The very wet Memorial Day weekend is behind us and summer has officially arrived! While many students are looking forward to vacations, camps, and a well-earned break, the world of higher education certainly isn't slowing down. There have been several interesting developments over the past couple of weeks that could have implications for colleges and applicants alike.

BIGGEST COLLEGE-RELATED NEWS OF THE WEEK

DOJ VS YALE

The Department of Justice continues to scrutinize how colleges and universities make admissions decisions following the Supreme Court's 2023 ruling on affirmative action. Most recently, the DOJ concluded that Yale School of Medicine discriminated against White and Asian applicants in its admissions process. Yale disputes the findings and maintains that its admissions practices comply with the law. Regardless of where this particular case ultimately lands, it serves as a useful reminder that admissions decisions are rarely based on grades and test scores alone. Colleges and graduate schools continue to evaluate applicants holistically, considering factors such as coursework, essays, recommendations, experiences, and personal qualities alongside academic achievement. For students and families, the takeaway remains the same: strong academics matter, but they are only one part of a successful application.

HARVARD TAKES ON GRADE INFLATION

As a major upset to many Harvard students – but a major win to most of its faculty – Harvard passed a resolution designed to curb grade inflation with a 20% cap on A grades! Starting in 2027, only around ⅕ of students in a class can receive an A, a decision made to “help distinguish exceptional work from merely strong performance.” Of course, students were strongly opposed to the initial proposal, and some professors worried it would put too many constraints on their evaluation practices. Nevertheless, nearly 70% of faculty ultimately agreed to move forward with the proposal. At a school with a reputation like Harvard’s, this does make some sense, although we sympathize with an incoming class now worried about GPAs. But the second part of the proposal should offer some comfort: many rewards and honors will be based on percentile rankings rather than letter grades. A major takeaway is that other schools might see this as an opportunity to start revising their own grading practices, so future students should consider early how they will try to stand out in their classes.

NAACP ENCOURAGES ATHLETES TO GO ‘OUT OF BOUNDS’

The Supreme Court’s recent ruling on voting rights may have consequences in higher education, at least in the Southern states that are likely to be the most impacted. The NAACP has launched a campaign, “Out of Bounds,” that asks Black athletes and fans of collegiate sports to limit financial support at public universities in states that have actively moved to dismantle Black political representation. The NAACP argues that some states benefit significantly from the contributions of Black student-athletes while simultaneously advancing policies that it believes reduce Black political representation. The campaign encourages Black student-athletes to consider the political climate of a state when choosing where to enroll and to use their platforms to advocate for issues they care about.

SEXUAL ASSAULT AT UC SANTA BARBARA

Unfortunately, campus safety remains an important topic for students and families as they evaluate colleges; on May 9th, a UC Santa Barbara first-year student was sexually assaulted in campus housing. The student, identified here as “Jane Doe,” met the perpetrator at a fraternity party and was assaulted shortly after at the Tropicana Gardens student housing apartments. Unfortunately, the perpetrator remains at large. While UCSB Chancellor Dennis Assanis assures the community that the university is taking all the right steps in the matter, many students feel differently and are using social media to encourage “community members to email Assanis and demand that he speak to the survivor’s family and attorney.” They’ve also referenced criticism of Assanis’s handling of another sexual assault case when he served as President of the University of Delaware. While this is a very delicate issue, it is certainly not unique to UCSB or UD; we encourage prospective students to investigate campus safety resources, emergency procedures, transportation options, and support services when evaluating all colleges.

BEST ARTICLES OF THE WEEK

For many students hoping to study medicine, it’s definitely worth considering the pros and cons of the nurse practitioner route. According to the Wall Street Journal, the job market for nurse practitioners is booming! The primary reason is that there just aren’t enough medical doctors to deal with patients seeking mostly basic and routine care, like prescription management and treatment of colds and flus – and NPs don’t cost nearly as much as MDs. For prospective students of medicine, becoming an NP also has many benefits, ranging from shorter degree programs (often just two years) to significantly fewer student loans. So while the salary may be less than that of a primary care physician, a nurse practitioner can still earn around $132k annually while having more free time and far less debt.

But physicians warn that leaning too heavily on nurse practitioners is risky business – without physician oversight, NPs risk overlooking symptoms of more severe problems that they might assume are simply sore throats, and hospitals note that nurse practitioners are often requesting more tests than physicians, which can drive up costs. And many doctors argue that patients would prefer to meet an actual physician in an exam room. But Benjamin McMichael, a University of Alabama economist who found that most people head to the hospital for fairly routine reasons, makes a great point: “a lot of people never get to that exam room.” The real takeaway here is that there are many paths to success in the medical field, and it's worth considering whether your passion is for specialized medical treatment or general care, as well as the associated costs.

Whatever path you choose, at least one Amherst College professor thinks your college education should be… fun? Describing a boisterous and active classroom discussion of a 19th-century novel, Professor Michael A. Elliot argues in The Atlantic the need for more engaging and playful experiences in college courses – a perspective shared by our own DCCC essay coach and University of Maryland Senior Lecturer, Dr. Alan Montroso! The classroom is a space for meaningful conversation and engagement with complex ideas; critical thinking develops best when the mind is actively engaged. But the humanities, where this kind of education is most often found, are also in decline, as these kinds of skills are not seen as impactful on the job market. Yet how can we solve problems without careful consideration and deep thought? As Elliot writes about the many issues we face today, “they require citizens who can listen carefully, argue charitably, tolerate complexity, and resist the pull of the obvious. The seminar room, at its best, is where that tolerance is built.”

So while it’s not very likely your economics or biochem courses will be as “fun” as your humanities ones, don’t overlook the importance of a well-rounded education – college is about more than just landing a lucrative job (though of course you want that too!); it’s about shaping who you are as a person, one who can think deeply, hold meaningful conversation, and solve difficult problems – all skills your English professors are trying to instill… and maybe with a bit of laughter and play!

OFFICE HAPPENINGS

It’s a busy time here at DCCC. While several of our kids are basically done with their Common App essays, others are just getting started on the process! But it is definitely the season for the biggest essay of them all – so make sure to start booking some appointments before the summer sun, beach vacations, and sleepaway camps become more appealing to you than writing college application essays! 😎