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It is that time of the year again for college applications in the US. I have written previously about the college admission process  http://blog.sciencenet.cn/home.php?mod=space&uid=1565&do=blog&id=621163

Below is an essay (unedited) written by my number five grand child who is a senior in high school and editor of his school newspaper that offers a somewhat different view of college admission.

Brad Kim
My Epic College Process

By mid-October most high school seniors who are seriously concerned with their college prospects and applications have already filled out their Common Apps, completed final drafts of their essays, obliterated the supplements, and chosen early action/decision schools. I, on the other hand, do not have a level of dedication even close to this.
At the time of this writing, I have not yet completed my college essay, let alone the collection of supplements that follow. I took the SATs once and was satisfied with my score. I haven’t heavily researched most of the colleges to which I am applying and at the only college meeting I attended, I felt uninterested and bored. I’ve seen few schools and I don’t intend to visit any more.
In my four years at The Beak I have observed that the board of editors tends to be disproportionately populated with extremely motivated applicants. I have seen many editor meetings get sidetracked into conversations about colleges, rankings, application choices, and the process in general.

Without condemning or condoning anyone’s life choices, the editing staff has had a prominent fondness over the years for AP classes, We the People, shiny extracurriculars, and in general being absurdly well-equipped for choosing and applying to colleges. Having an editor position in the first place goes hand in hand with this. The school newspaper, aside from being a phenomenally enjoyable and existentially rewarding experience, is often something people sign up for with the intent to improve a resumé.

To reiterate, I do not claim this approach or choices like these are necessarily the best way of living life. It certainly bears little resemblance to the choices I have made regarding the college process, or the lack of choices I have made. But I also do not criticize anyone for trying their hardest to have the best chance in applying. I do not criticize anyone for pushing their limits academically if they believe in its importance. Everyone has the freedom to do whatever he or she wants with regards to high school and college.

Lately, however, I’ve incurred a modicum of wrath from my Beak coworkers about my apparent lack of motivation and poor judgment regarding the college process. All of my actions have very simple rationales behind them, but rationales many may disagree with. Certainly being a little lazy, apathetic, and especially cynical about the whole ordeal contributes to my underwhelming efforts, but I don’t think I would have changed things substantially even if I did force myself into overdrive.

I haven’t visited many schools or attended many meetings because I just do not really enjoy it. Every school tells me they fit me perfectly, that I am just the guy for them. I have no need for a tour guide to show me how awesome their university is, nor do I need a representative to tell me. This might sound like a silly justification, because only a fool would choose his place of education and residence for the next four years without making absolutely sure he would love it there right?

My response to this is simple: I hope to achieve happiness wherever I go. Certainly certain centers of schooling might bring me more intense jubilation or an ultimately more satisfying educational experience, but that holds true for everything in life.

I cannot be caught up in trying to find a perfect fit that may not even exist. So long as I embrace my surroundings and take what they have to offer, I feel confident I will fit in. I’d much rather spend my time going to classes that I signed up for and learning things here and now that I know I have interest in than constantly questioning whether I have done enough or could have done more.

To get into a “good” school, it is said that one should try harder, do more research, and work faster. But what constitutes a “good” school is itself debated. Whether or not a school is good should definitely be determined by the appropriateness for you, not a national ranking. Seeing as I have already established that I will fit in anywhere, this becomes less of a concern. I accept that the grass will always be greener on the other side.

I do care a little bit, and I admit I would feel awesome having a killer app and getting into Harvard early. But I know my future is going to be determined by who I am as a person, not where I am for the next four years. As for now, I would rather work enough to enjoy life and see where I can get in with that.