Fall is admission recruitment season … for boarding schools, too!
October 30th, 2018Just as with college admission, finding the right fit for boarding school is key. Some of the schools are single-gender; some are for students with specialized learning needs; some are for “high flyers” and some can work successfully with students at a wide range of academic levels. Their settings are varied and the feel of each campus environment is different.
I love to hear admission directors’ updates about students and faculty, campus life, facilities, successes and challenges. We also discuss bigger-picture issues, and one that featured prominently this year was the increasing evidence in student anxiety and how schools are providing programming and counseling. There are so many interesting parallels between boarding school and college life, and these discussions connect the dots in fascinating ways.
I have always felt that the two sides of my consulting practice, boarding school and college, compliment each other and these fall conversations with visiting admission directors reinforce the benefits.
Tagged: Boarding school, High school
Does your social media presence help you or harm you?
October 2nd, 2018Social media is a powerful platform and while it can be a great tool for networking, the disciplinary consequence of posting something inappropriate could be detrimental to your school or college admission prospects. Some colleges are using your social media “brand” as fair game when evaluating you for admission; perhaps boarding schools are doing the same. For that reason, application season is a great time to review your online presence. Consider your profile as a way to show the world your best self, beyond your test scores and grades.
In the article referenced below, Thao Nelson, a lecturer at Indiana University, writes an open letter to students discussing the importance of taking your future self into consideration when posting on social media. Colleges and schools want to enroll people who strengthen their student body, so “when in doubt, leave it out” is a great motto to consider before liking or posting online.
Article referenced below published by World Economic Forum, written by Thao Nelson
Dear Student,
Harvard recently rescinded admission offers for some incoming freshmen who participated in a private Facebook group sharing offensive memes. The incident has sparked a lot of discussion: Was Harvard’s decision justified? What about the First Amendment? Do young people know the dangers of social media?
I’m a business school lecturer, career services counselor and former recruiter, and I’ve seen how social media becomes part of a person’s brand – a brand that can help you or hurt you.
Tagged: Admission decision, Applications, Boarding school, College, Social media
Early Action and Early Decision: understand the difference
September 18th, 2018Is your heart set on one particular college? Should you apply Early (note the capital “E”) to signal your devotion?
Our last blog post focused on demonstrated interest. Applying Early Action or Early Decision certainly allows colleges to see your level of interest in attending. Many colleges admit Early Action and Early Decision candidates at higher rates than we see in the Regular Decision pool.
Applying Early Action involves no risk for the applicant. It simply moves the deadline to an earlier date, typically November 1, and applicants receive admission decisions well ahead of Regular Decision timetables. We believe that Early Action programs without strings are wonderful pathways for applications.
In contrast, Early Decision is binding. This is an enormous commitment and you must be 110% certain that this is where you would like to enroll. As with Early Action, the accelerated timetable allows for a much earlier decision to be returned, typically ahead of winter break. If you’re certain about wanting to enroll, this is a great pathway … but if you worry that you might look back in March and wish your other applications were still active, then it’s the wrong choice.
(Interesting aside: Early Decision is even making its way into the boarding school world!)
A small number of extraordinarily selective colleges offer their own twist on Early Action, called Restrictive Early Action or Single Choice Early Action. In these cases, students may not simultaneously apply for Early Decision elsewhere and in some cases, they may not even apply Early Action at other private schools. Make sure that you’re reading the fine print when going this route.
Would you like to learn more about the difference between Early Action and Early Decision? The article linked below from CNBC highlights exactly what you need to know to make your best choice.
Article referenced below published on November 1, 2017 by CNBC, written by Abigail Hess
This month, thousands of high school students will submit early action (EA) and early decision (ED) applications to colleges.
The deadlines for these types of applications are typically between November 1st and November 15th. Applying early action or early decision each have their benefits, but they’re very different.
“Most people pair early action and early decision because of shared deadlines, but I find that the only similarity between the two is the timeline,” says Ian Fisher, director of educational counseling at educational advising firm College Coach.
“EA is actually much more similar to regular decision, both in terms of the competitiveness of the pool and the freedom to choose from among a range of options once they’ve been admitted.”
Read more at CNBC >>
Tagged: Applications, Boarding school, College, Early action, Early decision, High school
5 ways to get the most out of your school experience
August 7th, 2018
The days are slowly getting shorter, reminding us that the new school year is right around the corner. Each new year brings on feelings of happiness, excitement … and maybe a little nervousness. We hope our students will begin their first day with a fresh attitude and motivation to achieve all of their goals and make this year the best year yet!
What kind of student do you want to be? How will you engage with your classmates and instructors? Today’s article from a student newspaper website will help high school and new college students alike think about how to begin the year motivated to make the most of school experiences. We appreciated its heartfelt message and the mention of goal-setting. Becoming a committed part of one’s school or college community can indeed heighten motivation for academic success, and there are many different ways to be fully engaged.
Article referenced below from Uhspress
Published on July 22, 2018 by Haley Smith
“These are the best days of your life” anyone above the age of having rent and electric bills will tell you while reminiscing on the high school memories. Between crazy math tests and waking up at 6am it’s hard to see that for a lot of us. From the first day of freshman year on all that’s on our mind is graduation, here’s some simple ways to make the in between a little easier and a lot more memorable.
Read more at Uhspress >>Tagged: Boarding school, College, High school, Opportunity, Personal characteristics
