我能給家長們最好的建議是：
招生辦公室的人員並不認識您的孩子。 他們最多可以根據您的孩子和其他人寫的內容做出猜測，也許還可以進行網上采訪或其他什麽。 您的孩子與眾不同的個人特點根本無法有效的展現給招生官來做評價。
作為招生委員會的一員，我可以說，任意和隨機的事情已經深深地淘汰了原本很棒的候選人。
我看到一位候選人因為來自佛羅裏達州而被拒絕。 令人棒的家夥，但委員會的一名成員否決了，因為候選人來自佛羅裏達州，而這就是審稿人的心情。這位審稿人是一位高級學者醫生。 但我猜他不喜歡佛羅裏達。另一位候選人因為麵試時緊張地跺著腳而被阻止。
這就是為什麽沒有必要堅持你鍾情的某一所大學。這有點像單相思。 到底是什麽將 5% 的申請者與超過 50% 的申請者區分開來？ 本質上什麽都沒有。 我們談論這些1-5個數字等等——事實是，這些招生人員隻是即興發揮。 他們有數以萬計的人要削減，實際上他們已經筋疲力盡了。
當我申請醫學院時，我的第一選擇大學沒有錄取我。但是我被其他所有的大學醫學院錄取了。他們是全國學術競爭力最強的學校。 我很失望，但是我接受了。 我後來以班上第一名的成績從另一所學校畢業，並獲得了極好的經曆。 我的職業生涯非常精彩。
您的孩子很特別，而申請過程是一種帶寬極低、噪音很大的方式來傳達這種特殊性。 如果您的孩子就讀哈佛，那就太好了。 但如果沒有，他們也將同樣成功，並建立一條充滿活力的道路。 所以不要有壓力！
The best advice I can give to fellow parents is this:
The admissions people do not know your child. At best they can make a guess, based on what your child and others have written on papers, and maybe a zoom interview or something. Huge critical experiences of what makes your child unique and special simply do not transmit with anything like reasonable fidelity into the rigid format of the application.
Having served on admissions committee for selective educational programs, I can say that arbitrary and random things have deep sixed otherwise awesome candidates.
I saw a candidate rejected because he was from Florida. Incredible guy, but one of the committee members vetoed because the candidate was from Florida, and that’s the mood the reviewer was in. This reviewer is a high power Rhodes scholar physician. But I guess he dislikes Florida.
Another candidate blocked because he nervously tapped his foot during the interview. Next!
This is why getting into one special college is not worth stressing over. What actually separates the 5% who get in from the too 50% of applicants? Essentially, nothing. we talk about athese 1-6 numbers etc - the truth is, these admissions people are just winging it. They have tens of thousands to whittle down and truly they are just exhausted.
When I applied to medical school, I got into the most academically competitive schools in the country. Except for the single one that was my first choice. I was disappointed but let it roll off me. I went on to graduate first in my class from a different school and had a superb experience. My career has been wonderful.
Your child is special and the application process is an extremely low bandwidth, noisy way of communicating that specialness. If your child attends Harvard, great. But if not, they are going to be just as successful and build a vibrant path to follow. So don’t stress!
