University Business - February 2007 - (Page 24)

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Consider how difficult it is for students to take stands like these in high schools today, and how hard it is to share their feelings with strangers in the essay-writing process. IN THEIR OWN WORDS “Being different is something that most kids are afraid to be, but something that I strive to be. This desire manifests itself through my opinions and choices regarding teenage drug and alcohol use. For today’s youth, drinking, smoking pot, and experimenting with drugs is not the nonconformist path to take, but rather the stereotypical path that all regular kids, daring to be different, take.” So writes a talented boarding school student as he proceeds to relate the work and meaning of Walt Whitman’s writing—and belief in individualism—to his own approach to life. “By making the simple choice to oppose such things as drugs, I set myself apart from conformity and by doing so I am introduced to different people and different experiences. From these experiences I can gain knowledge to help me become a better human being. And from there, I hope to influence others around me in a positive way.” Did this student need to make this type of pronouncement in his college application essay? No, but clearly his choice not to use drugs and alcohol has become a personally defining stance for him. In a sense, he wanted to take the risk of sharing this passionate belief, in a very appropriate and powerful manner, in order to offer colleges a glimpse of what is truly important to him. Another strong student shared the following as the background for her stance on substance use: “I’ve always struggled to accept my parents’ flaws, particularly my dad’s alcoholism.” How’s that for an essay opener? She goes on to discuss her relationship with her father, her attempts to persuade him to stop drinking, and their eventual truce as he attempted not to drink in her presence. “The most important thing I’ve learned from my dad’s drinking is that, though I cannot correct other people’s behavior on my own whims, I can correct my own. My dad’s drinking has given me a gift. I am able to stand at a party with friends and not want The student risked sharing his passionate belief so colleges could glimpse what is truly important to him. to touch alcohol. To me, the sacrifice of my body and mind is not worth it. It’s not worth upsetting a loved one or letting myself down. Deliberately altering the state of my mind seems absurd. My brain is not something I want to waste, even for just a few moments of relaxation.” One wonders how many other students share similar concerns about their parents, relatives, and friends; most are not confident enough to share these kinds of reasons as the grounds for their personal stance. Again, was sharing this story a risk for this applicant? Yes, and we discussed the reasons with her. Nevertheless, she felt quite strongly that this helped identify who she is, and her hope that a college would be open to understanding her views. A third student, this time one interested in music, discussed his path toward adopting the Straight Edge lifestyle: “The single most influential event of my life was petting my cat three years ago. This event shaped who I am completely and changed the way I look at life and living things.” From recognizing his empathy toward animals, this student developed a passionate belief in vegetarianism and then veganism. He began to work on behalf of the animal rights movement. El s e w h e re he talks about how his music tastes reflect his philosophy: “Minor Threat was part of the first breed of hardcore bands in the early ’80s that took punk rock and pushed it to the extreme. The ideas that are discussed in the lyrical content are ideas that I have lived my life around. Minor Threat coined the term and lifestyle of ‘Straight Edge,’ which promotes a youth culture that is drug- and alcohol-free. This philosophy is something that I live my life by and has made me an extremely positive, excited person.” Would many colleges see this student as “alternative”? Certainly. But his hope is to find an accepting college community that would celebrate his personal choices and be open to students with his interests and lifestyle. A CALL FOR OPENMINDED ESSAY REVIEW All three of these students represent what we see as a growing trend and reaction to the prevalence and, oftentimes, mythologies, of drinking and drug use on many college and university campuses. Our hope is that they, and others like them, will benefit from an open-minded review by admissions readers who will see the positive energy and strength of character they will bring to campus. Perhaps Admissions offices will even consider encouraging students to share such stories and views as they conduct their information sessions on campus, meet with students at their high schools and communities, and revise the instructions for their admissions applications. With more students willing to take a stand among their peers, perhaps colleges will gain allies in their attempts to moderate the effects of drug and alcohol use in their community. 24 | February 2007 universitybusiness.com Admis107.indd Admis107.indd 24 1/22/07 10:23:37 AM Warning : Unknown : The session id contains invalid characters, valid characters are only a-z, A-Z and 0-9 in Unknown on line 0 Warning : Unknown : Failed to write session data files . Please verify that the current setting of session.save_path is correct /var/lib/php/session in Unknown on line 0 http://universitybusiness.com

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of University Business - February 2007

Contents
College Index
Company Index
Advisory Board
Editor's Note
Stats Watch
Sense of Place
Viewpoint
Admissions
On The Hill
Future Shock
Facilities Focus
Independent Outlook
Flu Pandemic Prep
Advancing the Brand
The Picture’s Getting Clearer
Groundbreaking Ideas
Gotta Get a Message to You
Internet Technology
What's New
calendar of Events
Direct Connect
End Note

University Business - February 2007