In a recent report published by the Making Caring Common Initiative, over 80 stakeholders (including colleges such as Harvard, Yale, and Stanford) have endorsed “turning the tide” of the college admissions process to one that values kindness over overachieving.
In other words, elite colleges around the nation are formally realizing the importance of compassion and empathy for others, ultimately changing the way parents (and their future college students) will look at the “college prep” process.
Many parents are concerned with where their children will go to college; sometimes before they are even born. America’s preoccupation with college readiness and admission can complicate childhood, transforming almost every aspect of a kid’s life into something that might look good on a college application. While not all students find themselves stressed out by these standards, this report by Making Caring Common highlights a reality in which students have started valuing achievement over being kind to others in their community.
“High school students often perceive colleges as simply valuing their achievements, not their responsibility for others and their communities. While some colleges have diligently sought to convey to applicants the importance of concern for others and the common good, many other colleges have not.” (Making Caring Common, 2016)
Consider the development of compassion and empathy through giving back to others and learning about causes that kids find important. While adding a mentality of “service” as a requirement for college admissions is in no way the intention of this report, colleges around the nation have publicly endorsed the recommendations in this report, which cultivate a holistic sense of what it means for a student to give back to their community.
Colleges around the nation care about kindness; you and your kids should, too!
Questions? Let’s chat!
Bettina Weil
Weil College Advising, LLC
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