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Ivy League Admissions - Case Study #1Rachel McKendrick: All-American GirlRachel lives in a small industrial town in the Northeast. Her many extracurricular activities complement an outstanding academic profile. She has a passion for helping others and her 24-hour days are about four hours too short. Her running skills serve her well because of all the running around she has to do to keep up with her schedule.
Duke, Georgetown, NYU, and UVA were Rachel's top college choices. A warm, highly likeable young woman, Rachel diligently visited all of her candidate colleges and went the extra mile in her applications despite her need for a 28-hour day. Here are Rachel's stats: High school type: Public Writing Sample: Mary Pipher's Reviving Ophelia-stories and analyses of her patients (female adolescents) and their struggles with society's pressures-opened my eyes to the poisons of our culture. It inspired me to volunteer for The Ophelia Project, a local organization begun to save my community's adolescent girls. Although three years of educating my community and creating programs for girls gradually molded my understanding of our culture, writing a speech for "Drugs, Lies, and Sex" (one of our programs) was the experience that really changed the way I think. I finally understood why I abstained from them all and why other girls don't. The discovery wasn't easy, though. I didn't speak as an outsider who'd
heard about parties, never gone, and had an easy time criticizing. I couldn't
stand back, denounce my former friends for their misbehavior, and pretend
that the possibility of future alcoholism, STDs, or lung cancer was all
that was keeping me away. But I was the unusual one. Somehow, I learned to ignore society's drilling into my head that I'm not pretty enough, sexy enough, or good enough as I am. Most girls didn't-and still don't-and so they drink; they wear a mask. Girls have premature sex not only because they can't say no, but because television, movies, and advertisements glorify it. And they feel confused afterward not only because they did something against their morals, but because society says, be sexy, but don't be a slut. Take what you want, but give him what he wants. I don't judge girls for eating up the messages their society feeds them-they're everywhere. But I've learned to see through them. These changes in thought originally led me to an intense hatred for American culture, but then inspired me to love and support (even more) the girls immersed in it. I viewed my culture, my decisions, and my peers differently, but I also discovered that mentoring adolescent girls will always be a part of my life, whether I start an Ophelia Project at college, or am someday editor-in-chief of New Moon magazine for girls; whether I'm counseling adolescents or my own daughter. I'm tougher, more loving, and more open to further inner growth because I understood how I changed. You make the call. Where did Rachel get in? Next Ivy League Admissions - Intro |
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