For successful college entry

By Graeme Salt

When there is a mismatch between what someone says and what someone does, it can be described as betrayal. More likely, though, it is an innocent, if misguided, form of behavior we know as "dissonance" ― and it occurs a lot in education. For example, when we ask parents what they want for their children, overwhelmingly the answer is they want them to be happy, healthy and to find fulfilling work and relationships.

When we consider how some parents act in relation to their children, we find ambition for elite university entry leads to just the opposite ― their children are unhappy, unhealthy (low levels of sleep and exercise, unbalanced diet, poor mental health) and not on a path to knowing themselves in order to find their future.

Recently, I had the privilege of reviewing a complete and successful Ivy League application. Five admissions assessors at the university study documents such as this, with the support of four required for the application to progress to a second stage. I was told that any suspicion of inconsistency in any of the five sections of the document (personal essay, school grades, extra-curricular activities summary, standardised tests and counsellor/teacher recommendations) and the application would be rejected.

In practice, this meant grades and standardized test scores needed to be consistent, and that extra-curricular activities described should match the student voice of the personal essay and the teacher voice of the recommendations. It was very clear: the feel of a complete and successful application could not be fabricated at the last minute and it could not be written by anyone other than the student and their teachers. It needs to look and feel authentic to be successful: there can be absolutely no dissonance.

Reviewing the successful Ivy League application and hearing from the admissions staff confirmed once again my belief, and the evidence from our graduates at Dulwich College Seoul, that the students most likely to be successful with college entry commit to their school. The benefits are almost too obvious to point out: students who truly commit to their school curriculum, without the distraction of multiple alternatives, will achieve excellent school grades. If students commit to their school, a university will know they will be receiving loyal, team players intent on improving the lives of others and not just looking out for themselves.

Students who commit to their school find opportunity to lead and innovate, be that in clubs, the arts, adventure, service, scholarship or sports. If students commit to their school, time and energy otherwise spent forming an extra-curricular activities checklist or studying an alternative curriculum ― both of which will have little impact on an application ― could be spent far more productively, healthily and probably happily.

Spending extra time with family, reading, sleeping, developing passions and, yes, in specific specialist circumstances, studying outside school (e.g. standardized test preparation and specific niche interests) is a far better use of time and contribution towards good mental health. Long hours of low productivity and low commitment can be replaced by high productivity, clarity of purpose and strong knowledge of self. To use a colloquial English phrase, this really is a "no-brainer."

So my call to parents and students this month is this: look first to your school for opportunity; focus on achievement in their curriculum; know that a checklist of extra-curricular activities participation is not as valued as authentic, original action. Do not spread yourselves too thin; instead, commit to your school for most likely success.

Graeme Salt (Headmaster@dulwich-seoul.kr) is the headmaster of Dulwich College Seoul, a part of the Dulwich College International (DCI) network of schools.

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