NY Times on new application essays dabbling in so-called "identities"

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I don't know when victimhood and trauma became such a hot commodity to AOs. It's really sick.

I dunno. Someone who has gone through trauma and challenges and still goes on to do amazing things sounds like someone I'd like to bring aboard.

I mean, didn't everyone here talk about how kids who excelled during the Covid shutdowns were showing their resiliency and that made them better candidates than kids who flailed and lost some ground?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have no idea what it means not to partake in "identification". Are you saying that your kid refuses to answer questions about their gender, or religion, or nationality, or family status or hobbies?

Everyone I know identifies as something.

If you're a white male, cis/het, not religious, UMC, family been here a long time and intermixed (generic European), truly what is there to say?

I'm not in this category but I feel like these Qs should be optional. Otherwise it is very cringe and fake.

You could write about your identity as teacher, scientist, artist, craftsman, writer, big brother, etc. What led you to define yourself as you do today.

College AO: "Oh, not a minority, then, or you would have mentioned it? On the reject pile you go."

And yet except for HBCU's, most colleges are overwhelmingly white. How does that work?

1. why do colleges need to reflect society?
2. most higher achieving kids are white or Asian
3. most students who are apply are white or Asian, so colleges are a representation of the applicant pool, not the general public, but even so, the majority of people in this country are white.

1. Are you kidding? Why would a college want a monolithic student body? Having kids from different areas, different backgrounds, different talents and skills makes for a more interesting student body. If 99.9% of your student body are New England private school kids with Mayflower ancestors who all play squash and took the same classes in college, wouldn't that be boring? Yes, yes it would!

2. When you are talking about 100 applicants for every 5 admitted, you're free to pick and choose based on what kids seem most interesting to you. Also your assertion that white and Asian kids are "higher achieving" is based on your criteria. I'd think a kid who overcame a background of poverty to excel in different areas of life has achieved quite a lot, even if his SAT isn't 1600. Especially if he didn't have all the paid-for guidance and opportunities along the way.

3. I can guarantee you that all those white and Asian kids who are applying to highly selective colleges are going to get into some college somewhere. In fact, every kid can get into some college somewhere, and if you are really bright and intelligent and high-achieving you'll likely get accepted into a great school, even if it's not Harvard. Your high-achieving white child is not owed a spot at Harvard just because you think Larlo/a is super special. Get out of the dull-witted mindset that only a degree from one of a handful of elite schools is going to lead to lifetime success. If your kid is brilliant they will do well no matter where they go.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The people opposed to this only do so because they think race or gender are the only way people identify and they are afraid that being white and cis may hamper their kid's college app.

But it is BS because there are so many ways your identity is defined. Physically, racially, culturally.

My husband wrote his essay on being an only child.


When I read the question from the article, “Tell us about an aspect of your identity or a life experience that has shaped you," I immediately thought of how much of my life has been shaped by my physical disability (missing a limb). In fact, I wrote about this in my college app essay in 1994.

Sorry if it offends you that I was shaped by this, and that I shouldn't have written about it. I know some of you want to believe or downplay the experiences of others as cashing in on "trauma," but you are so far off the mark.

Yup. As always, the people who claim not to want to talk or think about race and gender can’t help but show that they are actually obsessed with it.

white/hetero/athletic/intelligent male:
People look at me and before they know anything about me or my background they think: 'toxic masculinity', 'privilege', 'racist', 'misogynist', 'homophobic', etc. They see the root cause of all that is wrong with society these days apparently. I am a walking billboard for them to direct their hate.

Give us some specific examples of how it's impacted your life.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The people opposed to this only do so because they think race or gender are the only way people identify and they are afraid that being white and cis may hamper their kid's college app.

But it is BS because there are so many ways your identity is defined. Physically, racially, culturally.

My husband wrote his essay on being an only child.


When I read the question from the article, “Tell us about an aspect of your identity or a life experience that has shaped you," I immediately thought of how much of my life has been shaped by my physical disability (missing a limb). In fact, I wrote about this in my college app essay in 1994.

Sorry if it offends you that I was shaped by this, and that I shouldn't have written about it. I know some of you want to believe or downplay the experiences of others as cashing in on "trauma," but you are so far off the mark.

Yup. As always, the people who claim not to want to talk or think about race and gender can’t help but show that they are actually obsessed with it.

white/hetero/athletic/intelligent male:
People look at me and before they know anything about me or my background they think: 'toxic masculinity', 'privilege', 'racist', 'misogynist', 'homophobic', etc. They see the root cause of all that is wrong with society these days apparently. I am a walking billboard for them to direct their hate.

Give us some specific examples of how it's impacted your life.

All PP could say is it has made me an amorphous pile of grievances against things I've imagined.

[Anonymous]

Another Monday. Another gripe fest.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The people opposed to this only do so because they think race or gender are the only way people identify and they are afraid that being white and cis may hamper their kid's college app.

But it is BS because there are so many ways your identity is defined. Physically, racially, culturally.

My husband wrote his essay on being an only child.


When I read the question from the article, “Tell us about an aspect of your identity or a life experience that has shaped you," I immediately thought of how much of my life has been shaped by my physical disability (missing a limb). In fact, I wrote about this in my college app essay in 1994.

Sorry if it offends you that I was shaped by this, and that I shouldn't have written about it. I know some of you want to believe or downplay the experiences of others as cashing in on "trauma," but you are so far off the mark.

Yup. As always, the people who claim not to want to talk or think about race and gender can’t help but show that they are actually obsessed with it.

white/hetero/athletic/intelligent male:
People look at me and before they know anything about me or my background they think: 'toxic masculinity', 'privilege', 'racist', 'misogynist', 'homophobic', etc. They see the root cause of all that is wrong with society these days apparently. I am a walking billboard for them to direct their hate.

Give us some specific examples of how it's impacted your life.

All PP could say is it has made me an amorphous pile of grievances against things I've imagined.

It's hard to get through life as an amorphous pile!
My grandfather Pizza the The Hutt ate himself to death.
But it gave me an identity that inspires me to college and earn an honest living, and reclaim the honor of my family name.

-Kentaco Hutt

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have no idea what it means not to partake in "identification". Are you saying that your kid refuses to answer questions about their gender, or religion, or nationality, or family status or hobbies?

Everyone I know identifies as something.

If you're a white male, cis/het, not religious, UMC, family been here a long time and intermixed (generic European), truly what is there to say?

I'm not in this category but I feel like these Qs should be optional. Otherwise it is very cringe and fake.

Just off the top of my head, if given the prompt in the article, my white male high school student who is cis/het, Catholic, either MC or UMC depending on who you ask, and whose family has been here for many generations could write about the following:

1) His identity as a musician, and his decision to step back from athletics to pursue music.

2) His identity as a Catholic who doesn't always agree with choices that the Catholic church has made, or with choices made by individual Catholics in the name of Catholicism.

3) His lived experience as a Special Olympics coach and the skills he learned in that setting.

4) His lived experience as his grandfather's grandchild, and the things he learned from him.

I could go on, but it's really not that hard to come up with things to write about.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Everything about college these days...from the admissions process to the day to day culture of what "matters"... seems so backwardass stupid - I'm embarrassed for the administrators and the parents buying into it all....

+1. It's become absurd.

[Anonymous]

Talk about how your values and those of your parents are at odds. Plenty of identity politics to mine there.

Or talk about how you became devoted to the Dallas Cowboys despite living in DC your entire life.

Or talk about how you are a member of a large community of like minded people and completely at peace with the world. Maybe you can bring some of that with you to campus and share it with people from different walks of life.

Whatever, really. There is an endless supply of topics.

[Anonymous]

It's the 21st century, folks. The world our kids will enter is stunningly multicultural. More than at any other time in human history, our children will be required to collaborate across cultures, form relationships and partnerships with people who are different than themselves. To do so effectively, they will need first to have reflected thoughtfully on who they are and how their perspectives have been shaped by the experiences they've had. It is reasonable to ask applicants to demonstrate they are capable of this.

Answering this Q does not require trauma or a commitment to victimhood. It does, however, require introspection, intellectual vitality, and self-awareness well beyond what some posters in this thread have shown.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have no idea what it means not to partake in "identification". Are you saying that your kid refuses to answer questions about their gender, or religion, or nationality, or family status or hobbies?

Everyone I know identifies as something.

If you're a white male, cis/het, not religious, UMC, family been here a long time and intermixed (generic European), truly what is there to say?

I'm not in this category but I feel like these Qs should be optional. Otherwise it is very cringe and fake.

Just off the top of my head, if given the prompt in the article, my white male high school student who is cis/het, Catholic, either MC or UMC depending on who you ask, and whose family has been here for many generations could write about the following:

1) His identity as a musician, and his decision to step back from athletics to pursue music.

2) His identity as a Catholic who doesn't always agree with choices that the Catholic church has made, or with choices made by individual Catholics in the name of Catholicism.

3) His lived experience as a Special Olympics coach and the skills he learned in that setting.

4) His lived experience as his grandfather's grandchild, and the things he learned from him.

I could go on, but it's really not that hard to come up with things to write about.

Agree, and on the flip side, it’s possible to write a ho hum essay on any subject. People act like just having some hardship, the essay writes itself. Makes me conclude the people complaining have never written a quality essay, and that’s the real stumbling block.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Everything about college these days...from the admissions process to the day to day culture of what "matters"... seems so backwardass stupid - I'm embarrassed for the administrators and the parents buying into it all....

+1. It seems to be playing into our worst instincts as humans, to make everything tribal. All of this obsession with identities feeds into that mentality.

I'm surprised more people don't see this for what it is, it's an extension of some of the worst traits of human beings. It's very natural to group people together and stereotype and discriminate, but we seem to be leaning into the primal need to identify with a group as if this is a good thing.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The people opposed to this only do so because they think race or gender are the only way people identify and they are afraid that being white and cis may hamper their kid's college app.

But it is BS because there are so many ways your identity is defined. Physically, racially, culturally.

My husband wrote his essay on being an only child.


When I read the question from the article, “Tell us about an aspect of your identity or a life experience that has shaped you," I immediately thought of how much of my life has been shaped by my physical disability (missing a limb). In fact, I wrote about this in my college app essay in 1994.

Sorry if it offends you that I was shaped by this, and that I shouldn't have written about it. I know some of you want to believe or downplay the experiences of others as cashing in on "trauma," but you are so far off the mark.

Yup. As always, the people who claim not to want to talk or think about race and gender can’t help but show that they are actually obsessed with it.

white/hetero/athletic/intelligent male:
People look at me and before they know anything about me or my background they think: 'toxic masculinity', 'privilege', 'racist', 'misogynist', 'homophobic', etc. They see the root cause of all that is wrong with society these days apparently. I am a walking billboard for them to direct their hate.

Give us some specific examples of how it's impacted your life.

NP here. If you asked any middle or UMC black person the same question, they are unlikely to have glaring examples to point to, like lack of homeownership or difficulty getting into colleges (on the contrary actually, they benefit). What they would point to were probably many small micro aggressions and insults to their personhood that accumulated over their life. This now happens to white cis males all the time, and if you can't see that you are blind.

[Anonymous]

Keep in mind that some too-clever-by-half letter they write today could end up in their presidential library. Spinning up fancy words and trying to sound erudite for some girl (sorry.... some university) you are just going to dump later is a boneheaded move.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The people opposed to this only do so because they think race or gender are the only way people identify and they are afraid that being white and cis may hamper their kid's college app.

But it is BS because there are so many ways your identity is defined. Physically, racially, culturally.

My husband wrote his essay on being an only child.


When I read the question from the article, “Tell us about an aspect of your identity or a life experience that has shaped you," I immediately thought of how much of my life has been shaped by my physical disability (missing a limb). In fact, I wrote about this in my college app essay in 1994.

Sorry if it offends you that I was shaped by this, and that I shouldn't have written about it. I know some of you want to believe or downplay the experiences of others as cashing in on "trauma," but you are so far off the mark.

I agree. Would also add that people who experience true trauma, don’t write about it. My dad was shot when I was a kid. Only now do I speak of it… I’m 50. The idea that kids are trotting out trauma for a college essay is a fantasy of boring UMC folks who are dying for a way to get their slightly above average kid to stand out from other slightly above average kids. Your anxiety is showing.

Well, I wouldn't go so far as to say no one who experiences true trauma writes about it. PP above you said she wrote about her trauma for her essay and I would characterize hers as true. But I didn't write about mine for my college application. Maybe now I would, decades later and having processed it more and realized why the F wouldn't I make lemonade out of the lemon life gave me? It certainly has shaped my life and my character.

PP missing limb. I think what I bodled above is super important. For many of us, our experiences aren't traumatic because we have lived with them for so long. My disability, another person's race, or abusive background, for example. It was traumatic at times, but not the way people here put "trauma" in quotes.

And maybe you don't see it, but when you say "lemonade out of lemons," it seems to imply people who write about their experiences are cashing in, rather than just writing about the most critical parts of their lives.

It is super cynical for those who accuse people of writing "trauma" essays.