The Competition For Admission Into College - 791 Words

The competition for admission into college can be extremely tough, and a gap year, especially a mandatory one, can lead to even greater competition than before. When searching through application upon application, universities tend to look for students who have â€Å"passionate involvement in a few in or out of school activities† as well as â€Å"out of school experiences including work, community service, youth organizations, religious groups, etc.† (IECA, 1). Many universities look out for not only a student’s GPA throughout their high school years, but also the extracurriculars and experiences the student has gone through in order to find the handful of applicants that are deemed the â€Å"cream of the crop.† By adding the mandatory gap year for all students to the educational system, the students who are aiming to be accepted into the top universities of the nation will essentially have another year of school to go through because of their need to have their college application look the most polished and unique out of all the others. Yet a vast majority of the applicants will have similar-looking application forms because of the actions they are all taking to appear as the best. However, that specific â€Å"king of the hill† type mindset is what creates the cookie-cutter applicants many universities face today, and the arrival of a mandatory gap year could magnify the problem with more and more students trying to outshine each other in the fight for the top. Gap years allow students toShow MoreRelatedTrends Of College Admissions : Katherine O Malley. Arizona State University1510 Words   |  7 Pages Trends in College Admissions Katherine O’Malley Arizona State University One of the key components in higher education enrollment management in a public, four-year university is the admissions process. With encouragement from many sources such as friends, family, and college marketing materials, high school juniors and seniors apply and enroll in college by the thousands each year (McDonough, 1994). 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