What Do We Get? "But that’s not what I want to do…"
This is the all-too-frequent response of students to the suggestion that they capitalize on their demonstrated strengths in the fine and performing arts when they apply for admission. It�s almost as though they are afraid they will be regarded as academic imposters for failing to be true to their natural calling!
It happened again last week in a presentation I made to a group of students and parents. As I was talking about the need to for candidates to reveal their talents�to make a tape, burn a CD or put together a portfolio, a young flutist expressed curiosity about doing so since she had no interest in pursuing formal study of the flute in college. When I asked if the flute was and would continue to be a defining element of her life, she didn�t hesitate to assure me it would be. I then pointed out that her passion would carry little weight in the admission process if she didn�t give admission committees the opportunity to draw their own conclusions about its potential importance to their respective communities. If she had any inclination at all to continue playing in ensembles, marching bands or orchestras�and if she wanted to be valued for this potential�she needed to make her talent known.
The irony is that student athletes do this without fail. Every year, thousands of college applicants actively parlay their athletic talents/exploits into offers of admission at institutions where not every qualified candidate can be admitted. Only a fraction of these candidates have any reasonable chance of competing professionally in their respective sports. Nonetheless, their talents are valued by schools that wish to field competitive team�even at the non-scholarship, small college level of competition. If athletes can find a competitive edge by submitting tapes and meeting with coaches, why shouldn�t musicians, dancers, artists and actors benefit as well?
As admission committees go about their work, they are much like social engineers whose task is to assemble a new community from the array of talents represented in the applicants it is considering. Success in the admission process, then, rests just as much on a student�s ability to anticipate this as it does on most things academic. When everything else is equal�or close to equal�academically in the competition, it is not uncommon for an admission officer to ask the question of a given candidate, �If we admit her, what do we get?�
It is important, then, that students anticipate this question and take stock of what they have to offer the colleges to which they are applying. What are their gifts? What might an admission committee see in their talents that might give a given student an advantage in the competition? So, even if you have no interest in making a career out of playing the flute or the trumpet or the violin, make sure you do what you can to reveal your talents.
IMPORTANT TIP: Send a copy of your recording/portfolio to the Admission Office with your application AND a copy to the director of the program that interests you. Make sure you label all copies with your name, address and the contents. Do this early in the admission process�certainly no later than the application deadline.
Reminder: The Introductory Straight Talk About College Admission teleseminar entitled, �College Rankings: What They Mean and How to Use Them,� takes place this Wednesday (September 19) at 9:00 PM EST. Please register at http://www.TheAdmissionGame.com by noon EST on Tuesday.
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