Parables
A young man wants a girlfriend. He is a very nice young man but not as scrupulous about his appearance as one might wish. His beard is scraggly, his nails grimy, and his shoulders dusted with dandruff. The women he asks out on dates turn him down. He is a perceptive young man, so he shaves, scrubs, and buys a valu-pak of Head and Shoulders. A month later, he’s going steady with a nice coworker.
There’s demand for well-groomed and self-aware boyfriends, and he met that demand. That’s how he got what he wanted.
A young woman wants to work in intelligence. During college, she applies for an internship at the CIA and gets turned down. She learns Arabic. She applies again, with improved skills, and then [redacted].
There’s demand for Arabic at the CIA, and she met that demand. That’s how she got what she wanted.
A college needs to make more money. Its president summons the accountants and asks how to do it.
“Basketball is always profitable,” they answer. “Especially when we do well in March.”
The president calls the dean of admission and tells her to let in more basketball players. There’s demand for basketball skills, and those applicants get in because they met demand.
Meeting demand
These stories are so obvious that they seem trivial. I make them obvious to drive home that students applying to college need to do the same thing: meet demand to get what they want.
Romeo up there didn’t get a girlfriend because a woman said, “You have proven your commitment to hygiene. To reward your virtue, I now deem you worthy of love.” The woman just wanted a boyfriend.
Our imaginary Arabic-speaker didn’t get her job because the CIA said, “Wow, so many flashcards! In recognition of your diligence, we award you a GS-7 salary and a beige cubicle.” They just needed someone to [redacted].
Colleges let in the kids who meet their needs. They’re not mailing out fat envelopes as prizes for the kids with good grades, high test scores, in-demand extracurricular talents, and rich relatives. Admission isn’t a treat in exchange for good SAT scores. Colleges favor those traits so they can get what they want: prestige and money.
“Isn’t this just meritocracy?” you ask.
Exactly, except for the rich relatives. But there are misconceptions that admission is primarily a reward for virtue or a PR exercise. I’ve been doing more SEO for this business, and there are a lot of people searching for things like “financial aid for 3.0 GPA” and “full ride scholarship for cheer.” Are kids with middling grades and cheerleaders going to maximize prestige or profit for colleges?
Here’s another example of this misperception.
Blank-slate Sarah
An acquaintance asked me for advice about a high schooler she knows. Let’s call this kid Sarah. Sarah doesn’t do extracurriculars but wants to get into a brand-name college.
“Well, she probably should pick up some activities,” I said.
“Couldn’t you help her write an essay about how she’s coming to college with a clean slate? How she is free to pick up anything there?”
“I don’t think that convince the the admission office.”
“You would have to help her sell it, to make it seem like a good thing.”
Reader, there is no way to sell a lack of extracurriculars as a good thing.
Blank-slate Tim
Let’s imagine an analogous conversation.
“Good morning, Mr. Smith. Thanks for speaking with me today.”
“Please call me Tim, and thank you for the call. I’m excited about this job opportunity.”
“Good! Our Spanish teacher is on parental leave and won’t be back this school year, so we need someone to cover her classes. To get started, where did you learn your Spanish?”
“Oh, I don’t actually speak Spanish.”
“What? This interview is for a job teaching middle-school Spanish.”
“It’s actually a good thing. I’m coming in with a clean slate—ready to do whatever you need.”
“What we need is someone who speaks Spanish. Thanks for your time.”
*click*
Tim the teacher doesn’t meet demand for Spanish skills. In real life, he wouldn’t even get to a phone interview.
Sarah the student won’t meet colleges’ demand for extracurricular talents, if she stays on her current path. Start playing the oboe, Sarah!
What does this mean for your kid?
How can your kid meet demand when applying to college? The first step is to start early. You can find a timeline of tasks here. Aim to have appealing grades, test scores, and extracurricular achievements ready by the fall of senior year. Click on those links to learn how to meet colleges’ preferences in each of those categories with the least hassle and stress.
I’d also love to work with your family one-on-one to discuss ways your kid can meet colleges’ needs. You can book a session here. I look forward to working with your family!