Ivy League undergraduate applications and calling oneself an alumnus

It was a chance meeting while killing time before picking my children from their English classes today. And elderly man talked asked about the Columbia University t-shirt I was wearing. I told him I bought it at my alma mater during my visit two months back.

He opens up the story about how great top US universities are. Apparently he did his MBA in the US. We chatted about the single digit admit rate nowadays and how difficult for us (told him I am an alumni interviewer for undergrad admissions, for my alma mater).

His wife came signalling she is ready to leave. But he continue lamenting about how people claiming to be alumni of a top university despite having just complete a short 2 months course there and also the stark differences in quality and brand name of the different faculties within a university; where the business school of an Ivy League University would carry a bigger weight and better reputation that it’s school of government. I totally agree with him.

And we also talked about the infamous question that he was asked long time ago when he applied for admission into a top business school in Connecticut (which I also told him that I was briefly there two months ago for my son’s academic competition). It asked about the applicant’s family donation to the school. That happen before I was even born. And I told him, that question and also the question about siblings or relatives graduating from the school was still around when I was applying for undergraduate admission. We laughed.

The gentlemen was a top ranking government servant who has worked under various key government ministries prior to his retirement. And was personally involved in key historical events that shaped the country in the 1980s.

Regular Decision applications undergraduate admissions into most top US universities just closed (1 Jan 2018 was the dateline for Columbia University). Having completed the Early Decision (or Early Action as some universities termed it) in November and receiving the decision last month, the interview season for alumni interviewers resumes.

Despite potentially looking at further decline of admit rates, myself and fellow alumni interviewers are still committed to trying to meet up with as many applicants as we could, despite our tight work schedules. We remain resilience in assisting the admission office to ensure the brightest and most talented applicants from the Malaysian shore to be given the opportunity to experience the US education system. It has done well for us, and we hope that the similar experience will create great talents that Malaysia can be proud of as the country strives towards the develop nation status.’

As we parted, he shouted to me , “Keep the T-Shirt. Don’t ever sell it!”. I smiled. I am always thankful for the experience that Columbia University has given me; the reason why I have been an alumni interviewer for more than 15 years.

My only wish is to see more Malaysians graduating for Ivy Leagues and other top US Universities. Why only apply for the universities which offers almost guaranteed admissions, when these top tier universities can offer much better challenges and opportunities. Owh! By applying, I do mean applying for either undergraduate, master’s or PhD programs, where after graduation, you can really be a genuine alumni.

To friends whose children are applying for undergraduate schools coming fall season,all the best, and may they be successful in gaining admissions into their top picks.