Dean Poch incorrectly refers to the admissions officer as the matchmaker in the college search process. In fact, like the student, the admission officer is one of the dating partners: looking over the applicant, deciding if he or he is right for them, valuing all aspects of their background, guessing at their future and ascertaining the genuininess of their personality. The real matchmaker is a good, professional educational consultant . The consultant has worked extensively with the student, has visited hundreds of campuses and has only one obligation: to help a student find a college where they can thrive. An ethical consultant doesn't package a student--that fools no one--rather they help a student land in a college that's best for them. -Mark Sklarow, Exectuive Director, Independent Educational Consultants Association
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The Search for Authenticity
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Packaging the application doesn't result in the success one might expect. The odds are small of guessing exactly right about what any individual admissions office wants. Colleges seek students who have a learning style compatible with their ways of teaching. Personalities, both the candidate's and the reader's, also come into play. The admissions officer's job—to evaluate talents, background and skills in the context of what was available to a student—is subjective. Who we are and where we work does affect what we see. We trust our intuition, along with data.
Our job is to make sure the students who attend our institutions are really who they appear to be, and that they will give and take something of value in the college's educational environment. What we ask for in an application may seem like a lot, but students should know that we're acting in their best interests. In our hunt for the authentic, we are, after all, creating the academic and social environment that will shape the rest of their lives.
© 2007
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