Reply to Common app essay and identity

Forum Index » College and University Discussion

Reply to "Common app essay and identity "

Subject:

Emoticons





More smilies

Text Color: Font: Close Marks

[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]Yes, it is odd and confusing. My son has read his friends essays from this past cycle (class of 2025) and their essays talked very openly about their race and ethnicity. These kids are at Ivies - so it was definitely ok last year to talk about your race. I'm also on Application Nation, and Sara Harberson is dead set against it, which makes me wonder if I'm missing something.[/quote]

DC also read class 29 friends essay, can confirm race is the main theme in the main essay, and in at Ivies.  
AN's advice is very confusing.  In what context she said that?  
It didn't sound rational at all.  
Did she have insider information?  
Did she talk to her AO friends?[/quote]

It makes sense to me. The environment is very different today and general counsel‘s offices are now involved in admissions decisions. Colleges do not have the autonomy they once had. Take race and ethnicity out of your applications so there is no question or judgment call that will need to be made in adcommittee.[/quote]

+1. I don't think that many PPs have been closely following the actions of the administration and the specific pressures that they are placing on colleges in the "negotiations" that are happening, especially at elite schools. The essays and outcomes of the 2029 class aren't on point anymore.

Schools and AOs prefer to operate in a world where they can class shape and promote diversity and have full autonomy, of course. Most universities struggle to shift their organizations quickly and these forced changes have been abrupt. Yes, they used to love the essays talking about heritage and probably still would, but their world has had a seismic shift. Websites and info session presentations are often confusing because they reflect mixed messages during this chaotic time of transition.

Sara Harberson has blog posts that discuss her position if you are interested. The upshot is that, for highly competitive schools, each element matters in the "holistic" review. Students must have top grades, rigor, and increasingly scores, to get in the door. There is a danger in this environment that a school might opt not to read and/or exclude from consideration a race-focused essay to avoid any "risk" of not complying with the administration's mandates. That doesn't necessarily mean that the application is immediately tossed, but it means that the student has one less element that is considered that could help his or her candidacy. So Sara's recommendation is to avoid a heritage essay to ensure that it is read and helps tip the scales for admission. I don't agree with all of Sara's advice but I think that her caution is valid on this topic. 
[/quote]

Options

	Disable HTML in this message
	Disable BB Code in this message
	Disable smilies in this message

Review message

Search Recent Topics Hottest Topics