There Is No Luck In Admissions

Quixote
Tue, 14 Apr 2009 22:42:58 +0000

I love what is accepted as wisdom these days. Molding your life freshman year to fit the mold of a certain institution. Pursuing a “passion” not because you’re an interesting person, but because you want to make an admissions officer interested. What we’re talking about is different from writing a story or crafting an argument. This is your life. Who wants to get in the habit of crafting your life to fit a certain predetermined standard?

The sad thing is, this might all pay off. The experiences and opportunities at a school like Yale can almost be said to be worth it. Still, it doesn’t matter if you have the most qualified, interesting application in the world. If your application is being read at 10 pm on March 15, after the committee has just admitted two kids from your area and only has a handful of spots left to fill, you probably won’t get accepted. There is definitely a lot of luck involved regarding when and under what circumstances your application is read.

A recommendation: read The Organization Kid by David Brooks. It’s an article that appeared in The Atlantic. Makes me doubt my life… lol