The hushed voice on the playgrounds frequented by the 1 percent can only mean one thing: the competition for admission to elite preschools has begun. For a subset of affluent parents, getting into the right preschool establishes the sort of path dependency that will land their 4-year-old to a coveted slot at an elite university. Cynical admissions officers call it the “H-Y-P-or-die syndrome” (Harvard-Yale-Princeton-or-die). But are the efforts of today’s parents misplaced in an age where the path from education to aspiration is evolving ― and higher education’s transformation touches even the Ivy League and beyond?
As it turns out, the best laid plans of neurotic helicopter parents may be counterproductive ― and perhaps even destructive. Much of the planning presupposes three things that are likely to remain the same: your children will want to study at Harvard; Harvard will continue recruiting students the same way it has for the last generation; and elite employers will continue to hire based on college attended.
First, the desires of your progeny. Youngsters are (gasp) turning down Harvard and other elite American universities in increasing numbers to get experiential education tied directly to their field of interest. Even upstart university alternatives and skills bootcamps like Minverva and Galvanize are routinely picking off Harvard-accepted students to join their ranks. European universities like St. Andrews are attracting Americans while gap years (from organizations like UnCollege) are gaining market share.
Second, the way that Harvard selects the class of 2030 will likely be remarkably different than it does today. We now know that non-cognitive skills grit and perseverance may be more predictive of success than the skills currently tested on college admissions tests like the SAT or ACT. As a result, admissions officers are beginning to favor portfolios that provide deeper insights into a prospective student’s capacity and potential.
Imagine a world where standardized tests are replaced by video games, “escape rooms,” or simulations like the Posse Foundation’s “dynamic assessment,” which has helped to source teamwork and talent from historically marginalized students for decades. Mega shifts in college admissions may take time, but they are not the stuff of science fiction. Consider this: just 70 years ago Latin, in effect, was a prerequisite for the Ivies. More recently, sports scholarships at elite schools were unheard of.
Finally, the priorities of employers are shifting amid pressure to cultivate a more diverse talent pipeline —and an overdue recognition that the degree proxy screens out talent from historically underrepresented groups – and may not correlate with the skills employers are seeking. Silicon Valley disrupters like Entelo now enable companies to discover talent based on social media profiles. Goldman Sachs moved away from hiring solely at elite universities in favor of a video-based interview process that bars hiring managers from viewing a candidate’s educational background until initial screens are completed. Employers from Google to Penguin Random House now actively seek out non-college educated employees.
So what to do, if the path to H-Y-P and beyond looks increasingly cloudy? What can parents learn from shifts in university admissions and employer hiring? In a world where the fastest growing job categories today didn’t exist five years ago, the bundle is out and the specialists are in vogue.
In the technology-driven future where competency is king, gatekeepers will be much less focused on the where and what (GPA, test scores) of education, and more so on what IBM calls “T-shaped professionals.” These professionals have a broad enough skill set (including critical thinking and social skills), but also very deep knowledge in a specific area. This is not dissimilar from the economics of the grown up world where people with very specific knowledge (e.g., the best tax accountant or computer programmer) charges substantially more than just an average practitioner. In other words, it is far more important that your child become excellent at a skill and good enough across the board (especially in those so-called “soft” skills). Excellence tends to come from extensive practice and intrinsic motivation (it’s a lot easier for a child to spend the time necessary to achieve excellence if she loves it). Translated for parents: when your child comes home with a B in history because she was up late coding, it’s okay.
What’s more, admissions and hiring trends suggest that every child now needs to understand technology at a level few H-Y-P parents can comprehend. Yet few schools, including notably the top feeders to H-Y-P, teach technology to their students. That means that it’s up to incumbent parents to deliver such instruction.
So for the helicopter parents focused on bringing their children into the technologically evolving elite of the 21st century, the answer is remarkably simple: find a school that embraces your child’s interests and helps them reach those interests through mastering technology.