Applying to College

Kelly Dunham, Cherry Creek High School

Last week, one of Kelly Dunham's students informed her that he had received notification he was waitlisted at one of the colleges to which he'd applied. He was asked to follow a link to let the university know if he was interested in staying on the waitlist. He selected the link and it took him to a pornography website. "Thank goodness, he is a student with a great sense of humor," says Dunham.  "I contacted the university and the link was of course wrong!  What are the chances?"

It's all in a day's work for Dunham -- though her days usually revolve around more prosaic problems like academic advising and college lists.  As Counseling Department Coordinator for Cherry Creek High School in Greenwood Village, Colorado, in the Denver metropolitan area, Dunham is head of the department and also acts as one of ten counselors, who spend most of their time advising students on academics, social/emotional issues, and college.  The largest high school west of the Mississippi River, Cherry Creek is home to 3500 students, 95% of whom go on to college.

Listen, Listen, Listen: Practical Advice from Psychologist Michael Thompson on Motivating Juniors to Focus on College

Yesterday, psychologist and author Michael Thompson joined us to provide a window into the adolescent psyche and how that can affect the interactions between parent and teen as the college application process begins. Today, in Part 2 of Thompson's post, he has some excellent recommendations – and support – for parents so that they can put these insights into action and meaningfully advise their sons and daughters.

 

With all the developmental observations and warnings from my previous post in mind, here are eight suggestions for motivating your high school junior to focus on the college process. 

1) Start with yourself.  Before you approach your child, go to a friend whose child has gone through the process.  Choose someone who is reasonable and honest, who will explain what worked and who will also confess to mistakes.  If you have a parent/friend you respect to walk you through the process, it will arm you and calm you.

The Transition from High School to College: What the Future May Hold

 

The transition from high school to college, particularly for students who leave home and live in campus residence halls, is a challenge for nearly all students. However, some students find it more daunting than others.  Experienced counselors, both in high schools and on college campuses, have learned to recognize the stages that most students go through, beginning at the end of senior year, through the summer after graduation, and continuing through freshman year of college.  But most students have only a vague idea of what this transition will be like and are therefore stunned by the challenges they encounter.  First generation students, in particular, are likely to encounter surprises because their parents, having not attended college, haven’t had discussions with them about what to expect.

 

Today, educational psychologist Jane McClure continues her series that walks students and parents through what the future may hold with Stages 3 and 4 -- The First Term and The Honeymoon.  Her previous post on the first two stages in "The Transition from High School to College" -- The Summer of Transition and Separation Anxiety -- can be seen here

 

Stage 3:  The First Term

 

Seniors: Here are the Wrong Reasons for Choosing a School

Amid the excitement and disappointments of decision season, it’s important to continue to be thoughtful about where you will spend the next four years. Here are some don’ts to consider:

• Don’t choose prestige over fit.

• Don’t decide where to go based on where your boyfriend or girlfriend is enrolling.

• Don’t choose a college because your parents want to put that sticker on their car window.

• Don’t choose a college because your high school wants to include it on their school profile.

In other words, choose the school where you most want to go! It sounds so obvious, but it’s amazing how many students don’t do it.

 

Bob Clagett on Taking a Gap Year

 

Taking a "gap year" -- deferring enrollment for a year once you have been admitted to the school you plan to attend -- is a choice more and more colleges are encouraging. Bob Clagett is the former dean at Middlebury College, which provides the opportunity for students to pursue a semester off and enroll in February. He joins us today to talk about why a gap year can be a good idea, the opportunities that exist for students, and the outcomes -- students who take a gap year have higher grades!

 

Mr. Clagett has also agreed to answer reader's questions about a gap year. Please submit your question in the comment box below or email us at authors@collegeadmissionbook.com. We'll run Mr. Clagett's answers on the blog next week.

 

During almost 30 years of admissions work at Harvard and Middlebury, I saw plenty of students arrive on campus ready and eager to get started.  But every year I also saw a few who seemed unengaged, with a slightly dazed look in their eyes, as if they had just stepped off a wild roller coaster ride.

 

Seniors: Treat Your Financial Aid Officer Well!

Financial aid offices are not set up like admission offices. They are often less well staffed, and they have the college’s existing student body to care for, as well as applicants and their families. What does this mean for you? You cannot ask a financial aid officer to hold your hand. You need to do as much as you can to master the process, and call on the aid officer with specific and informed questions. That is how you will obtain the best guidance.

The vast majority of aid officers do their jobs because they care about helping families afford higher education. Many were able to get through college themselves because of financial aid. They want to make this work for you as well— within the legal and institutional guidelines under which they operate. So treat your financial aid officers well.  And don’t forget to say thank you!

Juniors: Know what test-optional means

Students need to check the testing policy of each school to which they're applying and that includes "test-optional" schools.  While "test-optional" means a college is flexible about the submission of standardized test scores, that term may mean something different at each school. At some schools, students are no longer required to submit SAT or ACT scores at all. At others, it means students must submit the results of AP, IB, or SAT Subject Tests in lieu of SAT or ACT results. Eligibility to not submit test scores may be contingent on other factors -- for example, you might need to rank in the top 10 percent of your class or have a GPA of 3.5 or above. Sometimes, there are alternative admission requirements such as the submission of graded papers, additional recommendations or in-person interviews. Pay close attention to the policies and practices of each school in order to determine what your testing plan -- and ultimate college list -- should look like. BTW, a full list of schools with test-optional policies can be found here at FairTest.

Juniors: It's time to think about teacher recommendations

Many colleges require letters of recommendation from the people who know students best in an academic setting -- your high school counselor and teachers.  Letters of recommendation from teachers tell admission officers how students contribute to the academic and intellectual life of their high school. Now is the time to ask those teachers whom you would like to write for you, especially if you are enjoying a class and connecting with the teacher or planning to apply under an early program. You want to ask teachers who know you well and have taught you recently in a challenging class. Many high schools have specific procedures for making requests -- including the earliest and latest dates you may make those requests. Find out your high school's policies and follow them.

For more information about letters of recommendation, including how to ask, what to provide teachers, counselor recommendations and more, see Chapter 12, “Recommendations” in College Admission: From Application to Acceptance, Step by Step.

Laura Stewart, Ensworth School

Laura Stewart, our March Counselor of the Month, had both a unique opportunity and challenge when she joined the college counseling program at Ensworth School, an independent college preparatory high school in Nashville, Tennessee. For 46 years -- since 1958 -- the school had served only elementary and middle school students. Then, in August, 2004, Ensworth added grades 9 through 12, opening the new 127-acre Devon Farm campus one month after Stewart joined the school as Assistant Director of College Counseling.

Over the next five years, Stewart rose to become Director of College Counseling -- in 2009, one year after Ensworth School graduated its first senior class. As a result, she has had the opportunity to participate in building a counseling program where there were no preconceived ideas. As Director, she has been able to establish policies and procedures that reflect a philosophy with her own creative stamp and then watch the program grow. "It's hard for me to imagine being anywhere else because I've been so fortunate to get to do what I want," says Stewart.

It seems that all the friends I got just got to come interrogate me...

Calling all parents, aunts, cousins, grandfathers, unrelated alumni and well-meaning -- or not -- neighbors…  Tis the season when college admission decisions are about to arrive! So inquiring minds want to know if students have heard from the colleges, what they've heard from the colleges, where they will be going to college… And you don't even have to be a senior to get the third degree. Inquiring minds want to know if 11th graders are looking at parents' alma maters, made captain in lacrosse or are taking the SAT or ACT.

Here's the answer: it's boring, annoying and anxiety-producing and it's not motivating for students to be questioned about their college application process. You -- and your extended family and friends -- need to sit back, take a deep breath and stop. Our fellow bloggers over at Grown and Flown -- parents of two 11th graders -- have a highly entertaining and heartfelt column today on the ten toxic questions everyone should avoid asking any young person engaged in applying to college. They bring just the right recipe of common sense and humor to the subject. Check it out here. And take the advice -- please!

(Special thanks to Lynyrd Skynyrd for the header...)

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