How American Idol is Similar to Selecting a College

Sadly this blog isn’t quite as timely as part 1 of the series but maybe it will appeal to those of you in new tv withdrawal (quite frankly I’m not sure what people watch on television during the summer when there are few if any first-run episodes and football is out of season).  American Idol can also mirror the college search process.

Auditions: Just as AI does a nationwide search for the “next American Idol”, winnowing down a pool of hundreds of thousands into a far more manageable number, students begin the college search process trying to narrow down a list of thousands of universities into a smaller group of possible matches.  Students will consult college guide books, on-line search engines, college counselors, teachers, friends, parents, and a whole host of other advice givers.  Like the Idol judges there are certain qualities that help to eliminate the contenders from the non-contenders.  The AI judges are looking for talent, charisma, stage presence, confidence, and that overused Kara term, “artistry”.  Prospective students are looking for location, size, academic offerings, social life atmosphere, competitiveness, etc.  The qualities they are looking for will not be found in every institution or AI competitor but will be found in some contestants or institutions and those will move on to the next round.

Hollywood Week: We know them, we love them; the college search trips.  Oftentimes overwhelming and always exhausting these trips consist of the 15-schools-in-five-days model.  Students and families take such trips during spring break or the summer or during three-day holiday weekends.  Similar to AI’s Hollywood week, these trips are how many families narrow the playing field even further.  Some contestants that impressed in the first round of auditions will fall flat in Hollywood.  Similarly, some institutions that looked good on paper will fail to impress during a campus tour.  On the other hand, some “dark horse” candidates or institutions will begin to shine.  They will surprise, impress, and inspire.  At the end of Hollywood Week and the college search trip, the field will be narrowed even further.

The Top 36: From this group, the AI judges and the viewers have to select the top 12.  Prospective students need to determine to whom they will apply.  Some contestants might forget the lyrics and be easy to eliminate.  Similarly, some schools might have overwhelming or complicated applications making them less appealing (lets not kid ourselves, I actually didn’t apply to one institution because it required 5 difficult essays including comparing myself to my favorite literary character).  The top vote getters automatically move on to the top 12.  Similarly, those schools that appeal to you and your family might even get an early application out of you.

The Top 12: Just as the top 12 face pressure to perform week to week and face the anxiety of another elimination, prospective students must complete and submit applications.  They must perform too, impressing their own judges (i.e. admission committees) with their resumes, transcripts, and essay-writing abilities.  Just like AI contestants, they must outshine their competitors week to week in order to be kept in the game.  Also like their AI counterparts, prospective students face the anxiety of the waiting game between the late fall and early spring.  Just as AI contestants take that dreaded walk to the center stage as part of the bottom 3, applicants take that dreaded walk to the mailbox each day in March and April waiting to see the number and size of the envelopes received.

The Finale: Okay, so AI is down to two contestants who get to sing 3 songs.  It’s their time to really shine, to impress the judges and America.  America tunes in in record numbers in order to make the right call with the final vote.  In April, high school seniors have invitations to attend several schools the following fall.  These seniors and their families now visit campuses who roll out the red carpet in order to yield those students; to get them to cast their final vote in that institution’s favor.  It’s often a difficult choice since all the candidates/institutions have much to offer.  In the end however, while usually a close call, the voters and the prospective students make a final gut check, cast their vote/deposit enrollment, and the process concludes….at least until next season.

– Wendy Livingston