Admission

My wife and I recently saw the new Tina Fey and Paul Rudd movie Admission. While this blog is certainly not intended for movie reviewing, it is an enjoyable, if not Oscar worthy, film. More pertinently, many parents, educators and students will see themselves or their institutions in certain scenes from the movie, which centers around a Princeton admissions officer's interaction with a student to whom she may have a personal connection.

As we are closing out a very successful college admissions cycle, which saw our students achieve the goals they set for themselves in terms of college opportunities, we have students choosing schedules for next school year. Central to their choices is concern over which scheduling decisions might have the most positive impact on their college admissions applications. Our College Counseling department has a great philosophy - "College is a match to be made, not a prize to be won". If students and parents approach scheduling with this philosophy in mind, it will be hard to misstep.

Like all things in life, a student's schedule should have balance. There should be challenges and opportunities to grow, areas of passion and interest, diversity in content, and a place to have fun. We are often asked whether it is better for a student to receive a "B" in an Honors or AP course or an "A" in a regular course. There is not a universal right answer to this question. Much depends on the student's schedule and personal goals. Nevertheless, the one answer that might fit all these situations is that the student should choose based on what he or she will learn and experience in the course - not an anticipated grade.

In the movie Admission one of the main characters is a high school student who is a voracious reader who receives "5's" on multiple AP tests without taking the course. He is a self-described didactic with incredible ability and insight, but a poor high school record. The debate over his admission plays out on screen, and while there is little doubt the young man has the ability to succeed anywhere, there is question over how he will adapt to an environment like Princeton. That is at the crux of every college decision - whether a university is the right match for an individual student's skills, preparation, personality, and career aspirations. Rarely is that decision made based on a course selection, but rather on the balance of a student's record.

College - A match to be made, not a prize to be won....