If you’ve read some of my previous articles on college admissions, you’ll realize that I’m blunt and will tell you exactly how I view an issue.
Let’s talk about reading lists. Reading lists are the biggest waste of time. High school counselors, private tutors, expensive admissions coaches - everyone will tell you that reading lists are important for elite college admissions.
It’s a lie.
While I won’t deny the educational value of reading classic and pivotal works of literature, it rarely helps you get into Stanford.
In fact, I’d argue that it hurts your chances by making you spend time on things that you don’t like, and on things that have a very limited return. It’s like investing in a stock whose price barely rises over time.
Counselors and coaches, tutors and trainers, they say high school reading lists are useful because:
1. It makes you more well-rounded
2. It teaches you culture
3. It helps you improve your vocabulary - and thus your SAT and AP test scores
4. It impresses colleges with how well-read you are
But the truth is - only #3 and #4 help you with college admissions. But unless you write about Hamlet in your Common Application essays, Yale will never know whether you’ve read 100 classical books or zero.
And as for vocabulary - your time is MUCH BETTER SPENT practicing flashcards and other memory programs to improve your SAT score.
Take those hours you spend on reading - and instead, think about what you truly love to do. This gets back to my point that college admissions is about telling a good story in your application.
I’m talking about serious things that you enjoy, not reading comics or going to the mall. Do you love international travel? Start a blog and write about your travel experiences. Are you interested in environmental issues? College admissions committees READ BLOGS. Start a club at school and read as much as you can about the topic, then teach others.
Whatever you enjoy - provided it’s a relatively serious or wordly topic - spend your time on that. It will impress college admissions committees much more. As a former admissions officer and Ivy League student, I guarantee it.
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