In other news: Notre Dame does accept homeschoolers as applicants. Thrilled about that. Johannah is throwing out an app in their direction as well as OSU, UK, Kent and Xavier. OSU is crazy hard to get into all of the sudden because they are taking fewer freshmen than ever yet have more applicants than ever.
You wouldn't believe the essay questions.
These two come from Notre Dame:
1. Students at the University of Notre Dame are passionate! Their passion gives direction and definition to campus academic, community, and spiritual life. Recognizing that you have already provided us with a list of your extracurricular activities, please briefly describe your greatest passion and tell us how it defines and directs you.
2. St. Therese of Lisieux wrote in Story of a Soul, "The sun shines equally both on cedars and on every tiny flower." She reminds us that beauty can be found in the great and the small, in the extraordinary and the mundane. Show us the magnificence of the simple in your life.
The OSU questions are even more difficult. Paraphrasing:
1. Should Americans be required to vote like Australians? If so, what punishment ought to follow not voting: loss of driver's license, fines?
2. Given that more women than men are in college today, what do you think ought to be done about the decline in male students?
3. When an artist creates, should his aim be to create beauty or to provoke thought? Explain.
One of the UK questions asks if the student has any experience with diversity and to describe it.
Not exactly easy questions and most require two to be answered. Multiply that out and you end up writing ten essays! Very dicey while continuing to do schoolwork, act in a play (two in Johannah's case) and keep up with a job (we told her to quit today).
I have to admit... it wasn't that challenging to get into college when I applied. I admire these kids. Lots of pressure.
3 comments:
Those questions amaze me -- thank the good Lord I'm well done with college -- even the applications nowadays require far more effort.
I continue to be amazed by your family -- they're all highly motivated, all driven to succeed, and all well-grounded by the tight bond of love and respect you all share. You and Jon are great parents indeed!
- Matt
Are you sure these aren't really beauty pageant interview questions?
Or a psychological proto-hazing ritual of some sort...
They seem rather lame and irrelevant to me. I wonder how much weight is given to the answers to these questions? They're so grandiose and over-reaching that they practically serve as an invitation to bullshit.
The questions seem out of touch to me too. I don't really get why they are asking kids to write about political issues especially and what kid has anything to say about the gender gap in college?
Noah had a terrific question for his entrance essay: Write about something you learned on your own (taught yourself).
That seems like it would be ideal for any college to show what kind of motivation a kid has and what animates that student.
Julie
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