Applying for colleges away from your home in a completely different setup can be nail-biting, nerve-wracking, anxiety-inducing- well, stressful to say the least. And the anxiety peaks when one opens the Common App application and sees a format completely different from the standardized testing options like NEET and JEE required for most colleges in India.
This is then followed by hours, days, and weeks of pondering over the various essay questions, supplements, and letters of recommendation demanded by the Common App.
By this point in the article, an image should flash across your mind: an 18- or 20-something- year-old, hunched over their computer screen, chewing the end of their pen, one hand planted across their forehead while the blinking cursor rests at the top of the application. The evident question, “No one told me about this,” is written all over their faces.
To precisely avoid this, Vidya Valley School collaborated with Build Up Global, an organization that connects students with global educational opportunities, this weekend, to bring in a panel of college admissions officers from some of the U.S.’s most renowned liberal arts and sciences colleges: Hamilton College, Sarah Lawrence College, Macalester College, Smith College, Carleton College, and the College of Wooster. High schoolers from across Pune were invited to this interactive meet-and-greet.
The session started off with a simple but conceptual question- “What exactly does liberal arts and sciences mean?” The panelists went on to explain that liberal arts is a form of education that delves mainly into the classical subjects like Economics, Psychology, English and STEM fields. This allows the students to broaden their horizons and explore more subjects at once.
They then explored the Common Application, acknowledging that for students used to single-exam systems like NEET and JEE, its essays, recommendations, and personal statements can feel overwhelming. But, they assured us, it isn’t about ticking boxes; it’s about who you are. This is holistic admissions, where you are evaluated as a whole, not just on academics or extracurriculars but also on a personal level and whether your values align with the college’s. The Common App includes a personal statement, college-specific essays, academic and extracurricular sections, and teacher recommendations. Panelists stressed that essays and recommendations often bring an application to life. The Smith College representative recalled an essay by a Spanish student written as a telenovela- vivid, culturally rich, and uniquely personal. “Your application,” she said, “should be every fiber of your being on paper.”
Each college highlighted what makes it distinctive. Hamilton is a top-15 U.S. college with alumni like Goldman Sachs CEO David Solomon. Sarah Lawrence is known for its one-on-one tutoring and alumni such as J. J. Abrams and Vera Wang. Macalester stands out for international relations and social justice, Smith for women’s education in fields like engineering and economics, Carleton for STEM and small class sizes, and Wooster for mentored research and strong career outcomes.
Then came the highlight- we became admissions officers for a fictional college called Dover. We had to choose between Maya, a top student with little interest; Rahul, a Division I athlete with average grades; and Anita, whose essay was authentic but whose grades were average. We admitted Maya, waitlisted Anita, and denied Rahul, the same choice the real officers made, showing how authenticity and context can outweigh numbers.
The session closed with a Q & A on visas, politics, and need-based scholarships, which all six colleges provide despite their rarity in the U.S. When asked what they value in applicants, Hamilton named self-reflection, Smith change-makers, Sarah Lawrence passion, Wooster curiosity, Macalester kindness, and Carleton diversity of thought.
I entered the session with a notebook full of questions and left without needing to ask a single one. The key takeaway? Keep doing what you love, consistently, and let every part of yourself shine through your application.
-Paarmita Khandare
