![]() This past summer, I had the opportunity to work with students on opposite ends of the spectrum: freshmen and seniors. Faced with this dichotomy, I couldn’t help but think about the clear advantage these ninth graders have over most of my current seniors. Before engaging with these younger students, I confess that I believed it unnecessary to start the process this early—something only a helicopter or snowplow parent would do. Yet what I discovered early in this process is that the focus and conversation at this stage are not about colleges or careers. They are about understanding interests and personalities and helping students gravitate towards fields of study that best match who they are and what they like. Helping a child engage in these exercises and conversations is not over the top; it’s just good parenting, plain and simple. Finding the right-fit college is about students knowing themselves and the qualities and characteristics that best suit them. Early self-realizations can only make this process richer and more authentic. What I love about working with students early in their high school careers is that I get the opportunity to know them better and build a more trusting relationship. We start with a casual conversation and chat about their interests, school, and friends. I often recommend parents purchase a comprehensive personality and career interest survey for a modest price, not to encourage their children pick a career path, but for the purpose of getting them to think about areas of interest they can explore. Ninth grade is the perfect time to dabble in a variety of activities because by tenth grade students should focus on one or two interests they are passionate about. While the surveys provide interesting and often accurate assessments of student’s personalities, learning styles, and interests, it’s the discussions culled from these surveys that hold the most value. It is those “aha” moments, when students realize, “Yes. That’s me!,” or when they don’t agree with a designation and argue how they really are. We discuss how they learn best and talk about strategies they can use to be most successful in school. I make suggestions about extracurricular activities that best suit them based on their career and interest surveys. The merits of this self-reflection cannot be underrated or duplicated. These students will get a head start that most students will never receive. Some of the seniors I worked with this year engaged in limited extracurricular activities or bounced from interest to interest. They did not hone in and cultivate their passion or show commitment and leadership. These are the things colleges want to see. Instead, they found themselves scrambling to locate summer activities that could boost their application. The ninth graders, on the other hand, now know what colleges look for early in their high school careers, and they have the luxury to plan accordingly. They received the tools necessary to discover their true passions, so they will hopefully seek out experiences that truly interest them rather than engaging in random activities they think will look good on a college application. I recognize that not all parents have the resources to hire a consultant this early in the process or at any of stage of the process for that matter. Some parents may also feel confident engaging in this process and guiding their child on their own. Numerous books and articles are readily available that give sage advice on what to do at each grade level. Regardless of the path taken, ninth grade is the ideal time to begin this conversation. Students can only benefit from this early insight! Recently, I had the opportunity to attend the UC Counselor’s Conference on the beautiful campus of UC San Diego. Directors and admissions counselors from all nine undergraduate UC schools offered key insights about the application process and the current admissions landscape.
Here are ten key facts/tips that stood out: 1) Tuition: There will be no tuition increases through 2017! 2) Selectivity: Even though the number of high school graduates in CA is on the decline, the UC Brand is strong, and the number of applicants is projected to continue to increase. Advice: students should apply broadly. Last year, 82% of applicants who met eligibility got into at least one UC. 3) Standardized Testing: The SAT or ACT must be taken by December of the student’s senior year, there is no penalty for multiple test submissions, and UC campuses do NOT super score, meaning they do not take a combination of the best scores from each section. 4) Language Requirement: Although two years of language is the “minimum” requirement, students should take three or more years to be competitive! 5) Family Income Question: It does NOT hurt the student’s admission’s chances to include this information, and including it can paint a clearer picture for admission’s counselors. A high income can speak to how the student was able to do things because of that income, and a lower income can offer context. 6) Optional Comments Section: Students should not be shy about using the two optional additional comment sections. If they have a situation that requires more explanation or something in their academic profile that needs clarification, this is their opportunity to communicate that to admissions counselors. Students should err on the side of oversharing! 7) Activities and Awards Section: Since there is a limit to how many activities and awards students can list, they should list the activities that they have spent the most time doing and that mean the most to them. Students should be sure to provide clear context and essential details. They must keep in mind that admissions counselors do not have the time to research each school and program. 8) Personal Statement: As students are drafting their personal statements, they should be thinking, “Is this relevant to me now?” They should write in first person and always tie the story back to them. 9) Application Review: Despite what many believe, there is NO campus collaboration with applications and admissions. Each campus individually evaluates and makes decisions about each student. 10) Deadlines: Students must meet deadlines; there are NO exceptions! Students should create a separate email address for applying to college, and they MUST check that email on a regular basis. By Ken Steinhorn
I think I’ve dreaded this process for most of the 16 years it took to get here. And the whole time, I’ve watched nervously from the sidelines as college admissions transformed from something relatively straightforward, to a complex and highly competitive process. But reality set in quickly when my daughter came home from school and excitedly told me about a presentation she attended given by Sarah Lawrence University. I knew at that moment it was time to dive in, do our best to figure it out, and help our daughter find the college best suited to help her reach her goals and realize her dreams. As suspected, navigating the vast amount of college information, requirements, curriculums, strategies, as well as testing and timing issues, was daunting to say the least! Plus, although my daughter had a high GPA and strong testing scores, I realized quickly that academic achievement was only a piece of this confusing process. Without someone knowledgeable to help connect the dots and prioritize all activities, it was a short trip to overwhelm. Two years prior, my sister had faced this same challenge with my nephew, and after going it alone with little success, I remembered she hired a college consultant to get some much-needed guidance. But when I called to discuss her experience, she related how disappointed she was with the input. Apparently the consultant took a fairly boiler-plate approach, she was not particularly conversant on financial aid issues, and maybe most importantly, she made little, if any, effort to understand what my nephew really wanted out his college experience. So when Tracy was recommended to us, I was largely skeptical. But to be perfectly honest, any trepidation I had evaporated quickly when we met. The connection with my daughter was immediate, and after our first session, everyone had newfound confidence all would turn out okay—no small thing! We also had our assignments: Tracy is a teacher first, incredibly organized, and she provides a robust, easy-to-use, web-based tracking and management tool to link all facets of the process. But mostly, I knew we had found the right consultant by the diplomatic, yet firm, way she made it clear to us that this was my daughter’s journey, not ours. I’m fairly certain there are other competent consultants out there, but I’m both confident and relieved to work with someone so committed to helping our daughter find her unique path, write in her authentic voice, and ultimately discover a campus lifestyle and college experience that best resonates with her sensibilities. What more could a parent hope for! I mentioned to Tracy I would like to write a testimonial, but I thought it might be more helpful to write in a bit more detail to share the whole story. As of this writing, we’ve made tremendous progress, but we have yet to finalize our top 10 schools. My daughter’s senior year starts this week, and between summer homework, SAT tutoring, and the myriad demands of a teenager’s life; I don’t know how she does it all. But once we’ve finalized this process over the next 4 or 5 months, I will return to write the final chapter to share the ultimate results…and any additional accolades for Tracy’s tremendous help! |