Moving right along.

Well, we've made it through the first big deadlines (Nov. 1 and Nov. 15) with minimal drama and (knock on wood) few Common App snafus.  If you sent an application, you now must sit around and wait - arguably just as challenging a proposition as actually working through the applications.  And I wouldn't be surprised if the waiting lasts a little longer than initially advertised by some colleges this year.  If a college extended the deadline for you to turn in your application, odds are they may need to request the same courtesy from you; they may ask you to wait a little longer to be notified so they can read all those files that didn't come in quite as early as they had planned.  Flexibility and adaptability will continue to be the themes for this application year.

On Campus at Furman

Colleges have been accepting applications since the mid 19th century.  Here's a good history of the evolution of application requirements at Tufts, from Latin to YOLO.  Aside from the interesting history, the other thing to note here is that though this is your first time ever applying to college, this is not the first year colleges have had to receive, process, index, and read applications.  It's not a perfect process and never has been.  But high schools and colleges partner to make sure everything works and to troubleshoot problems when things go wrong.  The post I've linked to is written by Patrick O'Connor, college counselor extraordinaire, who is consistently the most rational, steady voice among the anxious noise and misinformation that circulates online about college admissions.  I'd like to be like Patrick when I grow up.  If you like the link above, Follow him on Twitter and subscribe to his blog.     

There's other news out there, though, besides all the Common App chatter.  Here's what else I've been reading and thinking about in between writing recommendations and visiting Furman and George Washington University (pics to the left):

How narrow an academic focus is too narrow?  What are the appropriate outcomes to expect from a college education?  What is the real return on investment?  The argument over vocational training versus a liberal arts education continues, and shapes college academic offerings across the country. 

The Lincoln Memorial, not far from GWU

Just how valuable are rankings?  Can playing to a ranking system actually be counterproductive for a university or for its undergraduates' experiences?  Personally I think there's minimal value in rankings, and only when their reader fully understands the methodology used and how he/she would assign his/her own value to the criteria used...which usually isn't the story for the typical reader.

Happy weekend, friends.