Noblesse Oblige

The best part of this article is the headline: "Students do good, look good abroad." I expected to read about students who spent their summer in Milan, feeding the homeless during the day and sashaying down catwalks at night. The reality is much less glamorous, and I felt cheated. It's about kids who take service trips to look good to colleges.

Some of my students have to plans to take trips like the ones the students in the article took. They should read the article before they go. According to Harvard's director of admissions, Harvard is "very sophisticated in telling the difference between students who are genuinely ambitious and motivated" and those who are performing service just to get into college. Note that Harvard is not concerned with whether the students actually care about helping people. It sounds like they are looking to distinguish between students who want to take trips that look good for college and those whose parents make them take trips that look good for college. Now you really have to feel for the ones whose parents make them go.