Reading and College Admissions

Reading and College Admissions May 5, 2012 Spend time reading. Not just the classics. Read for pleasure. Itll expand your horizons and help you stand out from the pack in the game of highly selective college admissions. Reading and college admissions success go hand in hand. As we approach the summer time, one of the things you should be doing during your time off from school is reading! Thats right. Reading for pleasure. That doesnt mean reading the classics (unless you find great pleasure in reading The Great Gatsby, The Grapes of Wrath, and Dracula). That means reading books for pure enjoyment. Maybe it means reading a John Grisham book. Maybe its reading a Malcolm Gladwell book. Maybe its reading the Steve Jobs biography. Or SuperFreakonomics. Or a Robin Cook medical thriller. Regardless of the books that you choose to read, its important to read. Why is it important to read? Well, for one it can boost your vocabulary. Second, its just plain good to read as it expands your world and actually makes you more intelligent. But, since we write about college admissions as thats the business were in, itll also help you get into college. On so many alumni interviews, students are asked what theyve read lately or what their favorite books are. And so many students either dont have an answer because they dont read or because they dont have good answers. For instance, while its always good to read any book for pleasure, citing 50 Shades of Grey on a college interview would be a very bad idea! And so is citing The Hunger Games. Its a blockbuster movie franchise. Its no surprise that youve read the books. What would be a good idea is to read books for pleasure that you can actually discuss on college interviews or in college essays. Reading books that intellectually stimulate you that not every single one of your fellow classmates has read will help you stand out from the pack of applicants who dont demonstrate intellectual curiosity. A love of learning and of reading is important in the game of highly selective college admissions. While youre here, check out this post on books in college essays.