Behind the Curtain of College Admissions...

NPR produces a lot of really wonderful pieces on the college application process.  If you haven't noticed, they are one of my favorite go to resources for college information.  I wasn't surprised to see an article recently about whether the college process is fair for applicants.  

Read the article titled, "Behind the Curtain of College Admissions, Fairness May Not Be Priority No. 1," here.

There are a lot of very open and honest things being discussed in this article, including the fact that the college admissions process is not fair.  Frankly, I don't feel that it has to be at the private college level.  Every institution has their priorities, and those change from year to year, and sometimes even day to day during committee sessions.  Colleges are looking to fill their campuses full of individuals that will add to classroom discussions and community actions - having an entire freshman class of trumpet players or biology majors or white kids doesn't necessarily add dimension to a class.  

I know!  I know!  I'm saying things that are difficult to hear but I will defer to the article for clarity, "institutions choose based on what their institutional needs are, and they're not necessarily going to be fair to every individual, because they can't pick every individual."

When a student comes into my office and they want to know how to "get in" or they want to know why they didn't get it, it's really, really hard to give them an exact answer.  There are so many qualified applicants that so many amazing kids will be left out.  Should every qualified kid get a spot at their dream college?  Um, maybe...but it just doesn't work that way.  

I'm sure that there are many kids who think they should get into Harvard based on the fact that they have good grades, good scores, leadership roles, and they have worked hard.  In fact, I'm certain that almost every Valedictorian at almost every high school in the US thinks they should have a shot at Harvard but, frankly, Harvard doesn't have that many seats.  It's just the luck of the draw.  

Is Harvard the only place these students can be truly happy?  Absolutely, not!  There are so many wonderful colleges and universities out there to get excited about.  Honestly, I think that parents (and before you say anything, yes, I am a parent) and students should understand that their happiness doesn’t rest solely on a rankings list.  They can be happy at schools outside of their “reach schools” list.  As parents and counselors and teachers, we just have to remind them that they are more than a number and their happiness is not defined by what did or did not happen in an admissions committee room.    

Making Friends with Teachers

I just sent an e-mail off to my high school cross country coach, Lou Dittami.  I was never a fast runner but he always encouraged his runners to never stop and to enjoy the ride.  Although I graduated from high school almost 20 years ago (is that right?),  Coach Dittami and I have been in touch with one another.  He is an amazing man who has just as many inspiring things to say today as he did (eek!) 20 years ago. 

Maintaining my friendship with my former teachers over the years has not only benefited me when it was time to apply for colleges and jobs, but it has fostered in me a passion for education and inspired me to be who I am today.  I was thrilled to read this article about how important and meaningful it is to maintain those mentor-student relationships.

If you haven't done so in a while, e-mail or call one of your former teachers.  I'm certain that they will be excited to hear from you!  

Passion?

A friend forwarded me this article from the New York Times Parenting Blogs, "Our Push For 'Passion,' and Why It Harms Kids."

In my job as a college counselor, I talk about passion all the time.  I'm certain that I say the word "passion" to my students and fellow educators at least ten times a day. 

I jumped on the passion bandwagon when I was an undergraduate admissions officer at Trinity College during my very first reading season.  As a first reader, I spent six days a week, eight hours a day for two long months doing nothing but reading college applications.  Throughout the "reading season" I would review applications from students who were highly qualified to students who were under-qualified, and everywhere in between.  Regardless of how qualified each student was, I still read every application from beginning to end.  You never knew where a gem would be hiding! 

I would often find myself rooting for some applicants, regardless of GPA and standardized testing scores, because they had the ability to take an activity they participate in and make their commitment come alive for the reader.  I'm not saying that these students needed to be outstanding writers or truly deep thinkers.  They just needed to be able to understand why an activity was important (either to them, their family, their friends, their community, and/or the world) and articulate that commitment.  Sometimes these students had more than one passion that they divided their time between, and that was totally fine! 

For me, passion doesn't mean finding one thing and doing nothing but that one thing over and over again in order to show that you are committed/passionate/highly proficient.  In the college application process, passion is about understanding how or why what you do is important and how that activity can or has made a difference in this world.  It's about thinking below the surface level and acknowledging that what you do matters - in your life or in another person's life.  It's not about do, do, do.  It's about think, think, think.        

The Moral Bucket List

I was very inspired by this article by David Brooks called, "The Moral Bucket List."  Read.  Enjoy.  Be inspired to be the best you you can be.   

7 Strange Questions That Help You Find Your Life Purpose

My friend, Kirstan, has a wicked sense of humor.  She also happens to be our school counselor which makes the depth of her intelligence and humor even more interesting.  She sent me this wonderfully written, funny, dirty (sorry kids!), and thought provoking essay about finding your life purpose.  Read.  Laugh.  Enjoy.  Think.

The Ivy League Essay

I always hesitate to post "great college essays" because I'm afraid that my students will unintentionally write in a similar way or on a similar topic.  That said, as my seniors bear down to finish those last remaining college applications, I thought I should post the college essay that got it's author into every Ivy League school. 

Here is what I love about this essay:

1. The author talks about his love of music in such a loving and simple way.  "My haven for solace in and away from home is in the world of composers, harmonies and possibilities.  My musical haven has shaped my character and without it, my life would not be half as wonderful as it is today."

2. The author talks about his longevity in music.  He has been playing the violin for nine years.  I feel as though my mantra, "quality over quantity," in regards to extracurricular activities is highlighted here.

3. The author uses the lessons he has learned in music to inspire other areas of his life.  From being in a high school musical to being a part of a Doo Wop Group to leadership roles, this young man is able to see the impact of one interest across everything he does.

No matter what my students write about, I encourage them to keep their writing simple, to write about something they are passionate about (that passion will shine through!), and to connect what they have learned to all areas of their life. 

CV?

I've been working with the counseling staff to reflect on the structure of our counseling program and to see where we can be more proactive.  We have been talking for a long time about introducing the ideas needed for a successful college application (solid writing skills, the ability to reflect on what has been learned, to see lessons across academic disciplines and extracurricular experiences, etc.) to the younger students.  This article really inspired me to continue this work on behalf of our students.

Now, where to start...

Are We Raising A Generation of Helpless Kids?

In this wonderfully insightful article about Generation Y kids, I felt like I was reading about many of my students.  As a college counselor, I work with students every day on their skills beyond college counseling - on finishing strong in school, taking responsibility for their actions, and having realistic dreams for the future.

I found this article interesting as a professional trying to work with student who were raised very differently than I was (culturally and emotionally), but also as a mother of two young sons.  Do they have a name for the generation after Generation Y yet?

Please read this article, paying particular attention to "The Uncomfortable Solutions," and send me your thoughts.

Women's Colleges

I love love love this empowering article about the value of women's colleges in the 21st century.

Read it! Share it with every female teenager you know!

Tufts Admissions Blog

I got a wonderful e-mail this morning from Tufts University encouraging my students to check out the Tufts Admissions Blog.  This blog is awesome!  It's an insider's look at not just Tufts Admissions but admissions at a liberal arts college in general.  Run, don't walk, to your computer to check out this really cool blog!

The Definition of Success

I loved this short video on the definition of success from billionaire entrepreneur John Paul DeJoria.

Pieces of Advice for College-Seeking High School Seniors

Amen to all seven pieces of advice in this interesting article from Forbes Magazine.

My favorite piece of advice (and it was so hard to choose because they were all so wonderful):

"More important than where you go is how you go.

"If you attend college determined to make learning and growth your priority, if you regularly take the risk to try new things, if you go meet your professors personally, and if you claim the campus as your home, the odds are very high that you will walk across the commencement stage in four short years with a profound sense of satisfaction.

"You have the power to create long-term mentors and lifelong friends. You can grow in ways you’d never wish to trade away. You can develop your adult identity and your voice. Every college offers all this—but no college can do it for you. The greatest learners create the education they seek."

*I was worried when I posted it that students wouldn't continue reading beyond the author's college - Franklin & Marshall.  Yes, I live in a community that looks at the very top of rankings lists and, yes, otherwise fabulous colleges don't get looked at because of where they fall on a list.  If you feel this way, I challenge you to research this college because you might find out something wonderful about this school or about yourself that you never knew.  You might even decide that this college president has a tremendous outlook on education and on the students he sees fitting into his college.  If you like what you read, maybe Franklin & Marshall is for you!

Warren Buffett's Simple Advice

Yup, I've reached an age where stuff that 83-year old business magnate's say is cool.

I love the advice Warren Buffett gives in this article about the power of investing.

I think this is a very real, very honest look at the type of society we have become in America.  My Grandparents, who wouldn't be that much older than Mr. Buffett if they were still alive, probably wouldn't agree with his piece of advice.  That said, they were coming from a very different time.  My Grandparents witnessed the Great Depression and two World Wars very early in their lives.  They would tell us to find a job that has security and a good pension, and work there for the rest of our careers.

Still, the world doesn't work this way any more.  Companies, and even whole industries, come and go in the blink of an eye.  We are on a roller coaster ride though stable and unstable world economies.  Our financial investments (stock market, homes, etc.) don't yield the same long term rewards.

Mr. Buffett's advice about investing in ourselves by finding our passion and doing what we love is great advice for students who are graduating from college.  If these young people find something they love, they will build a wide range of applicable skills - passion, drive, commitment, happiness - that can be transferred to any job and any job market. 

The SAT: How Much Is Too Much?

Working as a college counselor in Asia, I hear a lot about the SAT (and standardized testing in general).  Many East Asian countries, such as Taiwan, China, and Korea, have a national college entrance exam which all students who are staying in their home country must take in order to go on to university.  Because of this many Asian families confuse the SAT with a college entrance exam.

I don't blame parents for this mistake.  Most only know this system from their own university experiences and they hear a lot about the importance of the SAT or ACT, and make this assumption.

I spend a lot of time dispelling the myth that the SAT and ACT are college entrance exams.  For many students, the score they receive on these tests are something tangible that they can use to measure against other students who were admitted to a specific college or university.  Most schools in the US have this information on their website or published in books such as the Fiske Guide (which I regularly use).  For some second language students and parents, using this number as a measure of entrance is an easy way to determine academic fit.

As a former admissions officer, I can say with certainty that most colleges in the United States use the SAT or ACT as just one measure of admissibility.  I often tell parents and students that it's just one piece of the puzzle (ok, maybe two or three, but who is counting!).

So, down to the question: How many times should my student take the SAT?

The official stance by the College Board, which is the organization that administers the SAT, is TWO TIMES.  This information is coming for the organization that makes money every time you take the test.  They could encourage you to take the test ten times and make five times the money, but they don't.  Why?  The College Board recognizes that taking the test again and again doesn't really show a college or university anything about your academic ability.  It simply shows that you are learning how to master the test.

I feel that three times is appropriate but NO MORE.  Unless a student chooses the Score Choice option, which I don't recommend and will be covered in a future post, each college or university that a student applies to will see every SAT test date score.  Frankly, taking the SAT beyond three times makes a student appear desperate.  I would often wonder as an Admissions Officer why this student was so fixated on this one exam when there were so many other important parts of the application.  I would often see a student over testing when it was clear that their application was lacking in other important areas.  It was made to seem that they were using this test score to make up for deficiencies in other areas.

What is my advice instead of fixating on the SAT or any other form of standardized testing?  Learn a new hobby.  Volunteer with an organization in your community that you care about or one that you want to learn more about.  As your Grandparents about their lives and what they did before they became Grandparents.  Learn a new sport or continue to excel at one you are already passionate about.  Join a club at school that has peaked your interest or start a club if there isn't one that interests you.  Read a book that hasn't been assigned for school.  Be a leader.  Be excited about something.  Be passionate.  Be personable.  Be proud of who you are and all that you have accomplished!  

SAT vs. ACT

Students often ask me which standardized test will look better to a college or university in the United States.  The simple answer is: It doesn't matter!  Here are the differences between the SAT and the ACT.

The ACT has traditionally been considered to be an achievement test, measuring what a student has learned in school.  The SAT has traditionally been considered to be an aptitude test, measuring reasoning and verbal abilities.  While the SAT used to be the more widely used test, many students have been taking the ACT in recent years.  Seeing this shift (and watching their numbers drop) has forced College Board, the organization that administers the SAT, to shift more toward the SAT model.  This will begin in the spring of 2016.

The ACT has up to 5 components: English, Math, Reading, Science, and an optional Writing Test.  The SAT currently has 3 components: Critical Reading, Math, and a required Writing Test.

The SAT penalizes you for wrong answers, so guessing is discouraged.  The ACT is scored based on the number of correct answers without a penalty for guessing.

While I don't think there is a right test or a wrong test, I think every student should take practice ACT and SAT tests to determine which one they feel more comfortable taking.  Most students will naturally gravitate toward one test or the other.