17 Feb Borscht, Bird Rescues, and the “Care and Concern” Factor in Admissions
If you know me, you know I can’t pass up a meaningful invitation, especially one involving deep conversation and a bowl of hot soup.
On a recent sub-zero Sunday in Equinunk, Pennsylvania, our neighbors Hana and Eddie invited us over for lunch. These two are truly amazing humans. Hana is a shamanic goddess and artist. Eddie is a prolific, celebrated filmmaker. After spending the majority of their lives in Manhattan raising a family, they moved upstate to 50 acres of pure serenity.
We were sitting in their beautiful new home, designed specifically for aging in place with a single-floor layout that feels like being in a treehouse overlooking the woods, when a sudden, heavy thud broke the silence.
We rushed to the window. There, lying on its back in the snow, was a beautiful woodpecker. It was barely moving. We all stood in shock. Eddie whispered, “I saw him blink.” Hana added, “His heart is still beating.” But a minute later, we were sure it was over. His neck looked broken. He looked gone.
But Hana and Eddie are the kind of people who define what it means to lead with heart. They sprang into action. Hana grabbed a towel and scooped the injured bird into the cloth. Eddie found an empty Chewy box and created a warm, safe nest. They did not just watch. They cared.
And remarkably, within 90 minutes, “Woody” the woodpecker was upright, recovered, and flying back into the trees, ready to resume his life.
The Worksheet Question: Care and Concern for Others
In my work at Academic Access, I use a specific worksheet with my students that asks them to reflect on their “Care and Concern for Others.”
It is a section of the college application process that many students and even some parents overlook. Admissions officers are not just looking for go-go achievers. They are looking for good humans. They want to know: What kind of neighbor will this student be in our dorms?
I am always fascinated by the responses I get. I have students who are natural caregivers. They support their peers through mental health struggles or live with and care for their grandparents every day. Then there are the students who truly struggle with this concept. They have the grades and the test scores, but they have not yet learned how to “scoop the bird into the towel.”
Why It Matters for College and Life
Hana and Eddie define care and concern. They did not have to save that bird, but their instinct was to protect something vulnerable.
When I push my students to look beyond their own Xbox, their own gym schedule, and their own GPA, this is what I am talking about. I want them to find their “Equinunk Woodpecker” moment.
Is it helping a younger sibling with homework?
Is it consistently checking in on an elderly neighbor?
Is it taking a stand for a friend who is being marginalized?
Colleges like Harvard and MIT have explicitly stated that “substantial expansion of concern for others” is a key metric they look for in successful applicants. They want to see that you have a heart that beats for something other than your own success.
Watching Hana and Eddie nurse that woodpecker back to life was a beautiful reminder that the most celebrated lives are not defined by films made or art created. They are defined by the care we show when something hits the glass.
To my students: Look around. Who needs a nest today? That is the work that truly counts.