New Year's Resolutions - 2016

2015 has been a roller coaster of a year. A change in jobs, a transcontinental move, a deep dive into my fledgling writing career, and of course, getting engaged. Whew!

2016 holds more of the unexpected, and I'm looking forward to the chance to start afresh, to improve myself and my relationships, to work my butt off, and to approach each day with positivity and love. OK! Enough of my sentimental babble. When it comes to my education consulting work, I have a few specific goals in mind for this year:

1. Standardize my services more and create a Boutique Education charter, of sorts. My services have been very customized up until now, and that's definitely necessary at certain points, but at the same time can create confusion, stress, and most unfortunately, unfairness. So, what are my standards, philosophies, rules as a consultant? It's time I wrote them down, for myself and all my clients to see. 
2. Starting the second half of the year, it's likely I'll be full-time in Asia. My second goal is to learn more about the local education environment and connect with other professionals who are doing similar work. 
3. I never want to stop learning about my field. In 2016, I will be reading four books related to education (not just admissions) and blogging here about my reactions and insights.

Thanks so much for reading along, and I hope this blog will continue to bring you more tips and information about the work that I do. That being said, my next post will tackle goal #1, as I write down my charter and share it with you all. Happy new year!   

Johns Hopkins Essays That Worked

Johns Hopkins provides a set of essays from prior years' applicants that helped gain the students admission to JHU. See the list from their page Essays That Worked, here. As with my analysis of a successful essay that was published as part of a series on the NYTimes, I will here analyze one of JHU's. This essay is less sophisticated, or "crafted" than the NYTimes featured essay, but it is still good in its own right. 

I'm going to focus on the essay How to Become an Adult. The numbers beneath paragraphs refer to movements of thought (not necessarily sentence by sentence). It's pretty detailed, so I encourage you to open up the essay in another tab and follow along line by line as I go through what is working and how. Of course, experiment with this essay's structure and themes if you need help with your own. 

Paragraph A: Introduction of Subject, using hook, shock, and humor

1. This essay opens with a fact that reflects the essay's title, but then moves quickly to confidently express the author's opinion - always a good move in a personal essay, and one that transforms a boring fact into a statement that says something about the writer.
2. The next section shocks the reader - this college applicant is already a parent! Extending the function of the hook.
3. The writer does not drag on the joke too long - that might even be alarming. In fact, the writer quickly acknowledges the truth that "children" are plants, and does so in a humorous way.
4. The paragraph has a bit of a stiff close, wrapping up the intro, but it gets the job done. 

Paragraph B: Background Context and Introduction of Conflict and Personal Shortcoming

1. The first three sentences function as background. Note that the author explicitly mentions that she is a teenager, assuaging any lingering doubts (or slow to realize readers) that she is not a non-traditional applicant with kids.  
2. Introduction of a conflict.
3. Analysis of conflict and what the writer's own actions reveal about herself.

Paragraph C: Resolution & Additional Benefits from Resolution

1. Writer's initiative in solving the problem, while continuing the metaphor of parenting thereby emphasizing and reiterating the essay's theme.
2. Other initiatives to solving the problem.
3. Additional benefits to solving the problem.

Paragraph D: Growth and Relevance to Life at Large

1. Note the writer opens this paragraph with the phrase "true reward," signaling a shift from the specific situation's effects and towards a more personal, academic direction.
2. This paragraph is essentially a list of additional "life lessons" gained from being parent to plants.
3. The essay ends by expounding on the writer's love of learning, obviously appropriate for a college essay. 

Ultimately this essay works mainly because of the uniqueness of the subject matter and the humorous somewhat shocking way the author introduces it to the reader. This essay is not about a national award, a leadership role, or even a fancy extracurricular. In fact, it is a private, personal experience (indeed, there is no way to "prove" she even had these plants!). Yet it works because, well, who writes about carnivorous plants? And how many essays written by teens start out with the topic of parenting? It's cleverly done, charmingly written, and circles back in the end to academics and learning.

The Lie About College Diversity

Bruni wrote an article in the Times the other day about the true problem with college diversity. He writes that diversity is not just about creating racially and socioeconomically diverse student bodies, but about how to integrate students after matriculation. The issue, as he sees it, is that students self segregate naturally. 

It would be great if colleges provided opportunities for greater communication and integration, as he suggests. But in my experience, self-segregation happens on a level outside of the university's control. Friendships are formed around fun and play; some students play with a lot of money, and some must play with less. Students segregate on the basis of what they can afford: those who can fly on a jet to Europe during spring break will do so and solidify their friendships. Those who cannot will not, and will solidify their friendships in other ways. Those who shop at luxury stores between classes will do so together. Those who cannot, or who do not care about such things, will not.    

Friend groups form on the basis of value more than race. Value can easily come from one's race and ethnic background, which is why it's so easy to join a cultural organization on campus and feel a sense of unity. But value can also come from class, and often times it does so more and more, the higher one's socioeconomic class. A very wealthy black or asian student may share more values with a similarly wealthy white student, rather than with a poor student of the same race.

During my college career, there were few extracurricular groups that fully sponsored fun for its members. My a cappella group was one that did provide financing for students with need to go on international tours (one reason why I donate specifically to the group every year). Another similar a cappella group at Harvard also fully sponsors all of its singers to go on an annual summer worldwide tour. These groups are funded privately, and have a rich history, which is part of the reason why its members, all brought together through a shared value, their love of music and performance, have the unique opportunity to socialize equally.  

This is all to say that Bruni is right in pointing out an issue, a lack of diversity within the university, but wrong about the cause or solution. Programming, discussion groups, or student centers may help slightly, but diversity of interaction between 18 year olds on the same campus is ultimately a class issue - an issue that starts for many students and their families long before the university comes into the picture, and which oftentimes the university can do little to solve. 

I Said We’d Never Hire a College Admissions Adviser. Then We Did.

A fun article in the NYTimes about a mother who always swore she would never hire a college advisor then ended up hiring one. A lesson in never saying "never." The writer highlights the less obvious reasons why parents might want to hire help: a third party pushes and prods and questions the student, allowing the parents to play the role of support as opposed to nagging adversary. An adviser can hear the student objectively, talk to him objectively, and offer a new and better informed perspective.

See the article here.

Choosing the Right Tutor or Consultant

I've been back on the private teacher market as a student these days. I'm studying Chinese, as you may know, and I've been talking to a few teachers who have been recommended to me. I haven't been on this side of the private exchange for a long time, and the process has been enlightening. A lot of the below have seemed intuitive and necessary to me for a long time, but seeing other teachers out there has made me realize that not everyone approaches students the same way, and many consultants and tutors are less professional than they should be.

So to help out any fellow learners or applicants looking around, here are a few pointers for students on what to be aware of during that very first consultation with a potential teacher:

The consultant should always ask you about your goals, experience, and expectations. After all, the meeting is about you and helping you get the most of your time and money. If she does not ask you what you want and how you want it, see that as a red flag. 

However, as much as the consultant wants to hear about you, she must be able to respond to your expectations and goals in kind. Are they reasonable expectations? Attainable goals? Does the consultant think, honestly and realistically, that she can help you, and if so, how? If she has enough experience and expertise, she will be able to concisely and confidently answer these questions. She should also be busy enough (and smart enough) to turn down your business if she is not right for you. 

During your first meeting, the consultant should listen as well as speak. If you feel you are leading the conversation, that is a bad sign. However, if the consultant is rambling on and on, that is also not good. The meeting should be a dialogue. The consultant needs to take the lead and ask the right questions but also give enough content and response. You should feel as though you're the topic and the center of attention.  

Do a little work together. Bring some material. Is it a language class? Have a quick conversation and see how the teacher responds. I did this with a Chinese teacher recently and noticed that she focused on my sentence structure and vocabulary, but she never once commented on my pronunciation or tones. Let me assure you: this is not because my pronunciation and tones are pitch perfect. Needless to say, I was a bit wary of that teacher.  

If you are looking to study English writing or work on an application essay, bring a short piece of writing. Ask for the consultant's initial reaction to the piece. Does she focus only on theme? Grammar? Content? Length? Word choice? Fit for that university? Make sure that you're getting the consultant who either knows it all and can help you in every way, or at least make sure the consultant can focus on your weakness.  

Note: in order to find the best consultant or teacher, know the field, and also know what your own weaknesses are. Know yourself and what kind of help you need, before finding someone to help you.  

Finally, ask the consultant how a typical lesson or session goes with other students of hers. If she has a structure and a systematic approach, rest assured you've found a professional. If not, then keep your wallet tightly closed.  

Speaking of wallets, always be up front about money from the get go. Ask for references if you want to check, and make sure the price is consistent and fair. Always ask about discounts as well. If you lower transportation time for the teacher, if you do one longer session instead of multiple shorter sessions, if you do a group lesson, if you refer a friend, etc. you may be able to book yourself a lower rate. The most expensive consultant is not always the best, but at the same time, a well qualified professional will know her worth and stick to it. 

Happy hunting and good luck with all your learning adventures!