NPR College Admissions Story

lookingforward
Mon, 04 Apr 2011 15:02:53 +0000

Will a student from a small Christian Academy have the same obstacle to overcome?

Not necessarily. Same answer for kids from the small Jesuit or Jewish or other religious academy. Or from the small alternative school. Some small schools have superb strengths. Anyone who is at a small school, with limited opportunities- and, possibly, some particular focus or perspective- should understand that colleges still want to see the pattern of success (academic, social and in the community) that they have deemed evidence of potential to fit and thrive at their college.

Adcoms usually know their territories quite well. They know some tiny school just can’t offer what a bigger one can. But, that doesn’t change their idea of what it takes to thrive in their college.

Why isn’t a “classical education” a predictor of college success? It can be, depending on a number of variables. But, remember, my perspective is that college is about more than academics. So, an applicant has to show evidence he can fit and thrive in the particular college’s atmosphere- the things in the classroom as well as beyond the classoom.

When I noted “sheltered,” I meant families that intentionally limit their kids’ interactions to only others who share their specific values, with little experience in even safe environments. That is not the full picture of homeschooling. By “worldly,” I did not mean into drugs, violence and having early babies. Since college is also a social experience, the kid who was limited to interactions with a uniform group can be (depending on personality) at a disadvantage. It makes sense that adcoms might want evidence he can manage there.