Dustin Hoffman and Robin Williams were voted "Least Likely to Succeed." Charles Schultz's high school yearbook rejected his cartoons of Snoopy. Thomas Edison was afraid of the dark, Albert Einstein failed mathematics, and Sigmund Freud had a morbid fear of ferns.
Even George W. Bush, I'm told, was once a poor public speaker. In the past, negative qualifications like these would very possibly have spelled the end for a Tufts applicant, regardless of their capacity for future brilliance.
Thankfully, Tufts University has taken steps to remedy this error. The new application (which will be used to select the class of 2011) contains a new selection of optional essays that the applicant may choose to answer in order to show off the kind of creativity, leadership, and outside-the-box thinking that may not be obvious from the required essays, the recommendations, or even (gasp!) the SAT scores.
The new essay questions, collectively known as the Kaleidoscope Admissions Pilot, were inspired by research performed by prominent psychologist and Arts and Sciences Dean Robert J. Sternberg.
As you may have guessed, the questions are actually evaluated and scored in a scientific manner based on criteria like creativity and practical ability.
At first glance, of course, this may appear to be some kind of liberal, Up-With-People, gather-round-the-campfire-and-sing-Kumbaya nonsense.
However, after further consideration it can be seen that the new program will most likely be an asset to the university admissions process.
It is true that many applicants are very strong in particular areas and not in others; poor writing skills tend to lead to an application being pronounced Dead On Arrival, and many candidates are simply not afforded the opportunity to explain themselves to the good people at Tufts Admissions in a manner that truly showcases their talents.
In the flurry of activity that occurs over the first half of senior year, all applications may begin to look the same. Applicants become tired of describing what they will bring to the university, why they want to attend, and who they are (a disturbingly inane essay question that is actually required on the '11 application) and may hunger for a more expressive avenue of...well, of expression.
The required essays on the Common Application and those included in numerous college supplements serve primarily as unpleasant closed topics into which an applicant must skillfully stuff himself. They offer very little room for creativity, leading to lackluster writing, mundane topics, and a tremendously boring afternoon in Bendetson Hall.
The new program, naturally, has its critics. Harvard Professor Howard Gardner, who has his own theory of intelligence, is skeptical of the project. ``If I really want to know if someone is creative, I involve them in a lengthy, open-ended project, like inventing a better mousetrap or writing a play," Gardner told the Boston Globe. "If it's a Mickey Mouse task - like, 'What are the five uses of a paper clip?' - it has no predictive value about whether you will ever create anything worth noting."
Professor Gardner who, I'm told, has created many things worth noting-may be correct. Nevertheless, the overwhelming majority of feedback from other universities has been positive. Both the Harvard and MIT admissions offices have expressed interest in the pilot, particularly in the wake of Harvard's decision to abolish Early Action in order to restore a greater sense of equality to the application process.
The kinds of qualities measured in the new Tufts approach are said to work across both racial and economic lines, meaning that they could potentially be a better indicator of future success than current standardized tests like the SAT. Also, since the questions are currently optional, this program is win-win for applicants. In a year that has already seen a certain amount of college admission reform, it is gratifying to see that Tufts is taking the next step.
