ANOTHER COLLEGE APPLICATION ESSAY. One More Time with Feeling

Education is not the filling of a pail, but the lighting of a fire. ~ William Butler Yates

Tis the season. Erstwhile high school seniors are now working on their applications to enter college next fall. This has been an increasingly popular fall pastime for young people, as I’ve noted before. This fall 2.9 million freshmen are starting their college journeys. The National Center for Educational Statistics expects 19.9 million students to attend the 4,627 American colleges and universities this year. That represents a whole lot of essays written in the past 4+ years.

The percentage of US adults that have at least a baccalaureate degree has never been higher at 34.2% in 2017 (latest year available). Interestingly, this share of adults who have attained at least a B.A. degree is virtually identical with the share of US adults who graduated from high school 67 years ago. What a difference a few generations make.

In the spirit of seniors I interact with at Berkeley High School, I’ve decided to write now another college application essay, to my hypothetical first-choice college, “All About University" (All About U). It’s been 56 years since my last essay. I’ll give it one more try with great feeling. Hopefully by writing this essay I can empathize with this year’s seniors, as well as summarize “my story” in a measly 650 words, which is the word limit for an essay submitted as part of the Common Application. The Common App website states, “Every applicant has a unique story. The essay helps bring that story to life.”

There is no lack of online or offline assistance available for those of us who face writing this essay. Over the years, it has become a very large cottage industry. When I Googled “How to write a college application essay” I received 326 million responses in 0.48 seconds, including one that cited the Modern Language Association’s recommendation that the essay be written in double-spaced 12-point Times New Roman. I’m neglecting these two formatting suggestions at my own peril. So here’s my unique story; I’m sticking to it. 

My Essay.  Plato’s Socratic paradox states, "The only thing I know is that I know nothing.” My educational life, from kindergartening through garnering a Ph.D., has been devoted to reducing the “know nothing” portion of this paradox. This essay reflects my interest in further diminishing my know nothingness via added education at All About U.

I characterize my formal education beginning, with a tip of my hat to Plato, as knowing nothing about virtually everything and ending up knowing virtually everything about next to nothing (in this case, my dissertation topic). This essay is the story of what I’ve learned and gained insight about. The greater domain of knowledge remaining for me to acquire remains. Attending All About U will offer succor in my quest.

My life has been filled with luck and good fortune because I’ve done the right kind of work that I was passionate about and because of perpetual support of family and friends. Although I wasn’t an all-star academic student throughout most of my K-12 and college career, my optimista nature, social competence, talent, inquisitiveness and ability to envision pathways to achievement were rewarded. A bit of luck was involved in selecting a then-obscure industry – electric utilities – as the focus of my dissertation research. I became one of a small number of energy experts at a fortuitous moment before the 1973 Arab Oil Embargo dramatically changed the US’s economic and energy perspective. Energy was no longer a background topic, it was very front and center as drivers waited for hours to fill their tuna boat-sized cars with gasoline. That crisis suddenly amplified my worth and helped guide my professional career in energy efficiency studies for decades to come.

After retiring from energy consulting in Berkeley, I found another career passion. I decided to “pay it forward” and volunteer my time assisting students at Berkeley High School. Specifically, 12 years ago I became involved with tutoring students who enrolled in two of the school’s college-level economics classes. I’ve helped them to start thinking like economists. Useful economic analysis requires careful, systematic, evidence-based thinking.

It’s been 50 years since I first taught introductory econ as a grad student teaching assistant; my how time has flown. I’m pleased to now be an elder TA, in a sense returning to where I began.

It’s a substantive understatement to say much has changed during the past five decades in our economy. Nevertheless, some overly-aged, now irrelevant concepts – like the Phillips Curve – still reside in these courses’ syllabuses. Despite this I’ve greatly enjoyed working with the teachers and their students. I estimate about 2,500 students have taken these courses since I began. I’m reassured that my efforts have made a difference for a number of them. I’ve also learned more about myself, economics and teaching.

I’ve learned the value of patience, perspective and priorities. It’s crucial to know the details of a particular issue, but also to comprehend the broader perspective and context about how it’s related to the rest of the economy and society. I’ve learned that the most important “law” of economics isn’t the Law of Supply or Demand; no, it’s the inescapable Law of Unintended Consequences.

Another insight I gained in my educational and professional career was to always take advantage of an Open Door policy, referring to the time teachers, supervisors and clients make available for interacting with them. Despite their fears of entering a teacher’s or supervisor’s office/workspace, undergraduates will not be embarrassed by posing questions. In fact, entering their office will directly benefit you because it demonstrates your interest in learning and doing well and positively distinguishes you from many of your colleagues. Just do it.

My education and career have allowed me to travel extensively, meeting fascinating people and seeing fascinating places. I look forward to continuing to expand my knowledge – and reducing my know nothingness – of people and places. Entering All About U will facilitate my journey.  [650 words, oh yeah!]