Worried about College? Have You Considered Waiting?
A college admissions consultant, Gwyeth Smith, recently published an article in the Washington Post where he has some simple advice for parents and students: WAIT!
For many, this may seem like a wild proposal whose main effect is to raise the anxiety of all concerned. But it takes on a new light when you consider some of the ideas that are behind it.
For a start, he suggests that the year can be used for work--and the expanding skills that come from pursuing something other than classroom activities. And lots of time should be spent in "devouring" a stack of great books.
As Smith says, "I've watched too many students get caught up in the admissions arms race and spend their high school years preening for colleges. They rocket through advanced-placement classes; they push their SAT or ACT scores to the 98th percentile. Yet they don't slow down to reflect on who they are and who they want to become. Soon after plunging into their dream engineering or pre-med program, many realize that they aren't cut out to be engineers, doctors and the like."
The potential to take a year off will also ease the stress of the admissions process. Students who don't get into their first- or second-choice school during 12th grade will have another shot. Or maybe -- just maybe -- the extra maturity will allow them to realize that college is about the fit, not the brand.
There are advantages to the families as well. It gives them a better chance to handle the increasingly onerous finances of higher education. While the pay during the year off may not be great, it still can serve to lower the debt that the student is likely to have to take on.
Some colleges are in tune with this idea. For example, Reed College, in Oregon., allows admitted students to defer entrance for a year, after submitting a plan for their activities that year, and nearly 7 percent take up the offer.
H. Keith H. Brodie, a psychiatrist and president emeritus of Duke University, has been quoted as saying that he believes freshmen who delay college for a year tend to be more altruistic and empathetic because brain development continues into late adolescence. He advocates the year off with a key proviso--the student should have a mentor, a plan for intellectual growth and a commitment to do public service.
So productive "waiting" has a lot going for it. In the increasingly pressured atmosphere of modern existence, this idea deserves serious consideration.
