College Admissions: Learning from the Process

 

For most college students, the main goal of higher education is earning a degree that will lead to a successful and satisfying career.

The years spent working on a program of study can be fun and include life-changing experiences. And many college classes provide students with interesting information that they may not have even thought about before.

Still, the most important thing for most students is what those years of hard work and studying can bring them once they graduate.

But Jennifer Simons argues that there are many valuable things people can learn before they even attend their first college class. Simons is the director of undergraduate¹ admissions³ and recruitment at Northeastern University in Boston, Massachusetts.

Simons says the college application process can teach young people a lot about supporting themselves and making connections with others.

In the United States, the process starts in the final two years of high school, when students are about 16 or 17 years old. This is the time when young people are forced to consider what happens after they leave high school. They face questions like, ‘Where do you want to go to college?’ and ‘What will you study?’

There are so many choices available to students that these questions can seem very difficult to answer, Simons says. So she suggests that young people try to get a better understanding of themselves before making any decisions.

Simons says that young people should start keeping a journal⁴, or written record, of their ideas well before they start thinking about college. They should ask themselves questions, like ‘Who am I?’, ‘What do I want out of life?’, and ‘What are my strengths and weaknesses?’ Students should then try to write down answers to these and other questions once a day, or even weekly. Also, Simons adds, they should try to take note of meaningful events that teach them something about the world or themselves.

The answers to these general questions, she says, will likely give students a better understanding of how to answer more specific questions. They will have a better idea about where they might want to spend four years of their lives while working toward⁵ a college degree, for example. It can also give young people ideas of what to talk about in writing samples that most college applications require.

In addition, she says, students who know their own strengths will better understand how to ask people they know to write letters of recommendation⁶ for them.

Simons says the more young people know about themselves, they more likely they are to make decisions that will make them happy. This includes more than just decisions about college.

"If you understand who you are," she told VOA, "you are less likely to fall prey⁷ to somebody else’s vision⁸ for what you should be or where you should go."

Something else students can take from the application process, Simons notes, relates to how busy the process makes them. High schoolers already have their studies, personal relationships and possibly jobs to worry about. The application process requires them to find schools that interest them, find out how to request admission² and prepare application materials.

Simons argues that balancing responsibilities is one of the most important skills anyone can learn.

She said, "I think that you really are laying the groundwork for becoming an adult by learning⁹ how to prioritize your time."

However, Simons admits that learning time management can be very difficult for young people. So learning to ask for help when you need it is another equally important lesson. School counselors¹⁰, older students, and friends and family members who have attended college can all be important resources.

But with asking for help also comes thanking people once you have received it, Simons says. A simple thing young people can learn to do is sending a letter or an email thanking those who helped them get into their school of choice.

Relationship-building like this is important outside the college application process. Simons suggests that students should make such efforts with teachers, classmates and anyone they meet. This can help them in the future as they look for jobs or continue their education.

One final lesson students can take from the application process is accepting that their control of the situation is limited, Simons says. She points out that every college and university in the United States receives hundreds, if not thousands of applications every year. Competition is fierce, so not everyone is going to get into their first or even second choice of school.

"There are many places where you could be happy," she said. "I think that is human to … feel like, ‘Oh, this is the perfect fit.’ And that happens in relationships, too. But, there’s more than one place where you could be satisfied … and that’s a good thing to know, that nothing is the only option."

Simons says that accepting defeat and learning how to move past it is probably the most important lesson of all.

I’m Pete Musto. And I’m Dorothy Gundy.

Words in This Story

degree – n. an official document and title that is given to someone who has successfully completed a series of classes at a college or university

graduate – v. to earn a degree or diploma from a school, college, or university

application – n. a formal and usually written request for something (such as a job, admission to a school, or a loan¹¹

specific – adj. special or particular

recommendation – n. the act of saying that someone or something is good and deserves¹² to be chosen

fall prey to – idm. to be harmed or affected¹³ in a bad way by (someone or something

vision – n. something that you imagine

prioritize – v. to organize things so that the most important thing is done or dealt with first

time management – n. the act or process of deciding how to best use one’s time

counselor(s) – n. a person who provides advice as a job

1 undergraduate   

n.大学生，大学肆业生

参考例句：

• Mr. Stone spent his undergraduate days in Columbia University,majoring in economics.斯通先生在哥伦比亚大学度过了他四年的大学生活，主修经济学。
• During this time,they are called undergraduate students.在此期间，他们被称为大学本科生。

2 admission   

n.允许进入；承认；入场费，入会费，入场券

参考例句：

• We attached a condition to his admission to our school.我们对准许他入校附加了一个条件。
• By her own admission,she was responsible for the accident.她自己承认，事故应该由她负责。

3 admissions   

n.准许进入( admission的名词复数 )；入场费；入场券；承认

参考例句：

• a need-blind admissions policy 不考虑经济能力的录取政策
• He's the Dean of Admissions for the University of Michigan. 他是Michigan大学的新生注册主任。 来自辞典例句

4 journal   

n.日志，日记；议事录；日记帐；杂志，定期刊物

参考例句：

• He kept a journal during his visit to Japan.他在访问日本期间坚持记日记。
• He got a job as editor of a trade journal.他找到了一份当商业杂志编辑的工作。

5 toward   

prep.对于，关于，接近，将近，向，朝

参考例句：

• Suddenly I saw a tall figure approaching toward the policeman.突然间我看到一个高大的身影朝警察靠近。
• Upon seeing her,I smiled and ran toward her. 看到她我笑了，并跑了过去。

6 recommendation   

n.推荐（信）建议，优点，长处

参考例句：

• I wrote him a good recommendation.我为他写了一封很好的推荐信。
• This method deserves recommendation.这种做法值得提倡。

7 prey   

n.被掠食者，牺牲者，掠食；v.捕食，掠夺，折磨

参考例句：

• Stronger animals prey on weaker ones.弱肉强食。
• The lion was hunting for its prey.狮子在寻找猎物。

8 vision   

n.视觉，先见之明，光景，视力，眼力，幻想，影像；vt.幻想

参考例句：

• The wall cuts across our line of vision.那面墙挡住了我们的视线。
• Much reading has impaired his vision.大量读书损害了他的视力。

9 learning   

n.学问，学识，学习；动词learn的现在分词

参考例句：

• When you are learning to ride a bicycle,you often fall off.初学骑自行车时，常会从车上掉下来。
• Learning languages isn't just a matter of remembering words.学习语言不仅仅是记些单词的事。

10 counselors   

n.顾问( counselor的名词复数 )；律师；（使馆等的）参赞；（协助学生解决问题的）指导老师

参考例句：

• Counselors began an inquiry into industrial needs. 顾问们开始调查工业方面的需要。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
• We have experienced counselors available day and night. ) 这里有经验的法律顾问全天候值班。） 来自超越目标英语 第4册

11 loan   

n.贷款；借出的东西；借；vt.借出；贷予

参考例句：

• I asked the bank to help me with a loan.我请银行给我一笔贷款。
• Has the bank okayed your request for a loan?银行批准你的贷款要求了吗？

12 deserves   

v.应受，应得，值得( deserve的第三人称单数 )；应受报答；应得报酬；应得赔偿

参考例句：

• A wilful fault has no excuse and deserves no pardon. 不能宽恕故意犯下的错误。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• He is the only poet in this country that deserves the name. 他是这个国家唯一的一位名副其实的诗人。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

13 affected   

adj.不自然的，假装的

参考例句：

• She showed an affected interest in our subject.她假装对我们的课题感到兴趣。
• His manners are affected.他的态度不自然。