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A Stanford Story (Admission Decisions DO NOT Define You)

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In the fall of 2017, two Stanford admission officers joined MACAC’s Show on the Road event in Duluth, Minnesota, to share a presentation on highly competitive holistic admissions at institutions like their own. The highlight of this presentation, in my mind, was a case study workshop where teams of attendees—school counselors from northeastern Minnesota—served as “admission offices” in holistically examining two candidates for admission.

Here are the details, turned into close approximations to make the math easier. There were 40 school counselors seated at eight different round tables, creating essentially eight different “admission committees” made up of five “admission officers” each. Femi Ogundele—at that time Stanford’s Assistant Dean of Diversity Outreach and External Relations—distributed full application files of two applicants to each of these committees. These were FULL files; I had the privilege of participating as well, and each file included everything from the full Common App and Stanford supplement (including all essays) to the transcript to the counselor’s rec to the teacher recs to even supplemental recs and school profiles. The “admission offices” had about 30 minutes with each file, after which they had to vote on which candidate, I’ll simply refer to them as A and B, to admit.

After both applications had been reviewed, Mr. Ogundele asked which candidate each admission committee had chosen to admit. Six groups selected student A, and two chose to select student B.

A simple glance at this might lead one to conclude that student A was stronger than student B, but thinking about it more deeply disrupts that line of thinking, a point that the presenter highlighted. All of these groups had the exact same information, and the conclusion was far from unanimous. And even though six groups picked student A, two groups thoughtfully chose AGAINST student A. Mr. Ogundele deepened the focus on how gray (i.e. not black and white) the choice was when asking if the committees were unanimous in their vote. None of them were. Every single committee had at least one member vote for each applicant, regardless of the overall decision. The most decisive thing to emerge from this comparison was that both applicants were strong, and the choice of one or the other was a subjective one, however thoughtfully or meticulously arrived at.

Next, Mr. Ogundele asked for volunteers to share what had led them to support student A or student B. A variety of opinions came forth (and I’m actually making these up, as I don’t recall exactly what was said, but it was along these lines), lauding student A’s grit, student B’s passionate engagement in promoting a multi-cultural community at their school, student A’s dynamic engagement with a non-profit organization, student B’s advanced interest in computer science demonstrated via lab work at a local university, and much more. Every single trait discussed was impressive, and it was far from clear how one would separate these or determine a stronger candidate.

Immediately after this, the first thing Mr. Ogundele mentioned was this: “Notice how no one ever mentioned a GPA, SAT, or ACT.” I don’t remember exactly what student A or student B had for GPAs and test scores; these data points were there, and they were all pretty high, though far from identical. But when evaluating a complete application, what the presenter highlighted really rang true. Small differentiations in a strong academic profile are simply unimportant. No one, not one single person referenced GPA, ACT, or SAT as a reason why they were choosing student A or student B.

 

ASIDE FOR A GR CONSULTING SOAP BOX (YOU CAN SKIP THIS PARAGRAPH IF YOU WISH TO JUST CONTINUE WITH THE STANFORD STORY)

And let me pause in this moment to shout-out the importance of all schools moving to test-optional or better, test-blind, admissions (AND scholarship, honors programs, and other offerings). (Stop over at Fairtest.) Simple quantifiable measures of “quality” fall apart in highly competitive holistic admission. You need to put forth a compelling academic profile, sure, but the exact number of a high school GPA (especially the uniquely weighted GPA that one or another school puts together) or a test score have long been the most overrated things in admissions by far. And while contextual performance in high school courses (specific performance in specific courses—not a generic GPA) is absolutely the foundation of a college application, SAT and ACT scores are simply nowhere near as important in competitive admissions as general society thinks.

 

BACK TO THE STORY (THANKS FOR YOUR PATIENCE)

So of course, next, all the counselors asked Mr. Ogundele which student Stanford actually admitted. And the huge unveiling moment was…these were fake applications. It would be totally illegal in many ways to share that much personal information about any human being. BUT, he answered what Stanford would do with two such students, and the answer is absolutely crucial to understanding highly competitive holistic admission.

  • In some years, student A would be admitted, and student B would not.
  • In some years, student B would be admitted, and student A would not.
  • In some years, both student A and student B would be admitted.
  • In some years, neither student A nor student B would be admitted.

Stanford is a great school. That’s a generic statement, but I think it’s true. While it certainly has weaknesses, as do all schools, it’s really a wonderful place to live and grow and receive an education. And it’s extraordinarily challenging to gain admission.

Some very simple, and very important takeaways.

  • Getting admitted to Stanford is 100% proof that you are a rock star applicant.
  • Getting deferred or waitlisted by Stanford is…wait for it…ALSO AND EQUALLY 100% proof that you are a rock star applicant. In many other years, you would have been admitted over many of the students who were admitted.
  • Getting rejected. It’s totally true that you can have a weak, or at least weaker (though these are hugely subjective terms—Stanford, for instance, thinks MUCH MUCH more highly of recruited athletes than does MIT, for instance, so “strength” isn’t anything objective) application, and these applications will be rejected uniformly. But, MANY of those rejected are absolute rock star applicants. Rock star applicants who, in another year, would get in ahead of those who were admitted.

If you get in to Stanford or another highly selective school, you deserve to feel proud of the hard work that brought you to this point. But you should also feel profoundly lucky and thankful. You received a bit of privilege that is not fair. Be thankful and humble. And stay hungry. Getting in to Stanford doesn’t give you anything in life. Success comes from an ongoing commitment to yourself in the form of creativity, ambition, compassion, hard work, and more.

If you don’t get in to Stanford, it says nothing about you. Zero. But being willing to apply indicates a level of confidence and ambition that will be a TRUE difference-maker in life. Infinitely more so (as numerous research studies illustrate – here’s the most famous one) than the difference that comes from having a fancy school name on your resume.

Take risks. Believe in yourself. Be ambitious in alignment with your values. And never let an admission decision define you.

 

 

March 11, 2021
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On “Dream Schools”

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It’s been a few years since I really cleaned up my website, and in doing so now, I thought I should write and publish at least one, if pretty short, blog piece.

In my editing and updating of my biography, I noticed that part of my description included a reference to my experience in guiding students to their “dream school.” And I cringed.

“Dream school” has come to be one of those phrases that I find deeply problematic. Cringe-worthy. Think about literally what is being said when one references a “dream school.” It’s simply a school that one dreams about. And what is a dream? Keeping it simple (i.e. without getting into the fun, deep philosophical or psychological stuff), dreams are not real. And this simple definition is exceedingly applicable to dream schools. They are not real.

To isolate a single school as a “dream school” is to put on a pedestal one institution in a way that inherently is a dishonest (*cough* not real) oversimplification of that school, and an equally dishonest (*cough* not real) oversimplification of all other schools.

A great college list might include a favorite school, but will also include several schools that supersede that favorite school in one or more ways, as will always be the case in any comparison between schools. A great college list will also include one or more of the other, equally problematic and cringeworthy college list phrases, the “safe schools.” Deconstructing that term is for another post, but a great college list will include schools of multiple admission difficulty levels, and EVERY SINGLE ONE OF THEM should be a school that the student would love to attend. That love is constructed not via a “dream,” but via a sophisticated understanding of the academic and social cultures and opportunities that define a school, the result of thoughtful, extensive exploration into what really happens on campus at each of these institutions. And honestly, when one has such a sophisticated understanding of schools, a “dream school” can no longer exist. Instead, one will have a list of “awesome schools that I love and would be thrilled to attend.”

February 10, 2021
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DSC06619

Congrats to my class of 2020!

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Well, I’m long overdue for posting, and given the new social distancing realities we’re all facing, maybe now is a good time to get back into it.

And what better way to do so than with a simple post congratulating all my seniors on their admission offers! I really need to emphasize that college admission offers are NOT the goal of high school, nor should they be the source of self-esteem. But nonetheless, these can serve as symbols of all the hard work students have put in and personal growth they’ve attained in the last four (and more!) years.

I’m very proud of them.

Here’s the full list of schools giving offers:
Babson College
Barnard College
Boston College
Boston University (Kilachand Honors)
Brown University
California Institute of Technology
Chapman University
Columbia University
Cornell University
DePaul University
Emerson College
Fordham University
Harvard University
Harvey Mudd College
McMaster University
Miami University (OH)
New York University
Northeastern University
Northwestern University
Olin College
Pomona College
Princeton University
Purdue University
Queen’s University
Reed College
Scripps College
Stanford University
University of British Columbia
University of California, Berkeley
University of California, Irvine
University of California, Riverside
University of California, San Diego
University of California, Santa Barbara
University of California, Santa Cruz
University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign
University of Michigan, Ann Arbor
University of Minnesota, Twin Cities
University of Pennsylvania
University of Redlands
University of San Diego
University of San Francisco
University of Southern California
University of Toronto
University of Virginia
University of Washington, Seattle
University of Wisconsin, Madison
Washington University in St. Louis
Wellesley College
Wesleyan University

April 13, 2020
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NEWMAC Conference

Congrats to my class of 2017!

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I once again had the honor and pleasure with working closely with a small number of amazing young people through the exploration of self and articulation of values and goals that is also known as the college application process. An amazing group in a great many ways.

Here is the full list of acceptances (and published barely in time before they actually head off to school!):
Arizona St. University
Beloit College
Bentley University
Biola University
Boston University
Bucknell University
Brandeis University
California Polytechnic Institute, San Luis Obispo
California State University, Fullerton
California State University, Long Beach
Carleton College
Chapman University
Denison University
Duke University
Emerson University
Imperial College London
King’s College
Knox College
Lawrence University
Loyola Marymount University
Macalester College
McGill University
Mt. Holyoke College
New York University
Northeastern University
Occidental College
Pepperdine University
Purdue University
Queen’s College
Reed College
Rochester Institute of Technology
Rose Hulman Institute of Technology
Santa Clara University
Seattle University
Southern Methodist University
St. Andrew’s University
Stanford University
University College London
University of California, Berkeley
University of California, Davis
University of California, Irvine
University of California, Los Angeles
University of California, Merced
University of California, Riverside
University of California, San Diego
University of California, Santa Barbara
University of California, Santa Cruz
University of Chicago
University of Connecticut, Storrs
University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign
University of Minnesota, Twin Cities
University of Puget Sound
University of Rochester
University of San Diego
University of San Francisco
University of the Pacific (PharmD program)
University of Toronto
University of Washington, Seattle
University of Wisconsin, Madison
Virginia Tech
Western University
Yale University

August 15, 2017
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UCB open space

Going Outside

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by Matthew

 

My first day of college: They were lying on the ground under a blanket of clear cellophane, clad in only beige underwear, smeared blood, and tangible commitment to their movement against animal cruelty. Coming from a very beige hometown of cookie-cutter neighborhoods, music schools, and test prep services, I’d never seen anything like this.

This, I supposed, was UC Berkeley. This was the Bay Area, the heart of social activism, of technological innovation, and of what appeared to be the majority of the world’s squirrel population (for this reason, I wholeheartedly believe that we should steal Haverford’s mascot and be the Cal Squirrels).

Over the course of the year, I would see my fellow students cheer and boo electoral college results in the dining hall and hear of the marches through the streets and the violence in the community. I walked past a hand-holding protest around Lake Merritt in Oakland on the way to a David Sedaris book reading. Like an idiot, I slept through the Women’s March. After a wind ensemble rehearsal, I steered away from the protests against Milo Yiannopoulos when I heard loud booms and saw policemen in full riot gear, opting to follow it via live stream.

As a fairly reserved human being, I tend to avoid rowdy crowds, riot gear, and any potential danger. I like my fire inside of a fireplace, pizza oven, or television screen (don’t we all?), and I don’t think pedestrians should be interrupting the flow of freeway traffic. But, so I’ve heard, social activism is part of the Berkeley experience.

So on Thursday, I went to a protest.

Covering the event for my journalism class, I sat in for an activist group’s pre-protest briefing. It was the same group that had staged the on-campus demonstration with the bloody cellophane people at the beginning of the year. This time they were going to a supermarket. During the meeting, a blanket of focused silence covered the group. A static-y blanket charged with unspoken intensity and energy. Rather exciting!

The power of a well-coordinated call-and-response chant is more powerful than you’d think, since everyone actually knows the words and speaks together as a single, disembodied voice. None of that mumbled destructive interference at high school rallies and football games. It’s unexpectedly loud and effective.

Shoppers looked on with half-filled baskets, and spectators gathered around the front of the supermarket with their smartphones.

Handing out flyers and making themselves heard, the activists snaked through the supermarket in a single-file line. Back home, I’d seen picket lines outside of an Albertsons. But nothing to this extent or level of coordination. I was impressed.

And I suppose this is what it takes to be heard in Berkeley. Never in a million years would I have seen something like this back at home.

And that’s the thing in college. You see new things. You hear and learn new things. College isn’t just bookwork; it’s also about learning from the community, the people around you. So go outside once in a while. Do stuff.

Read more about Matthew here.

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NU

Congrats to My Class of 2016!

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WOW! It’s been a year with too few writings from me. I’ll aim to change that over the weeks and months ahead. There’s especially a lot on my mind following a conference that I attended in Boston last week.

For now, though, it’s that time of year where I need to congratulate my graduating seniors (who as of now are completing their final high school examinations ever!) on the work they’ve done and the trajectories they have ahead of them. It’s been an honor and pleasure to work with you all!

Acceptances include:
Beloit College
Boston College
Boston University
College of Wooster
Columbia University
Cornell University
DePaul University
Duke University
Emory University
Franklin & Marshall College
Indiana University, Bloomington
Johns Hopkins University
Lawrence University
Loyola Marymount University
Macalester College
Michigan State University
New York University
Northwestern University
Oberlin College
Occidental College
Pennsylvania State University, University Park
Pepperdine University
Pomona College
Rice University
Rutgers University, New Brunswick
Scripps College
Smith College
Syracuse University
University of British Columbia
University of California, Berkeley
University of California, Davis
University of California, Irvine
University of California, Los Angeles
University of California, Merced
University of California, San Diego
University of California, Santa Barbara
University of California, Santa Cruz
University of Connecticut, Storrs
University of Michigan
University of Minnesota, Twin Cities
University of Notre Dame
University of Rochester
University of Southern California
University of Washington, Seattle
Vanderbilt University
Vassar College
Wesleyan University

Best wishes for your journey ahead!

May 12, 2016
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  • On "Dream Schools"
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