Gossip magazines often report their stories with murky supporting evidence that sounds like this:
“Unnamed sources rumored to be close with the couple claimed that news of Lisa’s Oscar nomination was simply too much for Jason to handle, and that his jealousy led to their very public breakup.”
Sure, it sounds like a plausible explanation. But really, what does “close to the couple” mean? How does this unnamed source know what caused this tragic breakup? Was he or she there in the room when it happened? Did he or she actually speak to one or both members of the famous couple?
Most of us aren’t making life-altering decisions based on what we read in a gossip column, so there’s no harm in overlooking those potential discrepancies and just enjoying our gossipy read (which for me is usually done in secrecy).
But you have a lot more at stake when it comes to college admissions.
Much of what families hear about getting into college today sounds like it was pulled from a gossip mag.
“I heard he got in because he wrote a really funny essay.”
“My friend heard from someone who goes there that if you don’t do 100 hours of community service, you have no chance of getting in.”
“She probably got in because her mom knows someone on the board who vouched for her.”
Like the stories in the gossip mags, these tales often seem perfectly plausible. But please remember that the only people who can actually say with certainty why a student did or did not get into a school are the admissions officers who voted on the decision when it was made.
I’ll admit that it doesn’t take an admissions expert to guess why the kid with multiple D’s and F’s on his transcript got turned down by Dartmouth. And yes, some high school counselors are privy to the real reasons why an admissions decision was made, as there are cases where the admissions office will contact the counselor to discuss the particular student’s candidacy.
But you wouldn’t make a big bet on a gossip mag’s unnamed source. And you probably shouldn’t make college planning decisions based on second-hand information. College websites, the admissions officers, your high school counselor, a qualified private counselor—those are your most reliable sources. And all of them have names.