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Admission Review

Jean Hanff Korelitz’s novel Admission deals with a process every student at Western can relate to — the university application and admission process.

Portia Nathan, the main character, has been an admissions officer for almost 20 years of her life. Each year she goes through the draining process of visiting dozens of schools to encourage as many students as possible to apply for Princeton. She must then read and assess the hundreds of applications sent her way. Having to deny applicants is not something Portia finds easy — in many cases she herself has convinced the student to apply, and a rejection means crushing the dreams of a hopeful student.

Beneath the story of this arduous time is the subplot of Portia’s personal life. Her long-term partner leaves her for another woman, her activist mother has taken in a young pregnant girl and Portia finds herself involved with the principal of one the recruiting high schools.

All these events leave Portia with an identity crisis, and force her to confront her past and her own inner demons.

While quirky in its examination of the absurdities of the admission process, Admission was a bore to get through. The plot is slow-moving and I felt little to no connection with Portia, making difficult to feel bad for her during her hardships.

The supposed “climax” of the novel was underwhelming, and I felt a surge of disappointment when I finally finished the 452-page guide to writing a college application.

The only thing that kept me reading were the individual stories of the students applying to Princeton. Interspersed in each chapter are snippets of the applications Portia is looking through, making the reader privy to the hopes and aspirations of many high school students. It’s interesting to see classic high-school stereotypes — the nerd, the jock, the overachiever — all trying desperately to make their applications stand out in a pile of others. These applications held more weight in knowing the author, Korelitz, was at one time a part-time reader for the Princeton University admissions office, making her an expert in the mysterious back-stage process of applications.

While descriptions of helicopter parents, frantic students, pompous principals and high-strung teachers prove to be amusing elements to Admission, this is one Oprah’s book club pick I could have done without.

— Meagan Kashty

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