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05-07

What Colleges Want in an Applicant (Everything)

The admissions process is a maddening mishmash of competing

objectives, and an attempt to measure the unmeasurable: you. No, it isn』t fair,

and likely never will be.

By Eric Hoover

Eric Hoover is a senior writer at The Chronicle of Higher

Education covering admissions.

NOV. 1, 2017

The admissions process is out of whack. Just ask the heartbroken

applicant, rejected by her dream school. Ask high school counselors, who

complain that colleges don』t reward promising students for their creativity,

determination or service to others. Even the gatekeepers at some famous

institutions acknowledge, quietly, that the selection system is broken.

Ask five people how to fix it, though, and they』ll give five

different answers. Sure, you might think colleges put too much stock in the SAT,

but your neighbor』s kid with the near-perfect score thinks it should matter a

lot. More than half of Americans say colleges shouldn』t give children of alumni

a leg up, according to a recent Gallup poll; yet nearly half say parental

connections should be at least a 「minor factor.」

The debate about who gets into the nation』s competitive colleges,

and why, keeps boiling over. The Justice Department has confirmed that it』s

looking into a complaint, filed in 2015 by a coalition of 64 Asian-American

associations, charging discrimination against high-achieving Asian-American

college applicants. Also, students for Fair Admissions, which opposes

affirmative action policies, has filed discrimination lawsuits against Harvard,

the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and the University of Texas at

Austin.

Although the Supreme Court affirmed last year that admissions

officers may consider an applicant』s race among other factors, polls show that a

majority of Americans disagree with that decision. Critics of affirmative action

see plenty of room for future legal challenges.

Whatever happens, age-old questions about fairness in admissions

will surely endure. For one thing, the nation can』t come to terms with a tricky

five-letter word: merit. Michael Young, a British sociologist, coined the

pejorative term 「meritocracy」 over a half-century ago to describe a future in

which standardized intelligence tests would crown a new elite. Yet as Rebecca

Zwick explains in her new book 「Who Gets In?」 the meaning has shifted. The word

「merit,」 she writes, has come to mean 「academic excellence, narrowly defined」 as

grades and test scores.

But that』s just one way to think of an applicant』s worthiness. Dr.

Zwick, professor emeritus at the University of California at Santa Barbara, has

long been a researcher at the Educational Testing Service, which develops and

administers the SAT. She disputes the notion that testing prowess — or any other

attribute, for that matter — entitles a student to a spot at his chosen college.

「There is, in fact, no absolute definition of merit,」 she writes.

That brings us to you, the anxious applicant, the frazzled parent,

the confused citizen, all wondering what colleges want. It』s worth taking a deep

breath and noting that only 13 percent of four-year colleges accept fewer than

half of their applicants. That said, colleges where seats are scarce stir up the

nation』s emotions. Each year, the world-famous institutions reject thousands and

thousands of students who could thrive there.

Yes, rejection stings. But say these words aloud: The admissions

process isn』t fair. Like it or not, colleges aren』t looking to reel in the

greatest number of straight-A students who』ve taken seven or more Advanced

Placement courses. A rejection isn』t really about you; it』s about a maddening

mishmash of competing objectives.

Just as parents give teenagers a set of chores, colleges hand

their admissions leaders a list of things to accomplish. When they fail, they

often get fired.

「We don』t live in a cloud — the reality is, there』s a bottom

line,」 said Angel B. Pérez, vice president for enrollment and student success at

Trinity College, in Hartford. 「We』re an institution, but we』re also a

business.」

On many campuses, financial concerns affect decisions about whom

to admit. A recent report by the National Association for College Admission

Counseling found that about half of institutions said an applicant』s 「ability to

pay」 was of at least 「some importance」 in admissions decisions. Among other

targets is geographic diversity, which is now seen as an indicator of

institutional strength and popularity. (Some presidents have been known to gripe

if the freshman class doesn』t represent all 50 states.) A campus might also need

a particular number of engineering majors or goalies.

Indeed, a college could accept 33 percent of all applicants, but

that doesn』t mean each applicant has a one-in-three chance. Success depends on

what a student brings to the table.

Generally, nothing carries more weight in admissions than grades

(plus strength of the high school curriculum) and ACT/SAT scores. With limited

time and resources, those metrics offer a relatively quick way to predict who

will succeed. But the measures have drawbacks. Grade inflation has complicated

the task of evaluating achievements, and so has the variance in high school

grading policies. Standardized test scores correlate with family income; white

and Asian-American students fare better than black and Hispanic students do.

Also, when colleges talk about predicting 「success,」 they usually mean

first-year grades — a limited definition.

And so, many colleges rely on 「holistic」 evaluations, allowing

colleges to contextualize applicants』 academic records and to identify

disadvantaged students who might lack the sparkling credentials of their

affluent peers. Did they attend low-performing high schools or well-resourced

ones? Did they participate in extracurricular activities? Do they have

leadership experience?

What colleges look for sends a powerful message about what

matters, not just to admissions officers but in life, and students often respond

accordingly.

Dr. Pérez, a first-generation college student who grew up in a

low-income family, recently revamped Trinity』s process to better identify

promising students, particularly the disadvantaged. While reading applications,

its admissions officers now look for evidence of 13 characteristics — including

curiosity, empathy, openness to change and ability to overcome adversity — that

researchers associate with successful students. These are also qualities that

the liberal-arts college values, inside and outside the classroom.

Trinity』s officers can check as many qualities as apply using a

drop-down box labeled 「Predictors of Success.」 They must note where they saw

evidence of each quality in the application. 「It can』t be just a hint,」 Dr.

Pérez said. He recalls a teacher recommendation describing how an applicant had

taken a stand on a controversial social issue in class, even though other

students vocally disagreed with him. Impressed, Dr. Pérez checked the box for

「Comfort in Minority of 1,」 a sign, perhaps, that the student would contribute

to campus dialogues. Also on the drop-down: 「Delayed Gratification」 and 「Risk

Taking.」

While Trinity still values conventional measures, the new model

has expanded the staff』s understanding of merit. 「We』re trying to give students

more credit for these characteristics, especially those who』ve had some

challenges,」 Dr. Pérez said. The new approach, along with the college』s recent

decision to stop requiring ACT/SAT scores, has helped it diversify its classes.

Low-income and first-generation students represent 15 percent of this fall』s

freshman class, up from 8 percent three years ago.

「I』m trying to increase the tools we have, and get beyond a system

that is absolutely antiquated,」 Dr. Pérez said. 「As the country becomes more

diverse, as we learn more about the correlation between standardized test scores

and wealth, we have to be a lot more creative in predicting for success in

college.」

What most colleges ask for from applicants doesn』t reveal much

about the many skills and talents a student might possess. But what if colleges

asked for more?

The admissions process at Olin College of Engineering includes a

live audition. After completing a traditional application, selected students

visit the campus, in Needham, Mass., for an intense two-day tryout. In addition

to sitting for interviews, they work in small groups to complete a tabletop

design challenge, such as building a tower that can hold a specific weight. On

the second day, they are given another task, like designing a campus building.

This time, evaluators observe each student, noting how well they communicate

with others and adapt on the fly.

The experience is meant to help prospective students understand

Olin』s collaborative culture, while giving the college a better glimpse of each

applicant before finalizing acceptance. 「It』s hard to nail down a student』s

mind-set from the traditional elements of the application,」 said Emily

Roper-Doten, the dean of admission and financial aid. 「This allows us to see

them in motion, in an educational moment.」

A desire to see what students can do with their hands inspired a

recent change at one of the world』s most renowned campuses. Massachusetts

Institute of Technology (motto: 「Mens et manus,」 Latin for 「Mind and hand」) now

gives applicants the option of submitting a Maker Portfolio to show their

「technical creativity.」

Applicants can send images, a short video and a PDF that shed

light on a project they』ve undertaken — clothing they』ve made, apps they』ve

designed, cakes they』ve baked, furniture they』ve built, chain mail they』ve

woven. M.I.T. also asks students to explain what the project meant to them, as

well as how much help they got. A panel of faculty members and alumni reviews

the portfolios.

Last year, about 5 percent of applicants submitted a Makers

Portfolio. 「It gives us a fuller picture of the student,」 said Stuart Schmill,

dean of admissions and student financial services. 「Without this, some

applicants might not be able to fully get across how good a fit they are for

us.」

M.I.T.』s experiment has sparked discussions among admissions

deans, some of whom say they plan to offer similar opportunities for applicants

to send evidence of project-based learning. They describe the Makers Portfolio

as an intriguing glimpse of how a college might better align its process with

its culture and values. The catch: Reviewing all those portfolios takes time,

something admissions offices lack. Even a small college like Olin, which

welcomed fewer than 100 new students this fall, must scramble to pull off its

elaborate evaluations. Larger campuses couldn』t even consider such an

approach.

Thorough review has become more challenging over the last decade,

with waves of applicants overwhelming big-name colleges, victims of their own

popularity. The University of California at Los Angeles received more than

100,000 applications for about 6,000 spots this fall. Stanford got 44,000 for

just over 1,700 spots, and M.I.T. juggled more than 20,000 for 1,450 seats.

Most colleges are considering more incremental ways to enhance

evaluations. The Coalition for Access, Affordability and Success, with more than

130 prominent campuses as members, recently established an application platform

with a feature called a virtual college locker, a private space where students

can upload materials, such as videos and written work, that they could later add

to their applications. Among its stated goals: to make admissions more

personal.

So far, most of its members aren』t asking applicants to send

anything different than before. But that could change. A handful of colleges are

planning experiments using alternative ways to measure student potential. One

hopes to enable applicants to demonstrate their 「emotional intelligence,」 or

E.Q., to showcase their ability to work with others, according to Annie Reznik,

the coalition』s executive director. Another seeks a way for prospective students

to display their 「fire」 for learning.

「We want better inputs,」 said Jeremiah Quinlan, dean of

undergraduate admissions and financial aid at Yale. 「The inputs we have predict

success academically. Now, we have the ability to get to know a student better,

from a different type of submission.」

Like many deans, Mr. Quinlan has grown wary of polished personal

essays in which applicants describe their achievements. 「They feel like they

have to show off, because we』re so selective,」 he said, 「and it』s completely

understandable.」 Technology, he believes, can help colleges get to know the

student beneath the surface of a résumé, to gain a better sense of their

passions, the kind of community member the applicant might be.

Last year, Yale allowed students using the coalition』s application

to submit a document, image, audio file or video in response to a prompt (they

also had to reflect, in 250 words or less, on their submission). When Justin

Aubin heard about that option last fall, he thought, 「Cool!」

Mr. Aubin, from Oak Lawn, Ill., was then a high school senior

hoping to attend Yale. The following prompt caught his eye: 「A community to

which you belong and the footprint you have left.」 He submitted a short video

documenting his Eagle Scout project, for which he oversaw the construction of a

monument honoring veterans. Even a well-written essay, he figured, couldn』t

capture his experience as well as four minutes of footage, shot by his older

brother.

The content of the video impressed Yale』s admissions committee.

「People sat up in their chairs,」 Mr. Quinlan said. 「You could see how he handled

his leadership role, and we felt like we got a good sense of him in a way that

we didn』t get from recommendations.」

Mr. Aubin is now a freshman at Yale.

Did the video tip the scales? 「That was a difference-maker,」 Mr.

Quinlan said.

Even as colleges consider innovation, it』s worth asking which

fixtures of the admissions process, if any, they are willing to discard. Some

prevalent practices seem to stand in the way of meaningful change.

Giving an advantage to the sons and daughters of alumni is one

such practice. Some colleges admit legacies (and the children of potential

donors) at a much greater rate than non-legacies. Legacies make up nearly a

third of Harvard』s current freshman class, The Harvard Crimson has reported.

Princeton』s class of 2021 is 13 percent legacy, according to the university』s

website.

While a handful of prominent institutions, including the

University of Georgia and Texas A&M University, stopped considering legacy

status more than a decade ago, most colleges seem unlikely to remove that

variable from the admissions equation anytime soon. 「I don』t think an

applicant』s legacy status is a crazy thing to look at, especially in the

financial climate some colleges are in,」 said Rick Clark, director of

undergraduate admission at Georgia Tech, where nearly a fifth of freshmen are

legacies. 「Colleges have to think about their longevity.」

The benefits of legacies go beyond maintaining good will with

alumni who might open their wallets, Mr. Clark said. In his experience, they

tend to be enthusiastic students who help foster community on campus, the kind

of relationships that help other students feel at home and succeed.

「Multigenerational ties to a place add value, creating this passionate, magnetic

source of energy,」 he said.

The key, Mr. Clark believes, is not to lower standards, or to

enroll so many legacies that other priorities, such as increasing racial and

socioeconomic diversity, suffer as a result. 「Those two goals aren』t mutually

exclusive,」 he said.

Other measurements used by selective colleges have nothing to do

with a student』s accomplishments or attributes — and everything to do with a

college』s agenda.

About one in five institutions allot 「considerable importance」 to

「demonstrated interest,」 the degree to which applicants convey their desire to

enroll if accepted, according to a survey by the National Association for

College Admission Counseling. The strongest expression of demonstrated interest

is applying for binding early decision, a policy that favors affluent students

who don』t need to compare financial aid offers and one that some colleges use to

fill half their seats.

Beyond that, technology has made it easier to track the number of

times an applicant engages with a college (by visiting the campus, contacting an

admissions officer, responding to an email). This valuable information helps

officers gauge who』s most likely to enroll, which can influence who gets

admitted in the first place. A higher 「yield,」 the percentage of accepted

students who actually enroll, is widely seen as a measure of status.

The problem is that savvy students who know colleges are watching

them can tilt the odds in their favor, said Nancy Leopold, executive director of

CollegeTracks, a Maryland nonprofit group that helps low-income and

first-generation students get into college: 「Demonstrated interest is biased

against kids who don』t know the game exists, or who don』t have the time or money

to play it.」

What do colleges really cherish? The answer is influenced greatly

by the entities they seek to impress. U.S. News & World Report and other

college guides, not to mention bond-rating agencies, rely heavily on

conventional admissions metrics like ACT/SAT scores and acceptance rates to

evaluate institutions. A college president might wish to attract more creative

thinkers, but accomplishing that goal won』t help his college』s ranking.

Generally, colleges are risk-averse. Rocking the boat with a

newfangled admissions process could hurt their reputations. 「The challenge for

many admissions offices is to make a change, but not so much change or

innovation that you』re risking the position you』re in,」 said Ms. Roper-Doten of

Olin. Asking students to do more could scare off would-be applicants.

「Colleges seek validation,」 said Lloyd Thacker, executive director

of the Education Conservancy, a nonprofit group that has sought to reform

college admissions. 「Without a real external incentive for colleges to care

about broadening their understanding of what makes an applicant promising, they

don』t seem likely to change the definition on their own.」

A recent campaign called 「Turning the Tide,」 a project of

Harvard』s Graduate School of Education, is urging admissions deans to rethink

the qualities they consider in applicants. In a report signed by representatives

of about 200 campuses, colleges are asked to promote ethical character and

service to others through the admissions process.

Although some deans say they have no business assessing the

character of still-maturing teenagers, the push has prompted a handful of

institutions to tweak their applications. The University of North Carolina now

emphasizes contributions to others when asking about extracurricular activities.

M.I.T. added an essay question asking students to describe how they』ve helped

people.

Richard Weissbourd, a senior lecturer at Harvard, who leads the

initiative, recommends that colleges define service in ways that might resonate

with disadvantaged students. 「Many students don』t have opportunities to do

community service,」 he said. 「They』re taking care of their siblings, or they』re

working part-time jobs to help their families. Colleges need to say, 『That

matters to us.』?」

In the end, increasing racial and socioeconomic diversity in

higher education is a matter of will. A college can prioritize it or not, said

Shaun R. Harper, a professor at the University of Southern California』s Rossier

School of Education who studies race and student success.

In September, Dr. Harper gave a keynote speech at the annual

conference of the National Association for College Admission Counseling, in

Boston. He urged his audience to think hard about racial inequality and 「things

you perhaps inadvertently and unknowingly do to support it.」

He cited as examples high school counselors who discourage

promising minority students from applying to highly selective colleges; college

leaders who say they 「just can』t find enough」 qualified black applicants even as

their athletics coaches comb the nation for black students who excel at sports;

admissions officers who recruit at the same high schools year after year,

overlooking those full of underrepresented minorities.

As Dr. Harper spoke, many listeners applauded; a few scowled. He

concluded his remarks by criticizing the lack of racial diversity among

admissions deans themselves. He received a standing ovation.

In a subsequent interview, Dr. Harper elaborated on his concerns.

「When the demographics of the profession have not changed, particularly at the

senior level,」 he said, 「I don』t know that we can expect a major change,

especially in terms of diversifying the class.」

Although Dr. Harper believes colleges rely too heavily on ACT/SAT

scores, he says that the major barriers arise well before the application

process even begins. Colleges, he said, must do more in terms of outreach to

encourage underrepresented students to apply.

Dr. Pérez, at Trinity, has similar concerns. Although he is

convinced that the selection process can be successfully revamped, he doesn』t

think that will solve the No. 1 problem he sees in admissions. 「The problem is

money,」 he said. 「If I had more funding, my class would be more diverse. The

conversation we』re not having in this country is: How do we fund colleges and

universities?」

However the admissions process might evolve, it surely will

continue to serve the interests of colleges first and foremost. Even if someone

invents a better, more equitable way to gauge applicants』 potential, a college』s

many wants and needs wouldn』t change. Deans would still seek to balance their

classes by enrolling a diverse mix of majors from many states and countries.

Colleges would still need enough oboe players and theater-arts majors.

「What compels institutions to change is deep discontent,」 said

Marie Bigham, director of college counseling at Isidore Newman School, in New

Orleans. 「If they』re only making changes on the margins, it indicates that

they』re mostly content with the way things are.」

That leads to a big question in an age of widening social

inequality. How unhappy are the wealthiest colleges, really, with the status

quo? Some of the nation』s most selective institutions enroll more students from

the top 1 percent of the income ladder than from the bottom 60 percent. Is that

simply because of lack of preparation in the K-12 system? Flaws within the

selection process? Or is it evidence, as Dr. Harper suggests, of a systemic lack

of will to change those numbers?

Jon Boeckenstedt, associate vice president for enrollment

management and marketing at DePaul University, says that it is the high-profile

colleges that have the power to redefine the admissions process.

「Unless and until something changes at the top, nothing else is

going to change,」 he said. 「That』s because, at a lot of colleges, people will go

to their graves trying to imitate the Ivy League.」

以上內容摘自：

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/11/01/education/edlife/what-college-admissions-wants.html