Anonymous
Post 07/17/2025 08:35     Subject: Social Portfolios?!?
One problem we encounter in admissions is the heavily curated application that shows extraordinary leadership and originality but the student has neither leadership nor originality. Even interviews don't really weed then out anymore as the stakes have gotten so high for some students that they have prepared for am interview like it was a PowerPoint presentation complete with jokes and anecdotes.
Anonymous
Post 07/16/2025 21:51     Subject: Social Portfolios?!?
Wow, this whole dialogue thing is so cringe.
Just when I thought the process couldn’t get any more ridiculous…

Having all your minor child’s thoughts recorded for strangers to hear - wtf?
And prioritizing zoom interactions with strangers over meaningful connections IRL… to find ppl who are compassionate ? Does anyone see the irony here…

Anonymous
Post 07/16/2025 17:41     Subject: Social Portfolios?!?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:I feel that yet again, the social extroverts are advantaged in this new scenario.

College apps were probably the last bastion of selection based on achievement (and nebulous other activities) without a direct social component. It can give a leg up to intelligent kids who are shy in-person, but can express themselves well on paper. These are 17 year olds! They're allowed to be uncertain and lack confidence in their public persona! They have lots of growing to do.

If you insert a live video where kids need to talk to show off how mature they are... it will only select for that portion of the population who can act like that (regardless of whether or not they truly are like that).

So, this is not an improvement. Like selections based on extra-curriculars and sports, it's just another way of ignoring academic achievement, which should be the main criteria for university admissions. US colleges thinks they're holding a popularity contest. Universities should educate the brightest, not the most popular.



Colleges do not value kids who sit in their dorm rooms all day without social contact.
It's why at a young age you need to push kids to get out of that habit, if that is how they are so inclined. Society will not be kind to them.

I disagree with you. I think its an improvement. You get more socially well-adjusted kids, who end up engaging in all a university has to offer. There's more to life than a classroom. If you don't understand the priorities of American universities, then go elsewhere. Top universities are looking for the brightest. They are actually looking for the most talented, the rarest, the most likely to make an impact. It's not always the "brightest" as you put it.


I entirely disagree. I don't think you can identify integrity, academic curiosity, a broad mind, from videos of teens interacting with each other. It's obviously going to descend into lowest common denominator issues. My daughter's friend loves to read Greek philosophers. Is she going to dare to broach that subject among her peer group, when she can so easily be taken for a try-hard? My son (in college already, thankfully) also has cerebral niche interests and would have presented as totally awkward in conversation at 17. Now at 20 he's a lot more mature. Should he have been rejected from his university jusy because of a set of social interactions? My teen daughter would find this exercise so cringe and fake. Because it is!

If you want to take the measure of a teen, improve the classic interview with adults affiliated to the university.

Oxford does it best: they have academic interviews based on the chosen topic of study, with professors who will be teaching that subject. In essence, the profs choose their cohort. That's the best way to select candidates, I think. But if US colleges insist on holistic applications, then they can conduct more general interviews. Make them mandatory, hire more admission officers.

This peer conversation thing is complete crap.
Anonymous
Post 07/16/2025 17:19     Subject: Social Portfolios?!?
I just read something about less emphasis on college essays due to AI and am wondering if this will replace the college essay eventually? Khan is quite influential.
Anonymous
Post 07/16/2025 15:41     Subject: Social Portfolios?!?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Unclear?

But there’s a reason they are all jumping on “Glimpse” videos. They want to see kids talk off the cuff for 120 seconds in their own words looking at a camera.

Think they are trying to filter out for kids who aren’t able to socially integrate.


Or, the more likely reason is they want to see the kids ethnicity so they can continue using that for admissions without putting it on paper.


It is 100% this. They were stripped of asking and they had to be very careful with essay prompts—-this year (and next 3) with Trump they are scrapping anything that remotely sounds like DEI so….cue the videos…


Yes. It’s so obvious.


If that’s the only reason for it, why not just stick with “glimpse” videos instead of these question prompts and ranking of answers? I think it’s more than that. The whole thing seems bizarre and rather dystopian!
Anonymous
Post 07/16/2025 15:39     Subject: Social Portfolios?!?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:I feel that yet again, the social extroverts are advantaged in this new scenario.

College apps were probably the last bastion of selection based on achievement (and nebulous other activities) without a direct social component. It can give a leg up to intelligent kids who are shy in-person, but can express themselves well on paper. These are 17 year olds! They're allowed to be uncertain and lack confidence in their public persona! They have lots of growing to do.

If you insert a live video where kids need to talk to show off how mature they are... it will only select for that portion of the population who can act like that (regardless of whether or not they truly are like that).

So, this is not an improvement. Like selections based on extra-curriculars and sports, it's just another way of ignoring academic achievement, which should be the main criteria for university admissions. US colleges thinks they're holding a popularity contest. Universities should educate the brightest, not the most popular.



Colleges do not value kids who sit in their dorm rooms all day without social contact.
It's why at a young age you need to push kids to get out of that habit, if that is how they are so inclined. Society will not be kind to them.

I disagree with you. I think its an improvement. You get more socially well-adjusted kids, who end up engaging in all a university has to offer. There's more to life than a classroom. If you don't understand the priorities of American universities, then go elsewhere. Top universities are looking for the brightest. They are actually looking for the most talented, the rarest, the most likely to make an impact. It's not always the "brightest" as you put it.


+1
Anonymous
Post 07/16/2025 15:36     Subject: Social Portfolios?!?
Anonymous wrote:This sounds like my kid's worst nightmare. It's just 100% not their personality.

I haven't read the whole thread. Can someone please tell me if there are any schools that REQUIRE this with their application? If so, which schools? And which other schools (not listed in the OP) will be "offering" this as an option? Ugh.
Anonymous
Post 07/16/2025 15:35     Subject: Social Portfolios?!?
This sounds like my kid's worst nightmare. It's just 100% not their personality.

I haven't read the whole thread. Can someone please tell me if there are any schools that REQUIRE this with their application? If so, which schools? And which schools do you know that "suggest" this as an option? Ugh.
Anonymous
Post 07/16/2025 11:49     Subject: Social Portfolios?!?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:It sounds like this, which one of the private schools required when DS was applying a few years ago.

https://www.enrollment.org/tools/snapshot/character-skills-snapshot

It presumably gives an insight into interpersonal skills and maturity. My guess is that these colleges are finding that some applicants who seem great on paper lack EQ skills.


So they are going to require adherence to a bunch of topic that favor the exact same type of student they currently are full of?


That wasn't my takeaway . . . more that they want to see whether kids can coherently share their thoughts ff the cuff, listen to what others have to say, and have respectful conversations.


DP. Do you seriously think AOs are going to sit and watch hundreds of these recorded conversations? They’re not. I can’t imagine any parent with half a brain cell allowing their kid to participate in this.


Where did I say that? It was required for my DS's HS application for Riverdale in the Bronx. It's conducted by an outside company that provides the school with a report.


Did you not find that a bit chilling?


Not when you're asking to be admitted to a setting where you're expected to engage in academic discourse.


Wouldn’t teacher recommendations from prior school be a better indicator?
Anonymous
Post 07/16/2025 11:44     Subject: Re:Social Portfolios?!?
So when I first read about this, I thought it sounded like a great idea. High schools have abdicated their role in teaching kids how to have discussions, debate, develop understanding of nuance and learn about current events. We are at a well ranked CA public high school and I have been shocked at the lack of quality social sciences and humanities classes. They are bare bones test prep for the AP exams or remedial busy work courses. Anything geopolitical is off limits in terms of papers or discussions to avoid contentious situations with parents, thank you MAGA idiots. Our school sends lots of kids to T10 and T30 universities for STEM. These kids barely have a middle school understanding of government, economics, never heard of philosophy, and haven’t read a full book in years. This portfolio isn’t a bad idea to fill a portion of that gap.

However colleges will abuse and warp it which will destroy its effectiveness. Kids will be wary of the positions they take, learning will take a backseat to anxiety as kids worry what an AO would think, and game it because they have no other choice. A predatory ecosystem of tutors and fee-based advisors will emerge to guide kids on making the right responses. ChatGPT will be used,

As long as college admissions reduces students to feeling like they are in the hunger games anything new will fail.

Anonymous
Post 07/16/2025 11:21     Subject: Social Portfolios?!?
This is a good thing. Will probably help lead to less on campus protesting, tbh (bc they are trying to filter out for those views)?

All good for me.
Anonymous
Post 07/16/2025 11:02     Subject: Social Portfolios?!?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:It sounds like this, which one of the private schools required when DS was applying a few years ago.

https://www.enrollment.org/tools/snapshot/character-skills-snapshot

It presumably gives an insight into interpersonal skills and maturity. My guess is that these colleges are finding that some applicants who seem great on paper lack EQ skills.


So they are going to require adherence to a bunch of topic that favor the exact same type of student they currently are full of?


That wasn't my takeaway . . . more that they want to see whether kids can coherently share their thoughts ff the cuff, listen to what others have to say, and have respectful conversations.


DP. Do you seriously think AOs are going to sit and watch hundreds of these recorded conversations? They’re not. I can’t imagine any parent with half a brain cell allowing their kid to participate in this.


Where did I say that? It was required for my DS's HS application for Riverdale in the Bronx. It's conducted by an outside company that provides the school with a report.


Did you not find that a bit chilling?


Not when you're asking to be admitted to a setting where you're expected to engage in academic discourse.
Anonymous
Post 07/16/2025 11:01     Subject: Social Portfolios?!?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Unclear?

But there’s a reason they are all jumping on “Glimpse” videos. They want to see kids talk off the cuff for 120 seconds in their own words looking at a camera.

Think they are trying to filter out for kids who aren’t able to socially integrate.


Or, the more likely reason is they want to see the kids ethnicity so they can continue using that for admissions without putting it on paper.


It is 100% this. They were stripped of asking and they had to be very careful with essay prompts—-this year (and next 3) with Trump they are scrapping anything that remotely sounds like DEI so….cue the videos…


Yes. It’s so obvious.
Anonymous
Post 07/16/2025 10:47     Subject: Social Portfolios?!?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:It sounds like this, which one of the private schools required when DS was applying a few years ago.

https://www.enrollment.org/tools/snapshot/character-skills-snapshot

It presumably gives an insight into interpersonal skills and maturity. My guess is that these colleges are finding that some applicants who seem great on paper lack EQ skills.


So they are going to require adherence to a bunch of topic that favor the exact same type of student they currently are full of?


That wasn't my takeaway . . . more that they want to see whether kids can coherently share their thoughts ff the cuff, listen to what others have to say, and have respectful conversations.


DP. Do you seriously think AOs are going to sit and watch hundreds of these recorded conversations? They’re not. I can’t imagine any parent with half a brain cell allowing their kid to participate in this.


Where did I say that? It was required for my DS's HS application for Riverdale in the Bronx. It's conducted by an outside company that provides the school with a report.


You’re a bad parent if you let your kids do this.
Anonymous
Post 07/16/2025 10:47     Subject: Social Portfolios?!?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:It sounds like this, which one of the private schools required when DS was applying a few years ago.

https://www.enrollment.org/tools/snapshot/character-skills-snapshot

It presumably gives an insight into interpersonal skills and maturity. My guess is that these colleges are finding that some applicants who seem great on paper lack EQ skills.


So they are going to require adherence to a bunch of topic that favor the exact same type of student they currently are full of?


That wasn't my takeaway . . . more that they want to see whether kids can coherently share their thoughts ff the cuff, listen to what others have to say, and have respectful conversations.


DP. Do you seriously think AOs are going to sit and watch hundreds of these recorded conversations? They’re not. I can’t imagine any parent with half a brain cell allowing their kid to participate in this.


They have that taken care of. A “score card” is provided that you submit to the colleges.


Yes, a "score card" from your peers. Not from someone who is proven to value respectful conversation, coherent expression, and diversity of thought. From a bunch of 17 year olds who may or may not care about those things. I mean...stories abound of even debate judges not valuing differing opinions on hot button issues much, and they're adults trained to judge discussions!