Is it ever really fair to pay someone to help you get into college?

By CLAIRE SCHAD — cfschad@ucdavis.edu 

In the spring of my third year of high school, as I was about to embark on the journey that is college applications and admissions, the news about the “Operation Varsity Blues” scandal broke. I learned that wealthy elites had been paying to ensure their children gained admission to top universities in the form of bribes, falsified test scores and made-up athletic careers. As a soon-to-be first-generation college student, learning what I could be up against was daunting.  

“But at least they got caught,” I thought. This must be a step in the right direction. And while yes, there was some justice served for those who had been cheating, the college admissions system remains immensely flawed and unequal, continuing to heavily favor the wealthy and privileged. 

In recent years, the acceptance rates at top colleges and universities have been decreasing, meaning qualified applicants are receiving more rejection letters than ever before. This steady increase in the difficulty of admissions has paved the way for a new industry, available to those willing to front the money: college admissions consultants. 

These so-called college admissions experts are hired by families to help their children through the college admissions process. Their scale of work can vary greatly from client to client, but in some of the most involved cases, the consultant is hired while the child is still in middle school. The counselors work closely together with the family to develop the child’s interests and then guide them to opportunities that showcase their interests in a way that will impress top colleges. 

I was in my first year of high school when a close friend’s parent suggested that my family hire the college consultant their family was using. It was presented simply: fork up a couple thousand dollars, and the consultant will help develop your child into the best possible applicant they can be. 

This specific college consultant helped my friend throughout high school, offering test prep support for the SAT and suggesting specific activities and volunteer experiences that were sure to wow college admissions representatives. When it came time to start the college application process, my friend’s resume was filled to the brim with activities suggested by the admissions consultant, and she had a relatively high SAT score. 

In contrast, I had gone through high school personally seeking out activities that I enjoyed. I volunteered at my local animal shelter, joined clubs to spend more time with friends, played the sports I loved and worked with community groups that I felt strongly connected to. As a result, I had a resume that had a little bit of everything on it. It wasn’t fine-tuned to show my dedication and connection to my intended major, which is what some say colleges look for. Despite this, it was representative of me as a person, which is something I am proud of, even if I didn’t realize it at the time. 

When it came time to write my college admission essays, I felt wildly unprepared. I read countless articles about which topics make a good college essay and which ruin it. After all of this preparation, I decided to sit down and start writing. And honestly, most of my essays were not great — I didn’t fully understand how to present my ideas in a way that would be interesting to college admissions officers, likely because I was never really taught how to do so. 

My friend who used the admissions consultant, on the other hand, had someone by her side as she wrote her essays. They would review them after each draft and provide detailed suggestions on how to improve. If I had used this service, would my essays have been better? There is no way to know for sure, but targeted guidance and suggestions would have likely made a difference in the process. After all, my friends who used these services yielded positive results and gained acceptance to practically all of their desired universities.

Throughout the entire college admissions process, I was aware that multiple of my friends were using college consultant services. However, I was adamant that I wanted to complete all of my applications on my own. Maybe I thought these services were unfair, or maybe my stubborn teenage self just wanted to prove that I could do something on my own. Either way, looking back on it, I am happy to say that I have gotten to where I am today without the help of a paid consultant. 

Now that I have matured and am on the cusp of graduation, I can confidently say that college admissions consultants are just another means to providing wealthy students with an advantage in the college admissions process. 

So, if in the future you are ever thinking about spending thousands of dollars on a college consulting service for yourself or someone you love, I encourage you to think deeply about the way these services are contributing to the inequity of higher education. Think about how being molded into the “perfect applicant” may limit self-exploration and personal development. Even though the college consulting industry will try to convince you about the necessity of their services, I challenge you to push back and try to figure it out yourself. After all, rejection isn’t really failure, it’s just redirection. 

Written by: Claire Schad — cfschad@ucdavis.edu 

Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed by individual columnists belong to the columnists alone and do not necessarily indicate the views and opinions held by The California Aggie.

Nobody loves you anymore

By ANDIE TARABZOONI — rmtarabzooni@ucdavis.edu 

The idea of meeting someone organically tends to send people into a frenzy, whether it be social anxiety or a fear of rejection — it’s impossible to orchestrate but horrible to wait for. But meeting through dating apps is looked down upon. So what’s the solution here? Is dating worse than ever? Are we doomed as a planet since you can’t find “the one” on Hinge? Should we get into a bunker to be saved from Armageddon? 

The answer isn’t that simple, although we’d like it to be. To preface, I’m Saudi Arabian, so I don’t date. But most people I’ve met in college do. So, I’m purely basing this on what I think (which is usually correct). 

The online dating scene in the United States is really interesting since it’s very multifaceted and multicultural. The interaction of all of these cultures tends to create some tiring displays of code-switching in relationships. I’ve seen that a lot of my international friends — who tend to date people they’ve met off Hinge and Bumble — have had a hard time keeping up with the constant work of code-switching. This usually leads to them dating people whom they feel more comfortable around, whether that means another international student, someone who can resonate with their culture or someone from back home.

 Often, these connections made through silly prompts tend to fade. It’s not all that personal, you just want to be able to express yourself with someone you like. But maybe there are the right people out there, and maybe you can’t expect people to adjust within the first few days. Your “perfect partner” needs you to give them time. Patience is the biggest virtue when it comes to dating; don’t be afraid to give it or look for it.

If not Hinge, how do you meet someone? I met someone during my first year through an orientation group who I thought was really cool. Thankfully, they moved continents without telling me or their roommate. So maybe it’s not how you meet them — maybe people are just crazy. Is there really that big of a difference between dating apps and meeting people “organically”? What does organically even mean? 

I’m not sure if being in the same Living-Learning Community or orientation group is all that organic. Or maybe it is, maybe it really is fate. But maybe you could also meet the love of your life on Tinder. Who am I to judge? I have no firsthand experience other than ad-libbing as my friends doom scroll through Tinder. I think at the end of the day, it is important to put yourself out there, and do as much as you can if you really want to find someone to reciprocate your love.

I mean, personally, I think it’s superficial to date people purely based on looks and a prompt that tells you they like to pet dogs and watch “Cake Boss” in their free time. But that’s just me. I feel like I’d really need to feel the chemistry (if there is any) and figure out if they have an annoying voice. But maybe that doesn’t matter, maybe you’ve been telling the universe every night, “The one for me loves Cake Boss.” And if that’s how you find the one, who am I to tell you differently? The universe has its ways, so telling people you met on Hinge might be funny. But if you love them, you love them!

There is definitely a problem with dating apps and how we treat people as little whimsical sims, but that’s the era we’re in. So maybe we should adapt and become a little more superficial? It’s better than giving the person you don’t like and aren’t attracted to “a chance” because you met in person. 

Back to a more serious topic: alignment is really important when it comes to finding “the one.” I’m sure a good majority of us had our parents tell us their disagreeing opinions at some point or another. But as we’re allowed to become more vocal and express more opinions, it’s only fair we try to align ourselves with people who we agree with. I’m sure that for some people that doesn’t matter, considering the influx of people with partners with terrible opinions. 

But why should we settle? Why should we choose someone who we have to warn our friends about? It doesn’t have to be political, it can simply be not wanting to stay in the same area or having different life goals. I’m writing this about 20-somethings, so why feel the need to drop it all for someone you met at such a young age? Life will go on for, hopefully, another 50 or so years. You‘ll be okay (no promises though). 

At the end of the day, dating isn’t necessarily worse than ever. It’s definitely harder, and a lot more is going on now. We’re aware of multicultural relationships, we’re aware of our own identities and we’re aware of what our needs are. That’s a lot of awareness. Maybe people in the past had a different mindset of “just having to marry someone.” Maybe our mindsets have changed. But people are finding people for them. It’s less of a dating problem and more so being aware of all of your needs and options that it feels more like online shopping rather than something intimate.

 There’s hope for you — don’t date the guy who uses therapy-speak on every Hinge date. There is so much more for you! Life has so much to offer, it isn’t over because you got ghosted at the ripe age of 20. And I’ve never watched “Love, Actually,” but this quote saves me from trying to be heartfelt to the select few California Aggie fans: “If you look for it, I’ve got a sneaky feeling you’ll find that love actually is all around.” 

Written by: Andie Tarabzooni — rmtarabzooni@ucdavis.edu

Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed by individual columnists belong to the columnists alone and do not necessarily indicate the views and opinions held by The California Aggie.

Why this “antique” animation style is both unique and challenging

By MAYA KORNYEYEVA — mkornyeyeva@ucdavis.edu

Among the dozens of different animation techniques existing today, I believe that none are as hands-on and tedious as stop-motion animation. Tracing its roots back to the early 20th century, stop-motion animation was first widely experimented with by Wladyslaw Starewicz, an avid insect collector in Lithuania who created short films of fiction by setting up beetles and other insects and moving them one tiny bit at a time in front of a camera. After every adjustment — snap! — a photo would be taken, and, over thousands of images, the insects appeared to be moving on their own on screen. 

After these films gained widespread popularity and praise for their fine attention-to-detail and revolutionary approach to filmmaking, other entertainment companies began to take this concept of stop-motion animation and run with it. Over the following century, movies like “King Kong” (1933), “Nightmare Before Christmas” (1993) and “Chicken Run” (2000) were released as stunning visual successes, inspiring sequels and the creation of new technology to help aid animators on the set. 

One of these revolutionizing stop-motion techniques was the introduction of the “armature:” a metal frame with specifically designed joints for every character in the picture. Having this frame allowed animators to create gravity-defying poses and truly explore the possibilities of what expressions and movements a clay doll or puppet could achieve. Beyond a metal frame, stop-motion animators also tested ways to manipulate facial expressions, such as using clay to mold every change or taking removable pieces and attaching them to the character to show actions such as smiling, blinking, laughing and crying.

I recently rewatched some stop-motion classics from Aardman Animations, a studio that is famous for its use of clay in stop motion. These films included “Chicken Run,” “Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget” and “Wallace and Gromit.” Every single one left me incredibly inspired. I loved the details of everyday objects being used on the miniature set, such as tiny bottles of toothpaste or paper clips. In each scene in the movie, I couldn’t help but think about a human hand moving the doll a millimeter in multiple frames to create such fluid and beautiful animation. 

The set design is another aspect of stop motion that is so meticulously hand-crafted that it should be displayed in a museum somewhere. Down to the tiny plants, the gravel on the roads and the miniature villages and buildings, I can truly appreciate the days that the production team put into constructing each location. 

Beyond “claymation,” there is another show that I would like to highlight when it comes to stop motion. Recently, Netflix released a Japanese stop-motion animation called “Pokemon Concierge,” based on the Pokemon franchise founded by Satoshi Tajiri in partnership with Nintendo.

The stop-motion animation style is a mix of fuzzy, almost plush-looking Pokemon characters and plastic dolls for the human characters. The show has four episodes with a total run-time of 60 minutes. It is a beautiful story with a female lead who accepts a job at a remote Pokemon resort after a series of unlucky events, learning how to take care of the guests and Pokemon and, most importantly, have fun and be herself. 

I particularly like how the show developed relationships between the Pokemon and the human concierges and how wholesome and kind-hearted their interactions were — I kid you not that every 2-3 minutes of the show, I said an audible “Awwwww.” The fluidity of the animation, 24 frames-per-second as opposed to the common 12, helped to truly bring the story alive. 

If you ever have time to spare, I highly suggest watching a few stop-motion animation films and paying close attention to the way the animators portray movement, expression and scenery, as well as the way they develop the characters themselves. Unlike traditional 2D or 3D animation, stop motion has a frame quality that can be both unnerving and exceptionally charming. Alternatively, you can experiment and create your own animation; just find your object, set up your camera and start adjusting.

Written by: Maya Kornyeyeva — mkornyeyeva@ucdavis.edu

Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed by individual columnists belong to the columnists alone and do not necessarily indicate the views and opinions held by The California Aggie.