Coasting and the Impossibility of Determining Fit

Today, we will return to Barry Schwartz' article about college admissions. In the same vein as the previous post on the subject, I will present Schwartz' point and then dig in with some analysis.

2. So much is built into just "getting in" to Name Brand University, that once they get there, students can coast. They no longer have as much motivation to continue the life-long process of learning.

Imagine that it has been your dream to attend University X, Y, or Z since you started high school. Throughout your high school years you have constantly striven to excel in every endeavor. You went all out to get A's in your classes and participated in a carefully balanced portfolio of activities in which you maximized your efforts, becoming a leader in all of them. Many, if not most, of your youthful efforts were spent with the goal of attaining admission to your Universities of choice.

Similarly, imagine that the big day has come when you finally receive notification from the institutions. Being the smart and capable student you are, you were honored with admission to all of them. All your hard work paid off. You can relax. Your dream has been fulfilled.

Now what?

How do you top achieving the biggest dream of your life, the central tenet of your existence? Doesn't it seem plausible that everything after this will be somewhat of a letdown? Schwartz argues that indeed this may be the case. It is possible that many young people in this situation are, in fact, eager go-getters and will continue to dream big. I hope so.

3. It is impossible to predict the fit of an institution to a student, and vice-versa. Differences between the "top" students and "top" institutions are so minute, that one cannot reliably evaluate those differences.

If true, the above will cause much hand-wringing among sincere admissions officials and students. The whole point of this college admission exercise is to find the right fit, isn't it? Haven't I proffered varying exercises and resources to help students with doing just that?

College admission officials are constantly trying to find the right balance of test scores, grades, coursework, extra curricular activities, and background that will give them insight into which students are best for their college. Likewise, students pour over rankings data, visit colleges, and talk to counselors, friends, and advisors in the hope of narrowing down their top choices.

If we are honest, however, it becomes apparent that Schwartz is on to something. If you can pare down the number of schools you are really interested in to five or so, then you are doing well. There may be small differences between the institutions, mainly dealing with location and size. However, if you are careful, you probably chose five institutions that will provide you with an excellent education. Therefore, whichever ones you get admitted to will most likely (more on this later) be peachy. The difference between the first and fifth schools on your list are not large enough to be worthwhile.

Schwartz believes the same is true of the students the colleges are choosing to admit. How much of a difference is there, in terms of the student's ability to succeed in college, between Student A (3.80 GPA, 1900 SATI, tons of leadership and extra curriculars) and Student B (3.90 GPA, 1850 SATI, ditto with leadership and extra curriculars)? It is so small, that no college application, short of one that requires extensive psychotherapy is going to tell the admission officials the difference.

What is his point? As I interpret it we are spending way too much time worrying about this stuff. We would be better served by doing something more interesting, like having a cup of coffee with a friend, reading a good book (for pleasure), or watching a sunset. So go ahead and do so. I would but I am at work!