As someone who spent many years working in highly selective admissions at Johns Hopkins University, I’ve spent countless hours reading application essays and evaluating candidates, all while trying to find the perfect balance between intellectual curiosity, character, and potential for impact. The task of selecting students is never easy, and the challenges only seem to be intensifying. Some recent developments – schoolhouse.world’s “Dialogues,” a New York Times opinion piece on college admissions criteria, and new supplemental essay topics —shed light on the complex decisions that institutions must make when shaping their incoming classes.
The New York Times article, titled “Elite Colleges Have Found a New Virtue for Applicants to Fake,” calls attention to a growing fear in the college admissions process: inauthenticity. Now that online platforms and AI tools like ChatGPT are increasingly available, applicants often turn to these resources to help hone their narratives. The result? Essays that sound polished, rehearsed, and ultimately inauthentic.
At the same time, institutions are prioritizing building classes of students able to engage in civil discourse, display open-mindedness, demonstrate critical thinking, and have the potential to make meaningful contributions to campus life. Admissions officers must try to identify these skills and qualities with limited information in the application. The essays have become a key piece of evidence in this determination, where personal stories—ranging from overcoming adversity to explaining intellectual passions—are not just read, but dissected.
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The problem, as the article highlights, is that this essay “performance” doesn’t necessarily always give admissions officers an accurate picture of who the student truly is. And as we move into an era dominated by artificial intelligence, these personal narratives risk becoming even more refined and detached from reality. So, what’s the solution?
INTRODUCING “DIALOGUES”
Colleges are testing new ways to better assess both character and intellectual ability. “Dialogues,” launched by schoolhouse.world, offers students the opportunity to engage in structured, critical dialogues with peers and mentors on a variety of topics, ranging from politics to philosophy. Participating students will build portfolios that capture their ability to disagree respectfully with peers, particularly relating to hot, and sometimes sensitive, topics ranging from the death penalty in America to the Israeli-Palestine conflict. A number of top institutions, such as Columbia, Northwestern, Johns Hopkins, and the University of Chicago have signed on to accept these portfolios as part of the holistic admissions review process.
While some schools, like MIT, initially agreed to accept these portfolios, they have since backtracked. Vanderbilt University has also decided to end the pilot project with Schoolhouse Dialogues “after careful consideration and hearing some concerns,” according to a press release on July 31.
As Education Week reports, institutions are increasingly looking for ways to gauge a student’s ability to engage in “difficult conversations” and respond to criticism without resorting to “outrage.”(Dialogues’ website stresses that candidates must avoid “partisan advocacy or proselytizing”). This is a skill that’s more vital than ever, particularly in a world where polarized ideologies and social media echo chambers threaten to erode civil discourse.
In the world of higher education, universities seek to maintain themselves as places for debate, intellectual inquiry, and the development of critical thinking in an increasingly polarized world.
THE “DIFFICULT CONVERSATION” SUPPLEMENT
Alongside the arrival of Dialogues, a more subtle shift has taken place in college applications. Popular supplemental essay questions—the kind that get reused in subtle variations by many colleges—have long asked students to describe an important community, a favorite hobby, or a particular research project. This year, however, we are increasingly seeing schools ask students to describe a difficult conversation they have had about an important topic. Duke University, for example, invites students to “Provide an example of a difference of opinion you’ve had with someone you care about.” NYU prompts students to “Tell us about a time you encountered a perspective different from your own.” And Harvard’s version is as follows: “Describe a time when you strongly disagreed with someone about an idea or issue. How did you communicate or engage with this person? What did you learn from this experience?”
These questions prompt students to think critically about opinions with which they disagree as well as their own preconceived beliefs. Colleges are looking for students who can rationally and respectively parse difficult conversations. The trick to answering one of these in just 250 (or fewer!) words? Focus on the details and stay away from grand, overused statements. That takes metacognition (something AI hasn’t mastered yet), thoughtfulness, and a dose of authenticity.
MAKING CIVILITY MATTER IN COLLEGE ADMISSIONS
Admissions committees are tasked with selecting individuals who bring diverse perspectives to the table—people who have life experiences that shape their worldviews, and who can contribute to a broad spectrum of conversations. This means that students must be both open-minded and capable of standing firm in their beliefs when necessary. However, most teenagers are not challenged to humbly engage with others whose opinions might differ from their own while they are in high school. The NYT opinion piece argues that universities should “look inward” to promote civil discourse on campus, but we must also allow young people to have the opportunities to participate in productive discourse before they step foot on a college campus.
In the end, admissions is about much more than just academics—it’s about selecting students who will thrive in a dynamic and diverse community, contribute to meaningful discussions, and approach the world with both intellectual curiosity and an open mind. High schools and universities must prepare students not just to excel in exams or write the perfect personal statement, but to engage in difficult conversations, wrestle with tough questions, and develop the skills necessary to navigate a world that is only becoming more complex and interconnected.
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Kylie’s background includes leading student recruitment and enrollment initiatives, serving as a Founding Member of the Higher Education Advisory Council at Cambridge University Press & Assessment English, and mentoring emerging leaders through coaching.
She holds a Master’s Degree in Liberal Arts and a Leadership Development Certificate from Johns Hopkins, and brings a passion for Positive Psychology and helping individuals navigate meaningful life transitions with confidence and clarity.
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