Welcome to the Jungle

I’ve always been attracted to theories which contend that we can learn much about ourselves based on who our favorite Winnie-the-Pooh character is, or which instrument we’d most want to play in a rock band, or where we choose to sit on an airplane. Maybe I’m drawn to these pop-psychology exercises because they are simple ways to distill complexity, and I am fundamentally simple.

I prefer, however, to think that this attraction is the result of my liberal arts tendencies; that is, I love superimposing seeming unrelated things onto each other and seeing what emerges. In these postings, I will try to find truths (or at least, ideas worth considering!) about the world of college admissions.

And this process of college admissions is often perceived as something of a jungle; filled with vision-clouding, dense foliage and perceived as being full of predators and pitfalls, a fabulous prize awaits those who successfully navigate these challenges. (No coincidence, perhaps, that the now quaint Atari video game “Pitfall” was set in a jungle and that the game’s inspiration, Indiana Jones, recovered treasures of immeasurable power and cost!) The college admission process writ large is a hot topic in venues as disparate as the carpool line and the New York Times. And because it’s such a hot topic, much has been written about it. (Or, I suppose the inverse might actually be the case—because so much has been written about it, it has become a hot topic.)

I hope you will be inspired to participate by sharing your thoughts!

I look forward to hearing from you