WILLIAM TAYLOR

   Gatekeepers portrayed the college admissions process of Wesleyan college.  The in-depth description of the book gave of Wesleyan's college admissions process was quite astonishing. The surprising concepts of the college application process was the detail, information, and portrayal of experience put forth into every application review. The admissions process itself presented,with a sufficient amount of detail, a great deal of the "human" involvement on the process that determines who is admitted, and who is not. CLARIFY THESIS  -Docraygen 10/5/08 12:42 AM 

     One of the main points of the admissions process was to emphasize detail for every application. No detail is spared in the admission officers' careful review over each application; "We know in scathingly honest detail the students' records and thinking, as well as the tactics, rationales and goals of [admissions officer Ralph] Figueroa and his colleagues." (McDonough p1, par 2) Ralph Figueroa served as the primary focus and insight to how the admissions process worked; his careful consideration of all details went into every one his reviews for each application. The author made clear how important detail was to those reviewing over applications; "Another nice touch is Mr. Steinberg's description of the details of the admissions process at Wesleyan, in Middletown, Conn., and the ways it is similar to or different from that of its direct competitors (Amherst, Hampshire, Williams) and indirect competitors a notch higher in status (Harvard, Yale, Stanford)....These comparisons make the book less about a single institution and more about how premier colleges select their classes." (McDonough p1, par 3) It had lots of detail of Ralph's background which was shared with the reporter, details like how Ralph came to be the admission officer. Ralph was of Mexican descent and decided to work at Wesleyan since it passed his "Tortilla Test". Ralph's "Tortilla Test" was simply whether or not they had good Mexican food.  Background details on applying students were also presented. There were many things informative about the book, but he detail added insight to the college admissions process. YOUR ESSAY IS RAMBLING BECAUSE YOU DO NOT HAVE A STRONG, CENTRAL THESIS TO GUIDE YOUR THOUGHTS.

    The great deal of information surrounding the college admissions process added clarity to how the process actually worked. The Gatekeepers surprised many with its unique in-depth insight into the clockwork of the admissions process; "Never before has this mysterious process been revealed with such clarity, such insight, and such drama." Students wanting to apply to college  will find an unexpectedly large amount of information, containing crucial knowledge of the admissions process; "The process it describes is opaque to most students applying to college, and Steinberg, a New York Times reporter specializing in education, plainly scored a coup when Wesleyan agreed to give him a close-quarters look at how it all works at one, presumably representative,elite institution" (Seligman par 6). Ralph was the main admissions officer who was interviewed. He talked in-depth of how his job works. Ralph would constantly reveal important aspects of his work and the application process. Certain application sections were reviewed and given a 1-9, where 9 was a perfect score. People were sometimes looked at for ethnicity. Life stories and backgrounds were also carefully looked at and considered. GPA and SAT scores were also very important in the admissions process. His job was important and the book was informative, but the experience portrayed was also good.YOU DESPARATELY NEED A THESIS TO CONTROL YOUR ESSAY.

    The portrayed experience of college admissions process gave a unique outlook of how admission officers review their work and students' applications. Ralph, like many other admission officers, came from a distinct background of life experiences to which he would apply his knowledge when reviewing the "lives" of others; "Steinberg portrays Figueroa and the other admissions officers as doing the best they can to give each applicant a fair assessment, despite their responsibility for 1,500 of them" (About This Book The Gatekeepers par 6).  Hardship followed Ralph who spent a great deal of time looking over each application with care, and how each student's background painted a vivid picture of cultural diversity; "In one sense, it is surely depressing—for those teenagers who will be applying to future freshman classes, and others, like me, who passed through college years earlier—to watch Ralph Figueroa and others struggle to fit so many talented candidates into so few available slots" (Steinberg xxi). You could really put yourself into the person's shoes. The experience was good. Ralph's life was clearly mapped out and you could see through his eyes every step of the way. Rather than straightforward being interviewed, you were put in his shoes and would be shown his thoughts. Ralph liked one of the students very much who was Jordan. He also saw the first Native American student admitted. He gave Jordan a 9. One reason Ralph liked Jordan was because Jordan liked X-Men, Ralph also liked X-Men. Overall, it truly put the college admissions process into perspective. 

    The Gatekeepers clearly showed how the college admission process works. It was very informative and very detailed. The careful thought process and emotion that went into every application review really gave a completely new perspective on how college admission works. The Gatekeepers is a great book for students hoping to apply and get into college. My previous beliefs of how the college admissions process were completely revamped.

Reviews The Gatekeepers.


Steinberg, Jacques. The Gatekeepers. Westport, CT: Praeger Publishers, 1997.
McDonough, Patricia M. "BOOKS OF THE TIMES; Accept or Reject? What It's About at One

    University." The New York Times 27 November 2002. 27 November 2008

    <http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9A02E3D71139F934A1575AC0A9649C8B63>.