Students put more time into new essays
<br>By Jeremy Berkowitz
Daily Staff ReporterDecember 3rd, 2003
Dexter High School guidance counselor Geraldine Holmes said she
instructed her high school seniors that were applying to the
University this fall to “speak from the heart” in their
application essays.
The Office of Undergraduate Admissions unveiled a new
application in late August in response to the June U.S. Supreme
Court decisions regarding the University’s race-conscious
admissions policies. The court said the University could use race
as one of many factors in admissions, but it struck down the
practice of granting 20 points to all underrepresented minority
undergraduate candidates.
The admissions office increased the number of long essay choices
from one to three. Candidates must now also fill out several short
250-word essays with questions ranging from their favorite book to
their experiences with cultural diversity.
As a result, applicants are spending more time and putting more
thought than aspiring students in previous years.
Holmes said the diversity question troubled some of her students
that grew up in a very homogeneous environment.
“The students haven’t experienced diversity, but
that’s something they’re looking for,” Holmes
said, adding that she tells her students to look for experiences
that make them distinct, including the lack of diversity in their
lives. “An honest approach is probably the best
answer.”
Rochester Hills High School senior Andy Putman said he wrote
about his interests in the world and other cultures, although he
said he worked a little harder to show how diversity fit into his
life.
“That was really tough being a white male trying to
explain to an admissions staff how I’m going to bring
diversity to campus,” Putman said. “It’s not
necessarily being diverse, it’s more about writing what
I’m into and I had to make it sound like I was being
diverse.”
Canton High School senior Suketu Patel addressed the stark
differences between attending a high school in Canton Township as
opposed to one in the more conservative Temperance, which he
previously attended. But he added that several other students were
unsure about what to write.
“Some had more difficulty figuring out what the question
was referring to,” Patel said.
But West Bloomfield High School guidance counselor Patricia
McKelvey said her students faced very little trouble with the
diversity question.
“This is the most top diverse high school in the
state,” McKelvey said, adding that the school has significant
Jewish and Chaldean populations. “We by nature provide a
diverse environment.”
But McKelvey expressed dissatisfaction with one of the long
essays, which asked students to evaluate the similarities and
differences between truth and beauty and their associations with
science and art, respectively.
“I found it a very difficult essay for those kids to
navigate through,” she said. “That’s a real tough
question.”
As far as the increased workload, many students and counselors
remarked that although the application now requires more work, they
saw the necessity for it.
“We’re getting a few complaints … but
nonetheless (the students) still fill them out,” Holmes
said.
“I didn’t really have a problem with writing the
extra essays because other top-caliber schools require them
too,” West Bloomfield senior Michael Eber said.
McKelvey noted that she thought the application required more
work, not just from students, but also from teachers who now must
write recommendations for students applying to the University.
She’s also noticed more critiquing of essays by students
who are willing to put in the work and greater anxiety among
parents.
“The kid who applies to Michigan is serious about going to
Michigan,” McKelvey said.
Printed from www.michigandaily.com on Sat, 26 May 2012 19:03:25 -0400