By Naina Goel
The many years of schooling before high school all contribute to the most important juncture of secondary education: the process of college admissions. It seems daunting ( and it definitely is) to present yourself on a platter, describing who you are as an academic and as a distinctive person in order to be admitted to your colleges of choice. April marks the conclusion of a distinct kind of marathon for high school students — one that changes the way each student thinks about their self-worth. It really is an emotional roller-coaster that involves various highs and lows.
The trend to get into an Ivy League university is on the rise and the acceptance rates are dropping continuously year by year. According to ‘The Atlantic’, the number of applications to Ivy League schools grew from 3.1 million in 2009 to an estimated 3.6 million in 2016, whereas the acceptance rate remained stagnant: In the 2005–06 year 1,321 undergraduates were enrolled, and in 2016–17 it had only jumped to a mere 1,367 students. At the top 50 universities in the country, acceptance rates fell correspondingly from an average of 36% to 23%. Applying to college has become much more stressful as high test scores and GPAs have become less certain indicators of acceptance. When looking for prospective students, university officers look for “well rounded” students who can contribute to the prestigious and closely-selected student body and live up to the motto of excellence of that elite college.
GPA, exam scores, essays, interviews, management roles, sports, clubs, community service as well as jobs are factors that add to an allegedly well-rounded application. In order to compete in an ocean of candidates, pressure is placed on students to construct excellent resumes. Students work tirelessly inside and outside school to showcase themselves as the ‘perfect candidates’. Every student applying to college is unique in his or her own way, however, it is increasingly difficult to differentiate yourself from thousands of candidates on paper and fall in the ‘prestigious’ pool of students whom admission officers think are a perfect fit.
This continuous pressure of college admissions is now taking a toll on students; a national survey (conducted in the United States) of students applying to universities revealed that 57 percent of entering freshmen reported that they “felt a great deal of pressure” to attend a well-known college. And 50 percent of the students surveyed said they felt stressed most or all of the time, regardless of where they go to college.
Looking at the effects of these endless expectations from high school students, it is certain that the college admissions process needs to reform. Like Yale, who is making small efforts to expand access by aiming to grow the size of its freshman class by about 200 students. As Yale President Peter Salovey said on a panel at the Aspen Ideas Festival, this will help decrease the “selectiveness” of the college process. Elite colleges should try the ‘ranked preference system’ for a limited number of students applying to early-decision programs, which The New York Times described as a ‘national admissions office’.This could benefit both sides of the high-pressure college application process by creating a more straightforward system as students would be ensured a spot at the college they desire the most.
Therefore, colleges should prioritize making improvements to level the playing field and put the focus back on education rather than the university’s personal agenda.
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