It’s a cold Tuesday morning at my school - in the very beginning of December, as students are rushing to get their college. I pull into my parking spot at school the same as everyday, take a sip of my Wawa coffee out of my trusty travel mug, and hop out of my car. I loved that thing - a 2007 white Dodge Charger with 180 thousand miles on it, beat to hell but trudging on. I pop the hood and grab the massive water jug out of the back of my trunk, walk it over to the front, and pour a hefty amount into the engine’s coolant tank. The car had been leaking from somewhere for weeks, but my family hadn’t had time to sit down and rectify it yet. With that done, I put my constant companion jug back into the trunk, cap it off, and look for my best friend, Mike (name changed). He was nowhere to be found, so I shot him a text. No reply. I head inside and begin my first class of the day.

Halfway through first period, I get a text back. He had been working from 3 to 11 last night in his nearly full-time yet somehow part time job at a fast food place, trying to afford gas and his computer for school. Mike tells me that he will be there for our shared second period class, as he was in the school parking lot after arriving late working on his homework from the previous night in hopes of getting it turned in today. I chuckle, poke fun at him a bit, and then wrap up my first class before heading to meet him a few minutes later. He’s exhausted, energy drink in hand, and continues to work on last night’s homework. I make fun of him for a bit as friends do, but then the topic of conversation turns to college. I mention UMD to him, and my hopes for getting in my freshman year. Of course, that was not meant to be. He talks about UMD a bit, but ultimately concludes they’re not likely to be interested in him because he has little overachieving academic experience to them - for Mike’s experience is in life itself. While not a bad student by any means, UMD would not accept him.

It was around that time that I concluded that something is deeply wrong with the way we do college admissions in America, and especially here in Maryland. These public institutions - originally meant to serve the student populace of their state and provide a means for a better life for many - have become increasingly numbers-based in their competitiveness and admissions processes. UMD itself, as one of the premier public colleges in the world, boasts a 1390 median SAT score for their freshman admissions - a very high-class score that many students couldn’t hope to achieve without a plethora of dedicated study time, SAT preparation, and a healthy support structure along the way. While success in those areas is something to be admired, that is not reality for many students all across the country and our state.

 For many students, working through high school and balancing classes is not an option based on the luxury of having some extra spending money or to buy a nicer car than their parents can provide, but a necessity. For many students, taking several AP classes, enrolling in SAT preparation classes, and doing an extracurricular or two is not an option when their family is struggling to keep things together after the illness of a loved one and issues with mental health. For many students, these cookie-cutter metrics of academic rigor are not an option - for life is sink or swim, or at least more difficult and less structured than for students focusing on academics. Only 30 percent of Maryland high school students are even approaching a competitive SAT for Maryland - many just don’t have the luxury of time and resources to look good on paper.

We see the word “fearless ideas” emblazoned all over UMD and College Park - the bus stop, the busses themselves, merch and the website - but what is truly fearless? Are structured means of success, such as a robotics club, several APs, and a hefty SAT preparation course with hours of studying accessible a week fearless? Is it truly fearless when success is “handheld” in a sense, manicured and assisted by a school’s support and counsellor system? Is it fearless when these activities and preparation is inherently designed to provide what looks good to colleges, rather than what helps someone do well in life? Is Mike not fearless for staying up until 1 at night working on papers after an 8 hour after-school shift, and then slogging through the next day to do the very best in all parts of his life he can?

Don’t misinterpret me - academics such as standardized testing scores and SATs are still good measures of success. Those that achieve success and personal development through things like AP classes, extracurriculars, and participating within school-structured endeavors are admirable, quality students that are excellent overall. This article is not to discount or look down upon those that achieve their success through those means - rather, it is just to argue that there are other methods of success outside of those means that is often neglected.

Students like Mike are not appreciated in the current admissions system. While UMD does make concessions to those of disadvantaged backgrounds and facing adversity, it we don’t go far enough as a state. The admissions system focuses largely on numbers first, and the personal experiences and character of the student second. This is understandable given the plethora of applications UMD receives yearly, but I don’t think that it is doing enough for the students of Maryland. A public college’s first and foremost duty as a university is to provide higher education and enrich the lives of the state’s students, and focusing impersonally on how high a student ranks in numbers neglects huge swathes of a student’s background, personality, character, and courage in getting to where they are in their academic career. While admissions should be about academics for the most part, academics is all about people at the end of the day - and people cannot merely be broken down into numbers. People cannot be defined by their ability to take a test well or to take on academic endeavors in a neatly-controlled school environment rather than greater life success. In addition, research shows that standardized testing methods like the SAT are not accurate means of predicting first-year academic success in the first place.

Overall, public college admissions in Maryland - and in America overall - focuses too heavily on numbers rather than students. A number tells us very little - it portrays none of the life circumstances, struggles, and unique situations the owner found themselves in - and while UMD does allow for things like personal essays and references, they don’t go far enough. Admissions is still largely a numbers game, and I’d like to see that changed - for I believe that a public college primary purpose is to serve its taxpayers, and to break them down into numbers is a disservice to students. Life is fearless, and while success through mainstream academic means is admirable and powerful all the same, there is so much untapped potential in Maryland students that didn’t have those luxuries and had to make do regardless. I want a University of Maryland that embraces and provides opportunities for those students like Mike in the same way it embraces those seeking success through traditional means.