Ambitions and Admissions
Posted on March 14, 1995Difficult as it may be to believe, this year our older son, Michael, will begin high school. Two years later his brother, Brian, will join him. As you can imagine, my wife, Debbie, and I have an ever-increasing appreciation for the interest and concern that parents have about college admission.
You might remember the sad story I shared with readers several years ago about the young lady who very much wanted to join her older sister and attend Carolina. It seems that her father unknowingly had left his daughter with the impression that unless she went to Carolina, he would be very disappointed.
While this young lady was an excellent student with impressive credentials, because of Carolina’s increasing competitiveness, her credentials did not meet those of more qualified students who were admitted that year. When her letter of denial arrived, she wrote the Admissions Office expressing her disappointment, closing with these words: “Never will I see that special gleam in my father’s eyes that my older sister received when she was admitted to Carolina.”
Unfortunately, somewhere along the way she concluded that studying hard and being a good student were insufficient if she was not successful in following her sister and attending her father’s alma mater. How sad.
No parent would knowingly set up their youngsters to fail. Yet, I fear that too often that is just what we are doing. We remember Carolina when admissions were not as competitive, when the size of the freshman class was increasing each year and when the number of applications was not growing as dramatically as it is today.
Debbie and I very much hope that if Michael and Brian should choose to apply to Carolina that they’ll be admitted and decide to attend. More important to us, however, is that they continue their education, which means that they maintain good study habits, develop their leadership skills and participate in a variety of enriching activities. We particularly hope that they will enter adulthood as confident individuals who like themselves, have strong values, make wise decisions, have discovered the joy of learning and enjoy life.
We also realize that Carolina is not for everyone, nor can Carolina admit all who apply. There are many excellent schools, which is one of the characteristics of American higher education that makes it the envy of the world.
From time to time I hear concern that some youngsters are disadvantaged because their parents may not contribute substantial sums to Carolina or may not serve in some significant leadership position. It should comfort all, particularly entering students, that the leadership at Carolina has long believed that youngsters admitted should earn their admission through their performance.
Like many of you, I am confident that our sons are brighter than I was at their age. Thus, I would expect that, if they are brighter and work as hard or harder than did I, when they apply they should be admitted. What too many alumni fail to fully appreciate is that admission today is much more competitive than when we applied. That should be clear after reviewing the accompanying information and charts on pages 13-15 of this issue.
As a member of the General Alumni Association, you may wish to receive a complimentary copy of our Admissions Handbook. To do so, simply write to: Admissions Handbook, General Alumni Association, The University of North Carolina, George Watts Hill Alumni Center, P.O. Box 660, Chapel Hill, NC 27514-0660.
As always, we hope that you will help us recruit the best students to Carolina. In doing so, you not only are helping us to attract Carolina’s next generation of students, you also are assisting us in recruiting tomorrow’s Carolina alumni.
Yours at Carolina,
Douglas S. Dibbert ’70
