1. A great read from the Education Life supplement in the NYTimes. For some of you, this topic is near and dear to the heart. For others, it's not even on your radar. Regardless, what are your thoughts on the issues raised? Do you think there's a way to improve the disconnect between applicant and college? Do you think it's fair how much emphasis is placed on the essay?
2. The Commuter Congress, from Newsweek, looks at the effects of Senators living their lives not in Washington D.C., but in their home states. Gone are the days of bipartisan family gatherings. Senators no longer know each other outside of work, so why would they want to reach across party lines to make legislation happen. What are your thoughts on this issue? Do you think Washington needs to be a community in order for our government to work? Can you imagine trying to collaborate with someone you 1. hardly know and 2. never see?
2 comments:
The Almighty Essay:
Having just completed the college application process I have many opinions on the daunting process. I took personal and expository second semester junior year and during the unit on “the college essay” heard often “use your own voice.” I think it is important to sound like yourself and not suddenly use gigantic words if you don’t know what they mean, but I wondered how the admissions officer can know if I am using my own voice when it is an essay on paper. In order to bridge the gap between file and student I think that interviews (either with an alumni or an officer) should be made mandatory. They are a time for the applicant to really show their own personality and not just be writing on the page. The article talked about how extracurricular activities and teacher recommendations often have the least emphasis placed on them, and I don’t think that is right. These two components reveal a lot about the applicant and often set them apart from everyone else. I believe there needs to be a better balance between all the different parts of the application. I think that all the elements of the application are important but that they should all be viewed on a similar level.
Personal Essay:
I must admit, I am slightly nervous about writing this for the exact reason raised by the author. I think that in some cases an essay of this type can be a good way to learn more about a student, but in other cases it's better to look at what the student has done, or possibly give them a choice of essay topics. I can understand the amount of emphasis placed on the essay when there are so many highly qualified applicants, but that emphasis also has the potential to make it more difficult for students who have difficulty expressing themselves in writing.
Commuter Congress:
While it isn't necessary for Washington to be a community, I do think that it would help immensely if our representatives in government knew each other not just professionally, but personally. I don't think that it can possibly be very easy to attempt to collaborate with someone when you don't really know them at all.
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