8/7/2015

The False Promise of 'Holistic' College Admissions - The Atlantic

EDUCATION

The False Promise of 'Holistic' College

Admissions
Many institutions claim to evaluate applicants based on who they are as
people rather than simply looking at test scores and gradesan approach
that incites anxiety in students and parents alike.
PHOEBE MALTZ BOVY
DEC 17, 2013

http://www.theatlantic.com/education/archive/2013/12/the-false-promise-of-holistic-college-admissions/282432/

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ajleon/Flickr

Collegeapplicantsthesedaystaketheadmissionsprocesssopersonally.
Notbecausetodaysyouthcantfacedisappointment,butbecausethe
systemforapplyingtoselectivecollegesintheUnitedStatesasksstudents
toviewtheprocessas,well,personal.
Thisbeginswhenstudentsdecidewheretoapply.Asanapplicant,youre
urgedtofindtheschoolthatsmostinlinewithyourpersonality.Then
comesthecollegeadmissionsessay.Evenstudentsnottheleastbit
inclinedtoconfessionalwritingareaskedtospilltostrangers(andto
parentswhomaybereadingthethingover).Youreinvitedtoshowyour
truestselfbysharingastoryyoumightnormallyreserveforclosefriends.
Allofthisisleadinguptothemostpersonalaspectoftheentireprocess:
theholisticmeasuresbywhichschoolsjudgeapplications.Inexchange
foryourcandor(herearemyparentstaxreturns,mytranscript,anessay
aboutmydeepestsecret,andsomelettersfrommyteachersaboutwhat
Imreallylike),manycollegespromisetoevaluateyouasahumanbeing.
ApplicantstoOberlin,forexample,learnthefollowing:

Whenmakingouradmissionsdecisions,wedrawuponaholistic
reviewprocess.Theholisticreviewallowsustogetasenseof
notonlytheapplicant'sacademicqualifications,butalsoof
whattheapplicantislikeasaperson,andwhattheywill
contributetotheOberlincommunity.

ConsiderwhatsbeingpromisednotjustbyOberlin,butalsobyselective
schoolsgenerally.(TheCommonApplicationalsoencouragesaholistic
selectionprocess.)Admissionscommitteesdontsimplytakefactors
beyondGPAandSATsintoaccount.Theyclaimthatthey'rejudgingeach
applicantasOberlinputsit"asaperson."
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Theillogicofholisticisstriking,asIvebeenpointingoutsince2009;as
JasonWillicksexcellent2012DailyCalifornianop-edindicates,some
studentsarebeginningtoquestionitaswell.Willickexplainedthe
drawbackstoholisticasfollows:

Therearetwoseriousproblemswiththisportrayalofcollege
admissions.Thefirstisthatitisdishonestandarrogantinthe
extremeforadmissionsofficestoclaimthattheyareentitled
topassjudgmentonthecharacterofeachofthetensof
thousandsof17-and18-year-oldswhoseapplicationstheyread
eachyear.Berkeleysadmissionsofficershaveattheirdisposal
atranscript,testscores,alistofextracurricularactivitiesand
twoshortessays.Onthebasisofthisinformation,collegescan
makesomeinferencesaboutanapplicantsacademicability.
Theycannotpossiblyratethequalityofapplicants
personalities.
Second,itisunhealthyforanxioushighschoolstudents
applyingtocollegetobeundertheimpressionthattheyare
facingatypeofcomprehensivejudgmentnotjustoftheir
academicandextracurricularperformancebutoftheirquality
ashumanbeingsandtheirvaluetotheircommunities.Students
whoareacceptedareeffectivelytoldthattheyarenotonly
academicallysuperior,butmorallysuperior,totheapplicants
whowererejected.Andstudentswhodontgetinmayfeelthey
wererejectedbecauseofsomepersonaldeficiency.

Theissue,then,isntthatschoolslookbeyondgradesandscores.Itsthat
admissionscommitteesdontreallyknowapplicantspersonally,andthat
theirclaimingtodosoisbadforstudents.Isntitbetter,WillickandIhave
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bothargued,toberejectedasanapplicantthanasaperson?

ARTICLE CONTINUES AFTER ADVERTISEMENT

Fromcollegesperspective,holisticisjustshorthandfor,wemakethe
decisionswemake,andwouldrathernotbeaskedtospellouteachone.
Itsawayforschoolstodiscreetlytakevarioussensitivefactors
overrepresentedminorities,orstudentswhosefamiliesmightdonate
agymintoaccount.Ofcourseadmissionscommitteesdontknoweach
applicantpersonally.Buttheyvesettledonthislanguage,Isuspect,
becauseitsasuccinctwaytoexpressthetruth,whichisthattheprocessis
subjectivebutnotarbitrary.
RELATED STORY

Applying to College Shouldn't Require Answering Life's

Great Questions

Holisticlanguageiscentraltohowstudentsunderstandtheapplication
process.OntheNewYorkTimesscollege-admissionsblog,then-high
schoolseniorMichaelCampbellwroteofthestruggletodisassociatean
admissionsrejectionfromtherejectionofmeasaperson.Yetheadded,
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Ihopecollegesseeandevaluatehumanme,notjusttranscript-testscores-class-rankme.Unfortunately,itstheverynotionthatacollege
mightbeabletoidentifytherealandcompleteMichaelCampbellthat
makesrejectionthatmuchmoredifficult.
Anothersenior,SuzyLeeWeiss,notoriouslytooktoTheWallStreet
Journaltoannounceherpost-decisiondisappointments:Foryears,they
wewereliedto.Collegestellyou,Justbeyourself,"shelamented;just
beingherselfwasntenough.Whilethepieceitselfcameacrossasentitled,
Weisssinitialobservationwasspot-on.Collegesdotellstudentsthat
theyrebeingjudgedonthebasisofsomeindefinablequalitythat
transcendsthematerialsprovided.
Manyapplicants,though,seemtobeseducedbyholistic.Itsoundslike
agentlerformofjudgment.Itsawordassociatedwithhealingandhighendskincreams,notthestingoftheproverbialthinenvelope.Thatteam
ofcaringexpertsisntgoingtoholdthatDinchemistryagainstyou,are
they?
Isuspectthatmanyparents,too,findholisticreassuring,becauseit
promisesanalternativetostandardizedtestsandquickjudgments.
Parents,afterall,tendtothinkabouttheirchildrenasgoodpeople,
certainlyaswholepeople,sowhywouldnttheywantcollegestodothe
same?
Butholisticmaytapintodeeperanxieties,andbearesponsetotwo
unrelatedbutintertwinedparentalfears:first,thatasimplerprocessshortchangesunderprivilegedkids,andsecond,thattheoffspringofwealthy
familieswillbehorrors!reducedtothesumoftheirscores,their
unquantifiablestrengthsnotgivenproperconsideration.Holistic,then,
speakstomanywell-off,highly-involvedparentswhoinsisttheirkidsare
academicallygifted,nomattertheevidence.Forwhichevercultural
reasons,thesameparentsalsooftenhaveasenseofsocialjusticethatthe
systemisunfairtopoorandminorityapplicants.Holisticappealstosuch
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parentsbecauseitneatlyaddressesbothconcerns.Itreconcilesa
democraticidealwiththeundemocraticdesireforonesownchildrento
succeed.
Holisticevaluationsmaybesuperiortoalgorithms,butwhatsclearis
theyrenotactuallyholistic.Muchofwhoapersoniswouldbeoff-topicor
altogetherinappropriateforcollegestotakeintoaccount,evenifitwere
possibleforthemtodoso.Ifsomeonefrailortenmonthspregnantgetson
thebus,doyougiveupyourseat?Areyoudevastatinglyattractivetoyour
preferredgender(s)?Ultimately,whatsatstakeincollegeadmissionsisnt
whoyouareasaperson,butwhetheryouvedemonstratedthatyouhave
theskillsandexperiencesthatqualifysomeoneforaslotataparticular
institution.Ifaschoolrejectsyou,whattheyrereallyrejectingisyour
application.
Becauseschools,parents,andstudentsallfinditsopersuasive,holistic
isunlikelytoleaveusanytimesoon.Thebestwecando,then,isto
remindapplicantsandtheirfamiliesthatdespitewhattheschools
themselvesmighthavethembelieve,itisntpersonal.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
PHOEBE MALTZ BOVY is a writer based in Princeton, New Jersey. She holds a doctorate in
French and French Studies from New York University.

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