The Power of Self-Reflection in the University Application Process

When I see an email sitting in my inbox or hear the office telephone ring, I am rendered curious. It is, perhaps, not as exciting as the anticipation of opening a Christmas present, but it is something like that: what question will I hear, what story will I enter? Not uncommonly, though, I meet with simplifying questions like, "What are the top ten universities in business"? I do understand that students and families have limited time, and need help to accelerate the application process. Yet, I don't want students to arrive at facile answers. Rather, I want students to recognize that the application process is a step that must emerge from the story they have been leading, and will frame the story they lead into the future. This step, therefore, must be an outflow of self-awareness, and that can only happen through self-reflection.

For one, students are better placed to select colleges and universities, when they are not just blinded by the glare of fame. Of course, critical criteria like their major and funding will steer choices. But it would also be ideal for them to ponder other aspects of their dispositions: what is their learning style? would they prefer the kind of class size where professors know their name and invite them over for dinner, or that when they step out of the university, they step into all the vibrancy of city life? do their values align with those the university cultivates? One might even want to start them with: why is study abroad or in the U.S. right for them now?

To provide some examples, small community colleges played a big role in one student's shortlist because she wanted a safe, nurturing environment with close-knit relationships. Another student I worked with felt she learned best through a variety of stimuli, and chose a university that had plenty of options in terms of hands-on projects, industry visits, semesters abroad, student-led activities, and so on. When I was last in touch with her, she was fully participating in every one of these, and thoroughly flourishing. Knowing their preferences and how they line up with these sorts of nuances, can really make the difference between students surviving and thriving at a university campus. And this begins in self-examination.

Self-reflection similarly benefits the writing of application essays. Of course, aspects like creativity and uniqueness can make a difference, but over the years, I've come to see that essays often stand out when students dig deeper beneath the superficial flow of activities and events. Through the particular story of their life they are narrating, they understand the journey of the self. What are the unique quirks that make them tick? How have they grown? Why did they do what they did?

The Washington Post once published the story of a student who was admitted to a prestigious U.S. university. Her acceptance letter included a note from an admissions officer appreciating her essay about how something as routine as ordering pizza meant celebration and comfort to her, as well as connoted her coming of age. Through this very quotidian event, she was able to reveal a deeper significance for her life.

For these reasons, at the start of and through the application process, I try to prompt students to reflect on their life story and brainstorm something of a personal inventory. I suggest they respond to questions such as: what are the personality traits that set them apart from their friends; what are their values or the ideals they hold dear? what are their learning goals and learning style? what are the key events in the last four years that have impacted them or through which they have grown? Knowing themselves can be a sure compass that guides students through the entire application journey.

Students and families may often want to jump straight into the practicalities of applications. It can sometimes be a challenge to slow them down because reflection takes time and thought. It may also be a challenge to encourage them not engage in a perfunctory manner but to really delve into what is playing out beneath the surface. But leading them in such an exercise is important.

In 1933, the thinker, John Dewey, wrote, “we do not learn from experience ... we learn from reflecting on experience." Going further back, a quote that is of uncertain provenance, but often attributed to Aristotle, reads, "Knowing yourself is the beginning of all wisdom.” Indeed, reflecting on your experiences and knowing yourself is so fundamental, not just when applying to universities, but at every stage, in every aspect of life. Training students in the ways of self-reflection and self-examination can not only transform the application process, leading to a more meaningful educational experience, but can also initiate students in a habit that can guide them all their lives.

For information on studying in the United States, please visit the EducationUSA website (https://educationusa.state.gov), and for individual questions about direct counselling with an EducationUSA adviser, please write to mumbai@educationusa.org.