November 09, 2005

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Palo Alto Online

Parents urged to stop admissions 'frenzy'

by Alexandria Rocha

Inside the Spangenberg Theatre last Thursday, hundreds listened as a college-admissions expert decried how the process has devolved into a commercialized rat race.

"Over the last 20 years, college admissions has changed from a uniquely American transition to a problematic commercial experience," said Lloyd Thacker, who spoke at the PTA-sponsored gathering. "The process undermines the kids. It makes kids sneaky."

Meanwhile, in the parking lot someone put fliers on the cars of the parents and teens in attendance. They read: "Need help with your college admissions essay? Have your essay professionally edited by grad students at top-tier schools."

The two scenarios illustrate the complex problem in Palo Alto. A growing number of parents and school officials recognize and are trying to curb the overwhelming stress teenagers feel to get into selective schools. At the same time, parents continue to hire professional college counselors and buy SAT-prep materials to increase their kids' chances.

"In an ideal world, it would be nice if you could ignore the frenzy. But unfortunately Palo Alto is a very competitive place, and it's hard to ignore the fact that everyone is ramped up over college," said Anne Williams, whose student is a junior at Palo Alto High School.

"It would be nice to not do all the things everyone is doing -- but, everyone is doing them. If they don't take APs or the SATs, you feel like your child is at a disadvantage," she added.

Thacker said a growing number of parents and teens believe there is only a handful of colleges worth attending, but many don't realize only a small percentage of students are admitted on academics alone.

"The closer you get to the top of the pecking order, the more political the process becomes and the less control you have over the outcome," he said. "Never place something as important as your heart in the hands of someone who is trying to please many competing interests."

Thacker also said the college students attend has little to do with their success after graduation. In 1998, about 16 percent of the nation's Chief Executive Officers at major companies held degrees from Ivy League schools. By 2001, that figure dropped to 11 percent. Thirty-two percent of CEOs in 1980 obtained their degrees at public schools, and in '01, that number grew to 48 percent.

He said success as a CEO had more to do with the person's critical-thinking skills, flexibility, compassion, ethics and confidence than where they went to college in that particular study.

"It's the student(s) and the attitude they contribute that makes the education," Thacker said. "That message isn't out there because it can't be sold. It doesn't create a need for products and services."

The multimillion-dollar college marketing and branding industry, in which the most selective schools spend thousands of dollars attracting and enrolling each student, has played a massive role in creating the current frenzy, he said.

If anyone was in doubt, he pointed out some of the various businesses, including the college ranking, guidebook and test-prep arenas. He also referenced the College Board's recent revamping of the SAT, which brought an onslaught of new prep materials, because "they claimed the (old) SAT wasn't 'coachable,'" he said.

Officials with the Palo Alto Unified School District -- a high-achieving system with a near-perfect graduation rate and stellar college-bound figures -- are trying to tone down the frenzy. Thacker's presentation is one example. Both Gunn and Palo Alto High School support "rejection walls," where students post their rejection letters from colleges every spring. College counselors encourage students to take the SAT only twice and apply to no more than eight schools.

However, some experts, including Thacker, say the pressure students endure runs so deep and starts so early that by the time high school rolls around the youths insist they're putting the pressure on themselves.

Case in point: Gunn student body president Channing Hancock recently told the Weekly she "wouldn't know what to do" if she didn't have a lot on her plate. Channing's school day typically runs from 5:30 a.m. until after midnight and is loaded with various activities. (Channing was featured in the Weekly cover story, "24/7," on Sept. 21.)

"I like being busy. All these things matter to me. It's not like I'm doing these things because I feel pressured to or because I feel like I have to," she said. "I'm busy because I want to be."

Thacker encourages students to only participate in activities they truly enjoy, and to avoid loading on excess work just to fill up a college application. Admissions counselors can spot such applications a mile away, he said. The whole process has already turned into a "frenzied commercial exercise," and parents and students should learn how to control it, rather than letting it control them, he added.

Thacker's presentation hit home for some parents.

"I need help talking myself out of the college frenzy. I see it coming, and I want to get in a balanced frame of mind," said Kim Harney, whose daughter is a sophomore at Castilleja High School. "It's easy for me to get involved and worry about how many APs she's taking, or what's the GPA, or 'you got a B'? I want to remember not to do that."

Staff Writer Alexandria Rocha can be reached at arocha@paweekly.com.

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