Apparently, there’s a new admissions component that some schools are offering: what the NYT is referring to as “dialogues” portfolios, whose goal it appears is to enable discourse with other applicants and give kids a score. https://www.nytimes.com/2025/07/15/opinion/college-admissions-essays.html?unlocked_article_code=1.YE8.UHwu.966L9ZmocTbS&smid=url-share
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I was waiting for someone to post this. Read more here:
https://www.fastcompany.com/91332886/sal-khan-new-dialogues-program
These are the schools so far that will accept Dialogues portfolios as part of their application:
University of Chicago
Johns Hopkins University
MIT
Vanderbilt University
Columbia University
Colby College
Northwestern University
Washington University in St. Louis
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Any thoughts as to why colleges are choosing to use this tool? Do you think AOs feel that they aren’t getting enough of a clear or accurate picture from the other parts of the application (e.g.,essays, recommendations)?
Well, I’m glad my kid isn’t applying to any of those universities, because the last thing she needs right now is yet another thing to do for her applications…
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Seriously!
It’s interesting to see this development, but I can’t help thinking it provides yet another advantage to affluent kids over regular applicants.
If they don’t need to work a job, babysit, care for a grandparent, or cook and clean while their parents are working, they have the time and space to engage in deep, meaningful conversations about weighty topics and build a “Dialogues” portfolio that looks impressive to admissions officers at elite schools.
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Thrilled to see these 6 elite universities (and one LAC) utilizing Dialogue Portfolios as an additional admissions tool.
In my opinion, this does not favor wealthy students; it favors respectful, thoughtful applicants. (Certainly has worked for me & my family members over the past several decades–albeit in a different form.)
This is somewhat akin to the peer recommendations used by Dartmouth College admissions. Also similar to group interviews which gauge interaction / relationship skills.
Long overdue in this time of polarization of social & political thought. This reflects what education should be focused on.
How will students find out this is even a thing? Those students who are disadvantaged, don’t have adequate college counseling (which is most students), don’t have a parent who speaks English, etc., may not hear about this. It is very clear this will benefit students who are thinking about college relatively early, have educated parents, and/or adequate college counseling…that favors the affluent.
After that there are just so many questions…how much weight will these colleges place on this? Is starting in 9th grade an advantage? Are these ‘dialogues’ private? Are these exchanges training Khan’s (or anyone else’s) AI? How easy is it for student’s to ‘game’ the results? (online chatter suggests some already are). Etc.
Note: I am not saying students learning to have respectful dialogue is unimportant.
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The internet, including specific college websites.
Seriously? If that’s the answer of any of these colleges, shame on them.
To add something else to a HSer’s list of to dos, especially more screen time, seems…short sighted. Then to add in something that can be gamed in many ways…virtue signaling, hire an acting coach (that’s already happened), manufactured ‘concern’, etc.? What value does this add?
Students need to be out in the world participating in life to help them learn civility and proper discourse…join debate club, Model UN, work in customer service, volunteer with sick patients, etc. I don’t see the benefit to any of them spending more time in front of a screen, making up fake answers/personas.
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Some have opined that this tool is a way for applicants and schools to counter the end of affirmative action: through “dialogues,” applicants get to telegraph their race/ethnicity (other than through essays), while schools get to leverage such info to shape incoming classes. Regardless of whether such an opinion is valid, the tool seems to favor applicants who are good at hitting off with strangers over those who might have deeper thoughts on a topic but are not silky smooth when interacting with others. There is also little doubt that the tool favors applicants whose parents could hire “dialogue coaches” to prep them.
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It is also interesting to view this as part of larger trend. For example, UC Berkeley is offering a new class this summer called “Openness to Opposing Views.”
However, I find this potentially very problematic (from the article):
“High-schoolers will log into a Zoom call with other students and a peer tutor, debate topics like immigration or Israel-Palestine, and rate one another on traits like empathy, curiosity or kindness.”
A chance for implicit bias - or even outright bias or toxic competitiveness - to run amok.
Also from the article: “And the fortunate ones won’t have to do it alone: They’ll have online guides, school counselors and private tutors to help them learn to simulate earnestness.”
Yes, indeed. With a little money, this can be coached.
“I don’t think you can truly fake respect,” Mr. Khan”
Of course you can.
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Exactly, and the peer tutors (or the guides or the school counselors) have not had any anti-bias training or training in how to moderate intense, difficult, and/or conflict in conversations AFAIK (one of my colleague’s students is one of the mods/leaders.) I don’t know what the plans are, if any, to provide said training to these folks. ETA: Perhaps some of the school counselors have had anti-bias and/or conflict training as part of their education/jobs.
The bias potential seems high. Will attractive people get higher scores and/or be given more leeway in discussion? Will students of certain races score better/get more leeway? Etc Etc.
The naivete of that statement is quite surprising. And I generally like and respect Sal Khan.
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Again, do you actually believe that kids who are required to help at home, kids who do not have their own private space in the home to sit, kids whose parents cannot afford high speed internet, have the same opportunity to spend hours engaging in these types of discussions?
There is also the fact that the lower the income of a family, the less likely they are to even know about this. The lower the family income, the lower the chance is that parents who even support this sort of activity.
ALL activities that require time, privacy, knowledge, and high speed internet favor kids from higher income families.
The main difference between this and, say, country club sports, is that this does not favor the ultra wealthy over the rest of the upper class. So it favors kids in the top 20% by income over kids from median and below median income families. However, it does not favor kids from the top 1% over kids who are “only” from the top 15%-top 10%. So this is accessible to any kids whose family can afford a private space for them, a laptop, and broadband internet. This even includes many kids whose family’s income percentile is lower than the top 20%. However, the vast majority of kids who are excluded will be from mid and lower income families.
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Given that it is an item used for college admissions with numeric scores and badges and so on, I can’t imagine that “Dialogues” can possibly be a sincere learning experience for the ambitious kids that are targeting the schools on the current list (or other schools like them).
It sounds like just another anxiety-provoking exercise for these already busy and stressed kids to sink their time into, try to game the system to get the best score, and freak out if their score isn’t good.
A sample “portfolio” PDF is at this link: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1hCqNyMEo21rdM83OpcXyvDtIXfcGGSCB/view
And here’s a screenshot if you prefer not to click:
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And there are cultural differences in communication style, whereby what is considered “respectful” and “engaged” communication may vary. And there is a whole array accents and dialects whose speakers get judged as being “rude” or “uneducated” no matter the content of the communication.
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^ and appearances
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Or even worse, hire people to dialogue FOR them.
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FWIW - Dialogues is a recent addition to the schoolhouse.world platform that has been around for several years. I think Dialogues sounds a little … forced. But the main focus of the platform is peer-to-peer tutoring.
I already volunteer on this platform as an SAT tutor (for the past 7 months). I got involved after an invitation from the platform based on my SAT score, but students can also qualify to tutor in other ways.
All tutoring is free and nobody has to prove “eligibility” for tutoring. I actually think this is an incredibly valuable tool for kids with limited resources to get absolutely free help preparing for the SAT. Sure, we (the tutors) are also kids. But the sessions are fun and helpful and schoolhouse.world helps out with excellent curriculum materials and practice tests. Several of my students have followed up with me to let me know how much their score improved after our “bootcamp” - 8 sessions over 4 weeks prior to the SAT. We do practice exams and go over explanations, tips and strategies, and give moral support and encouragement. At least Sal Kahn is actually doing something to level the playing field on the SAT. I’m at a loss as to why NYT focused on the weird Dialogues thing instead of this aspect of schoolhouse.world.
If you have kids who would like to really make a difference with a fun volunteering thing - have them check it out.
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Definitely! I have a lot of respect and appreciation for what he’s accomplished through Khan Academy and Schoolhouse (and thank you for volunteering as a tutor!).
I just don’t see how Dialogues fits into his model, or why he thought creating a scorecard for colleges (rather than simply facilitating dialogues) was a good idea.
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