It’s college admissions season again and congratulations are in order to high school seniors accepted to their first choice college, accepted at any college they applied to, planning to attend our excellent community colleges, and pursuing a rewarding career in the trades, and those in any way taking control of their future. For those seniors who haven’t figured out what their next step will be, that’s OK too — there’s plenty of time. Having finished watching my second daughter in three years go through the college application and admissions process, I have a hodgepodge of thoughts I’d like to share.
Applying for college is very different than it was in 1993 when I went through the process. Back then, my parents gave me set parameters (I was allowed to apply to just three UCs) to follow. I looked over materials I’d been sent (remember the seemingly never-ending stream of solicitation envelopes?) and made my choice. No hours of research into programs offered, no long car/plane trips, no conversations with alums or current students, no tours and no real idea about campuses or campus life. I’m not sure whether things are better or worse in the high information era, but I know they’re more stressful — scarily so. The application process seemed far healthier when decision-making was done with far less information. The angst and anxiety around choosing and getting into the “right” school are not only exhausting, but also unnecessary. Where a student ends up going is far less important than what they do with their time there. I wish we did a better job helping students understand that.
The college essay process is also very different now. I spent maybe an hour or two drafting my essay. I asked my mom (a teacher) to look it over solely for proofreading purposes and then off it went. No input of substance from anyone else, no expensive essay coaches and no multiple rounds of editing. Today, students spend countless hours going through multiple rounds of edits trying to find the “silver bullet” essay that will get them into their preferred school. Some parents spend thousands and thousands of dollars on coaches or full-service college advising professionals who offer essay help. And, if we’re being honest, some students write personal narratives that are, shall we say, loosely affiliated with reality to help improve their chances of getting into top-tier schools. While I’m not sure anything of importance can be gleaned about a student’s potential from an essay written as a high school senior in the first place, I’m quite sure nothing can be gleaned from one written by parents/professional essay writers (or, going forward, ChatGPT or other AI) or one filled with manufactured personal experiences. If colleges are going to place importance on these essays, it seems like they should be administered in a proctored environment to ensure they’re actually the student’s work. This wouldn’t cure all the issues, but it sure seems like it would be more equitable. Or, maybe, just eliminate essays completely.
One California-specific observation: UCs have spent far too much money over the last few decades on opulent infrastructure and far too little time, energy and money figuring out how to admit more California students. UCSD recently announced it will be spending $1.1 billion on a new alumni center and some student housing. We desperately need more quality student housing, but, as an alumnus, I’m appalled at the notion of throwing money at an expensive alumni center rather than focusing on increasing opportunities for California students. There simply aren’t as many UC spots available for California’s high-achieving students as there should be. Creating more should be a higher priority than building alumni centers with Louvre-worthy architecture and finishes.
How can we change California’s higher education system to better serve California students? Mandating that out-of-state admissions constitute no more than 10% of UC admissions systemwide would be a good start, but I’d like to see both systems expanded, as well. Moving already selective state schools (such as Cal Poly SLO and SDSU which are far more sought after and selective than UC Riverside or Merced) into the UC system is also an idea with real merit. Similarly, it makes sense to select four to five community colleges throughout the state and convert them to state universities (without eliminating their two-year degree programs.) Finally, every community college should be allowed to give four-year degrees in at least several areas of study. These changes would broaden access to an excellent education at each level of California’s higher education system.
Charles Stone is an UCSD alumnus, attorney with Goethals Legal, PC and the former mayor of Belmont.
Thanks for your letter, Mr. Stone. But if the state allots less money to our higher education system, and out-of-state students pay much more for tuition, how are you going to reduce out-of-state admissions? As usual, the devil is in the details, and knowing CA, they’ll float another tax increase, you know, for the kids.
I’d add that prospective law students may want to avoid applying to Stanford. I hear selected federal judges have explicitly stated they won’t hire Stanford Law graduates. I’m sure even more judges and firms haven’t made such a declaration, but they’ll honor it. I also hear an attorney saying he will file bar complaints against all Stanford Law students who shut down Stanford’s recent campus speech (easy to identify the anti-free-speech students since there’s video evidence). Supposedly, it’ll delay these law students’ bar exam and give them a blemish to start their career. The bigger question is whether anyone can file a bar complaint, because if true, and one has spare time…
Stanford's admin was critical of the law students' behavior. That's only right. What was amazing is that the associate dean for DEI at Stanford's law school, Tirien Steinbach, described the heckling and shout down of 5th U.S. Circuit Judge Stuart Duncan as a "heated exchange" instead of what it was... an assault on the First Amendment. So, if Steinbach is the associate dean for DEI, does that mean there is a dean for DEI and a support staff for the dean and Steinbach? Do the other six schools at Stanford also have separate deans, associate deans, and DEI support staff?
I don't think it's appropriate to lump all Stanford law grads together based on the misconduct of a few. However, if those few... whose names have been published... wonder why some prospective employers might skip over their resumes, they might want to look at he events of March 9 for an explanation. I also don't think it was appropriate for Judge Duncan to label his hecklers as "appalling idiots" and "bullies"... but he already has a job.
Ray - I can assure you that all UC campuses and medical schools have an DEI with staff. Furthermore, they are loaded with an army of sustainability enforcers. All of these superfluous staff members don't do a thing for the quality of education and just drive up the cost of tuition. If the paying parents of these students only knew.
As a UCB alumnus and a retired UC Office of the President employee, a comment made by a senior member close to UC's President comes to mind. He was asked how many people work in this building? His answer was, about 50%.
Thanks for sharing these thoughts, especially significant coming from a father going through this with his kids today who knows what it was like back in his day! I especially appreciated your shout out to ALL the kids graduating HS and all the ways they can move forward in their lives in the coming few years. The incredible stress I see kids going through, and the gobsmacking amount of money parents spend on the process of applying to schools are staggering. Thanks for raising people's awareness and suggesting some ways for the UCs to make things better.
I graduated from UCSB - and as soon as Janet Napolitano took over the UC system...for some strange reason....i knew the writing was on the wall. I majored in English/Sociology and was actually fortunate enough to have some high quality professors that encouraged independent thought and allowed me to say whatever was on my mind without backlash . I was often one of the the few conservative voices but everyone was civil even if they didnt like me. Isla Vista was very different from all the other UC campuses, however. People were much more laid back and accepting of who you were as a person - as opposed to what you believed in. It was a great experience - but I am very blessed I got out when I did. Now the entire UC system is tantamount to soul programming and liberal mind control. I cant imagine going to the UC campus now - I would be tarred and feathered in the streets of Del Playa.
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(7) comments
Mr. Stone - Thanks for the "education." Good information.
Thanks for your letter, Mr. Stone. But if the state allots less money to our higher education system, and out-of-state students pay much more for tuition, how are you going to reduce out-of-state admissions? As usual, the devil is in the details, and knowing CA, they’ll float another tax increase, you know, for the kids.
I’d add that prospective law students may want to avoid applying to Stanford. I hear selected federal judges have explicitly stated they won’t hire Stanford Law graduates. I’m sure even more judges and firms haven’t made such a declaration, but they’ll honor it. I also hear an attorney saying he will file bar complaints against all Stanford Law students who shut down Stanford’s recent campus speech (easy to identify the anti-free-speech students since there’s video evidence). Supposedly, it’ll delay these law students’ bar exam and give them a blemish to start their career. The bigger question is whether anyone can file a bar complaint, because if true, and one has spare time…
Hi, Terence
Stanford's admin was critical of the law students' behavior. That's only right. What was amazing is that the associate dean for DEI at Stanford's law school, Tirien Steinbach, described the heckling and shout down of 5th U.S. Circuit Judge Stuart Duncan as a "heated exchange" instead of what it was... an assault on the First Amendment. So, if Steinbach is the associate dean for DEI, does that mean there is a dean for DEI and a support staff for the dean and Steinbach? Do the other six schools at Stanford also have separate deans, associate deans, and DEI support staff?
I don't think it's appropriate to lump all Stanford law grads together based on the misconduct of a few. However, if those few... whose names have been published... wonder why some prospective employers might skip over their resumes, they might want to look at he events of March 9 for an explanation. I also don't think it was appropriate for Judge Duncan to label his hecklers as "appalling idiots" and "bullies"... but he already has a job.
Ray - I can assure you that all UC campuses and medical schools have an DEI with staff. Furthermore, they are loaded with an army of sustainability enforcers. All of these superfluous staff members don't do a thing for the quality of education and just drive up the cost of tuition. If the paying parents of these students only knew.
As a UCB alumnus and a retired UC Office of the President employee, a comment made by a senior member close to UC's President comes to mind. He was asked how many people work in this building? His answer was, about 50%.
Thanks for sharing these thoughts, especially significant coming from a father going through this with his kids today who knows what it was like back in his day! I especially appreciated your shout out to ALL the kids graduating HS and all the ways they can move forward in their lives in the coming few years. The incredible stress I see kids going through, and the gobsmacking amount of money parents spend on the process of applying to schools are staggering. Thanks for raising people's awareness and suggesting some ways for the UCs to make things better.
I graduated from UCSB - and as soon as Janet Napolitano took over the UC system...for some strange reason....i knew the writing was on the wall. I majored in English/Sociology and was actually fortunate enough to have some high quality professors that encouraged independent thought and allowed me to say whatever was on my mind without backlash . I was often one of the the few conservative voices but everyone was civil even if they didnt like me. Isla Vista was very different from all the other UC campuses, however. People were much more laid back and accepting of who you were as a person - as opposed to what you believed in. It was a great experience - but I am very blessed I got out when I did. Now the entire UC system is tantamount to soul programming and liberal mind control. I cant imagine going to the UC campus now - I would be tarred and feathered in the streets of Del Playa.
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Keep the discussion civilized. Absolutely NO personal attacks or insults directed toward writers, nor others who make comments.
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