The anonymous volunteer would never be considered a “gatekeeper” or an “admissions officer” – that’s just BS to conflate his assertions. I’ve been an alum volunteer for +25 years for a Harvard peer school and would NEVER equate my role to that of an actual admissions officer. Alone, those statements STRAIN the credulity of the rest of the article…
Nice to pre-judge – but whatever. He’s again, full of it. In my 25 years, I’ve NEVER held an exaggerated view of my role. I’m the eyes and ears for my school. The fact that +30K “regular smart people” apply is the issue – not the admissions system. Again, zero points.
Now this is complete BS:
Unless he was a fully vested admissions officer or employee of the university or a student workstudy employee of the admissions office, what is just described is IMPOSSIBLE. Buddy, didja ever hear about FERPA? Harvard has. All you ever had was the kids’ HS and test scores and maybe a list of ECs. He never read any entire applicant file. Later when he discusses his prep in order to interview kids, he betrays the full extent of his “knowledge”.
Later, he’s decries how the interview is a pageant and the advice to “be yourself” in the essay. While tens of thousands of equally banal essay writers trying to be unique are submitted – that’s exactly why the “be yourself” advice is there – most kids ARE UNREMARKABLE and why it’s useful to Harvard et al to see this. Sorry, but I think that’s perfect advice – I want the school to really know who this applicant is – 80% are simple AVERAGE in the greater pool of top school applicants. This is a surprise?
My interviews have mostly followed his experiences – from banal, to canned, to even weird and creepy — but then there have been those few who I left feeling that: “This kid will change the world”. Just like people I attended college with – ambassadors, Attorney’s General, professors, pastors, news journalists, artists, physicians, writers, Best Actor multiple nominees.
Maybe in Cambridge but not where I attended school.
The sad fact that in his six years he only interviewed on lower SES kid is a demonstration of what? Tons of kids, low SES or not, are simply AVERAGE in the competitive pool. His one experience sours and he damns the whole system? Nice sampling size, Einstein. What he should have done was to VOLUNTEER MORE – to get the word out to the the low income high achievers – to speak the truth of Harvard and other schools that there are great options out there. (I trek yearly to my desolated inner city school district – carrying my Ivy banner – still looking for the flicker in the eyes of that special student or two).
And the writer is nuts if he thinks Harvard’s world topping endowment “lives off of those students’ money” Harvard could cancel undergrad tuition tomorrow and would barely hiccup given its portfolio’s performance.
The writer cites some common rigamaroles that parents and kids and schools that the keen observer of even this site, will notice. But his rant is skewered by his 1) embellishments of his duties, 2) misplaced conclusions based off of small samples and 3) his over-conflated belief of his ability to affect his interviewees’ chances.
My rant of his rant is over.