Draft 3: Gatekeepers Essay While some high standing private schools give their students an advantage, there are many other factors that admissions officers deem more important than whether the school was private or public. While private schools can give an edge, some public schools also have close connections with colleges, "Some private school guidance counselors do have “insider” connections with admission officers at elite colleges, but that can be true at public schools as well" (Private vs. Public High School for Our Son?). While it is thought private schools are always better, college admissions don't tend to favor either, and instead pick the applicants whom they believe will have the best influence on their school's environment and standing, thus the private school versus public school debate is irrelevant to modern college admissions. College
admissions officers review applicants in great detail. This is shown in a Wesleyan admissions officer's review
of Tiffany Wang, “Her parents had graduated
from college and they lived in an affluent area. Her SAT’s may
well have been among the highest that Wesleyan would see that year,
but that only underscored the fact that she wasn’t living up to
her potential”(Steinberg 159). Even though Tiffany has very
high SAT scores, the admissions officer, Rod, looks deeper, and sees that for some reason she
isn’t reaching her full potential. Another thing admissions officers deem very important is a student's class rank, as
it can give insight as to how the student will
perform compared to the other students at the college, “How one
scored relative to the rest of the field in high school was regarded
as one indicator of how one might perform relative to the field at
Wesleyan” (Steinberg 101). Even though class rank is important in
making a decision about an applicant, the bar is usually set much
lower than students think, “While Jordan may have been
preoccupied about being ranked below the top 20 kids in his class,
admissions officers at most of the elite colleges didn’t
usually set the bar that high” (Steinberg). It's good to have high or
at least decent grades, but this is also considered along with the
quality of the school, with private and public schools being weighed
against the same standard. Colleges also seek to diversify their ethnic base, and the viewpoints of their students, “…the diversity of college is a transitional place between the homogeneity of high school and the diversity of the 'real world” (How College Admission Works, section 4). Due to this emphasis on diversity, colleges seek to recruit good students from all viewpoints and schools, regardless of whether they were public or private,“…colleges don’t care if you’ve attended a private or public high school” (Do Elite Colleges Prefer Private or Public High Schools?)" This results in the mix of views that admissions officers are looking for, “There is no ‘in’ lifestyle or ‘in group” (Steinberg 46). College’s also try to get diverse viewpoints, thus pulling from both private and public schools, many in fact seek radicals, as it makes their campus far more diverse. “Jordan was amazed, and impressed, that the administration had permitted such dissent during what was arguably Wesleyan’s most important weekend of the year” (215). Another thing colleges look for is the impact students have had on their communities, something that isn't really affected by public or private schools, "We ask ourselves, 'How much impact has a student had in his or her school or community?", (How College Admission works, Section 5). College admissions officers focus on other factors that are more relevant to their desires than whether a school was public or private.
Thus, the public
school
versus private school debate is a moot point, “There are some
great public schools and lousy private schools—and vice versa”
(Do Elite Colleges Prefer Private or Public High Schools?, Catholic
School vs. Public School?), thus, the public v. private debate is
pointless, and the true factor in college admission is a school's
academic rigor, and the student's school rank and GPA. “The
bottom line is that you can attend a top college no matter where you
go to high school, as long as you’ve compiled an impressive
record there” (Do Elite Colleges Prefer Private or Public High
Schools?). Many public schools are as good or better than their private
counterparts, and the more important aspect of college admissions are
GPA and SAT/ACT scores.
Works Cited "Catholic School vs. Public School?" Unknown original date. Collegeconfidential.com. 9, September 2008.<http://www.collegeconfidential.com/dean/archives/catholic-school-vs-public-school.htm> "Do Elite Colleges Prefer Private or Public High Schools?” Unknown original date.Collegeconfidential.com. 9, September 2008. <http://www.collegeconfidential.com/dean/archives/000102.htm>
"Private vs. Public High School for Our Son?" Unknown Original Date. Collegeconfidential.com. 9, September 2008.<http://www.collegeconfidential.com/dean/archives/private-vs-public-high-school-for-our-son.htm>
"How College Admission Works." 01 April 2000. HowStuffWorks.com. 9, September 2008.<http://people.howstuffworks.com/college-admission3.htm>
"How College Admission Works." 01 April 2000. HowStuffWorks.com. 9, September 2008.
<http://people.howstuffworks.com/college-admission4.htm> Steinberg, Jacques. The Gatekeepers. Penguin Books: London, 2003
Draft 2: While some high standing private schools give their students an advantage, there are many other factors that admissions officers deem more important than whether the school was private or public. While private schools can give an edge, some public schools also have close connections with colleges, "Some private school guidance counselors do have “insider” connections with admission officers at elite colleges, but that can be true at public schools as well" (Private vs. Public High School for Our Son?). While it is thought private schools are always better, college admissions don't tend to favor either, and instead pick the applicants whom they believe will have the best influence on their school's environment and standing.CLARIFY THESIS; WHAT IS YOUR PURPOSE? -Docraygen 9/21/08 2:55 AM College
admissions officers review applicants in great detail. This is shown in a Wesleyan admissions officer's review
of Tiffany Wang, “Her parents had graduated
from college and they lived in an affluent area. Her SAT’s may
well have been among the highest that Wesleyan would see that year,
but that only underscored the fact that she wasn’t living up to
her potential”(Steinberg 159). Even though Tiffany has very
high SAT scores, the admissions officer, Rod, looks deeper, and sees that for some reason she
isn’t reaching her full potential. Another thing admissions officers deem very important is a student's class rank, as
it can give insight as to how the student will
perform compared to the other students at the college, “How one
scored relative to the rest of the field in high school was regarded
as one indicator of how one might perform relative to the field at
Wesleyan” (Steinberg 101). Even though class rank is important in
making a decision about an applicant, the bar is usually set much
lower than students think, “While Jordan may have been
preoccupied about being ranked below the top 20 kids in his class,
admissions officers at most of the elite colleges didn’t
usually set the bar that high” (Steinberg). Thus, while it is good to
have high grades, some students overestimate the requirements each
school sets. WHAT ARE YOU ARGUING? YOUR POINT? -Docraygen 9/21/08 2:57 AM Colleges also seek to diversify their ethnic base, and the viewpoints of their students, “…the diversity of college is a transitional place between the homogeneity of high school and the diversity of the 'real world” (How College Admission Works, section 4). Due to this emphasis on diversity, colleges seek to recruit good students from all viewpoints and schools, regardless of whether they were public or private,“…colleges don’t care if you’ve attended a private or public high school” (Do Elite Colleges Prefer Private or Public High Schools?)" This results in the mix of views that admissions officers are looking for, “There is no ‘in’ lifestyle or ‘in group” (Steinberg 46). College’s also try to get diverse viewpoints, thus pulling from both private and public schools, many in fact seek radicals, as it makes their campus far more diverse. “Jordan was amazed, and impressed, that the administration had permitted such dissent during what was arguably Wesleyan’s most important weekend of the year” (215). Another thing colleges look for is the impact students have had on their communities, something that isn't really affected by public or private schools, "We ask ourselves, 'How much impact has a student had in his or her school or community?", (How College Admission works, Section 5). College admissions officers focus on other factors that are more relevant to their desires than whether a school was public or private. Thus, the public school versus private school debate is a moot point, “There are some great public schools and lousy private schools—and vice versa” (Do Elite Colleges Prefer Private or Public High Schools?, Catholic School vs. Public School?), thus, the public v. private debate is pointless, and the true factor in college admission is a school's academic rigor, and the student's school rank and GPA. “The bottom line is that you can attend a top college no matter where you go to high school, as long as you’ve compiled an impressive record there” (Do Elite Colleges Prefer Private or Public High Schools?).
YOU WRITE WELL. MAKE GOOD POINTS. HOWEVER, THIS ESSAY LACKED A
CONTROLLING THESIS. WHAT WAS YOUR OVERALL POINT? WHAT WERE YOU PROVING?
GREAT WRITING, LACKED PURPOSE.
Works Cited ALPHABETIZE THIS LIST - STEINBERG IS LAST IN THIS LIST. Steinberg, Jacques. The Gatekeepers. Penguin Books: London, 2003
"How College Admission Works." 01 April 2000. HowStuffWorks.com. 9, September 2008.<http://people.howstuffworks.com/college-admission3.htm>
"How College Admission Works." 01 April 2000. HowStuffWorks.com. 9, September 2008.
<http://people.howstuffworks.com/college-admission4.htm>
“Do Elite Colleges Prefer Private or Public High Schools?” Unknown original date. NEED HANGING INDENT -Docraygen 9/21/08 3:01 AM Collegeconfidential.com. 9, September 2008. <http://www.collegeconfidential.com/dean/archives/000102.htm>
"Catholic School vs. Public School?" Unknown original date. Collegeconfidential.com.
9, September 2008.<http://www.collegeconfidential.com/dean/archives/catholic-school-vs-public-school.htm>
"Private vs. Public High School for Our Son?" Unknown Original Date. Collegeconfidential.com. 9, September 2008.<http://www.collegeconfidential.com/dean/archives/private-vs-public-high-school-for-our-son.htm>
GRADE = 90/100 Draft 1: dont forget the title :) -Andrew Gen 9/12/08 1:54 PM While some high standing private schools give their students an advantage, there are many other factors that admissions officers deem more important than whether the school was private or public. While private schools can give an edge, some public schools also have close connections with colleges, "Some private school guidance counselors do have “insider” connections with admission officers at elite colleges, but that can be true at public schools as well" (Private vs. Public High School for Our Son?). While it is thought private schools are always better, college admissions don't tend to favor either, and instead pick the applicants whom they believe will have the best influence on their school's environment and standing. Add a first sentence here instead of combining it with the quote to keep MLA-Andrew Gen 9/12/08 1:58 PM College admissions officers review applicants in great detail, as shown in Rod’s Who's Rod?-Andrew Gen 9/12/08 1:59 PM review of Tiffany Wang, “Her parents had graduated from college and they lived in an affluent area. Her SAT’s may well have been among the highest that Wesleyan would see that year, but that only underscored the fact that she wasn’t living up to her potential”(Steinberg 159). Even though Tiffany has very high SAT scores, Rod looks deeper, and sees that for some reason she isn’t reaching her full potential. Admissions officers are also very interested in a student’s GPA, and have become more interested in GPA than in SAT scores, “That is so much more than just grades and test scores and activities” (How College Admission Works, section 5). Admissions officers also regard class rank quite highly, as it can give insight as to how the student will perform compared to the other students at the college, “How one scored relative to the rest of the field in high school was regarded as one indicator of how one might perform relative to the field at Wesleyan” (Steinberg 101). While class rank is important in making a decision about an applicant, the bar is usually set much lower than students think, “While Jordan may have been preoccupied about being ranked below the top 20 kids in his class, admissions officers at most of the elite colleges didn’t usually set the bar that high” (Steinberg). Colleges also seek to diversify their ethnic base, and the viewpoints of their students, “…the diversity of college is a transitional place between the homogeneity of high school and the diversity of the 'real world” (How College Admission Works, section 4), “There is no ‘in’ lifestyle or ‘in group” (Steinberg 46). With such an emphasis on diversity, whether a school was public or private has become a bit irrelevant, “…colleges don’t care if you’ve attended a private or public high school. Admission officers like “diversity,” so that means admitting students from all sorts of backgrounds” (Do Elite Colleges Prefer Private or Public High Schools?. College’s also try to get diverse viewpoints, thus pulling from both private and public schools, “Jordan was amazed, and impressed, that the administration had permitted such dissent during what was arguably Wesleyan’s most important weekend of the year” (215). College admissions officers focus on other factors that are more relevant to their desires than whether a school was public or private. remember dr gen said that like a poor essay has 5 paragraphs and you might only get away with three? well you can separate this paragraph into 2 paragraphs to make four to keep it safe and easier to read. And make sure you sharpen the structure of the paragraphs-Andrew Gen 9/12/08 2:12 PM its hard to tell the difference between the quotes your explaining and the quotes your explaining with-Andrew Gen 9/12/08 2:20 PM Thus, the public school versus private school debate is a moot point, “There are some great public schools and lousy private schools—and vice versa” (Do Elite Colleges Prefer Private or Public High Schools?, Catholic School vs. Public School?), thus, the public v. private debate is pointless, and the true factor in college admission is a school's academic rigor, and the student's school rank and GPA. “The bottom line is that you can attend a top college no matter where you go to high school, as long as you’ve compiled an impressive record there” (Do Elite Colleges Prefer Private or Public High Schools?). i like the content but im not into the structure of the paragraphs, might want to clean that up-Andrew Gen 9/12/08 2:10 PM
Works Cited Steinberg, Jacques. The Gatekeepers.
"How College Admission Works." 01 April 2000. HowStuffWorks.com. <http://people.howstuffworks.com/college-admission3.htm> 9, September 2008.
"How College Admission Works." 01 April 2000. HowStuffWorks.com. <http://people.howstuffworks.com/college-admission4.htm> 9, September 2008.
“Do Elite Colleges Prefer Private or Public High Schools?” Unknown original date. Collegeconfidential.com. <http://www.collegeconfidential.com/dean/archives/000102.htm> 9, September 2008.
"Catholic School vs. Public School?" Unknown original date. Collegeconfidential.com. <http://www.collegeconfidential.com/dean/archives/catholic-school-vs-public-school.htm> 9, September 2008
"Private vs. Public High School for Our Son?" Unknown Original Date. Collegeconfidential.com. <http://www.collegeconfidential.com/dean/archives/private-vs-public-high-school-for-our-son.htm> 9, September 2008.
i'm pretty sure it goes the day's date then the url -Andrew Gen 9/12/08 2:10 PM
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