What? The Common App Personal Essay in June?

Ah, June . . .  Around here, it's finally warming up. Underclassmen, relieved that their academic year is almost over, will hopefully be engaged in something they love this summer. Rising seniors know they must steadfastly adhere to (my) deadlines for the Personal Essay and supplements yet still enjoy some much-deserved downtime.And what are the colleges up to? We're monitoring their comments on everything from supplements to AI. Read on! 

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The Papal Effect: A Villanova Grad Finds a New Home

Each year, Villanova gets more popular. But when Robert Prevost became Pope Leo, the Wildcats ran . . . wild! According to the Wall Street Journal, campus bells rang for hours, and students drank "pope punch." After all, Pope Leo not only received a bachelor's in math from 'Nova but was also the recipient of an honorary doctorate.

When the Wildcats won the NCAA basketball in 2017, application volume soared by 22 percent - and that's when tests were mandatory! Who knows what effect the new pope will have in 2025-26.

So what does Villanova look for in its applicants? An article in The Villanovan quotes Executive Director of Admissions Matthew Harris: "We’re looking to build a community here at Villanova, it’s kind of like we’re building a small city and we don’t want to see a thousand of the same person.”

A favorite essay prompt: "Why do you want to call Villanova your new home?"

As it turned out, Villanova accepted over 27 percent in 2024-25, and 54 percent of those selected from a record-breaking applicant pool did not report test scores.

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Artificial Intelligence: A Work in Progress

We can't escape AI; it's embedded in what we read and watch, and some of us are trying it out (for various reasons). Here's the latest from my continued effort to explain how AI is affecting your student - and how colleges are reacting.

Admissions Review

We know that AI-enhanced essay-scoring software has been around for some time. According to the Daily Tar Heel, "No decisions on whether to admit a student [to UNC] are made by AI or anyone outside of the admissions committee." Nevertheless, a "computer-generated essay score reflects the quality of word choice, sentence structure, sentence variability, vocabulary, grammar, punctuation, length and more in an applicant's essay." This is made possible through a feature called Reader AI on the Slate dashboard.

In contrast, the Tar Heel reports, University of Michigan Undergraduate Admissions has never used AI in the reading or scoring of essays. In the article, both a current and former admissions officer attest to the time commitment that goes into reading the Michigan supplemental essays.

On Campus

Not many things can be as disturbing as college students' inability to grasp meaning of their reading material. As reported in "The Reading Struggle Meets AI," a recent article in Inside Higher Ed, "Professors said many of their students could not discern key points in articles, stumbled over vocabulary words, or were unable to synthesize readings without altering their meaning . . . AI is giving students a false sense of comprehension." As a result, a William & Mary professor has moved from take-home essays to in-class midterms, while a Stevens professor has students present the results of their reading while moving to more assigned videos and podcasts. Ouch! 

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Choosing High-Level Math: What Do the Stats Tell Us?

Calc, stat . . . what's a student to do? It's a discussion I have with many students as they register for courses. Recently, the Fordham Institute, an Ohio-based research group unrelated to Fordham University, asked: "which math pathway actually shapes long-term success?" 

Notably, 92 percent of admissions officers stated that their institution's “faculty places a high priority on calculus for demonstrating a rigorous math curriculum,” though 95 percent admitted that "calculus isn't necessary for all students." Over time, more students are taking stat, while calculus enrollment has leveled off. Moreover, taking calc or stat had no correlation with successful degree attainment. 

What about income? Using data from over 175,000 Texas public high school students who had taken both AP Calc and AP Stat, researchers determined that "while taking rigorous math courses improves postsecondary outcomes, students who take AP Calculus don’t necessarily earn higher long-term salaries than those who take AP Statistics." They added: "While calculus students have an edge in engineering-heavy fields like oil and gas, statistics students excel in data-driven sectors like finance and IT." Accordingly, researchers concluded that statistics, probability and other data-science topics be included in Algebra II.

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The College Major, The Musical

Students exploring their passion? In a recent blog, I cited a WSJ article that stated, "Parents in tech want their kids to go into the arts instead." Interestingly, Inside Higher Ed looked at bachelor of fine arts (BFA) programs in musical theater, concluding there are just too many, leading many students to compete for too few jobs. According to Josh Grisetti, a Cal State, Fullerton, professor, colleges created more musical theater programs, which they believed were "cash cows," reducing selectivity. Some BFA grads believe that their degrees didn't adequately prepare them for their careers of choice.

What's the next act? Grisetti makes sure that his students have exceptional theater experiences, while a new musical theater program at Oberlin will include connections with the theater business and require frequent performances to reflect what Broadway actors go through.

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Common App Recognizes Family Responsibilities

A few weeks ago, I listened in as Common App shared upcoming changes to their look and feel for 2025-26. Common App, which does do a rollover of student information in the unlikely event that your applicant has already started, launches for the next cycle on August 1. They are shortening the Additional Information writing section, a very valuable space that allows students to explain unusual circumstances, and including a new section where a student can highlight the time the they spend on family responsibilities. (This is not required!)

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Big Red Nets a Big Victory

It was the battle of Big Red against the Terrapins. In the end, Cornell won its first lacrosse title in 24 years, beating Maryland 13-10. As discussed in the Wall Street Journal, Cornell has been able to run a top program despite its inability to award athletic scholarships since it's in the Ivy League (which we know is just a sports conference). According to Cornell's coach Connor Buczek, himself a former Big Red player, “We’re not always looking for the same thing that every other school is looking for . . . We’re looking for a certain type of young man [who’s] opting into the challenge.”The same goes for the university as a whole. While we've yet to see an acceptance rate for its Class of 2029, Lisa Nishii, vice provost for undergraduate education and enrollment, said of this year's admitted students, “They’ve showcased commitment to their communities through volunteer work, research and advocacy, and their application essays outlined how they plan to channel their passions into knowledge while at Cornell.”

The same goes for the university as a whole. While we've yet to see an acceptance rate for its Class of 2029, Lisa Nishii, vice provost for undergraduate education and enrollment, said of this year's admitted students, “They’ve showcased commitment to their communities through volunteer work, research and advocacy, and their application essays outlined how they plan to channel their passions into knowledge while at Cornell.”

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Enjoy the warmer temps that come in June. And before you embark on your summer outings, be sure to reach out with questions about your applicant's journey to college.