I'm training our new batch of Collegewise counselors this week, and I just shared a story Arun told me years ago about his time in admissions at the University of Chicago and Caltech. He would always take some ribbing from his fellow admissions officers for seemingly always lobbying just a bit harder for Eagle Scouts. You see, Arun was an Eagle Scout and knew just how much work it takes to become one. Plus, kids who could use a compass would never get lost on campus (and if they did, they could still start a fire for warmth and forage for food to stay alive).
So I asked the rest of the trainees what their soft spots were during their time in admissions. Here were their answers:
Jenn (who's from Georgia) had a soft spot for kids from the South.
Sara liked kids who revealed something interesting, like being from a bi-racial family, that would never have been evident from the rest of the application.
Shanta' couldn't resist pulling for high-achieving girls who still didn't quite have the numbers to get in.
And Tim saw his high school self in those kids who'd taken four years of Latin like he did.
They all went out of their way to point out that just because they were personally moved didn't mean that kid was going to get in. They'd still have to present the case to the rest of the admissions committee, where not everyone felt the same connection.
But it's a good reminder that:
- At schools where you're asked to share more than just your grades and test scores, there's going to be a real human being at the other end of the process who's reading your application. And just like every other human being, they have likes, pet peeves, favorite subjects, least favorite subjects, natural strengths and (potentially embarrassing) weaknesses.
- You can't–and shouldn't–try to guess what your reader will respond to. That's like changing your personality to get the popular kids to like you, which is never a good strategy.
- These human beings, in spite of their differences, all shared one preference that every other admissions officer I've ever met shared, too–they liked kids who were comfortable in their own skin, who would present their authentic, unvarnished selves proudly.
The only way to connect with the real human being reading your application is to be a real human being yourself.