University admissions: What next?

Entrance gate to Moi University main campus, Kesses. [Courtesy]

The wait is over; students have been placed in courses and universities, not necessarily of their choice. Some will smile all the way to class; others will cry at home.  The courses and the universities will determine their lifelong trajectory, but not 100 per cent.

It sounds like the United States (US) around March, when universities release their admission results. Curiously, the Ivy League universities - from Harvard to Brown release the admission results on the same day.

Unlike Kenya, the US has no Kenya Universities and Colleges Central Placement Service (KUCCPS); students apply directly to the university. This creates interesting dynamics; students can be admitted into several universities at once.

The criteria for which university to join usually depend on a number of factors. One is financial aid; well-endowed universities can give students grants and scholarships and reduce their financial burden. Public universities are cheaper but bigger. In-state students pay much less than out-of-State or international students. It’s an interesting question whether that limits student mobility and experiences.

Second, university prestige is often correlated with admission rates. Top universities like Harvard, Massachusetts Institute of Technology or Stanford have less than five per cent.

Some public universities in the US have rates of over 90 per cent. What are our admission rates in Kenya? Students also visit campuses to see for themselves. Family traditions also matter, with some institutions popular with some families. Lots of data on universities helps the student decide.

One other interesting metric is yield rate: what percentage of admitted students actually enrol. You may have guessed; it’s high for prestigious universities. Data seems to suggest the yield rate is going down in Kenya; shift to Technical and Vocational Education and Training institutions? Cost? Unemployment among graduates?

The fact that students apply and get admitted to many universities reduces the yield rate. Universities try to increase yield rates with early decisions, where students make a bidding decision to enrol in that university, usually with a commitment fee. 

Enough on US universities; those in other parts of the world can share their experiences. Back to Kenya, should we allow universities to admit students directly?

Private universities already do that?

US universities go beyond national exams into essays and occasionally standardised tests and recommendation letters. Don’t ask me what will happen to KUCCPS. Will the competition result in universities reforming their curriculum and improving their services? 

One student in a US university told me that writing essays in applications forces you to introspect and decide early enough what you want to do with your life.

The fear is that universities could make admission easy to get more students and their money. Then the regulator can set minimum standards. The regulator can force universities to publicise data such as graduation rates, employment rates, and even admission rates to reduce information asymmetry.

Students’ journey starts with admission. Many students are “shocked” by the university, from the hostels to class sizes and impersonal treatment. The attention and discipline in high school are replaced by “freedom.” It’s often confusing to those coming to the city for the first time, more so if one was a day scholar.

Accommodating (and feeding) students, in my opinion, is the soft underbelly of the university journey; In top US universities, students are guaranteed accommodation for the first two years. Think of Maslow’s hierarchy of human needs.

Noted how private accommodation has thrived. Great idea; what of private labs and engineering workshops? 

I finally understood Maslow’s hierarchy after visiting Google. Food is free for its employees. Does it surprise you that it’s one of the most innovative firms? Mzungu in the colonial plantations also gave workers food and got productivity.

Let’s go beyond admission and address the students' “supply chain} up to the job market. Does it worry us that admissions are skewed towards social sciences? 

Students must keep in mind that the university’s greatest legacy is making you adaptable to change, beyond new skills, knowledge, attitudes and careers. If you can create that change, the better.

That is what innovators do. What will come after AI? Social media? Tiktok?  Cryptocurrency? Gene therapy? 

Once admitted, determine what you want to do with your life. And grow 360 degrees. Go beyond books, understand your environment, and find out what happens in the real world. 

Understand human behaviour; you will interact with fellow humans all your life.

And learn about money, a source of joy and misery. 

Think of where you will be at age 50 and plan how to get there. Dreams can be validated. Use exuberance of youth to build exuberance of old age. Spend less time mourning over the course admitted. Change if you can; if you can’t, reset your life, and you may surprise yourself.

The biggest problem on campus isn’t academics; you've got the intellect. It’s the relationships: newly found freedom and how to relate to fellow students, parents, peers, and future co-workers. Congrats on making it this far; you will now become the architect of your own life, but seek advice; you are still young.

Next week: what about those not getting to campus?