(Istock.Com)
Globe Editorial
“Please tell us about how you overcame a significant challenge.’’ This question is enough to strike fear in the heart of any high school senior, even that of a straight-A student who also found time to edit the yearbook, sing the lead in “West Side Story,’’ and make the all-state table tennis team. Recently, however, MIT announced plans to replace the traditional 500-word college admissions essay with a series of short-answer questions. The new format itself represents a triumph over adversity - which sometimes comes in the form of overinvolved parents or the vast admissions-counseling industry.
The traditional admissions essay has become a rite of passage, and it’s about as enjoyable as braces or acne. The stilted writing style is recognizable at 300 yards, and the range of topics is surprisingly limited: Generations of college students have expounded at length about what they learned from losing that championship game or how they rebounded from the loss of a beloved golden retriever. Admissions officials say many essays end up sounding cutesy and desperate, so overthought and overedited that the actual capabilities of the applicant are barely intelligible.
MIT’s new format should produce fewer flourishes and more matter-of-fact answers to questions such as, “Describe something you’ve created.’’ MIT admissions dean Stuart Schmill says he’s often asked: What do you guys want? What are you looking for? “The answer is,’’ he says, “we want students to answer our questions.’’ Over time, gimmicky devices will creep back into even shorter answers - but by then, one hopes, admissions offices at MIT and elsewhere will have devised some other format.
© Copyright 2009 Globe Newspaper Company.
