The deepest fears — and hopes — parents harbor about their kids applying to college
February 20th, 2017February and March can be tense times in the world of college and boarding school admissions. Many students are filled with great anxiety and excitement as regular decision admission letters begin to arrive. This moment can lead to joy, or disappointment, as students learn their options for the coming year.
At this point, students should feel confident about the hard work they have put in to get this far. We find it most important for parents and students to remain focused on identifying which school is going to be the right fit and bring about the kind of personal development you seek. In the article link we post today from The Washington Post, author and independent school counselor Brennan Barnard goes deeper into understanding the parents’ perspective of their child applying to college and how to turn fears and worries into something positive. We feel that this article is equally valuable for parents of boarding school applicants.
We are always so grateful to share this experience with our students and parents, and we love to hear when news arrives. Please keep us updated so we can celebrate together or work through next steps or redirection if necessary.
Article below published by The Washington Post on January 4, 2017
Written by: Brennan Barnard
In the next several months the 2016-17 college admissions season will play out, with the majority of students who have applied as freshmen for this coming fall learning which schools have accepted and which haven’t. Parents will be waiting too, many of them wrapped in fears about the future of their children. In this post, Brennan Barnard, director of college counseling at the Derryfield School, a private college preparatory day school for grades 6-12 in Manchester, N.H., addresses parents’ fears around the admissions process, sharing some that he hears from students’ parents every day. Do you see yourself in any of these?
Read more at The Washington Post >>Tagged: Admission decision, Applications, College
You’ve submitted your college applications, now what?
January 16th, 2017At this time of year, high school seniors are often feeling anxious while awaiting admission decisions. The time between submitting applications and receiving a decision can feel like the world’s longest game of waiting. Students often think they have done all they can do, and that it may be a time to lay back and wait. We are here to say that the steps you take now could still help you get to the end goal of acceptance.
An essential part to this process is for students to continue reflecting and learning about the colleges to which they’ve applied. When admission decisions finally roll in, we want you to feel confident and ready to commit to the school of your choice.
Seniors must continue to monitor the progress of their application status. Midyear grades will need to be reviewed by most universities, so make sure to remind (and thank!) your school counselor. No one wants this more than you, so keep that in mind when working towards your goal of being accepted to the school you want.
Seniors should also keep up their meaningful interactions with the schools to which they’ve applied. Most universities find this an important aspect of the application status. Of course there are some exceptions, and writer Zach Miners expands on this topic in the US News article linked below. Please take the time to read it. Although not new, it’s every bit as useful today as when originally published.
Article published on January 11. 2010
Written by: Zach Miners
For most students applying on regular deadlines, the college application season has ended. But just because your applications are sent out, that doesn’t necessarily mean your work trying to get accepted at your favorite school is over. Counselors and admissions officers at schools across the country say there are still some things you can do to get an edge, as long as you don’t go overboard.”Most students feel that once the application is submitted, that’s it,” says Eric Greenberg, founder and director of the advising and tutoring firm Greenberg Educational Group. “But the reality is that colleges are often very receptive to getting additional information later on.”
One remaining task, which many students are already aware of, is to follow up with senior grades and additional test scores. In turn, it’s important to be in regular contact with your high school guidance counselor and not to assume that he or she will send out the scores on your behalf, say officials at St. Michael’s College, a Catholic liberal arts school in Vermont. “If the college you are hoping to get into wants to see your progress, it is your responsibility to show them,” says admission director Jacqueline Murphy.
Read more at US News >>Tagged: Admission decision, Applications, College
Do State Universities Still Truly Exist?
July 18th, 2016Many well-known state universities are increasing tuition by significant percentages, year after year; sadly, that’s not news. But few realize that these universities are also increasing out-of-state and international student enrollment to generate even more tuition dollars.
Why the need? Many state legislatures have pulled back funding, leaving universities to develop alternative revenue streams. In doing so, they are very often shutting doors to needy young citizens. Just ask us, and we’ll get on our soapbox about this terrible state of affairs.
Sometimes, state universities chase after non-residents to improve their enrolled student profile, targeting students from affluent and educated families who are more likely to bring the test scores that will help with precisely that. The University of Alabama, for example, has been luring non-resident students with strong test scores and grades by offering significant merit scholarships. Happily, we can say that our students enrolled there are well served.
Today’s link to a New York Times article highlights the downside for in-state residents who may be having more difficulty gaining admission, and the subsequent diminution of one enormously significant facet of the American dream. Ironically, there may be an upside for bright students who are interested in some of the state flagships playing this game, and whose families can afford out-of-state tuition.
Is this fair? Does this have to be a zero-sum game? Do public universities still exist as intended? Are all of the right questions even being asked yet? We welcome your thoughts.
Article published July7, 2016
Written by: Stephanie Saul
SACRAMENTO — Over three generations, the Michael family forged a deep bond with the University of California, dating back nearly 50 years to when Jay Dee Michael Sr. was the university system’s vice president and chief lobbyist.
Family members proudly displayed degrees from the campuses in Los Angeles, Davis, Berkeley and Santa Barbara. And when Mr. Michael died last year, his family asked that memorial donations go to a U.C. Davis institute. Recently, though, the relationship has soured, a victim of the economic forces buffeting public universities.
Read more at The New York Times >>Tagged: Admission decision, College
Tuning in to Students’ Dreams
May 9th, 2016Bill Fitzsimmons, dean of admission at Harvard, delivered a lively talk to a group of educational consultants at the IECA conference in Boston last week. Fitzsimmons’s focus on providing access to the world’s most talented students, regardless of economic circumstance, is something I’ve long known and appreciated. His insight about students’ and parents’ dreams is also legendary, and his tale of a parent of a student who applied to Harvard several years ago is worth sharing.
The student was not admitted, and the parent could not accept the decision. Many letters and phone calls ensued – always from the parent to the admission office, never from the student. For quite some time, this parent’s efforts were ceaseless. Then, a pause. Three and a half years later, the parent called again … to say that the student was nearing graduation at her alternate college choice. Upon reflection, the parent had come to realize that this college was indeed the better match for her daughter. Harvard had been the parent’s dream, it turns out, and not the child’s. So often, the pressure that children feel has to do with our own aspirations, doesn’t it?
Last week’s conference also included workshops on boarding school admission, new financial aid application procedures for colleges, international student recruitment issues, applications and auditions to theater programs, and the new Coalition application. Ahead of the conference, school and college visits in the area set the stage wonderfully as I saw students learning, growing, happy at schools that are right for them. I especially enjoyed visiting with a student who has found a great fit at my own alma mater, Tufts.
Each experience at this conference reminded me to listen carefully to my advisees, to help and encourage them as they clarify and pursue their personal goals. Much is changing in college and boarding school admission. And much is changing in today’s world that our students experience. Students remain students, however, and their successes, struggles and dreams will always be at the center of our work at Shrop Ed.
Tagged: Admission decision, Applications, Boarding school, College, Ivy league
