I have never been a huge fan of educational institutions. I was unsure if
college was the right decision for me. Everyone in my family had gone to very
reputable schools including Cornell, Brown, and Swarthmore. While I had my share
of academic success, my heart was never in it. So, instead of going directly to
college, I spent a year working for Americorps, where I made 300 meals a day for
people homebound living with AIDS, and taught an HIV/AIDS peer education
curriculum
I graduated from high school in three years. This proved to be a double-edged
sword when applying to colleges. Some schools were impressed with my drive and
experience in Americorps. Others were skeptical, given that I had taken only two
AP courses and did not take a fourth year of math, foreign language, or science.
Prior to my year of public service, I did not have any outstanding
extracurricular activities. I was vice-president of Amnesty International and my
class. However, I think that colleges understand that the position of
vice-president is the one for slackers. It doesn’t carry any of the duties of
secretary or treasurer, nor the weight of president.
Being half-Japanese and half-Jewish, I was born to take standardized tests.
My SAT and AP scores were pretty high, balancing my good, but not super
impressive, grades and activities. While I do not think that standardized tests
measure anything but how well one can take standardized tests, my ethnic
endowment made me partial to this part of the application process.
As I was out of school, it was especially hard to begin the application
process. An old girlfriend teamed up with my sisters and mother to gather
recommendations from former teachers, transcripts, and forms. These beautiful
women handled all the administrative work, making sure that everything was
properly collated and sent out.
I applied to Rutgers, Colorado College, Sarah Lawrence, Haverford, Pomona,
the University of Chicago, Brown, and Dartmouth. I wanted to go to Rutgers and
live at home. My parents would only let me go to Rutgers if I got my own place.
Effectively, they stripped it of any appeal. The other schools seemed like
pretty good schools that had good locations and a liberal sensibility.
Depressingly, my dad went to Brown, and I was rejected in both the early and
regular rounds of admissions. They sent me a note suggesting I apply again as a
transfer student. I thought two rejections were sufficient.
My roommate in Boston (where I was employed by Americorps) had gone to
Dartmouth. He convinced me to apply. I completed the application in about an
hour. My roommate’s peer recommendation stressed my ability to make some mean
macaroni and cheese. Needless to say, I was rejected.
The other schools were much more accepting. I think they liked my
individuality. I only interviewed at Pomona. Essentially, I just wanted to go
down to Los Angeles for a day. However, I ended up making a big impression on
the admissions officer with some crafted anecdotes about defining life
experiences. Also, my essay for the University of Chicago caught some eyes. A
few years later, an admissions officer interviewing my younger cousin remembered
my writing and suggested that it had helped get me in.
Although I was not sure that college was for me, I ended up going and it has
been fine. My girlfriend-at-the-time was going to Northwestern. The University
of Chicago provided a convenient excuse to be near her. At the age of eighteen,
a big priority was hanging out with a girl who was willing to sleep with me. In
all honesty, at the age of 21, this remains a fairly big concern. Additionally,
all my friends were going off to college. I didn’t have any other plans. I am
not talented enough, or tall enough, to play professional basketball. I realized
that the life of a college student is the penultimate, right after that of the
idle rich.
Despite what your college counselor may say, there is no magic formula for
college admissions or decisions. Like any courtship process, the choices one
must make are complex and intensely personal. As trite as it may sound, being
yourself and following your desires is probably the best way to get into a
school that is right for you.
