The Holistic Admissions Process at International Universities | Enzo Agostini | TEDxPAS Youth

Enzo Agostini opens his talk with a personal narrative about being an extremely shy 12-year-old who repeatedly refused his sister's invitations to join the Model United Nations Club. It was only when transitioning to high school — and realizing he had wasted years of time with his sister — combined with the awareness that universities scrutinize how students spend their time, that he finally committed to joining MUN. His early experiences were humbling: he bombed his first speech at a conference, feared public ridicule, and was surprised when none came. That moment of unexpected resilience became a turning point, gradually building his confidence, leadership, and communication skills across multiple MUN roles, ultimately leading him to become his school's MUN president.

Agostini then reveals that this journey formed the basis of his Common App personal essay, which helped earn him acceptance to UPenn. He uses this framing to celebrate the holistic admissions process, arguing that the pressure to build a compelling application actually challenges students worldwide to leave their comfort zones, embrace failure, and grow as people. He cites Vanderbilt's supplemental essay prompt as an example of universities explicitly asking students to reflect on this kind of personal growth, noting that most holistic-admissions schools are liberal arts institutions seeking multilateral development — academic, personal, and social.

He then addresses and refutes three common criticisms of the holistic admissions process. First, the belief that applicants must be a 'jack of all trades and master of all of them' — he counters this by noting that his own application featured only two main extracurriculars (MUN and music), emphasizing quality over quantity. Second, the assumption that universities want 'trauma essays' — he argues this is a misconception and that universities are increasingly tired of formulaic trauma narratives, preferring essays that stand out. Third, the concern that the process forces students to waste high school years building resumes rather than living authentically.

On this third point, Agostini introduces a mindset framework contrasting two types of students. The first type commits freshman year to whatever looks best on applications, slogs through activities they dislike, and arrives at college having never truly explored their passions — often struggling once the motivational carrot of admissions is gone. The second type explores broadly, drops what doesn't resonate, and deepens involvement in what genuinely excites them. He illustrates this with his own early abandonment of basketball and the sustainability club in favor of MUN and music. He also notes that authentic passion is detectable in writing — essays about genuine interests come more naturally and read more convincingly.

Agostini concludes by arguing that students who pursue authentic passions arrive at university already knowing how they want to contribute to campus life — which is precisely what liberal arts universities are looking for. His closing advice is that while college applications can be a legitimate initial push to try something new, they should never be the sole reason a student continues with an activity. Students who know what they genuinely want to pursue will write better essays, thrive more in university, and make better use of their time overall.