Tagged: College

Be cool, says Georgia Tech

Admission decisions are still looming overhead for many students, although we’re now in the final days for waiting.  Whether the news students receive is cause for sorrow or celebration, Richard Clark, in the Georgia Tech blog, provides excellent suggestions on how to “be cool” with whatever decision comes your way.

We can appreciate Clark’s humor, yet we also know it isn’t easy to stay cool if the response isn’t what you were hoping for.  We will look forward to hearing news of all kinds in the coming days from Shrop Ed students and helping you navigate through the next step.

Article below published by Georgia Tech blog on March 9, 2017

Written by:  Richard Clark

I am not a big fan of having internet access on flights because it is a huge temptation for me to do work in the air. So one of my resolutions for 2017 is to stop getting Wi-Fi on the plane. Instead, I read, write, listen to a podcast, or, depending on the length of the flight, watch a movie. With young kids and a wife who is the romantic comedy queen, it’s a rare thing to get to watch whatever I want to watch.

Chaos Around You…

Last week I was flying to Virginia and watched 13 Hours. It’s a super violent, super intense movie about an attack in Libya on two US compounds/outposts. The movie starts with a US special ops contractor flying into Benghazi. Upon leaving the airport they immediately run into a road block and are boxed in by heavily armed and aggressive rebel fighters. It’s heated and confrontational. Guns are drawn and everyone is yelling at them in Arabic. But the two Americans are unflappable. They’ve been in situations like this before. They don’t raise their voices. They don’t panic. They stay calm and reason with the commander of the opposition force in a firm but balanced manner. Not easy, right? Chaos around you. Lots of voices. Lots of emotions. Lots on the line.

At Georgia Tech, we are going to release Regular Decision notifications in a few days. And over the course of the next month, most schools will also be putting decisions on the streets. So, when you log in to a portal, or receive an email or letter from a school with an admission decision, keep two words in mind: Be Cool. This is on you, because you can’t count on anyone else. Your parents may lose their minds. Your teachers or principal or neighbors or friends may as well. Again, lots of voices, lots of emotions, lots on the line. Two words: Be cool. Allow me to explain.

Tagged: Admission decision, Applications, College

I don’t know where I’m going to college – please don’t ask!

The heat is on for many college applicants.  High school students are not only feeling internal pressure while waiting to hear from the college of their choice but they’re getting cross-examined by the adults in their lives, as well.

If you’re feeling this way, you’re not alone.  Sue Shellenbarger, from The Wall Street Journal, found that this is a common problem many high school students face.  The competition is fierce and they feel it not only at home, but in their surrounding community and at family gatherings, too.  Shellenbarger emphasizes that students need not feel the need to answer everyone’s questions about college decisions, and she gives some wonderful alternative answers to help students and adults alike through those tough situations.

Article below published by The Wall Street Journal on March 8, 2017

Written by:  Sue Shellenbarger

Allie Dreier, a 17-year-old from Glen Ridge, N.J., attended a friend’s family gathering recently when the question came up. A relative asked her friend, “What’s your SAT score?”

Her friend fired back, “How much do you get paid?” Ms. Dreier says. Embarrassed, the relative backed off.

At a family gathering two years ago, Ms. Dreier’s sister Missy and her cousin Emma Wishnow grew so weary of intrusive questions that they made signs reading, “I don’t want to talk about college” and held them up for all to see. Their relatives laughed and mostly kept their distance, says Missy Dreier, currently a sophomore at Harvard University.

Tagged: Admission decision, Applications, College

The deepest fears — and hopes — parents harbor about their kids applying to college

February 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?

Tagged: Admission decision, Applications, College