How ‘Lost’ Is Like College Admissions Process

February 2nd, 2010

As we’re counting down the hours until the final season premiere of “Lost” tonight, we can’t help but notice some connections between the confusing plots and intense storylines of the ABC drama and the college admissions process.

Since we can’t wait to see what happened to Kate, Sawyer, Jack, Locke, Jin, and Sun (and oh, poor Juliet!), we’re turning work into pleasure today and found  four ways in which college admissions is like “Lost”:

1. Although characters may leave (we were so saddened by the deaths of “losties” like Charlie and Boone), those and others who have left the island one way or another might come back this season. That’s kind of like when you’re put on the wait list – you think your college hopes are dead, but there’s a chance they could be brought back.

2. The Jack-Kate-Sawyer love triangle may sound familiar to you if you’re choosing between schools. Let’s say that two schools both want you, but they’re very different. One could be a school that’s more traditional that maybe your family attended (Jack) and the other a school that may be a little more risky of a choice for you, but equally appealing (Sawyer).

3. The endless questions (What’s up with the smoke monster? How about the four-toed statue? Will we ever learn more about the black rock? What is Jacob’s purpose?) may not all be answered in the exact way we want. That could be how you feel if you don’t get accepted for a top-tier school and wonder why the admissions panel didn’t choose you. Sometimes the answers aren’t concrete, and as you know, the island, like an admissions counselor, has its secrets.

4. The time traveling done in “Lost” actually is something some students wish they could do. Imagine getting to go ahead into the future and back to the past, just like the twists and turns we see in “Lost,” to change something on an application that could land you a spot in the college of your choice.

But no matter where you get into college, rest assured that even my college degree hasn’t helped me figure out the confusing plots of “Lost.” But shows like this aren’t just entertaining; they allow us to use our minds, too. And that’s something any admissions panel can appreciate.

–Lori Johnston

Entry Filed under: College Admissions,Pop culture & college