The Gatekeepers

I don't usually write reviews of books in my blog but this one really did spark something in me. It's called "The Gatekeepers - inside the admissions process of a premier college".

Now, those of you who don't live in the US might not know what a HUGE deal going to college is here. Almost ridiculous, to be honest. Parents whose child has not even been conceived are establishing savings accounts for their future brood's college career. They take huge loans, mortgage their homes... it's unbelievable. Colleges/universities here cost something like $35.000/year. Sure, there are cheaper ones around but obviously not the "top" ones.

I've never been an academic, in fact, the mere thought of going to college/university always made me gag. Part of it was the fact that I felt that I didn't need a piece of paper to prove that I can make it in life, that I am smart and intelligent and can carry on a conversation about pretty much any issues you throw my way. And the other part was pure frustration at the way I experienced high school - so I assumed college would be the same. Full of bullshit teachers who have no idea what the hell they're talking about, full of bullshit subjects that are needed in order to pass certain things and full of bullshit exams/tests that, if you're smart enough you can cheat your way through.

I picked this book up at a library sale a few months back and never got around to reading it. A few days ago I thought I'd give it a go. It was a boring read to start with... mainly because the subject matter was completely new to me. The things that come into play when applying for a college here are so numerous and unpredictable, I'm astounded that anyone ever gets accepted!
The book is written by a guy who had approval from Wesleyan University in Connecticut to shadow their admission's process for the Class of 2004. He follows one particular admissions officer who at one point in the year, reads hundreds of college applications and has to make a decision based on the applicant's grades, their race, their location, their school, their extracurricular activities, their essays, their talents. With so many things to take into consideration, the book reads really nicely and is very varied.
The author follows a particular number of students who applied to Wesleyan, dug deep to find the background info to go with that application and followed them into their first year of college, whether that was Wesleyan or not. And whilst it got boring every now and then (because the subject matter can sometimes get so un-human and numbers oriented), most of the time I was reading on, hoping to find out whether the students he had picked out would be accepted, rejected, wait-listed... whether they would decide to go to Wesleyan once they were accepted and if not where they would go. Like a novel, where you have to wait until the end to find out if the hero saves the princess!

Still, while it was an eye opener and also a very entertaining read, it also made me think of the comparisons I was constantly drawing to the way students are accepted in Germany. First of all, no charges. Yeah, now there is a minimal fee of something like 500 Euros/semester but that's nothing compared to $20.000. And then there's the fact that colleges in Germany NEVER look at anything else but your high school grades/results. Here, everything counts... extracurricular activities sometimes more than the grades. Being a volunteer, playing some sport as part of a team, being a student body leader, a dancer, a singer, a Big Brother or Big Sister, an editor at the school newspaper... the list goes on and on. What a different way to educate youth, I kept thinking all through the book.

Either way - I highly recommend this book, whether you're looking to get into a US college or not. It is simply too marvelous to overlook :-)