High school students have been told time and time again that they need consistent good grades and a host of extracurriculars to stand out in the college application process. This mindset, however, can lead students to fixate on quantity over quality and miss out on experiences that help develop character and values.

This is why the Making Caring Common project wants to infuse messages about the common good into the college admissions process. Making Caring Common, a project of the Harvard Graduate School of Education, works with families, educators, and communities to develop children’s gratitude and sense of care for others.

Emily Roper-Doten, vice president for undergraduate admissions and financial assistance, and Brennan Barnard, the college admissions program advisor of Making Caring Common, discuss the role of compassion in college admissions. Barnard thinks a shift toward mastery over traditional grades could help. Mastry learning is a strategy at the Khan Lab School, where Barnard is the director of college counseling and alumni. 

Roper-Doten asks Barnard what he believes students lose when they solely focus on bulking out a resume. “They're thinking more about outcomes than they are process,” he says. “It’s dichotomous thinking rather than contemplating ‘who am I’ and ‘who could I be in a community?’”

Challenge. Change. is produced by Andrew Hart and Melissa Hanson for Clark University. Listen and subscribe on Spotify or Apple Podcasts. Find other episodes wherever you listen to podcasts.