Reply to Overpackaging an applicant

Forum Index » College and University Discussion

Reply to "Overpackaging an applicant "

Subject:

Emoticons





More smilies

Text Color: Font: Close Marks

[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]The key to it all is conveying sincerity. That a kid is doing what they do out of true interest and not because some overpriced consultant is telling them to do it. This is hard to tease out. It is why more schools should do interviews as a decent interviewer can figure it out (though a bad interviewer will gush over phony kids). With the huge influx of applications, I wonder whether AO's have time to sort through this.

I do alumni interviewing. And I despise packaged kids. I am generally very easy going but this is what I push on. If a kid does some summer service trip, I try to figure out whether it was meaningful or just drinking beers and hooking up (I generally hate these). If a kid did an internship, I ask how they got it. I had one kid go on and on about a huge project they did for their school junior year that was being implemented senior year. I asked how it was going (halfway through senior year) and they had no idea. Clearly it wasn't important to them.

I long for the days of the well-rounded kid. Not the serial joiner who has no depth. But not to be shamed to be doing a lot of things at the "very good" level but none at the "world class" level. Nice normal kids who will try a lot of things out in college and be a good part of the community. Unfortunately, schools seem to feel otherwise.[/quote]

Authenticity and sincerity is so subjective and subject to cultural differences.  
I have seen a borderline racist inclination to view activities engaged in by kids with some skin colors as authentic and passionate while the same activities done by other kids who are identical in every way other than skin color is viewed as contrived and manufactured.[/quote]

As soon as someone uses the term "robotic" to describe an applicant, you know they've got it in for Asians.

And for the poster who didn't want "weird" kids to get into college, and the one who said to beware of those who change their majors immediately... my kids are autistic. They are weird. They are also never going to pretend to be what they're not, since their autism makes that impossible. They cannot lie. Their interests are genuine, and they won't change majors, because that would not be possible for them. In all my years of observing college admissions, I think higher education tends to encourage esoteric interests and therefore, the autistic high functioning people among us. Which is a GOOD thing, otherwise there wouldn't be anyone to study snail mucin for their wound-healing properties... :-) (one of my kids' interests).

[/quote]

By saying this is only about Asians, you are stereotyping Asians. Kind of ironic.

I wrote some of the posts above. And I am actually writing from diverse experiences, including with my own child. They are an upper middle class white kid. Fairly social, outgoing, likes sports, plenty of friends, etc. Far from the most popular kid but not a nerd either. Super smart. But in a lot of situations, particularly with adults, they freeze up and become robotic and boring. If asked about something that really, truly excites them, they would not bring this across. So I have been coaching them who to lighten up, express passion, and show who they truly are. This will serve them well in college admissions, but more importantly, it will serve them well in life. Ironically, my other child is not as smart but is much, much better at this.

So please lighten up. College isn't just about academics. It is about fun. It is about conversations about esoteric topics, as well as about who would win a fight between superman and batman. It is about getting slightly drunk. Perhaps this is a very American way to look at the world. But last time I looked, most of you want to send your kids to school in America.[/quote]

I accept your explanation that you and perhaps others do not mean to disparage Asians specifically when using the term "robotic". But you also need to realize that a lot of people do!

You are also full of prejudices in your response. My Asian kids ARE American. What do you mean by "most of you"? That's EXTREMELY offensive.

Why are you talking about having fun in a discussion regarding Asians in college admissions? Is it your assumption that certain ethnicities are too serious?

For many Asian families with ties to their home countries, there is some truth to that: college admissions are an incredibly serious matter because where you attend university in Korea and Japan will directly determine the jobs you will get and the money you earn. Entrance exams in the countries I mention have been max pressure for decades. The amount of stress the kids go through in the US is *nothing* compared to over there. For years, Japan had the highest rate of teen suicides in the world, specifically because of academic pressure. A lot of expat Asian families or recent immigrants feel that schooling their children in America is offering them a relaxed lifestyle, a chance to have a normal childhood, with activities outside of school (that kids cannot do over there because they're grinding math and kanji 24/7). So if you think they're injecting pressure into the American system... that's their version of relaxed :-)

But Asian-Americans who have lived here for generations, and that you seem to entirely ignore in your reply, do not usually feel that way, which is why you cannot lump all Asians into one group!!! And then there are vast cultural and regional differences between East Asia, South Asia, South-East Asia, etc... you're talking about 4-5 billion people here, 60% of the world population. Don't ever write "most of us" ever again, and please don't show your ignorance regarding ethnic and cultural differences, PP.

[/quote]

Yet another dumb post. You have a major complex. I made it about halfway through your pointless, ignorant, off-topic rant. This thread isn't about Asians in college admissions. It is about overpackaging. And again, I have nothing against Asians.

I do have something against those who refuse to at least somewhat leave behind the ways of their ancestral homes and use them as excuses for thinking the world is out to get them. Most of my Asian friends are people who embrace and honor their heritage, which I deeply respect, yet have also embraced American ways of doing things. Don't use "this is how I do things where I'm from" as an excuse. I love going to a Korean-American friend's home for a delicious traditional Korean meal and to learn more about their culture, then going out with them afterwards to act like an idiot at a dive bar drinking cheap American beer.

So lighten up. You are personifying the negative stereotypes that so many Asian-Americans are trying to distance themselves from. Seems like I'm not the only one who feels this way.

Anyhoo...[/quote]

Some asians have gotten hypersensitive about anti-asian racism recently.  I think many of them were honestly surprised to find out that the colleges and universities had been discriminating against them.  Anyone with half a brain knew this was going on but there is a population of asians that didn't, or wouldn't believe it.[/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