We couldn’t help but notice that the New York Times has devoted an awful lot of column inches recently to the brutal process that teens face when applying to the country’s most prestigious colleges.
Looks like we weren’t the only ones who noticed:
To the Editor:
I have noticed several articles in The Times on how difficult it is to get into college. I assume that your goal in publishing them is to drive my daughter, a high school sophomore already worried about college admissions, over the edge.
You have succeeded. Now you can stop. John B. Gilmour
Williamsburg, Va., May 16, 2007
and 
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Isn’t that the main purpose of the media – to create fear of flying, eating because it causes cancer, drinking water, not drinking enough water, allowing your kids to play video games, getting killed by terrorists, having your identity stolen,…
Wouldn’t it be refreshing to see a local news show or newspaper say “not much happened today – goodbye” rather than talking about some mass murder in outer Mogolia and suggesting “it could happen here and probably will”.
Isn’t that the main purpose of the media – to create fear of flying, eating because it causes cancer, drinking water, not drinking enough water, allowing your kids to play video games, getting killed by terrorists, having your identity stolen,…
Wouldn’t it be refreshing to see a local news show or newspaper say “not much happened today – goodbye” rather than talking about some mass murder in outer Mogolia and suggesting “it could happen here and probably will”.
I assumed that there were more than the normal number of editors at the NYT with kids trying to get into college.
Or maybe they’ve become investors in Kaplan, or some other prep company that depends on paranoia.
I assumed that there were more than the normal number of editors at the NYT with kids trying to get into college.
Or maybe they’ve become investors in Kaplan, or some other prep company that depends on paranoia.
I think this is cyclical. They were playing the same headlines when I was in high school. Freaked everyone out. The statistics were brutal (ratio of applicants to those who get in, etc). There were also lots of advice on every little thing you should do. It sounds more like gamblers than anything else (e.g. “blow on the dice from the right, but rotate to the left before you throw…”).
In any case, the number of applications has jumped because it is so much easier. When I was a kid, each essay had to be hand written, each app hand filled out. Now, with computers, you can fill out dozens easily. You can also research all possible schools with the internet, so it is easy to shotgun widely. Further, the more of these scary pronouncements, the more the kids shotgun their applications to be sure they get in to something.
I think this is cyclical. They were playing the same headlines when I was in high school. Freaked everyone out. The statistics were brutal (ratio of applicants to those who get in, etc). There were also lots of advice on every little thing you should do. It sounds more like gamblers than anything else (e.g. “blow on the dice from the right, but rotate to the left before you throw…”).
In any case, the number of applications has jumped because it is so much easier. When I was a kid, each essay had to be hand written, each app hand filled out. Now, with computers, you can fill out dozens easily. You can also research all possible schools with the internet, so it is easy to shotgun widely. Further, the more of these scary pronouncements, the more the kids shotgun their applications to be sure they get in to something.
Does anyone find it ironic that we are blasted with statistics about how badly or highschool students test in math, science, and civic while at the same time we hear about is how many solid applicants all schools are turning away?
Does anyone find it ironic that we are blasted with statistics about how badly or highschool students test in math, science, and civic while at the same time we hear about is how many solid applicants all schools are turning away?