The phenomenon of traumatic dissertations

In North America, and particularly in the U.S., in addition to demonstrating an impeccable academic record, university applicants are required to write a 500-word maximum statement on what makes them an interesting candidate for the institution. A rather stressful exercise for teenagers who see their academic and professional future largely decided on this cover letter.

What's more, as Tina Yong explains in a presentation, many applicants from immigrant or disadvantaged backgrounds are required to submit "trauma essays".

They have to show recruiters that they have had to fight ignorance, racism, hunger or the death of a loved one to become a resilient person and an ideal applicant. For these individuals, this adds another layer of suffering to an already anxiety-provoking activity. All the more so as candidates have to repress anger or unresolved traumas in their writings to match recruitment expectations: people with difficult pasts who have managed to overcome obstacles, even if these are systemic and sometimes continue to haunt them. We need to erase these problems, which are still present today.

No university explicitly asks for these traumatic essays. However, it seems that the myth persists to the point where the majority of people of color are suggested to write such a cover letter.

For Tina Yong, this situation could be resolved if campuses were more transparent about what makes or breaks an application, and if university recruiters were more aware of issues concerning ethnic minorities and disadvantaged neighborhoods. They hold in their hands a great deal of power over the future of young women and men. It would be a good idea not to force future applicants to bare their suffering just to gain access to higher education.

Running time: 12:47

Image: Felix / Pixabay