Essays and Decisions

VOLUME 18 ISSUE 7 An Integrated Curriculum For The Washington Post Newspaper In Education Program Essays and Decisions ■ Post Reprint: Cutthroat Competition ■ Teachers Notes: Admissions Essays — The Thought and the Lede ■ Student Activity: Model Your Ledes After These Ledes ■ Post Reprint: “The real college admissions scandal isn’t bribes and cheating. It’s how wealth tilts the playing field.” ■ Post Reprint: “The college admissions scandal isn’t just about rich, entitled people” April 12, 2019 ©2019 THE WASHINGTON POST VOLUME 18 ISSUE 7 An Integrated Curriculum For The Washington Post Newspaper In Education Program Essays and Decisions The writing of the college essay — whether to a specific question or an open-ended response — is often stressful for the student. With three decades of experience working with high school juniors and seniors and writing recommendation letters, the editor of The Post’s NIE curriculum guides advises all to remember the lede. Capture the attention of the reader with a crisp statement, anecdote, description or engaging quotation. For models, turn to ledes of news, feature and commentary whose writers are using variety ledes. The selection of ledes in this guide are annotated to demonstrate the potential. Teachers are encouraged to have students rewrite a draft of their college essays experimenting with these types of first paragraphs. Also included in this resource guide are articles that focus on the ethics and quandaries surrounding college applications and the decision itself of school selection. “Cutthroat Competition” begins with an example of parental sabotage at a highly respected private school. This might be coupled with a discussion of the appropriate level of parental assistance in the process. Post columnist Michelle Singletary takes a look at the bottom line in “The college admissions scandal isn’t just about rich, entitled people.” She asks readers to consider the financial cost to parents and students. As part of her persuasion, she quotes New York Times op-ed columnist Frank Bruni: “[T]he nature of a student’s college experience — the work that he or she puts into it, the skills that he or she picks up, the self-examination that’s undertaken, the resourcefulness that’s honed — matters more than the name of the institution attended.” 2 April 12, 2019 ©2019 THE WASHINGTON POST VOLUME 18 ISSUE 7 An Integrated Curriculum For The Washington Post Newspaper In Education Program Cutthroat Competition To decrease potential rivals for spots at top colleges, some parents turn to sabotage BY CAITLIN GIBSON • Originally Published April 3, 2019 The message was stern, no-nonsense, with the sort of tone that an adult might use to rein in a group of misbehaving teenagers. But the message wasn’t directed at teenagers. “Dear parents of the class of 2019,” began the December email from Patrick Gallagher, director of college counseling at Sidwell Friends School, one of the country’s most prestigious private schools, with campuses in the District and Bethesda, Md. WASHINGTON POST ILLUSTRATION: ISTOCK The note that followed, which was obtained by The Washington Post, regarding the actions of a child that been a hot topic in the aftermath of was restrained and discreet — no is not their own — I will ask you the recent college admissions scandal names were named, no specific to leave my office or end the phone that led to indictments against 50 incidents disclosed — but certain conversation.” people, including 33 parents, two of transgressions could be inferred from The message seemed to confirm them television stars. The alleged a bulleted list of new policies that the vague rumors that had circulated multimillion-dollar bribery scheme would go into effect “immediately.” for weeks — murmurs about parents was said to be aimed at helping less- Among them: behaving badly, even going so far as to than-stellar students gain entry to “The College Counseling Office disparage other students, presumably elite colleges and universities. will not answer phone calls from to give their own teens a leg up in Even among the most affluent and blocked numbers.” the high-stakes college admissions privileged families, such blatantly “The College Counseling Office competition. illegal acts are rare and widely will not open any mail without a The intense pressure surrounding shunned. But that doesn’t necessarily recognizable return address.” the admissions process — and the preclude other underhanded tactics, “If a parent ever feels the need corrosive effect it can have on a parent’s including attempts to sabotage to inform me or my colleagues tether to reality and morality — has students who are also competing for 3 April 12, 2019 ©2019 THE WASHINGTON POST VOLUME 18 ISSUE 7 An Integrated Curriculum For The Washington Post Newspaper In Education Program coveted spaces at the nation’s most admissions officials about his doing! You’re harming another child selective schools. jaywalking citation. in this process,’ ” she said. “Is that “I can tell you that every single “I said, ‘Why would you think really what we’ve come to?” parent that I know who has heard anyone would do that?’ And she said Behind every symptom in the broad about [these rumors] has reacted with that one of their friends’ kids had spectrum of college admissions shock and horror,” said one Sidwell been the target of an anonymous, madness — from the parents who parent, who spoke on the condition disparaging letter; the admissions hire an SAT prep coach for their of anonymity to discuss the sensitive office had called them about it,” ninth-grader to the parents who subject. “Whoever did this is a really Moller recalled. “The parent in my were accused of paying corrupt test good example of somebody who has office was petrified that someone administrators to fix their children’s lost all perspective and all sense was going to sabotage her kid, and answers — there is a common of control, and I don’t think they I was like, ‘Oh, that doesn’t actually underlying cause. represent our community, but I do happen.’ ” “It’s an almost animalistic fear,” think they represent the extremes But she wanted to be sure about said Brennan Barnard, the college that we’re seeing in the news — that that. So she posted a question on admissions program manager for absolute loss of any sense of normalcy the message board for the National Making Caring Common, a project around a process that shouldn’t be so Association for College Admission of the Harvard Graduate School of intense.” Counseling, asking whether anyone Education that encourages students Officials at Sidwell emphasized else had heard of this type of to develop a sense of empathy and that the incidents would not be behavior. And more than a dozen commitment to the common good. tolerated: “Instances of disrespect are replies swiftly poured in to assure “There is fear that their children will anomalous and often anonymous, but her that, yes, it does actually happen. miss out, this fear that they won’t have nevertheless become increasingly There were accounts of parents have opportunities because of the intense and inappropriate,” Head of who had called admissions offices rank or selectivity of their college, School Bryan Garman wrote in a to spread gossip about another and it’s just not reasonable. These January email to senior class parents, child’s bad behavior, parents who parents lose all perspective.” a message that Sidwell shared with reported long-ago run-ins with Barnard has spoken to admissions The Post. “The circulation of rumors law enforcement, parents who sent officers who told him of sabotage about students and/or the verbal anonymous tips about potentially attempts by teens and parents alike: assault of employees are antithetical compromising posts on students’ “It’s not common, but it’s more to the School’s values.” Facebook or Twitter pages. common than you would hope for,” This sort of behavior is hardly the “I couldn’t believe it,” Moller said. Barnard said. These efforts aren’t norm, school counselors and college But the stories kept coming. Just usually successful, he added, and prep experts agree — but neither is it last year, she said, an admissions can potentially backfire on a student as rare as one might hope. officer told her about a mother who or their high school if a college is Sue Moller, a high school guidance demanded that her child receive able to figure out from whom an counselor in Long Island and scholarship money: “This woman anonymous call or letter came. president of the Nassau Counselors’ said, ‘My nephew got in here, and The toxicity of this behavior Association, remembers feeling he got scholarship money, and he’s is contagious, added Richard skeptical in 2008, when she first not even that bright!’ This woman Weissbourd, faculty director of heard a mother voice concern that discredited her own nephew.” Making Caring Common. other parents would comb through Moller laughed incredulously. “You “This is like an arms race, and her son’s social history or tell college just want to say, ‘Look at what you’re people keep ratcheting each other 4 April 12, 2019 ©2019 THE WASHINGTON POST VOLUME 18 ISSUE 7 An Integrated Curriculum For The Washington Post Newspaper In Education Program up,” he said. “It fuels the constant messages to young people about students who have gone to competition that a lot of parents individualism versus commitment community college, get a four-year feel in this process, and it lowers to others.” degree, and are running companies the bar for unethical behavior. If Ned Johnson, founder of D.C.- and are super successful. They aren’t you’re a parent who is just helping based tutoring service PrepMatters, in debt, and they are thriving,” he a kid on an essay too much, which is familiar with this phenomenon.

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