A Better Way Chapter 1
LIFE PRESENTS to us precious windows into creativity, transformation, self-dis- covery. Rarely convenient, these portals to growth close as quickly as they appear. This book is about the unique period pos- sessed by college students and just gradu- ated high school seniors—and the impor- tance of seizing it. For many, this moment lies between the end of high school and the beginning of college. For others, it is an in- terlude in the middle of college or just after college graduation. There is a chance, per- haps a last chance, to get off the often spir- it-killing march that goes from early youth all the way to post college employment. Some perspective on that march and how it impacts young people’s lives is perhaps where we should begin. The March to College Admission FOR THOSE persistent enough to pursue it or privileged enough to take it for granted, getting into college has become the cap- stone event for youth around the world. Whether college is the best for everyone is not the subject of this book, but, for now, it is the prevailing gestalt, so prevailing, in fact, that it consumes far more of young mindsets (and that of their families) than the four years of college itself. The pursuit of college begins early (often at age 3) and lasts long (perhaps 15 years). Though the departure points are different, all the travelers are headed for Mecca-like educational destinations in- cluding: Stanford, Harvard, Princeton, and Yale in America; the “Institutes” in India; Oxford, Cambridge, and Imperial in the UK; Tsinghua, Beda, and Fudan in China. For example, in New York City, getting one’s children into the “right” pre-schools (for 3 year olds) is the beginning. One pre- school—the 92nd Street Y—used to allow only 100 applications which had to be picked up physically at the school’s prem- ises on a certain date. Investment bankers, doctors, lawyers, and other professionals would start queuing up the night before, staying all night in the line, rain or shine. Next comes getting into prized Kinder- gartens, often the entry point into leading K-8 or K-12 schools. Today, these young- sters are “interviewed,” often in group “play dates” where behavior is observed and reported by professional observers.
God forbid if a student has a tantrum the day of the interview! In middle school, many students are nudged into extracur- riculars that parents know will help when college admission comes. For the fortu- nate, coaches begin to appear, and subject tutors become a fixture. A child’s calendar starts to get jammed. Then comes high school, and the pres- sure really starts to mount. Getting into the right high school consumes more time, energy, and expense. Then doing well within that school, choosing the right subjects, joining school organizations, do- ing test-prep, writing application essays, demonstrating leadership: the march has quickened and has never been more pres- surized. If and when they do get into col- lege, one might imagine that the march has ended, but we all know that is not the case.
Sachs, and McKinsey, often start recruit- ing these students in their sophomore year, and students begin to orient their march into their doors as early as possi- ble. The desire to make friends becomes entangled with the need to network; ma- jors are chosen to reflect marketability; students become their CVs. Then, often after a graduation speech that tells them to follow their dreams, these young adults march into their careers to face the won- ders and obligations of life.
growth, impact, and identity. Simulta- neously, students are fatigued when they graduate high school or college. They’ve been so focused on going to college and then finding that first great job that they discover they’ve left themselves behind. They haven’t had the time or energy to look beyond their immediate surround- ings, to explore new cultures, or to fully develop their personal interests. The Opportunity THIS IS not a critique of the way things are—it’s just the way things are. Chases are important, directions are necessary, but so is the opportunity to discover and dream. Baret Scholars is a program that takes you out of your context and into the world. It’s a chance to learn about and explore cultures, economies, geog- raphies, and people. It’s a chance to pur- sue your interests—whatever they might be. We believe that taking this rare win- dow of opportunity when students are most open to ideas and inspiration is a chance to cultivate citizens who don’t just march into the future, but who stride into their lives.
The Impacts of the Chase
“ . . . being 19 years old is like no other time in your life. You’re old enough to be considered an adult, but no one expects anything from you. You can travel and work freely, but you’re not expected to have everything figured out. Youth is still on your side, and it is a very rare opportunity. I doubt that there will be another time in my life where I have such freedom to pursue what I want on such a broad scale.”
BUT ARE they prepared? Did they have a good idea of what they wanted out of col- lege and after? Have they formed goals of their own? Have they imagined who they really want to be? Have they pursued their interests? These questions are often drowned out by the beat of the march, only to surface much later in life, perhaps a little too late. Not taking the time to en- gage with these questions does not make life impossible, but it definitely shuts down many possibilities and avenues of
The Rush to Employment
WHILE WE might believe or want college to be a time of discovery, it quickly becomes the path to internships and prestigious jobs. Big companies, like Meta, Goldman
ERIC HOLLENBERG, HARVARD CLASS OF 2017
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BARET SCHOLARS
BACKGROUND & VISION
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