Each year, millions of students engage in a mad rush to get into college. Crafting perfect personal statements and figuring out how to do ten clubs and have four leadership roles - all while trying to get into a top school has probably never been more competitive. But behind all of this busyness, it's also worth asking the question: Are we really encouraging students' innovative and enterprising spirits, or are we curbing them with this competition?
It is a mixed bag. The regimented intensity of the admissions process may make students dig deeper, and unlock new potential, so that they can produce something remarkable. Conversely, the narrow definitions of success and accomplishment often suppress innovation inhibiting true creativity and risk-taking.
The Argument for Innovation: Pressure Breeds Breakthroughs
Let's start with the good news. The race for top colleges has undoubtedly shifted the expectation of what adolescents are now capable of doing. Students are launching nonprofits, designing apps, developing scientific experiments, and publishing original research as they seek to develop standout applications. The pressure to distinguish themselves from one another certainly fuels many students into initiatives they never thought they were capable of taking on.
There are countless teenagers on platforms like the Regeneron Science Talent Search, Rise Global Challenge, and Google Science Fair who have produced water filters, AI based climate models, or mental health projects in pursuit of their college aspirations. Such innovations are made possible through the admissions race that helped to spark their imagination if nothing else.
Furthermore, for admission officers these days, the value of accomplishments that exhibit depth versus breadth has become increasingly strong. Rather than admissions officers wanting a laundry list of clubs, now they are looking for "spikes" - deep, focused accomplishments in one specific area. It is a monumental shift that has redirected students to think long-term, bold, innovative capacities rather than just checking boxes for their resumes. Now, students are motivated to find ways to conduct research, create start-up companies, or solve problems related to their communities through a lens that is not just bold but pragmatic and impactful.
The Case Against Innovation: Fear of Failure and Risk Aversion
However, the same system that can inspire some people to endeavor innovation can also restrict countless others. The never-ending pursuit of perfection can trap students in a state of mind where failure is not an option, and any risk should only be taken when it is certain to not be harmful. Why trial anything audacious when a failed experiment or a failure that takes up valuable time that could be spent practicing for standard exams, may hurt one's GPA?
You see true innovations do require some creative brilliance; true innovation also requires freedom to ask questions, to fail, to persist, and to break the rules! But today's admissions culture will promote the polished final versions over the messy processes. Students may choose not to pursue unique interests and unusual paths, with non-linear forms of growth because they do not follow suit with the traditional systemic views of "impressive".
There is also the amount of time. There needs to be time for innovation to breathe. With exam practice, volunteer hours, and the endlessly comparative loop of social media, most high schoolers probably don't have the brain space to follow our curiosity as an end in itself. The structure that is designed to foster performance can become a cage where students feel restricted to experiment.
What Gets Measured Gets Optimized
Another significant problem is that innovation isn't necessarily measurable in recognizable ways that can be placed into application portals. A student who tinkers with failed prototypes for six months, may achieve incredible insights, but what's reflected on their resume? Compare that with a student that won three predictable awards, received entry into six honor societies, and became class president. Admissions systems may reflect a type of bias in favor of optics vs. originality, with potential incentives fairly consistently aligning with safe excellence rather than risky genius.
This "optimization mindset" is even echoed in the way that students pursue their extracurriculars. Rather than students asking themselves "What excites me?" many are asking "What looks good?" Therefore, innovation can become transactional, done not for its real-world value but so that a box can be checked.
Can the Race Be Rewired to Support Innovation?
Yes, and it’s already happening in pockets of educational reform. Programs like the MIT PRIMES research initiative, Yale Young Global Scholars, and RISE Research let students develop novel ideas in low-stakes supportive environments. These programs understand that important innovation can happen when students are mentored, challenged, and freed from superficial competition.
Colleges are evolving too. Many colleges and universities are test-optional, reducing students’ stress on narrow definitional metrics. Application platforms like the Coalition App let applicants submit portfolios to showcase their process and growth. Some schools ask about "failures" or "quirky interests" to examine not simply what they’ve achieved but how they think.
Meanwhile, mentors and educators are supporting how students can engage with innovation as a lifestyle — not a performance. They are demonstrating that what matters is not only what the prize is at the end but also the practice of inquiry, perseverance, and exploration.
Final Thoughts: Beyond the Admissions Game
In the end, whether the race for college admissions boosts or hampers innovation amounts to how all learners react to the race - and how adults structure the related experiences. For some, the race will be a burst of ambition. For others, it will feel like a commodified assembly line sucking away their creativity.
The real answer is not to abolish competition but simply to reframe the things we value and reward. Rather than striving for perfection, we shift the value to curiosity. Instead of rewarding the least risky pathway, we reward the one that took the most courage. And instead of making it about "What will colleges like?", we can make it about "What do I want to create, and why?"
This is precisely what RISE Research can provide, and where RISE Research has been impactful. Whether it's an innovative assembly that doesn't build your résumé, a social initiative, or an interdisciplinary cigarette as a new invention for another kind of possibility, you are being supported not merely as an applicant - but as a nascent innovator.
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