Time Out or Burn Out for the Next Generation
William Fitzsimmons, Dean of Admissions and Financial Aid, Harvard College
Marlyn McGrath Lewis, Director of Admissions, Harvard College
Charles Ducey, Adjunct Lecturer in Psychology, Harvard Graduate School of Education
College admissions officers, especially those who admitted the
parents of today's applicants, have an unusual vantage point from which
to observe changes from one generation to the next. Many of us are
concerned that the pressures on today's students seem far more intense
than those placed on previous generations. College admission - the
chance to position oneself for "success" through the acquisition of the
"right" college degree - looms large for increasing numbers of
students. Particularly because selective colleges are perceived to be
part of the problem, we want to do everything possible to help the
students we enroll make the most of their opportunities, avoiding the
much-reported "burnout" phenomenon that can keep them from reaching
their full potential.
Of course, the quest for college admission is only one aspect of a
much larger syndrome driving many students today. Stories about the
latest twenty-something multimillionaires, the astronomical salaries
for athletes and pop-music stars, and the often staggering compensation
packages for CEOs only stimulate the frenzied search for the brass
ring. More than ever, students (and their parents) seek to emulate
those who win the "top prizes" and the accompanying disproportionate
rewards.
From the Cradle On...
The chase for the prize begins early, and some recent reports sound
hyperbolic. Anecdotes abound of infants serenaded with classical music
to enhance their mental powers; toddlers overwhelmed with computers and
"educational" toys; "experts" guilt-tripping parents by telling them
that their children will be hopelessly behind by age three or four if
they don't follow myriad prescribed strategies.
Consultants are paid thousands of dollars to prepare toddlers for
the "all- important" interview and observed play-time that will
determine admission to the "right" pre-kindergarten, kindergarten, or
primary school - thereby presumably ensuring admission to the right
high school, college, graduate school, and so on. The consultant will
teach the child to maintain eye contact in the interview and to
demonstrate both leadership and sharing during the observed play
sequence. The competition for admission to some of the Pre-K,
Kindergarten, and grammar schools can be intense - statistically more
difficult (with lower admission rates) than Harvard.
Once in the "right" school, students are pushed along by teachers,
by outside tutors and, if they stumble, by learning specialists who
will help them approach their studies in the most efficient manner. The
school day continues well into the night with structured study time and
drills. The pressure can be relentless, even from well- intentioned
parents. For the most part, they simply want the best for their
children who, they fear, will be left by the wayside by other high
achievers.
Sports, music, dance, and other recreational activities used to
provide a welcome break, a time to relax and unwind. No more: training
for college scholarships - or professional contracts - begins early,
even in grammar school. Professional instruction, summer camps, and
weekly practice and game schedules consume many hours and nearly all
free time. Student and family commuting logistics become byzantine in
their complexity. Even "play-time" is often structured and enriched
with just the right mix of appropriate playmates and educational
activities. Summer vacations have become a thing of the past. The pace
of the day and the year allows little time simply "to be a kid" - or,
it seems, to develop into a complete human being.
The Middle School/High School Fast Track
By high school, the pressure intensifies. Students start to
specialize in one activity even to the exclusion of other pursuits.
Athletes, dancers, musicians and others begin to define themselves by
their chosen activity as they try to perfect their new-found talents
and identities.
The American Academy of Pediatrics has warned of possible physical
and psychological damage that can result from specializing in a sport
prematurely. For every Tiger Woods success story, there are countless
other less happy results. Some students participate in programs that
take up as much time as school. Fast-track athletic teams compete or
practice most days - with weekend-consuming road games, and national or
international schedules during summers and vacations. A serious athlete
or musician or dancer may change schools for a better athletic program,
even moving far away from home to do so, and perhaps to an academically
weaker school.
Academic demands also ratchet up, supported by special tutors and
the beginnings of SAT prep in middle school. In high school, SAT prep
becomes a way of life for some students, with night and weekend
sessions. The "right" SAT tutors may command several hundred dollars
per hour, and can be engaged to live during the summer at or near their
tutees' beach houses. Summer "cram schools" for the SATs are
increasingly common, as are summer school sessions at the best prep
schools and universities, some beginning in middle school.
The Quest for the Right College
Professional college counselors (either independent or school-based)
appear on the scene early, sometimes in middle school, to begin to
structure students' academic and extracurricular profiles for entrance
to the "right" college. At its best, such advice can be helpful in
assessing talents, goals, and making "mid-course corrections" that can
make a real difference in students' lives. From a more cynical
perspective, such advice steers students toward travel abroad,
community service, or other activities solely to enhance college
application essays or interviews. Such services may command thousands
of dollars, and assistance in preparing applications ranges from
appropriate to plagiaristic. Videotaped mock college interviews are
features of some packages, as are guided tours of colleges. An array of
services start in ninth grade ("or seventh or eighth grade for no extra
charge") for fees of over $30,000. More specific services include Essay
Review, which offers "brainstorming session and as many revisions as
necessary". Such services can add to, rather than alleviate, the stress
of the normal expectations of school, community, and family life. Their
"products", such as overly-slick essays, can even hurt a student's
admissions chances as they can sometimes be easy to spot in the
admissions process.
The pressure of gaining entrance to the most selective colleges is
commonly blamed for much of the stress we observe. But those of us who
work in college admissions recognize that college is only one of many
destinations in the fast lane. The accumulation of "credentials" simply
continues to intensify as the stakes increase. The "right" graduate
school looms after college, and the "right" sequence of jobs is next.
Such attainments make it possible to live in the "right" kinds of
communities and to begin the job of bringing up the following
generation, one that might need to vault even higher hurdles.
The Fallout
Faced with the fast pace of growing up today, some students are
clearly distressed, engaging in binge drinking and other
self-destructive behaviors. Counseling services of secondary schools
and colleges have expanded in response to greatly increased demand. It
is common to encounter even the most successful students, who have won
all the "prizes," stepping back and wondering if it was all worth it.
Professionals in their thirties and forties - physicians, lawyers,
academics, business people and others - sometimes give the impression
that they are dazed survivors of some bewildering life-long boot-camp.
Some say they ended up in their profession because of someone else's
expectations, or that they simply drifted into it without pausing to
think whether they really loved their work. Often they say they missed
their youth entirely, never living in the present, always pursuing some
ill-defined future goal.
Some Early Remedies
What can we do to help? Fortunately this young fast-track generation
itself offers ideas that can reduce stress and prevent burnout. In
college application essays and interviews, in conversations and
counseling sessions with current college students, and in discussions
with alumni/ae, many current students perceive the value of taking time
out. Such a "time out" can take many forms. It can be very brief or
last for a year or more. It can be structured or unstructured, and
directed toward career, academic or purely personal pursuits. Most
fundamentally, it is a time to step back and reflect, to gain
perspective on personal values and goals, or to gain needed life
experience in a setting separate from and independent of one's
accustomed pressures and expectations.
For the years during high school, here is some of the advice students have offered:
- Families should allow for "down-time" during vacations, weekends,
and during the week at mealtimes or at any other break in the action.
The fabric of family life is already under assault from the demands of
parents' increasingly stressful jobs. Parents, some of whom experienced
the first wave of fast-lane childhoods themselves, are often distressed
by how little uninterrupted free time they have to devote to their
children.
- Bring summer back. Summer need not be totally consumed by highly
structured programs, such as summer schools, travel programs, or
athletic camps. While such activities can be wonderful in many ways,
they can also add to stress by assembling "super peers" who set nearly
impossible standards. Activities in which one can develop at one's own
pace can be much more pleasant and helpful. An old-fashioned summer job
that provides a contrast to the school year or allows students to meet
others of differing backgrounds, ages, and life experiences is often
invaluable in providing psychological downtime and a window on future
possibilities. Students need ample free time to reflect, to recreate
(i.e. to "re-create" themselves without the driving pressure to achieve
as an influence), and to gather strength for the school year ahead.
- Choose a high school (or a college) not simply by "brand name" or
reputation but because it is the best fit. A school with a slower pace
or a different academic or extracurricular focus can be a better match
for certain students in the long run.
Using the Senior Year
The senior year of high school presents some special challenges and
opportunities. The U.S. Department of Education's Commission on the
High School Senior Year calls the senior year a "lost opportunity that
we need to reclaim." While some students try to get by with as little
work as possible, others find it the most stressful year of their
lives, with more demanding courses, more leadership responsibilities in
their extracurricular activities, and the added burden of applying to
college and taking the requisite college entrance tests.
There is often great tension about choosing and being admitted to
the "right" college. Students and their families react to this
particular stress in a number of ways, and many want the college
admissions process over with as soon as possible.
While early admission programs may be right for some students, many
observers have begun to ask whether too many students are applying
early. They wonder if students are taking enough time and care to
select colleges that best match their academic interests, career goals,
and personal aspirations. Some have even used the word "hysteria" to
describe some students who, perhaps influenced by peer pressure, want
to apply early "somewhere" - without considering which colleges might
be best for them. Some students have concluded that it is a virtual
necessity to apply early, whatever the circumstances, for fear of being
left behind.
We concur with these observers that early admissions programs have
not served students well. In addition, they are not equally available
to all students given the great disparities in guidance counseling and
other resources in the United States and elsewhere. We have therefore
eliminated our early admission program because we believe it is the
right thing to do to help our students use their secondary school years
in the most effective manner possible. By focusing on the opportunities
available in secondary school rather than on applying "early" to
college, students will also benefit by avoiding the worst aspects of
the college application frenzy that students often find so stressful.
Some high schools help their seniors in the transition from high
school to college by allowing a slightly reduced course load, along
with alternatives such as community service, research projects, and
internships that might help with career exploration.
Colleges can help themselves as well as their prospective students
by declaring (and demonstrating) that they are not judged simply by the
number of AP or other advanced credits amassed at the end of senior
year. For example, those students with particular strengths in the
humanities and social sciences often believe colleges expect them to
take calculus when they might be much better served by another algebra
course or statistics-or another language - instead. No matter which
path they take, students who can find ways to reduce stress and use the
senior year well arrive at college much better prepared to take full
advantage of their first year of college.
Taking Time Off Before or During College
Perhaps the best way of all to get the full benefit of a "time-off"
is to postpone entrance to college for a year. For over thirty years,
Harvard has recommended this option, indeed proposing it in the letter
of admission. Normally a total of about fifty to seventy students defer
college until the next year.
The results have been uniformly positive. Harvard's daily student newspaper, The Crimson
reported (5/19/2000) that students who had taken a year off found the
experience "
so valuable that they would advise all Harvard students to
consider it." Harvard's overall graduation rate of 98% is among the
highest in the nation, perhaps in part because so many students take
time off. One student, noting that the majority of her friends will
simply spend eight consecutive terms at Harvard, "wondered if they ever
get the chance to catch their breath."
During her year off, the student quoted above toured South America
with an ice-skating company and later took a trip to Russia. Another
interviewed in the article worked with a growing e-commerce company (in
which the staff grew from ten to a hundred during the year) and
backpacked around Europe for six months.
Some Options for the Interim Year
Members of one recent class participated in the following
activities, and more, in the interim year: drama, figure skating,
health-care, archeological exploration, kibbutz life, language study,
mineralogical research, missionary work, music, non-profit groups,
child welfare programs, political campaigns, rebuilding schools,
special needs volunteering, sports, steel drumming, storytelling, swing
dance, university courses, and writing - to name some chosen at random.
They took their interim year in the following locales: Belize, Brazil,
China, Costa Rica, Denmark, Ecuador, France, Germany, Guatemala,
Honduras, India, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Mongolia, Nepal, Philipines,
Scandinavia, Scotland, Spain, Switzerland, Taiwan, Thailand, Uruguay,
United States and Zimbabwe.
Many students divide their year into several segments of work,
travel, or study. Not all can afford to travel or to take part in
exotic activities. A number have served in the military or other
national service programs. Some remain at home, working, taking
part-time courses, interning, and still finding the time to read books
they have never had time to fit into their schedules or begin to write
the "great American novel." Others have been able to forge closer ties
with parents or grandparents from whom they may have drifted away
during the hectic pace of the high-school years.
Reactions to the Year Off
Students taking a year off prior to Harvard are doing what students
from the U.K. do with their so-called "gap year." Other countries have
mandatory military service for varying periods of time. Regardless of
why they took the year off or what they did, students are effusive in
their praise. Many speak of their year away as a "life-altering"
experience or a "turning point," and most feel that its full value can
never be measured and will pay dividends the rest of their lives. Many
come to college with new visions of their academic plans, their
extracurricular pursuits, the intangibles they hoped to gain in
college, and the career possibilities they observed in their year away.
Virtually all would do it again.
Nevertheless, taking time off can be a daunting prospect for
students and their parents. Students often want to follow friends on
safer and more familiar paths. Parents worry that their sons and
daughters will be sidetracked from college, and may never enroll. Both
fear that taking time off can cause students to "fall behind" or lose
their study skills irrevocably. That fear is rarely justified. High
school counselors, college administrators, and others who work with
students taking time off can help with reassurance that the benefits
far outweigh the risks.
Occasionally students are admitted to Harvard or other colleges in
part because they accomplished something unusual during a year off.
While no one should take a year off simply to gain admission to a
particular college, time away almost never makes one a less desirable
candidate or less well prepared for college.
Achieving Balance
While the focus here has been on ways to relieve stress for today's
high-achieving generation, we should note that in fact most students
are coping well with pressure, even thriving. This remarkable time
offers opportunities that previous generations (and students in many
other countries today) could not imagine. Colleges, for example, now
reach out through their recruiting programs to talented students from
every economic background. Financial aid makes college a reality for
outstanding students on a scale that was not possible before.
Graduation rates at leading American colleges and universities remain
extremely high and students express satisfaction with their college
experiences.
It is important to remember that access to higher education around
the world is at present limited to a lucky few. Those fortunate enough
to enjoy such a privilege have a responsibility to use their talents to
provide expanded opportunities for future generations. Our young alumni
and alumnae have been successful in meeting the formidable challenges
they have faced since college. But they continue to remind us that the
rigors of competing in the new world economy impose high standards on
everyone. They do not (nor do we) tell today's students to "slack off"
and achieve less. Recent graduates advise today's high school and
college students to prepare themselves emotionally as well as
academically.
It is worth noting that extraordinary achievements are never based
on emulating someone else's achievements, but on some unmeasurable
combination of (a) marching to one's own specific and unique drummer
and (b) accidentally - perhaps unconsciously - doing something that
captures the Zeitgeist in new and unexpected ways. Those whom
parents often want their children to emulate either used their own
ingenuity to give the public a product or image it desperately wanted,
or happened to catch a hot wave of the time, or (ideally) both.
While their achievement stands as an ideal for which others strive,
others cannot by definition duplicate that achievement because it is
induplicable. So the problem can often be well-meaning but misguided
parents who try to mold their children into an image of success they
value; and their children, being moldable as they are, often get on
board and go along with the program before they have any capacity to
make such a choice for themselves. Yet the paradox is that the only
road to real success is to become more fully oneself, to succeed in the
field and on the terms that one defines for oneself.
So the pressures placed on many children probably have the
unintended effect of delaying a child's finding herself and succeeding
on her own terms. We should all have the right to gape with awe at
Tiger Woods' achievements or Yo-Yo Ma's musical triumphs, while at the
same time achieving our own more modest ones in our own fields and
ways: finding hominid bones that shift our conception of paleontology,
or composing smooth jazz melody, or tracing the rise and decline of
Roman gentes. Parents and students alike profit from
redefining success as fulfillment of the student's own aims, even those
yet to be discovered. Burn-out is an inevitable result of trying to
live up to alien goals. Time out can promote discovery of one's own
passions.
The fact remains that there is something very different about
growing up today. Some students and families are suffering from the
frenetic pace, while others are coping but enjoying their lives less
than they would like. Even those who are doing extraordinarily well,
the "happy warriors" of today's ultra-competitive landscape, are in
danger of emerging a bit less human as they try to keep up with what
may be increasingly unrealistic expectations.
The good news is that students themselves offer helpful suggestions
about how best to handle the challenges they face. In part because of
all the obstacles that confront them from the earliest stages of their
lives, this generation has emerged generally more mature,
sophisticated, and, at their best, better prepared to cope with the
demands of the twenty-first century. They learn at an early age how to
cope with both victory and defeat and with the formidable demands
placed on them by adults and peers. Yet many would benefit from a pause
in their demanding lives. Let us hope that more of them will take some
sort of time-out before burnout becomes the hallmark of their
generation.
2000 - Revised 2006
Funny that Harvard's professor wrote this, yet their admission standard is the highest... LOL
