SUPPRESSING PASSION FOR COLLEGE APPLICATIONS
March 2016
Many students are master tailors… on themselves, crafting their image and individuality with colleges looming over their heads. But with the pressure of college, many of these tailors lose sight of their individuality.
These tailors don’t always know the expectations of their “dream” colleges, and whether they should go for the “standard” or their own individual style. All they know is that colleges are looking for something.
This murkiness of college standards have led many people to prioritize their choices, sometimes placing their interests below what may look better to universities.
However, this doesn’t always work.
Sophomore Jenna Williamson, a dedicated musician, said, “I was in Geometry Enriched last year and wanted to be a year ahead in math because I felt that was what colleges wanted. I had this giant plan to move up a level and that all failed.”
Williamson chose to ease off on her workload. With more time to practice on percussion, she’s been allowed to truly focus on her future musical career.
Meanwhile, junior Victor Li took a different approach.
“I took a lot of AP classes because I like to challenge myself, and it will help my college applications. I’m taking AP computer science next year because I want to learn about it, and there is a college aspect there. However, I would never take a class just for college if I disliked it,” said Li.
These two students chose different paths. However, both faced dilemmas.
Williamson said, “I felt judgement, such as ‘Why isn’t she taking more advanced classes?’ and ‘If she’s partially in honors classes, why can’t she take all of them?’ Some people think it’s weird because math is supposed to be basic, and some do belittle me a bit in chemistry and history, as if they have to talk me through everything we do.”
For Li, it was a different situation, involving him juggling several extracurriculars based on his interests and in order to fulfill his graduation requirements.
He said, “I joined some clubs that I have a leadership role in, and am not as passionate about, but still joined them since it would help my college applications.”
Both of these students faced the pressure to be individuals while conforming to a set of standards and expectations, and reacted in divergent manners.
Many universities emphasize individuality and interest.
On its admissions website, University of California, Berkeley said that they “identify applicants who are most likely to contribute to Berkeley’s intellectual and cultural community and, ultimately, to the State of California, the nation, and the world.”
On top of this, rigorous classes are highlighted to measure a student’s ability.
According to the Princeton Review, “An AP class signals to admissions officers that you're ready for college-level work. College counselors and administrators consistently tell us that grades and academic rigor are the most important factors (even over-standardized test scores) when it comes time for the admissions committee to evaluate applications.”
Many can agree that advanced classes are great for academic purposes and exploration of one’s interest. However, it can also go the other way around, with too many classes limiting a student.
Guidance counselor Kim Miller said, “I don’t know how honest students are about their interests with the counselors. There’s an ultra-competitive image of colleges, but there are a lot more schools out there. We’re going to be encouraging students to take classes that they want to take. A lot of the students’ self worth is based on the schools that they get into.”
While this may be the case for some students, it’s not the case for all.
“I’m definitely suppressing myself a little bit. I’m trying not to be weird since other people think I’m weird for not thinking about college applications as much as a lot of other people do. But I’ve seen that over time, I’ve grown more confident in myself,” said Williamson.
Ultimately, it all comes down to the student -- one who could be facing pressure and decisions.
Senior Allison Yeh said, “At this time, it’s our natural tendency to want to conform. It’s not necessarily just for college applications, but it’s also a fear of being different. And in college apps, you want to be unique.”
These tailors don’t always know the expectations of their “dream” colleges, and whether they should go for the “standard” or their own individual style. All they know is that colleges are looking for something.
This murkiness of college standards have led many people to prioritize their choices, sometimes placing their interests below what may look better to universities.
However, this doesn’t always work.
Sophomore Jenna Williamson, a dedicated musician, said, “I was in Geometry Enriched last year and wanted to be a year ahead in math because I felt that was what colleges wanted. I had this giant plan to move up a level and that all failed.”
Williamson chose to ease off on her workload. With more time to practice on percussion, she’s been allowed to truly focus on her future musical career.
Meanwhile, junior Victor Li took a different approach.
“I took a lot of AP classes because I like to challenge myself, and it will help my college applications. I’m taking AP computer science next year because I want to learn about it, and there is a college aspect there. However, I would never take a class just for college if I disliked it,” said Li.
These two students chose different paths. However, both faced dilemmas.
Williamson said, “I felt judgement, such as ‘Why isn’t she taking more advanced classes?’ and ‘If she’s partially in honors classes, why can’t she take all of them?’ Some people think it’s weird because math is supposed to be basic, and some do belittle me a bit in chemistry and history, as if they have to talk me through everything we do.”
For Li, it was a different situation, involving him juggling several extracurriculars based on his interests and in order to fulfill his graduation requirements.
He said, “I joined some clubs that I have a leadership role in, and am not as passionate about, but still joined them since it would help my college applications.”
Both of these students faced the pressure to be individuals while conforming to a set of standards and expectations, and reacted in divergent manners.
Many universities emphasize individuality and interest.
On its admissions website, University of California, Berkeley said that they “identify applicants who are most likely to contribute to Berkeley’s intellectual and cultural community and, ultimately, to the State of California, the nation, and the world.”
On top of this, rigorous classes are highlighted to measure a student’s ability.
According to the Princeton Review, “An AP class signals to admissions officers that you're ready for college-level work. College counselors and administrators consistently tell us that grades and academic rigor are the most important factors (even over-standardized test scores) when it comes time for the admissions committee to evaluate applications.”
Many can agree that advanced classes are great for academic purposes and exploration of one’s interest. However, it can also go the other way around, with too many classes limiting a student.
Guidance counselor Kim Miller said, “I don’t know how honest students are about their interests with the counselors. There’s an ultra-competitive image of colleges, but there are a lot more schools out there. We’re going to be encouraging students to take classes that they want to take. A lot of the students’ self worth is based on the schools that they get into.”
While this may be the case for some students, it’s not the case for all.
“I’m definitely suppressing myself a little bit. I’m trying not to be weird since other people think I’m weird for not thinking about college applications as much as a lot of other people do. But I’ve seen that over time, I’ve grown more confident in myself,” said Williamson.
Ultimately, it all comes down to the student -- one who could be facing pressure and decisions.
Senior Allison Yeh said, “At this time, it’s our natural tendency to want to conform. It’s not necessarily just for college applications, but it’s also a fear of being different. And in college apps, you want to be unique.”