Bradshaw: College classrooms remain spaces for ideas not ideology

Chicago Tribune

a day ago

In the fall of 1970, I was a Army veteran of the 101st Airborne Division enrolled at the University of California, Berkeley. The protests were loud, the slogans blunt, and the politics tense. I wasn't there to protest. I was there to study. While others were debating American imperialism on Sproul Plaza, I was deep in constitutional law and political theory — preparing for the rigors of law school. I never felt silenced. Professors were tough but fair. Students had their causes, but classrooms remained spaces for ideas, not ideology.
Fifty years later, the American college campus is again in the spotlight — for reasons less academic. Parents worry their children will face litmus tests. Students ask if admissions offices want confessionals or credentials.
The truth, as usual, is more complicated. Most high school seniors applying to selective colleges this fall don't need a lot of advice on how
to polish their personal essay or list extracurriculars. What they need is what's missing from most guidance offices: the hard, often
uncomfortable realities about how top-tier admissions actually work.
Here are a few things students — and their parents — ought to know.
1. The Ideology Panic Is Overblown — But Strategy Still Matters: Yes, there are loud political skirmishes on campus. And yes, a few
faculty members have become activists with tenure. But the people reading applications aren't professors. They're admissions officers.
Their chief priority isn't ideological purity — it's institutional prestige. They are looking for students who will enhance the school's brand,
contribute visibly, and ideally donate generously later on.
That means your student can write an essay on social justice — or on rebuilding a motorcycle engine — as long as it's compelling. Political
alignment is less important than intellectual substance. At Harvard, a thoughtful conservative from Indiana still stands a chance — if he doesn't try to game the system by pretending to be someone he's not.
2. Excellence Still Wins — but It Has to Be Distinct: Top colleges routinely reject students with 4.0 GPAs and perfect test scores. This isn't a conspiracy. It's oversupply. What wins isn't just academic performance but differentiation. Admissions officers look for what researchers call a 'spike' — a student with demonstrable, often rare, excellence in a focused area.
An Intel science finalist, an Olympic-level cellist, a published author — these applicants stand out. Not because they're well-rounded,
but because they're sharp-edged. The days of trying to be captain, president, volunteer, and valedictorian are over. Focus beats breadth.
3. Legacy and Money Still Buy Access — Quietly: Despite frequent denials, legacy status and donor connections still tilt the field. A 2023 working paper from Harvard researchers revealed that legacy applicants were admitted at rates several times higher than their non-legacy peers, even when controlling for qualifications. 'Need-blind' admissions doesn't always mean aid-blind decision-making. At many institutions, full-pay applicants enjoy subtle advantages. No high school counselor will say this outright—but students should understand that the playing field, while not rigged, is hardly level.
4. Recommendation Letters Are an Untapped Resource: Most students default to teacher recommendations, often from their 11th-grade English or history teacher. These are fine. But the best letters often come from outside the classroom: a mentor from a summer research lab, a supervisor at a startup internship, or a coach who has worked closely with the student for years.
Admissions officers want specifics. 'John is responsible and hardworking' is generic. 'John built a solar-powered irrigation system
using his own algorithms' is not.
5. Social Media Is a Portfolio — Not Just a Risk: Students are told not to post anything online they wouldn't want a dean to see. Good advice. But here's what they don't hear: social media can also help. A well-produced YouTube series on political philosophy or a blog that analyzes Supreme Court rulings shows initiative and thought.
Colleges appreciate authentic intellectual curiosity — especially if it's public. A 2022 Kaplan survey showed that 36% of admissions officers had reviewed applicants' social media. For a few, it helped.
6. Campus Is Still a Place for Ideas — If You Show Up for Them: The loudest students often dominate headlines. But most undergraduates aren't professional protesters. They're trying to learn. And most professors, even on politically active campuses, still reward clarity of thought, not conformity.
At Berkeley, my views weren't always in line with the majority. No one cared. Because I showed up prepared, wrote rigorous papers, and
engaged the material. That dynamic still exists, though it requires a thicker skin and a sense of proportion.
7. Prestige Is Overrated — Outcomes Aren't: Finally, the most underrated truth: many students chasing Ivy League names would be better served at public honors colleges, strong liberal arts schools, or universities where they can stand out. Law schools, med schools, and employers care far more about what students do with their education than the name on the diploma.
A focused, debt-free graduate from UT-Austin or Michigan can outpace an ambivalent Ivy Leaguer with a bloated résumé and a drained bank
account.
If you're a high school senior, don't try to play a role. Be sharp. Be real. If you're not marching across campus in protest, that's fine. If you are, make sure you can defend your cause with reason. But either way, show the admissions committee something they can't ignore. Because at the end of the day, what top colleges want most is not an ideology — but a mind that's awake.