the admission process.
So for the part that I did like about the college admission process that does overshadow the race aspect was the deep and involved way that the admissions officers look into the students background and personal history.
I was entrigued at how they look at the fact that there was "no college in the family" and that "there was no personal family matters" that could attribute to a students not-so-up-to-par performance.
This really gives me hope because I fall under those categories so they'll be lenient with me hehe. I guess this is the portion that gives me hope. I have always felt that I can't really live up to my full potential with my family problems and other personal matters, and it makes me sweat less knowing that colleges take these into account.(Although my shirt is stuck to me right now, I believe it was 103 degrees in this room last time I checked) I guess I'll sleep better knowing that I have chosen my college years ago and that I might be shown mercy so I don't have to beat myself up for anything.
OK, first I would like to try to get rid of the huge cloud over my head that has RUINED MY WHOLE SUMMER!!—also known as the omnipresent issue of college. I am so so so so afraid. First of all, I really don't know what school I want to go to, and this uncertainty is tormenting me. I feel like I have to apply to some Ivies, but yes, Ms. Clapp, I am trying to look beyond that. I was also kind of looking into Wesleyan, but first of all, now a million people are going to apply there because of Gatekeepers, and second of all, I'll just be falling into the marketing trap that Jacques Steinberg is setting. Yes, the many times that Steinburg has noted what a prestigious school Wesleyan is have not escaped my radar. I'm also really upset because my parents have imposed this two-hour radius for what colleges I can attend, which I feel like is severely limiting my options!! I know like Tania and Dan said, you can get a good education at any school, but I want the school to be the PERFECT school, the one that is just right for me, and what if that school happens to be outside that two-hour radius? The first school I was actually interested in was Reed, one of Ms. Clapp's choices, but that's in Oregon! So many good schools are now eliminated. Picking the right school is so intimidating, especially because I feel like this is the biggest decision of my whole life that is going to impact my whole future and I am so very bad at making decisions (I switched my schedule like three times… so much for early decision). Also, my resume is very lacking in certain cases, like volunteer work, and even if I try to make up for it by doing tons of volunteer work just this year, the admissions officers are going to see this inconsistency. And my participation in a lot of my clubs has been equally spotty, which looks terrible. I definitely feel Sandra’s pain in feeling inadequate in the eyes of colleges. I find myself thinking all the time, “Will this look good on a college resume?” I know it is a horrible way to think but college has just taken over my life. In addition, I was so envious over the advantages that the Harvard Westlake kids have, how they have a counselor that actually knows them and spends so much time trying to help them decide the perfect college. I didn’t even know who my guidance counselor was until last year. And up until very recently, I knew very little about the college process in general because the school makes little effort to educate us about it. It is so unfair how money still makes such a big difference in getting into college.
On a completely different note, a lot of people have also brought up the issue of race, and I know it was mentioned a lot in the book. I am also upset over this issue. Like Huy said, I thought we were past looking at people’s race? I thought the civil rights movement was enacted so that this was no longer an issue. Why should anyone’s race be an advantage over another person’s? I feel like we have gone back in time but in reverse way, so that now being white is a DISadvantage. On a similar note, “… the same standards that Wesleyan sometimes stretched to admit a student of color with low SAT scores were likewise broadened to admit a badly needed linebacker” (71). It seems ridiculous to admit someone who is not up to par with the university’s standards just so its sports team can look good. Issues like whether a person is extremely good in a sport or whether he is a minority should not be the determining factors for whether or not he gets accepted to a certain college!
I also have to agree with Vinh about the SATs. You could be brilliant in math or English but do poorly on the SATs just because you didn’t prepare as much as someone else. I personally took the Kaplan class and it helped me a lot to get used to the format of the test, but for someone who hadn’t taken the test, it would have been much more of a struggle. It’s hard for me to say that colleges shouldn’t really look at grades or numbers (because sometimes I feel that’s all I have going for me!) but it is true that the SATs don’t really fairly measure a person’s intelligence. I actually read in the Boston Globe that Tufts may be instating this new way of determining if a person is accepted based on their creative responses to some writing assignments or something… sorry, I don’t remember it fully. I think this is a good idea and all, but I would be scared to have this extra assessment weighing down on me.
OKAY! So back to the book. I’ve only read three chapters so far, and sometimes I think it is so unbelievably dry (I often liked the title of the chapter more than the chapter itself… Istanbul, not Constantinople…). Plus, I’m trying to move quickly through these first sections because they haven’t really been informative at all, they’re like filler chapters before working up to the actual admissions process, which irks me. This book terrifies me because I look at the types of students that Ralph is rooting for to get accepted- people like the perfect Julianna- and I feel like I don't live up to these expectations. I also hate how part of the book is focusing on “how can we get these people to come to Wesleyan?” It seemed like Sharon was Ralph’s secret helper who would always mention Wesleyan as a possibility to her students so that they would apply there. Also, sometimes it seems like the colleges care more about competition with each other than with the students, with making their statistics look better than the year before and better than their competitors’ and with making sure everyone in the whole country, not to mention around the world, applies to their school, even though that means more rejections. Ralph’s suggestion at a Harvard Westlake workshop, that “there were no rules, and that the students should be ‘true to who you are’ rather than ‘write what you think the colleges want to hear’” (37) rings true, but what if you are true to yourself and pour your heart and soul into an essay and it still isn’t enough for a college? I haven’t even read that far yet, but as far as I can ascertain from the other posts, Becca’s essay on her experience with the marijuana brownies, despite being true to herself and showing her “strong moral fiber,” was still not enough to gain her acceptance into Wesleyan. I feel like I can relate more to Jordon than to say, Julianna. He is preoccupied with “brand-name schools,” the same preoccupation I often feeling nagging at me, and he didn’t attend exactly a prestigious high school. Julianna just seems too ideal to be real (rhyme not intended). Also, when Jordon was looking in the Fiske Guide to Colleges (which I own!), the description of Wesleyan students struck a chord in me: “unusual[ly] committed to debate, from political to cultural to intellectual” and as people who “take their work very seriously” (87). The description attracted me, I just feel like a sucker for being pulled in by the obvious subliminal messages in this book! Well, that is all for now, for I haven’t really gotten into the nitty-gritty parts of the admissions process yet.
So I read the whole book and of the questions that I had when I started reading - some where answered. But then a whole new set of questions came from reading this book. I know that getting into a college is hard because there are so many people who want to get into college. But half the time reading this book just made me depressed. And I not even one to go for a name school. To think that depending how the admission officer is feeling on the day that he or she reads my application could mean acceptance or rejection. Knowing that is enough to scare anyone off. But the chances are that if you have tried in your public school years you'll probably get into at least one school where you'll be happy, right? (Wishful thinking!)
But even once you get into college you have to find a way to pay for it ALL!!!!
Even though there are a million scholarships out there and the college might even give you some money the part is still a big factor.
I suppose get into college is the first step - Right?
I know in my first post I lamented how dry the book was, but after getting past chapter three I have completely changed my mind.In the later chapters I really felt like I got to witness the admissions process first hand, like I was watching the behind the scenes edition of a soap opera. Except the stakes were much higher than a simple love triangle- we're talking about acceptance/rejection into college! But anyways, the book has been so helpful in this aspect, considering that the admissions process has always been somewhat nebulous to me. I never thought about how exactly I would get into college; it just...happened. It's comforting to know that there are actual people out there looking at my application instead of some faceless nameless machine. As Ralph said, "They don't even know realize we're agonizing about them and spending time really worried about their lives and what's going to happen to them" (147). At least the officers do really care and TRY to give everyone a fair opportunity. They have hearts that can be moved an unexpected moments; some of the more touching moments of the book were when the staff voted to accept people who were down on their luck, such as in the instance when they accepted the girl who had triumphed over cancer. At the same time, like Katie said, the fact that the admissions officers are merely human can be disadvantageous, being as an applicant might get "a fairer shake when the committee was healthier" or get "a fuller read at the beginning of a long day" (102). That is a little unnerving, knowing that it could be your application happened to be the last one to be read after the admissions officer has already read 30 others and is disgruntled and tired.
I was very interested to know how an admissions officer goes through an application and the system he employs- using numbers to rank students in categories like intellectual curiousity or personal. It helps so much to have a concrete idea of what an officer is looking for when he reads my application. I suppose it also makes me a little nervous being confined to a number, especially in certain categories that I know I would not do particularly well in. It was also gratifying to see how an officer views an applicant's essay and his reactions/thoughts about the different topics and styles of writing, as the essay portion is one in which I have felt the most uncertain. From Ralph's reaction to Jordon's essay I could see that admissions officers really respect pieces that come from the heart and are written sincerely. At the same time, I now see how risky humor can be- Mig's essay seemed a little irreverent, particularly when read by a person without a similar sense of humor. Also, from the wide variety of essays that Ralph read through, I was relieved to know that the essay could basically be about anything, that I don't have to be pidgeonholed into just one topic.
It really bothers me how the whole admissions process can be so biased and unfair. First of all, I didn't like how Ralph cut Aggie some extra slack, giving her an overall rating of a 4 when he knew she deserved a 3, just because she comes from a similar background from him and he could emphathise with her. Equally disconcerting was how hypocritical the admissions staff was concerning Becca. They reject the idea of not allowing students with mental/emotion problems come to the school, yet they have no qualms about turning back a student who has experimented, however briefly, with drugs. I also found it upsetting how Harvard Westlake has so much pull at Wesleyan. Sharon insinuated how rejecting Becca would "send a strange message" (192) to the student body, being as she was president of the class and a natural leader, and might cause other students to shy away from applying to Wesleyan as a result. The prospect of losing possible Wesleyan candidates had enough of an effect to cause Ralph to try to repeal Becca's rejection, which he probably wouldn't have done otherwise. If something like this happened with Malden High, no one would ever consider repealing the decision because our school is so off the radar. It just seems so unjust that these prep schools have all the advantages.
My uncle told me that the Ivies have to pay a fee to be considered an "Ivy League" school. Is that true? Why would society place so much value in an Ivy if this were the case? But no matter, what Huy says is right- these schools, especially Harvard, are the most coveted in our society. That's why it is so hard to look beyond the Ivies, because without an education from one of these schools you are considered less than top-notch, even if you were valedictorian of your high school class and participated in every club offered. It's sad, but it's true, and even if you "fight the system" aren't you ultimately doing harm to yourself? If you can get into an Ivy, is it worth going there just because of the obvious benefits it would bring about later in life, even if it isn't the perfect fit???
On a random note, something I was a little confused about was the wait-listing. It says in the book that the admissions officers don't even look at the applicants in this pool until May... but don't you have to choose your college much before May? How could anyone take their chances to wait this long for the 1% chance that a college that has waitlisted him will call with an acceptance?
I just finished Gatekeepers, and I have such a feeling of catharsis right now. The book enabled me to go through the college process with students like myself and see that there actually is a light at the end of the tunnel, that somewhere in the future I will be past the admissions process and heading off to college. Every person in Gatekeepers went through the ordeal and came out okay, some going off to their dream colleges, and some not, but all of them satisfied in the end. It helped so much to vicariously go on the college tours with each student, to see their reactions to the schools, and to view firsthand how they came to their final decision. It makes the final goal seem so much more attainable now that I have “been through it” already. I’m so glad we had to read this book; it really opened my eyes about what I’m being judged on as well as gave me much needed insight into how students deal with the admissions process.
Jordon’s online letter really struck a chord with me and made me think more about what I had written in my last post. In it, he stated, “It’s funny, if you stripped an ivy of its name and prestige, and took a bunch of kids over to see it, they wouldn’t be nearly as enthusiastic about going there. Most of the ivys have huge classes, irrelevant work, no personal attention…” (238). The ivys really aren’t as great as they’re cracked up to be. Personally, I would rather be in a small classroom discussing something than in a large lecture hall like Harvard’s furiously scribbling down notes. At the end of the day, it’s still Harvard. Yet I’m starting to think that maybe all the glitter isn’t worth it, that it’s better to be actually happy. It just seems that a lot of people are selling their souls to the ivys for the cachet name, and that in the process they are compromising themselves. Everyone is so obsessed with brand names, with baby Phat clothes and lexus cars and ivy leagues that they can't see that beyond the name, at other brands that are just as good. Maybe I’ll change my mind again when I’m actually applying to colleges and thinking that I have to throw in some ivies into the bunch, but for now, I agree with the essence of Jordon’s letter.
I’m also in accord with Becca’s statement: “I’m so sorry so many kids have to go through this process. It makes you feel really bad about yourself at times” (261). The admissions process really deals a blow to your self-esteem, making yourself feeling worthless at rejection and wait-listing. Then you think- my essay was terrible, I can’t believe I got a B in that class (that’s probably why they rejected me), my SAT scores weren’t good enough, I should have taken more challenging classes, I’m not good enough for this school… It really makes you doubt yourself. Is there a better way?? Soon we’re all going to be going through this turmoil…scary! Well at least in a year it will be all over and we will be laughing at how silly we were being during it. :)
When i first heard about the Gatekeepers i was like this is just the book i need because i am so clueless about college and the admissions process. This book brought out all the fears i have in applying to colleges. I've been thinking about what to write for my college essay for DAYS but i can't find any good information from my life which i can use to express myself. Nothing really interesting has happened in my life, nothing like eating a drugged brownie or befriending someone who is disabled. I feel like im all one-sided. I should have strived to be the well-rounded in the beginning of freshman year. I join clubs like Interact, Key Club, and Project 540 but they all have the same themes and ideas. All the clubs i join have something to do with humanity and helping people. I just feel like colleges would view that as a bad thing.
Well i finished reading the book, and I am really surprised at who was accepted and who was not. It's like how can i compare myself to people who are president of their class. I think it was so unfair that Becca did not get accepted because she ate a pot brownie. It's like don't colleges realize that it was one of the biggest turning points in her life and she learned from her mistake and became a better person. The people introduced in this book is so...extraordinary. They seem so smart and interesting. In reading this book, I'm not relieved as i thought i would be, but rather worried. I never knew colleges analyzed people so closely. Colleges want the best of the best...and i am definately not even up there. anyways, i feel so hopeless.
For some reason, i really liked Migizi Pensoneau. He's the one person that really struck me in this book. I actually started reading the Gatekeepers before summer started. I even used it as a reference for my final essay for English class. I think my topic was to prove that colleges don't rely on a single element but rather the whole package. Let's just say, my English teacher was really impressed that i could find a source like the Gatekeepers to prove my point.
so i was reading sandras commment and i feel the same way as her. Colleges want to know you challenged yourself and take harder classes. Although i didn't take any ap classes in junior year and im taking 3 this year, i still feel like im not good enough. Why do colleges expect so much out of us! I wish we were informed of what colleges expect early in freshman year so we could meet with their "requirements".
So . . . The Gatekeepers? Not the best book to read while you are filling out an ACTUAL application for an ACTUAL university. I'm just saying. It plays tricks on your mind.
That being said, I feel a little bit like . . . I'm not taking college seriously enough. Somehow I've convinced myself that I'm going to get into college, and even if it's not my Number One Big Name University, it's going to be fantastic.
However:
This book was very scary. The whole idea of Ralph and Sharon having their favorites was something I'd never expected. I think I am a reasonably competative student -- probably somewhere along the lines of Jordan, but without the talent -- but do I have a chance against an admission officer's favorite? Ralph was willing to fight for Becca, Mig, or Aggie, but he wouldn't fight for nameless white girl from nameless public school in Massachusetts. I guess it goes back to your essay. Make it as personal and representative as possible and hope, wish, pray that it will strike a chord with someone.
Why is Mr. Steinberg so obsessed with the oboe? I hope that playing two common instruments is the equivalent to playing one. This makes me think, how much of The Gatekeepers is real? Obviously, these are true events with living people, but how much is just what the author thought was most important? As a journalist, he had to pick through and try to find the facts, but what did he omit to create a good story? And, some food for thought: this book made the NYT "Notable Book" list . . . Jaques Steinberg writes for the NYT.
Lastly, does anyone watch House, MD? Apart from being one of my very favorite shows, Dr. James Wilson went to McGill! He wore their sweatshirt in one episode. =)
It actually feels great knowing that I'm not the only one struggling with the college process, and I'm happy to hear that all your complaints because they're just like my own.
"Ralph always regretted that the students who could benefit from their services the most-those at public schools, where one counselor routinely had a caseload of upward of five hundred students-were precisely those who couldn't afford such a luxury" (31). These lines made me pause in my reading for over half an hour, so that I could complain to my family members that this is exactly what is happening at MHS. It sucks so much that we have never received such attention from guidance counselors—none have made us fill in questionnaires or offered to talk with us on-on-one for more than 10 minutes except when doing schedules.
And as much as some of you are saying that it is a disadvantage to be white nowadays when applying to college, I wish I had white parents who actually spoke English and could help me out with my college application. Jordan’s mom helped “to take over the mechanics of the application process” (109), when Jordan was feeling down and not doing them himself. As Asian immigrants, my parents know nothing beyond Harvard and absolutely nothing about the college process. They are not even familiar with college tours and have never offered to take me on some. I’m not blaming my parents here, but I just realized that so many things are affecting our performance on our application and how all these disadvantages can really add up the burden on students. I know that it may also be an advantage that my parents are immigrants, but I rather wish they could help me physically.
Yeah, this book really makes you think and many times, I have gotten quite angry at the book and at myself for not knowing all this stuff ahead of time, but I’m done complaining for now.
I totally agree with Julie that the students at Harvard-Westlake are so intimidating, especially Julianna. Maybe I'm just jealous of her, but I don't like her that much. She gets way too much attention from colleges, and I think that's so unfair. No one at our school, no matter how smart and bright, would get as much attention as she gets just because we're not one of the "feeder schools." And although she was nice enough to look at non-elite colleges when deciding her choice, she was a little too focused on how well she was being treated at each school. “…there were little things that bothered her. No one, for example, seemed to want to get out of the way when she attempted to pass through a crowded doorway” (245). That comment makes it seem like she thinks she’s the queen. I know she’s important and that all the colleges want her, but she just seems a bit too conceited. But as much as I resent her attitude, I wish so much that I could feel as self assured as her. I want that feeling so much, of knowing that I am selecting them, not the colleges selecting me. If only we were all a Julianna…
I also was wondering how great it would be if our guidance counselors knew the admissions officers at top schools. Although I’m not entirely sure that this is not the case at our school, I doubt our guidance counselors could actually influence the decisions that much. It’s such a different story, though, with Sharon. Ralph trusts everything she says about which students were good and talented. Sharon gets to introduce all her top students to admissions officers at all the best colleges, and she has made all of them obsessed with Julianna. When pondering over the case of Becca, Ralph was very influenced by Sharon’s suggestions. “And more than anything, he [Ralph] trusted Sharon’s judgment” (174).
And, although I half agree with the extra plus that the colleges give to minority applicants, there was one thing I find very rude. Many colleges would send free airline tickets to encourage accepted minorities to visit their campuses, but even if a white applicant was just as poor, the colleges wouldn’t really want to offer it them. “A white applicant with financial needs who was savvy enough to request a ticket might receive one as well, but Wesleyan, like other colleges, made little attempt to advertise this” (216). That is just like giving out more money to one applicant, when the other has the exact financial conditions. If the way they calculate financial aid doesn’t involve race, why should this?
After thinking about The Gatekeepers and the whole college process a little more, the ever daunting thought of how am I going to get into college, is of course still there.
I was thinking about the different admissions factors for different colleges and how some are starting to look more at who you are more than just your test scores. Of cource they still consider them but I really seem to favor the colleges that look more at the candidate themselves than just what they look like on paper. Which is some comfort to those who are not the greatest at taking tests.
I especially like the colleges that look at the person more than the test scores because grades and numbers don't always show the true ability of a person.
Another aspect that was very disconcerting to me was how much race played a part in the 'ranking' of a student when the admissions officers were looking at an applicant. I know that colleges want to have diversified student bodies and nationally people who are considered 'white' are the majority but not here. I would be willing to bet that 'white' people are the minority. Maybe that is why I never think about a persons race - just who they are.
Personally I don't think race or ethnicity should be factors that give one person the upper hand over another. They should not be considered at all.
Another thing that bothered me was how seniors from well to do high schools have all ready caught the eye of college admissions officers because they attend private high schools so of course they must have the money to 'earn' all those really good grades.
(I am not saying that all rich kids that go to private high schools buy their way into college - some actually to earn their way into college.)
I know that our high school does get some attention from local colleges but not nearly to the extent or amount as private high schools.
Another thing that bothers me is how colleges say that if your parents when to college this should automatically makes you smarter than the average. But if your parents did not go to college it's okay if you are a little under the average.
That is the strangest thing I have ever hear!
All in all I have come to the conclusion that the only thing I can do is try my best and show the colleges, that I apply to, the real me and let the chips fall where they may. I only hope that they fall in a way that is in my best interest.
I think it is kind of depressing that the only comments I can make regarding this book are how inadequate it made me feel. Maybe in this regard, Jordan's story is the most heartening: he didn't get his first choice, but he made the best of his situation and found Wesleyan to be perfect. Becca's story was pretty disturbing. She got into a great school, but she hated it. However, one of the advantages of going to a big-name school is that it affords plenty of opportunity. She was able to leave campus and study first hand a topic that interested her.
Actually, one thing never occured to me when thinking about college: am I prepared for an intensive course of study? Aggie and Mig couldn't handle the workload. Could the same thing happen to me? Am I emotionally mature enough to go to college? Academically mature? Clearly I don't know, but I guess dumber people than I have figured it out, so I should be fine.
I am amused by all the talk about Harvard because the school I've been pressured to attend all my life has been Wellesley. I disagree with Huy that Harvard is what we are all striving for. We all just want to be happy with the college or university we get accepted into. We want to be sure that the university has strong departments in what we want to study, or we want to be sure that the college has enough courses to keep us well-rounded. The reasons we should "look beyond the Ivies" would be that they aren't one size fits all and they aren't a one-stop ticket to ultimate acedemic euphoria.
Alright, so I'm nearing the halfway point of Gatekeepers and I must say that I agree with sandyface--in that I just become increasingly nervous.
Something mentioned in the book that I agree with is a limit on the number of schools you are able to apply to. I think that certain students with an edge over other students will often apply to several, several schools and thus making the admittance pool all the more teensy weensy. I agree with Vinh that more often than not, SAT scores are coming to reflect preparation more than anything else really.
Ooh ooh! Another point that I am totally concurring with is that the name of the college does not really matter--it's the effort that you yourself put in that is the determining factor of the quality of your education. If you slacked off at Harvard-Westlake but really got to the nitty gritty consisently at say, a school less presitigious like MHS, I'd be willing to bet that the MHS student graduates with a much higher quality of education. I think it's really a shame that colleges are now forced to rely on numbers more than anything else. An essay on paper and obstinate refusals to so much as glance at additional supplemental materials just don't cut it. However willing I am to accept that no system is perfect, it still irks me that so many loopholes and flaws arise from this admissions handicap brought about by the ever-growing influx of applications each year.
A lot of stories and character backgrounds in the book were intimidating. The description of Harvard-Westlake and some of its students for example. Also the whole college admissions officer coveting those few starlet child prodigies was a bit unsettling to say the least. Seeing the list of some of the courses offered at Harvard-Westlake did bring about a little woe and much shaking of my fist.
Well, I guess that's about all I've got to say for now, reading on...
So I finished the book yesterday, and I think overall, I'm mostly just disappointed. Although I do have a better idea of the practicalities that are involved in the admissions process once you mail out that lovely envelope--I feel like the book was just a tad overrated. The author did select a fairly diverse group of students, but I feel like all the students he chose to follow through the process came from these really great, privileged schools--they pretty much all came from private and prep schools. What about all the kids coming from public high schools like ours? I felt like that sort of left the majority of high school students out there in the cold--really unaccomadating to a good portion of his audience. Of course, something that slightly bothered me was how a lot of the students going to these ritzy, prestigious schools were getting a load of side perks--like how their guidance counselors were so chummy with admissions officers and were using these relationships to get extra, unjustified leverage. Yeah, life isn't fair, but I couldn't help but be a little bothered by that. I think it's really intimidating and pretty nervewrecking to think about the range of kids out there and the magnitude of seemingly flawless applications that annually show up at these colleges' doorsteps. In all honesty, the book tripled any nervousness I had prior to reading it.
I'm only about 50 pages into the book and have only met two of the students featured in it so far, but I'm already pretty much biting my nails off.
Julianna is an extremely intimidating young girl, and there are certainly more students like her out there whether it be at Harvard-Westlake or any other prestegious prep school. How is it that a student from a public high school is supposed to compete with that? They've got private counselors, while we've got one to every, oh, 400 students? There isn't a very even distribution to these priveleges. They shouldn't even be considered a privelege, they should be rights because education is so important and nowadays you can't really get anywhere without a degree. The book might be misleading its reader by painting a picture that the top schools out there are only interested in the ultra groomed, super smart, insanely prepared kids. The only thing about Julianna that I could relate to is the fact that she's ethnic. On the other hand, Becca, while also a good student, is less of a daunting figure. I like the fact that, yeah, she did mess up, but she's not going to let it ruin her life. It makes her less of an Ivy League-destined robot, and more of a real teenager to me.
I loved the quick background story on Ralph Figueroa. His mother's story is really inspirational and heartwarming. There's a huge contrast between his mother and the other private counselors featured in the book. If there were more Bertha Figueroas scattered around the country, there would probably be a significant increase in the percentage of high school students graduating and going on to pursue a higher education.
I guess that's all of my severe rambling... for now. I've still got a lot more to read in this (REALLY SCARY) book.
The Gatekeepers, more than anything, reinforced the importance of the essay portion of the college application. In 250-500 words, I have to give an admissions officer a sense of who I am. Somehow, I have to be thoughtful, interesting, introspective, creative, and a brilliant wordsmith. That's a lot of pressure for a seventeen year old kid who still eats Fla-Vor Ice and watches too much television.
During the past week and a half, I started 3 different essays. I've yet to finish one. All of them are different, but it's hard to figure out which one really captures my personality and which will distinguish me from everyone else.
Also, I am pretty sure my two C's in junior year are going to be the deciding factor for many colleges. There were a few mentions of students having only one C and not getting into Wesleyan.
But enough about ~me~.
If The Gatekeepers has taught me anything, it's that the admissions counselors are people too -- they're a little bit loopy, but I guess anyone who wants to read essays and be a flight attendant has to be. They really do take every case into consideration. Basically, they are forgiving people. I don't know if I remember correctly, but I seem to think that Becca Jannol's SAT scores were pretty lackluster, but she made up for it by being a leader in her school. Plus, she wrote that stupid esssay about the pot brownie and still got into Cornell.
I guess something (one of the very few things) that did offer some comfort was the fact that it does make you more aware that you're so far from being the only kid to have to worry about this stuff. Although this often wasn't the case, I did appreciate the situations in which the counselors took into consideration the different academic backgrounds their applicants were coming from--for example, they did seem to be harsher with students coming from top prep schools as far as their SAT scores and courses are concerned. It just seems unfortunate that the process has to largely remain, really unpersonal due to the staggering numbers of applications and such each year, increasingly staggering at that. I just wonder what the competition for colleges (and amongst colleges) will be like say...5, 20, 40 years from now. Like we think it's cut-throat now, but I'm almost scared over what's to come for the up and coming generations. Seeing a lot of pretty great applications that ultimately got rejected by Wesleyan was a real eye-opener too. I mean, if schools like Wesleyan (which are really great schools, don't get me wrong) are being that selective, then you just wonder about all that it must take to secure your way into an Ivy League college, which I would say is even more selective. One character in the book that I found myself to be really rooting for is Migizi. When I read that he got accepted, I was all "woohoooo!" By the way, totally digging his essay titles and stuff. I thought it was cool that in an area where most kids are extremely (sometimes excessively) serious, cut-throat competitive, and sometimes even deceitful--he managed to keep it all down to earth. It made me feel better in some odd way. And just as a side note, I personally support affirmative action to a certain degree. I think in our contemporary time, it's a progressive step to evening out the levels of opportunity and eventually helping to educate everyone out there who is deserving of it and willing. I mean if we just always chose the highest scores, it would take so much longer for minority groups (a lot of immigrant parents/grandparents) to have access to the higher education that is really necessary right now. I feel like it's helping to untrench a digressive pattern that's been detrimental to this country for yeears now.
I enjoyed reading this book, although, it didn't make me feel any better about the admissions process. The background information provided about Ralph eased my mind just a bit because it allowed me to believe that the admissions officers once were the same students that we are now, with difficulties and successes that we can possibly relate to. It shattered some, but not all, thoughts that the officers have few ideas as to admitting students.
The part that concerned me most was the roles the admissions officers play. Each admissions officer at Wesleyan is responsible for a particular region and are supposed to fight for the most promising students that come from his/her area. Well what about the other students that aren't in that particular area? Is he/she not going to put up a big fight because that person isn't from the assigned area? This is discouraging because although a student shows excellent promise, another officer may veto admission due to the facts given. There are things that cannot be shown on pieces of paper, no matter how hard one tries. Although this method may only apply to Wesleyan, there is no doubt that other colleges/universities have similar methods of recruiting students.
There is too much pressure growing on each and every generation of students. Not only are the amount of seats being limited at each establishment, but there are greater numbers of students trying to apply. Be they international or USA students, the seats are filling up and many are left with state schools as their only opportunity, especially as a way to finance their way through school. It irks me that school is ideally free for out high school diploma and then all of a sudden a family is expected to pay thousands for an additional four years and possibly more if a graduate program is being considered. It's an absolute outrage!
Before reading the Gatekeepers, I had no idea what to look for in colleges. As I read about how the Harvard-Westlake students who seemed to be getting superior guidance and one-on-one counseling, I became severely nervous; I thought “How can I have a chance against these kids when they’ve been instructed since freshman year on how to get into nearly any college?” At the same time, I also felt incredibly relieved by learning about the admissions process. I had the preconceived notion that colleges basically JUST focus on SAT scores, which is true in a sense, but seeing how Ralph and the other Admissions Officers reviewed every student boosted my spirits. By reading this book, I feel that when I get rejected from schools, I won’t feel too bad. Before the book, I pictured admissions officers sitting around a table and passing through applications hundreds at a time, discarding whatever students had the lowest SAT scores. After learning how the admissions officers at Wesleyan dedicate their lives to their job, I feel relieved knowing people are actually taking time and considering me as an applicant, not as an SAT score.
This book made me fearful of the college essay(s) and how the topic(s) would decide my fate and not primarily the syntax and such. After talking about the essay to friends and coworkers, I believe writing about traumatic experiences and sad instances would just be a poor choice. An essay that wins over any admission officer is thus ideal, but what do those topics cover? While it would just be idiotic to bore the admissions officers, it’s also in bad taste to offend them or shock them; choosing a topic is most complicated. As I sat typing all of that which came before this I came to the conclusion that writing about a topic that spans many categories must be more efficient than writing about a single aspect. Instead of writing about a pleasant/rewarding experience, why not throw in some conflict and calamity? College Essays should keep the admissions officers awake, and not bore them to sleep. An essay can get read at any part of the day; which has its pros and cons. Being reviewed at the start of the day can be great; the officer may be sitting with their first cup of coffee and starting their day. On the other hand, the admissions officer might be on their 5th or 6th cup of coffee and had spent 14 hours straight reading admissions, they most likely do not want to hear about death and illness the whole day. By writing this entry and actually thinking about topics, I’ve come to some ideas that seem to fit all of my parameters.
P.S- Once I read about students writing about bad experience and such, I though “Hey! Wonderful! I can just write about something bad and win them over due to sympathy!” but I later realized that depressing an admissions officer is dangerous.
After reading the book, I’m extremely pumped to get into college and kind of excited to take on the task of trying to get accepted to a college. More than ever, I’m determined improve my chances of admission to many colleges to the maximum, or at least improve them slightly. I’ve only been on three college tours so far, and I know some folks haven’t even visited a college yet, but I feel it’s certainly not enough. While I don’t want to turn into a Jordan (from the book) and set my heart on one college, I still feel like I do not know what to look for. Even if I find a college that is a beautiful match to my personality and interests, reality hits hard that I’ll most likely not be admitted. I am very interested in a college that my friend attends, but I don’t think I would be accepted because he had exception grades and more extra-curricular activities under his belt. I’ve come to the conclusion and attitude that it should not be too embarrassing to get rejected from a college that a friend attends, though, I believe rejected is too harsh of a word, perhaps “not invited” is a better choice or words. I suppose I am just rambling on now, but I think it is important to apply anywhere that seems appealing.
That brings me to the next hard choice: deciding on a college due to majors. I certainly have no idea what I want to pursue as a career; it seems unfathomable when thinking about what I want to do 5 years from now when I’m out of college(assuming I go to a 4 year college). Anyone have some insight to this issue and how they are coping? I’d love to talk about it since it’s certainly unnerving.
Oooh noo, I just pressed the back button by mistake and lost my post! ::whine::
I immediately latched on to Aggie because I am Dominican, too and of course I want to see a fellow "platano" succeed. Though I haven't lived her life, I know where she is coming from because I have close relatives, one being an impressionable 14 year old female cousin, that live in the same Washington Heights area in New York City. I have witnessed first hand the young girls prancing around doing things that are inappropriate for their age and the young men acting disprespectfully towards them. My family and Aggie's family are lucky in having raised strong-willed females that refuse to be thrown off track because is it far from an easy task. I admire Aggie for coming out the other end and still going strong because not everyone is as fortunate.
Like a lot of the bloggers before me, I dislike the fact that we are judged so greatly by our SAT scores. I can say that I don't get bad grades, but standardized tests are simply not my forte. The timing system stresses me and having to cover such a wide range of topics in a condensed period of time wears me out. I'm grateful that there are several colleges that do not require our score anymore.
I appreciate the way that Wesleyan was able to finally let someone into the admissions process, but it all seems like stuff that is already known. The fact that race plays a role in admissions is no secret. Almost everybody knows that a Native American is able to get into a school a lot easier than other people of racial backgrounds because schools want to look diversified, and not tend to accept one race more than the other. We all know and think it, but for the first time, we actually have proof of it! This book helped me realize that many of the rumors are true. It just isn't fair to expect certain things of a certain race. Tiffany was expected to be the best of the best, simply because she came from an Asian background and a family of considerable wealth. Truth of the matter is, some people just aren't blessed with knowledge, despite how hard they try. A person can only push himself so much before he cracks, like Aggie did her senior year when she added many more activities to her resume. Another injustice is the SAT scores that are of heavy influence during this process. The book even notes that this wasn't meant to rank the intelligence of numerous minds on a single scale. The SAT wasn't developed for that, but it has assumed that responsibility. Some people just don't test well. I know that I know the material just fine, but when it comes down to crunch time, it's just a mindblock on every question, no matter how many methods I try to break that pattern. Something just disconnects in my head, and not just in mine, but millions other people too! Sorry, this whole topic gets me on a tirade that I'll put an end to right now.
Anywhooooo, one of the frightening things that concerns me most is the number of admissions officers. If there are, let's say, about 10 officers on average at a university/college handling more than they can handle(i.e. Ralph), how can we trust their judgement. It was even said that certain hours of the day may be unfavorable for the applicant because it's been a long day. That shouldn't be the applicant's fault and as such the applicant shouldn't be punished by being rejected from that particular school. I understand that they have to read a lot of applications, but to merely toss one in the reject pile when it could in reality be in the wait-list seems unjust. True, if the person was really worthy of the school, he would have no problem wooing the officer with the essay, but sometimes that just isn't the case!
I'm glad that every student in this book ended up happy. Though Becca had a rough patch for a bit there, I think she felt better after being accepted into the Honors Program.
After all's said and done, this book didn't scare me as much as I initially thought it would. I know my limits and I know that the only way I could get into Wesleyan is if they were in desperate need for a hispanic girl with low SAT scores and not much extracurricular participation. If not, they'd just waitlist me like they did Aggie. Actually, they'd most likely straight up reject me because Aggie had a lot of extracurriculars and leadership qualities going for her. Notice my obsession with Aggie is still going strong. I didn't really get why Jordan decided to announce his choice of attending Wesleyan the way that he did, but it was a really creative way of doing it, in my opinion. By the end of his letter, I kind of felt like I was part of the Wesleyan student body and had just been gifted by receiving Jordan into my school.
I've been getting tons and tons of college mail and have set aside the ones that have caught my attention. Though some of these schools may be a far... far... far... FAR reach for me, I do enjoy the personal touches some of them added at the end of their "Thank you for your interest in [insert college's name], Isade!" letters. The dean of admissions from Colgate University, for example, added "Have a great year in school, Isade." in his own handwriting at the end of his letter. Though he may have said it to every single person that received this letter, I just like the little personal touch. It's tiny things like these that make me really want to attend an "UGSLAS."
I have to agree with Isade in that last blog. We always get the automated mail inviting us to consider a college that is signed by the Dean, although it is electronically printed. Just by adding that little touch of a note, it feels as if they actually want you to come, that they have studied you for a while and think you can make it in that college.
I envy Juliana and the skill and talent that she has. She was recognized at such an early age to have great potential and she fulfilled each and every expectation. I guess, for all of her hard work, her payment was the acceptance of every school she had applied to. The only bad thing was that she didn't qualify for the scholarship, but that didn't phase her one bit! She even showed that the name of the college didn't matter too much to her, especially since she went to go visit each school personally to make her final decision. Most would just say Yale or Harvard because it's the best of the best, but I respect her for considering each school she was accepted to.
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