Competition

            Admission into an elite college becomes more difficult every year. One enterprising book, The Gatekeepers: Inside the Admissions Process of a Premier College, written by Jacques Steinberg, exposes what happens behind the closed doors of many college admissions offices.  But students are not alone in the strong competition; colleges are actively fighting against each other for the best applicants. Risks must be taken in order to attract the attention of a premier university or applicant.

            Admissions officers need to be shocked yet impressed for an applicant to be accepted; giving way to a new era of daring students. Bending or breaking the rules paid off for a group of rebellious students. "'Whatever you do,' Ralph told the students, 'don't send me poems.' He then read aloud from several poems that… were among the best essays he had ever received…So much for that rule, his audience thought” (Steinberg 37). Ralph tells his audience to follow the rules while showing them not to. The audience quickly picks up on the hypocrisy, realizing there is no specific equation to being accepted. Ignoring the rules allowed the applicants to be noticed and leave a lasting, positive impression. Sometimes even extreme measures can lead to a thick envelope. "'I'm working my ass off to get into college,' someone told a friend of Becca's, 'and this girl's going to get in because she ate a pot brownie'" (Steinberg 41). Becca's story of redemption lead many to believe she could have her pick of colleges. But her controversial life story required extra convincing that only a counselor’s connections could handle. "Sharon told Ralph that Becca was a 'puller,' a code word indicating that Becca's friends and admirers in younger classes might try to follow her wherever she went to college. By the same token, they might also ignore a college that had rejected her" (Steinberg 192). Sharon, Becca's counselor, easily persuaded Ralph to get Becca into the school. Students from top private schools have counselors with strong connections that can smooth over any cracks their application's risk might have caused. Becca, without connections, would have been rejected. Despite traditional views of straight A's as a student's best bet, colleges are now expecting students to have, "As many Honors and AP classes as possible... The risk/reward ratio comes into play here as colleges are looking for students who take risks and challenge themselves academically…Admissions officers are even more impressed by the challenge taken than they are with the grade received" (Aresty). Involving oneself in countless AP and honors classes will be looked upon favorably. However, this is a gamble considering few students may be able to undertake such a rigorous schedule. Even a perfect GPA may not be enough to open a college's doors. Further risks must be taken. Jordan was told not to include his writings with his application because they would not be read. Yet, Ralph broke his own rule and "'It touched [him] that a kid could be so unselfconsciously good have it be so natural,'" (Steinberg 163). Jordan ignored Ralph's warning and included his stories in his application. This risk made Ralph see Jordan personally as an inspiring individual. Ralph admitted him despite average grades. Jordan stood out in a sea of applicants.

            Fierce competition between applicants causes rivalry between colleges for their attention. Students often look to US News and World Report, for the top colleges and tend to pick the colleges with higher ratings. Even colleges as renown as Harvard are vying for the coveted number one spot. "A comparison of last year's numbers points to one category where it moved ahead of Princeton -- average class size," (Harvard). Colleges also reach out to applicants through informal means as well. "MIT is one of a handful of universities where admissions officers write blogs… It's quickly shown itself to be a useful tool in boosting interest among potential applicants,"(Klusek). Reaching out through the internet allows the college to become more personal to the applicant, thus encouraging them to apply. While some methods of recruiting are new, the allure of a winning sports team is known to demand headlines and applicants. "College basketball teams that make this year's cut for the Sweet 16 may boost the number of students applying to their schools by as much as 3 percent next year, while the winner of the NCAA basketball tournament, often called 'March Madness,' may see a 7 percent to 8 percent jump in applications"(Pope). Steinberg points out another traditional recruiting method - image. "Rather than being greeted in what appeared to be a Medicaid office, prospective applicants to Wesleyan now met the admissions staff in a wood-paneled room with a fireplace and thirty-foot windows. Out one side, the students could see the football and baseball fields; out another were the soccer grounds." (75). The aesthetics of the campus can tip the scale in the college's favor, yet their bold statements on important issues are just as vital. "In response to students' growing appetite for all things environmentally friendly, several groups have begun tracking schools' commitment to going green… and there are many schools that are striving to be … the 'greenest' campus," (Khadaroo). Winning such merits will attract applicants. Colleges have become as competitive as students to win their prized applicants.

            A new era of education has come. A student needs to educate herself in the new admissions practices. In her applications, she needs to include more than SAT test scores, GPA, and school involvement. She must research her schools and cater each application towards its prospective college. She needs to highlight the areas she excelled in. Her admissions essay must be about an unusual life-changing event. She needs to make herself appear unique, intelligent, and an asset to the school.   A wise applicant will chose her colleges through a variety of factors. Dream schools need to be highly rated, reach out to her personally, and have similar interests. Colleges that have met the criteria for a business major are California State University Long Beach, Cal Poly Pomona, and Loyola Marymount University.  Her educational journey will not end with a bachelor’s degree from one of these fine schools. She will continue on to get her masters and have an edge over the competition. 

Works Cited

Aresty, Reecy. Creating The Acceptable College Applicant. 30 Oct. 2006.

         OpEdNews. 11 September 2008 

                               <http://www.opednews.com/articles/genera_reecy_ar_061030_creating_the_accepta.htm>.

Harvard reclaims no. 1 spot on list of nation's top schools. 22 Aug. 2008. CNN. 11

Sept. 2008

    <http://www.cnn.com/2008/LIVING/08/22/college.rankings.ap/>.

Khadaroo, Stacy Teicher. Now, ‘green’ report cards for U.S. colleges. 8 July 2008. The Christian Science Monitor. 7 Sept. 2008                                          <http://features.csmonitor.com/environment/2008/07/08/now-%E2%80%98green%E2%80%99-report-cards-for-us-colleges/>.

Klusek, Micheal. Colleges using blogs to attract students. 14 Mar. 2006. Online Sales Success. 7 Sept. 2008

    <http://www.onlinesalessuccess.biz/colleges-using-blogs-to-attract-students/>.

Pope, Jaren. March Madness and College Admissions. 20 Mar. 2008. Newswise. 7 Sept. 2008<http://www.newswise.com/articles/view/538821/>.

Steinberg, J. The Gatekeepers: Inside the Admissions Process of a Premier College. New York:Penguin Books. 2002.