Many are obsessed with the college admission process. Why?
Like many, as a mom, I was a bit obsessed with the college admission process beginning when my eldest son entered high school. I wanted him to go to a good college and I knew that it took some savvy to understand the process and lead him in that direction. I did lots and lots and lots of research and learned a lot about the process. In the end, my research pointed me in the direction of trying to help my son find a college that matched who he was and what his interests were. I found the process to be a kind of "know yourself" process and that's another reason why I found it so interesting. I focused on asking the questions: Who is my son? What does he enjoy doing? Who does he want to become? What gets him excited?
We looked at many, many colleges, and in the end he landed at a school that was a good fit because he could study what he was interested in, there were many great professors and learning/recreational opportunities, and it was in a landscape that excited him. After that, I used the same approach with my other two sons who landed in colleges that were good matches for them, and those college educations keep giving back to my sons in many, many ways. As I found with my own college education, it was an life-enriching experience that has continued to give back to me throughout my life with good connections, wonderful relationships, and a holistic, informed way to look at and approach the world and my life.
So with the knowledge that the college admission process can lead to an obsessive will to find the right college for your child, you must also realize that this obsession, if not well directed, can become a dangerous journey as we most recently have witnessed with the college admission scandal. When a parent's ego takes over, this obsession can lead down all kinds of dangerous paths. The most dangerous path this can lead to is when a parent puts their need for prestige, popularity, or power ahead of who their child is or what their child wants.
This subject came to mind because our local school committee and high school educators/administrators were involved in a discussion that involved many parents and students related to the college admission process and transcripts. I listened to the many points of view, and understood that most were focused on a similar objective which was to lay the foundation for children to be able to share their high school grades and experiences with college admissions departments in order to get into a college of their choice. There were evidently different perspectives about how to do that as people discussed the issue. Since I'm removed from the issue details, I didn't have a good grasp on the specific that they were talking about, but I did hear worry, competition, ego, concern, and varying values exposed throughout the conversation which reminded me of the obsessive efforts this process often leads to.
In the end, I know why people care about college admissions. A good college education is a life changing and life enriching event, and anyone who has experienced that wants their children to have that same opportunity--it's incredible. Yet, we all have to be careful about how we support our children and students through this process as we want to make sure that we have our students and children's best interests in mind as well as a fair, honest, and positive way of engaging in that process. Onward.
Like many, as a mom, I was a bit obsessed with the college admission process beginning when my eldest son entered high school. I wanted him to go to a good college and I knew that it took some savvy to understand the process and lead him in that direction. I did lots and lots and lots of research and learned a lot about the process. In the end, my research pointed me in the direction of trying to help my son find a college that matched who he was and what his interests were. I found the process to be a kind of "know yourself" process and that's another reason why I found it so interesting. I focused on asking the questions: Who is my son? What does he enjoy doing? Who does he want to become? What gets him excited?
We looked at many, many colleges, and in the end he landed at a school that was a good fit because he could study what he was interested in, there were many great professors and learning/recreational opportunities, and it was in a landscape that excited him. After that, I used the same approach with my other two sons who landed in colleges that were good matches for them, and those college educations keep giving back to my sons in many, many ways. As I found with my own college education, it was an life-enriching experience that has continued to give back to me throughout my life with good connections, wonderful relationships, and a holistic, informed way to look at and approach the world and my life.
So with the knowledge that the college admission process can lead to an obsessive will to find the right college for your child, you must also realize that this obsession, if not well directed, can become a dangerous journey as we most recently have witnessed with the college admission scandal. When a parent's ego takes over, this obsession can lead down all kinds of dangerous paths. The most dangerous path this can lead to is when a parent puts their need for prestige, popularity, or power ahead of who their child is or what their child wants.
This subject came to mind because our local school committee and high school educators/administrators were involved in a discussion that involved many parents and students related to the college admission process and transcripts. I listened to the many points of view, and understood that most were focused on a similar objective which was to lay the foundation for children to be able to share their high school grades and experiences with college admissions departments in order to get into a college of their choice. There were evidently different perspectives about how to do that as people discussed the issue. Since I'm removed from the issue details, I didn't have a good grasp on the specific that they were talking about, but I did hear worry, competition, ego, concern, and varying values exposed throughout the conversation which reminded me of the obsessive efforts this process often leads to.
In the end, I know why people care about college admissions. A good college education is a life changing and life enriching event, and anyone who has experienced that wants their children to have that same opportunity--it's incredible. Yet, we all have to be careful about how we support our children and students through this process as we want to make sure that we have our students and children's best interests in mind as well as a fair, honest, and positive way of engaging in that process. Onward.