The Challenges of Modern College Admissions
As a college admissions expert, I’ve noticed a growing concern among my students. Many are struggling with fundamental reading and writing skills. This issue has become increasingly apparent as they have grown up in the iPhone era, where screen time often replaces reading time.
This shift has had a direct impact on their performance in standardized tests like the SAT and college essays. Recently, I worked with a senior student who was having difficulty understanding a six-line sentence. She had lost track of the subject halfway through, which is a clear indication of the challenges many students face today.
“Let’s break this down,” I suggested, trying to reassure her that we could navigate the SAT passage together. Her struggle wasn’t just about the test; it was about the foundational skills she lacked. Her poor grammar was costing her easy points, which could affect her chances of getting into college.
Another student, aiming for Ivy League schools, submitted a Common App essay that lacked originality. His story about a soccer injury was one of many similar experiences that admissions officers would see. While he had learned patience and perseverance, he needed fresh insight to stand out from the crowd.
Over the past two decades, I have worked with high schoolers as a college test-prep and essay coach. Recently, I have observed a troubling trend: many students are lacking basic reading and writing skills. I believe this is largely due to their heavy reliance on smartphones.
The X-Factor in College Readiness
Many well-meaning students take on a heavy load of AP classes and extracurriculars. They often start their college prep in junior year, relying on test-taking tricks and essay tips to gain admission to selective colleges. However, what truly determines success in the verbal sections of the SAT, ACT, and college essays is the amount of sustained reading they have done over the years.
Reading helps build vocabulary and complex sentence structures, which are essential for both tests and essays. Books also develop literacy, critical thinking, and cognitive stamina—qualities that TikTok videos do not foster. Reading helps students maintain focus during timed tests and understand long sentences and narrative arcs.
Unfortunately, reading has become a secondary activity for many teenagers. With books being replaced by screens, students are writing college essays with less variation in words and style, and less intellectual depth.
Students are focusing more on college-prep hacks than on thoughtful reading and writing. However, strategies alone cannot guarantee admission to top universities.
A Landmark Year for Smartphones
In 2007, the iPhone was introduced, marking a significant shift in technology. That same year, many current high school seniors and college freshmen were born, growing up in a world dominated by smartphones. These devices have had a lasting impact on their development.
Recent national surveys show a decline in leisure reading among teens as screen use continues to rise. Ivy League professors have reported that their freshmen are increasingly unable to handle the required reading at selective universities. Middle and high schools across the country have reduced or stopped assigning books, contributing to this problem.
I have seen the consequences of this trend firsthand over the last decade. My students demonstrate a loss of grammar fundamentals and writing skills, which leave them struggling on the SAT, losing steam during tests, and finding it difficult to express their ideas in college essays.
The Deeper Issue
The real issue is not the battle between screens and books. It is the decreasing exposure to complex, nuanced, and beautiful language in many teenagers’ lives. Years of reading shape the language facility and capacity for insight that admissions officers look for.
Test strategies can make a difference, and I can attest to that, but they are only useful when students understand the sentence in the first place. It is childhood literacy habits that set students on their trajectory in the competitive college admissions process.
Diana Ha, a University of Pennsylvania graduate, is a college admissions advisor who helps students prepare for selective university applications.
