Before I decided to up sticks and move to the US, I worked in an
admissions office for one of Cambridge University’s colleges. During my
time working in outreach, I spoke to so many young people about the
benefits of university education that I convinced myself that I too
wanted to get back into academia. So whilst I was reading personal
statements, scheduling interviews, and giving tours of the university in
Cambridge, UK, I was putting together my own university application
which eventually enabled me to move to Cambridge, Massachusetts.
It was during this time that I realised the vast difference between admissions in the US and the UK.
The first major difference is that admissions officers in the USA tend to wield much more power over decisions, at least when compared to Oxford and Cambridge, where academics make all selections. In the UK, I was no more than an administrative member of staff, who would advise schools and applicants as to how to put together a strong application – but I had no say as to who would be offered a place at the university. All decisions were made by academics. In the US, on the other hand, admissions officers decide who to admit to university, and in addition to selecting candidates who are academically strong, they also try to balance the student body. It is understood here in the USA that prowess in sports, a diverse family background, family legacy (i.e. if a relative is an alumnus – and- more importantly, a donor), and other extra-curricular skills are important in the application process. Whilst some UK institutions do take non-academic information into account (usually only in order to understand why an applicant’s grades are not strong, or to note that they handle a wide-range of extra-curricular pursuits in addition to excelling in class), these are really not a deciding factor.
American students, therefore, need to show off their personality and background when they put in an application. Personal statements – or ‘College application essays’ – are supposed to be interesting, entertaining, and engaging. Often they offer narratives, beginning “Since I was a child…” or “When I was young…” and suggest some way that the applicant has overcome hardship or fear. When we received American applications to Cambridge, this made for amusing reading – us Brits do not write with such sincere enthusiasm. Personal statements to university in the UK tend to be more dry outlines of academic accomplishment, very subject focused.
If you dream of attending the Ivy League, make sure you put your best foot forward
But while I might have raised an eyebrow at an American essay which effusively explained how the applicant knew that he or she was destined to study at Cambridge since visiting the dreaming spires as a wide-eyed toddler, my amusement stayed firmly within the four walls of my office. Unfortunately, one former admissions officer from Penn did not follow such good practice. This week, news broke that Nadirah Farah Foley, a Princeton graduate responsible for coordinating Penn admissions in Connecticut, had been fired for posting humourous excerpts from application essays to her Facebook page. She mocked one student who had thought it appropriate to share his “long and deep” connections to UPenn, having been circumcised at the Penn Hillel as a child. “Another gem” she published verbatim, mentioned a student who wrote about overcoming a fear of going to the toilet whilst camping.
This news –whilst horrifying for the poor applicants in question – is probably good publicity for the imminent release of the film “Admission.” Starring Tina Fey as a Princeton admissions officer who encounters an applicant she suspects is the son she gave up for adoption years ago, this comedy might well be another public forum in which overly-keen applicants are mocked and belittled. Whether or not the film pokes fun at innocent and eager applicants, it should serve to highlight the vast differences between the US and the UK application system for any British viewer.
As increasing numbers of UK students look to the US for undergraduate study, it is something to be aware of – whilst outlining overly personal life-experiences is unnecessary, some kind of narrative (and a pinch more self-confidence) does not go amiss in a US application. And the same goes for references too – one professor announced just last week that whilst he expects that American referees will say that a student is “the best they have ever had,” a British English translation of such sentiment would only admit “this student is rather good.”
So if you are looking to cross the Atlantic for your studies, make sure that you speak the admissions lingo. And if you are an admissions officer, keep the hilarious anecdotes to yourself.
It was during this time that I realised the vast difference between admissions in the US and the UK.
The first major difference is that admissions officers in the USA tend to wield much more power over decisions, at least when compared to Oxford and Cambridge, where academics make all selections. In the UK, I was no more than an administrative member of staff, who would advise schools and applicants as to how to put together a strong application – but I had no say as to who would be offered a place at the university. All decisions were made by academics. In the US, on the other hand, admissions officers decide who to admit to university, and in addition to selecting candidates who are academically strong, they also try to balance the student body. It is understood here in the USA that prowess in sports, a diverse family background, family legacy (i.e. if a relative is an alumnus – and- more importantly, a donor), and other extra-curricular skills are important in the application process. Whilst some UK institutions do take non-academic information into account (usually only in order to understand why an applicant’s grades are not strong, or to note that they handle a wide-range of extra-curricular pursuits in addition to excelling in class), these are really not a deciding factor.
American students, therefore, need to show off their personality and background when they put in an application. Personal statements – or ‘College application essays’ – are supposed to be interesting, entertaining, and engaging. Often they offer narratives, beginning “Since I was a child…” or “When I was young…” and suggest some way that the applicant has overcome hardship or fear. When we received American applications to Cambridge, this made for amusing reading – us Brits do not write with such sincere enthusiasm. Personal statements to university in the UK tend to be more dry outlines of academic accomplishment, very subject focused.
If you dream of attending the Ivy League, make sure you put your best foot forward
But while I might have raised an eyebrow at an American essay which effusively explained how the applicant knew that he or she was destined to study at Cambridge since visiting the dreaming spires as a wide-eyed toddler, my amusement stayed firmly within the four walls of my office. Unfortunately, one former admissions officer from Penn did not follow such good practice. This week, news broke that Nadirah Farah Foley, a Princeton graduate responsible for coordinating Penn admissions in Connecticut, had been fired for posting humourous excerpts from application essays to her Facebook page. She mocked one student who had thought it appropriate to share his “long and deep” connections to UPenn, having been circumcised at the Penn Hillel as a child. “Another gem” she published verbatim, mentioned a student who wrote about overcoming a fear of going to the toilet whilst camping.
This news –whilst horrifying for the poor applicants in question – is probably good publicity for the imminent release of the film “Admission.” Starring Tina Fey as a Princeton admissions officer who encounters an applicant she suspects is the son she gave up for adoption years ago, this comedy might well be another public forum in which overly-keen applicants are mocked and belittled. Whether or not the film pokes fun at innocent and eager applicants, it should serve to highlight the vast differences between the US and the UK application system for any British viewer.
As increasing numbers of UK students look to the US for undergraduate study, it is something to be aware of – whilst outlining overly personal life-experiences is unnecessary, some kind of narrative (and a pinch more self-confidence) does not go amiss in a US application. And the same goes for references too – one professor announced just last week that whilst he expects that American referees will say that a student is “the best they have ever had,” a British English translation of such sentiment would only admit “this student is rather good.”
So if you are looking to cross the Atlantic for your studies, make sure that you speak the admissions lingo. And if you are an admissions officer, keep the hilarious anecdotes to yourself.
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