7 Lessons The Hunger Games Can Teach You About College Admissions

By Taylor Cotter | StudentAdvisor.com Staff

The Hunger Games is a tale of competition, relationships, betrayal and success. Sound familiar? At StudentAdvisor.com, we thought The Hunger Games drew some pretty close parallels to the “College Admissions Games.” To celebrate the release of the upcoming film adaptation of the book we wanted to share some college admissions pointers from Katniss and Peeta.

Follow the 7 lessons from The Hunger Games below to understand the bizarre world of college admissions:

1. Admissions Can Seem Random

Though there’s a system to college admissions, it isn’t too far off from “the reaping.” Prim and Peeta were picked to be tributes randomly from thousands of names. Though some colleges adhere to a fairly strict algorithm for admissions, it’s likely that when you start seeing where your friends are accepted and rejected, the process can seem totally random.

Instead of questioning why your friend was accepted somewhere you weren’t, or you were chosen to battle to the death on television while your friend wasn’t, it’s best to accept the uncertainty of the process and that you are fated to end up at the colleges to which you were accepted.

2. You Have To Compete With Your Friends

Katniss and Peeta knew each other since they were in kindergarten. They may not have been close friends, but they knew that they either had to compete against each other or work together. There were times when they worked closely, and times where they sold each other out. When applying to colleges, you may be applying to many of the same schools as your friends.

There are times when you may resent the fact that you have to compete against them and want to sacrifice your relationship for an admission to that perfect school. However, like Katniss and Peeta have taught us, everyone can win if we work closely together. Trade tips about tours, essays, and interviews while avoiding burning any bridges – there’s a chance you may be spending much more time with your friend than you imagined.

3. You Don’t Know Who You’re Competing Against (and Some People Have Been Preparing Forever)

In The Hunger Games, the antagonists were thrown into the arena with 22 other tributes from all over the nation. Some of the “career” tributes had been preparing since they were born, while some, like Katniss or Rue, were thrown in at the very last second with little time to organize or plan. Though some of the careers had an advantage by being clear about what skills they would need, they often underestimated the strength and will of Katniss.

When applying to a school, your application can be one of thousands that a school receives. Some of these other applicants might have had parents who are alumni, some might have been working to go to a certain college their whole life, and some might have applied on a last-minute whim. It’s not worth your time or energy to compare yourself to the other students who will be in your applicant pool. It is crucial to concentrate on your strengths and best qualities (whether it’s your SAT scores or skinning rabbits) and rely on those to get ahead.

4. College Admissions and The Hunger Games Start When You’re 12

At age 12, your name is entered into the pool to be a tribute in The Hunger Games. This may seem too young or too unfair, but when it comes to selections like Rue and Prim, it’s not up to them. Many people don’t start thinking about college admissions when they’re in the 6th grade, but it doesn’t hurt.

If you have a younger sibling or cousin, it may give them an edge to begin thinking about what subjects they're best in, which activities they enjoy, and what college has to offer. Many college juniors and seniors who play an instrument or who play varsity sports start developing their skills in middle school.

5. It Helps to Find a Mentor

Haymitch may not have been the choice mentor of Katniss and Peeta, but he was certainly smart, experienced, and knew what he was doing. Take a look at your friends, parents and teachers and find one or two people who you can truly trust throughout your admissions process.

The college application and admission process can be grueling and emotional, and it’s crucial to have someone who you can turn to for advice and support. Haymitch specialized in tough love– which college applicants can always use. Find someone who is willing to be honest with you throughout your process.

6. Brace Yourself for Unsuspecting Twists

During The Hunger Games, the Gamemakers throw in a number of twists and turns to test the tributes. Some of the most memorable were the mutations, the tracker jackers, setting the arena on fire or creating an earthquake. Gamemakers are the fictional Admissions Officers, and it’s possible that admissions officers can twist the process without your consent.

Remember when Vassar College accidentally admitted 122 students? Sometimes admissions officers miss their deadline, receive way more applications than expected, or run into other unexpected bumps in the process of getting you your letter by April 1st. Try to stay calm and expect the unexpected as much as possible. Unlike The Hunger Games, it’s likely that you’ll have a relatively smooth go-about through admissions. However, there might be a few bumps in the road. Be prepared.

7. Get Used to Playing Up Your Story

Katniss and Peeta fabricated an entire love story to get ahead in The Hunger Games. Should you go so far in your college essay? Probably not. However, it will help to capitalize on the resources available to you.

Did you have an awesome experience on a service trip? Talk about how it changed you and makes you a great potential college student, and leave out the parts about your long car ride or the boy/girl you met. Are you writing about someone who inspires you? Making sure you’re writing about you, and not about them. Applications essays are like your screen time during The Hunger Games – it’s your time to shine and sell yourself.

8 Tips for Eighth Grade Parents

1.  Plan the academic schedule with care.  The most selective colleges are looking for students who stretch themselves by taking the most rigorous course of study possible.  However, it is not necessary to take every possible AP.  Further, some AP/Honors course are significantly more work than the regular track, others are just a bit more work.  Talk to parents and students in the grades ahead and get the inside scoop.  It is a very delicate balance between rigor and good grades.  Choose AP/Honors courses in areas of strength and where it makes the most sense.

2.  The one subject for which Tip #1 does not hold is math!  If at all possible, stretch for the fast math track.  Making it to AP Calculus (AB or BC) is a key benchmark for many of the highly selective colleges.

3.  Encourage your child to explore extracurricular areas of interest.  Colleges are not just looking for good students, they are looking for good students who will make a significant contribution to their sports teams, their musical groups, their theater troupes, their newspapers, their student government organizations, etc. Support your child's passions: send him to a specialty camp, sign him up for voice lessons, encourage him to run for student council, consider finding a class in an area of intellectual interest.  Students definitely deserve some time off to hang out with friends and relax, but too much of that just leads to boredom and trouble (especially in the summer).

4. Encourage your student to read. Reading is the best way to prepare for standardized tests.  The more students read the better their verbal, writing, and critical thinking abilities will be.  Not only are these skills critical for the SAT and ACT, but they are also key to academic success in high school. Perhaps even consider making vocabulary building a family activity by learning a word a day?

5. Encourage the development of good study habits and address any areas of weaknesses now.  The clock starts ticking the first day of high school so it is critical that your student come out of the gate ready.  If his writing skills are weak, consider some remedial work.  If he struggles at math, perhaps he should consider getting a tutor.  Likewise, good organizational, time management, and study skills are essential to succeed in high school.  Brainstorm with your student about the best time, the best place, the best method to study, offer to help quiz or edit when appropriate.  Make it clear you value his educational success.

6.  Educate yourself about college costs and how you will finance your student's education.  The price tag for many private colleges today is over $55,000 per year.  Learn about how the financial aid system works, figure out if you will qualify, and make a plan for how you will save for and finance this major purchase.

7.  If you are in an area where there is a college of interest (or perhaps you are going to your college reunion), don't hesitate to take a tour, explore the campus, even sit in on a group information session.  The more students know about the differences in colleges and the college process early on, the better prepared they will to build a college list and ultimately apply. 

8.  Enjoy this time! It goes far too quickly and things are never the same once students go off to college.  Appreciate that the search for a college is a journey and not a destination.  Relish the stops along the way!

College Admissions 2012: Ain't what it used to be!

College Admissions 2012:  Ain't what it used to be!

Well-rounded white female with a 4.0 GPA in a rigorous college prep program and nearly perfect test scores from a "good family." In the "old days" such a candidate would have had piles of "fat envelopes."  Not so any more--the rules have definitely changed!  Why didn't she get in?

She is well-rounded.  Colleges are no longer looking for the well-rounded student but instead the "angular student" who doesn't try to do it all, but instead is extremely passionate about and talented in one or two areas.  Colleges today value "depth" over "breadth."  They are looking for special talents: for tackles to fill their offensive line, for flautists to play in their orchestras, for budding journalists to lead their publications. They want students with serious strengths in their choice of activities because those students will be more likely to contribute at the college level. They look to how a student has impacted his or her high school teams, clubs, and organizations for an indication of how they might contribute to college life. They are not looking for well-rounded students but instead to build a well-rounded class.

She is a girl.  Unlike 20 years ago, today females are applying to colleges in much greater numbers than males.  In fact most colleges today are working hard to keep their male-female ratio close. With the exception of engineering programs, most colleges are in the 45% male to 55% female range and many schools are much more lopsided. Not only are more females applying, but they tend to be better applicants:  they get better grades, they are better organized, they write better essays, and tend to do a better job on their applications. Therefore the competition for girls is significantly greater than for boys.

She is white.  Colleges are looking for ethnic diversity. As the United States becomes more diverse, colleges want their student bodies to reflect that diversity.  While Asian Americans have sometimes been overrepresented on college campuses, admissions officers are working hard to find qualified African-American, Hispanic, and Native American candidates.

She is Upper Middle Class.  Colleges are also looking for socioeconomic diversity and are bending over backwards to even the playing field for anyone who has not had a privileged upbringing. Today being the first in your family to go to college or coming from an impoverished inner city school can give an applicant an advantage.  Forgo the expensive summer program and certainly don't advertise international travel experiences.  Avoid any indication of privilege.

She is from the Northeast.  Colleges are also looking for geographic diversity.  Colleges tend to draw more students from the region in which they are located and the Northeast boasts a majority of the most highly selective and well-known institutions.  Colleges also want to report that every state in the nation is represented.  While it is probably not worth moving to Idaho, the Ivies certainly do see fewer applications from Idaho than New York.

The process at the most selective colleges is ridiculously competitive and often unpredictable.  Let's take Harvard admissions, for example.  This year Harvard admitted 2,032 students or 5.9 percent of its 34,302 applicants.  This year's pool included 3,800 students who were ranked number one in their high school class. Roughly half of those 5% admits were of the opposite sex, so that takes and individual's chance of admission down to roughly 3.  Then if you take out special interest groups (recruited athletes, legacies, development cases, underrepresented minorities), the chance of admission drops down to about 1.5 in 100!

It is not so bleak!  There are over 3,000 colleges in the country and of those, 80% accept the vast majority of their applicants.  So develop your (or your student's) passion and special talent(s), do your homework, and be realistic.  After all, going to Harvard does not guarantee success and happiness in life and there are plenty of people who have gained both success and happiness without an Ivy League degree.