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[vtcollegecounseling]

What Should I Be Doing? How high schoolers can continue your college search from home

by Amy VanTassel, EdM

It’s spring break for most of my students. That is to say it would’ve been spring break, but with schools closed indefinitely, it’s just more of the same: students stuck at home, prohibited from seeing friends or teachers. Many of my sophomores and juniors were planning to visit college campuses during the break, attending information sessions and formal campus tours that would’ve been utterly invaluable in their college search process.

There’s more. Confined to their homes, college-seekers are missing out on school resources like college fairs, visiting admission reps, discussions with counselors, and inspiration from other students. So what can you do to maintain the momentum of your search? How do you make like Jay-Z’s grandma, caught by Beyoncé saying, “I was given lemons and I made lemonade?”

You’re part of history. Colleges are scrambling to maintain your attention, and you’re in an unprecedented position to maximize the departure from your typically busy schedule. True, you’re likely suffering from the phenomenon of burn-out from online work right now, but I offer suggestions on how to keep it realistic and exciting. This checklist of action items is especially designed for juniors and sophomores, but younger students might glean some inspiration, too. Check it!

Virtual Visits

Cognizant that not every student can afford to visit campuses, and not every high school attracts admission reps, colleges have always made it easy for students to explore from afar. Online tours, student chats, and virtual open houses have been in place for years, but colleges are now hustling to improve their production value and to ensure they’re accessible for all. Admission websites feature these on their landing page, but a cursory YouTube search will yield a ton of stuff - official and patently unofficial. So long as you don’t jump to negative conclusions from bandit videos (“Connor does a five minute keg stand at Alpha Tau Omega”), go ahead and enter the rabbit hole. Here’s a nice mix of vids that pop-up for my favorite college.

There’s more. Before this crisis, students visited campuses in-person, pairing tours led by a student with an “information sessions” led by an admission professional. Not only have colleges stepped-up their games with virtual tours, but they’re also offering online info sessions online alá Carnegie Mellon’s impressive vid.

Curating your college list should be fun. It’s like shopping. If you’re a sophomore or younger, you might have a couple specific colleges in mind, but you’re still in the nascent stage of your college search. If you’re a junior, you should have an educated list going already. (If you’re working with me, not to brag, but you have a highly-individualized list in the works.). Now is a perfect time to curate that list and concurrently take notes. I suggest you don’t rashly cross-off any given school, but rather note your questions, and see below.

Test Prep

An optimal way to capitalize upon sheltering! Before this crisis, my students struggled to dedicate enough time to this essential practice because their daily schedules were so full. Balancing school, practices, commuting, and more, it was hard to shoehorn-in prepping for the SAT or ACT. Not anymore.

It will be clutch to find a formal program that you have to log-into or virtually meet with a tutor at a scheduled time. Everyone is feeling stir crazy, so after your school homework, the last thing you’ll want to do is more online work. You’ve probably already implemented regimented daily schedules to combat sheltering fatigue, so how about carving-out another couple of hours per week for intensive test prep?

Upcoming spring exams are canceled, but there will be future exams, if not at a classic testing center, then online....er...somehow. Let’s leave the puzzle of administering globally-concurrent tests with extreme security, not to mention measures against cheating with the help of, you know, the internet, to the exam companies. In the meantime, maximize your time at home to study. I unabashedly recommend Stumptown Test Prep in PDX, who’ll work with your individual needs and facilitate Zoom meetings to keep you on task, identify your weakness, and umami your time at home to improve your scores.

College Communication

They’re standing by waiting to hear from you. I worked in selective college admission for over a decade, and I’ve been in touch with my colleagues who are just as uncertain as you are about what will happen with your class (imagine the uncertainty for seniors). They’re more poised than ever to field inquires, and there are two key ways to engage:

1. online inquiry forms - there’s a term called “perceived interest” regarding how your engagement with colleges might make you a stronger candidate. There’s a ton of debate surrounding this topic, and every college handles it differently, but suffice it to say you should take this “controllable” by the bullhorns. What with students applying to upwards of 20 schools these days, enabled by common application systems, colleges want to know if you actually know them. Their “yield” rates are important for planning and esteem, so proving you’re legitimately interested might make or break your outcomes. Perhaps the sitch is not that dramatic, but at least it can’t hurt to engage. Fill out online inquiry forms. It’s so easy. You find them on the undergraduate admission sites via “introduce yourself,” or “request more info.”

2. submit a legit question - if you honestly have a question about any given college, ask them. Your inquiry will lend itself to said “perceived interest,” and you’ll def get the answers you were seeking. Again on the undergraduate site, you’ll easily find a way to inquire, if not chat with a live admission officer or student like the University of Puget Sound.

Summer Planning

You must proceed like everything will be happening. Why not? Juniors especially should orchestrate very busy summers full of meaningful activities, which always seems to beg the question, “what counts?” My answer is, “anything and everything.” Some students have to bag groceries to help support heir families, so it would be prejudicial for colleges to give preference to those who can afford fancy resumé-builders. Here’s how I suggest you plan:

1. Carve-out family time and travel on the three-month summer calendar first.

2. Inquire with your team sports coaches, or arts instructors, if relevant, to gauge their current plans for continuing programming this summer.

3. Allocate time for test prep - either three hours per week, or three intensive weeks in a row.

4. If you’re a junior, carve-out plenty of time for essay and application completion. I’m radical, but I want all my students to finish the bulk of their essays and applications before school starts. Budget for five hours per week, or the equivalent dispersed throughout the summer.

5. Brainstorm enjoyable activities to fill-in your remain free time! It could be as august as a internship or college campus camp, as magnanimous as a volunteering gig, or as simple as an hourly-paid job. Looky here! Saturday Academy out of Portland, Oregon is still accepting applications for their summer classes, camps, and internships.

More important than any of the above is to maintain communication with your current teachers, and to keep up the great work at school. Performance in your solid classes (English, language, math, lab science, history) will be the most significant criterion when you apply, by a landslide. Test scores, for many colleges, is a distant second, and everything else is your icing on the cake. So you should focus on school and test prep, but also capitalize upon sheltering to hit up the above list. If there’s anything we’ve all learned during this time is that we can either be afflicted by our circumstances, or take advantage of them. You’re part of history, so take Beyoncé’s advice and make lemons out of lemonade.

[vtcollegecounseling]

Congratulations, you’ve been waitlisted!

One of my students is currently on six waitlists, all top schools for her.

When my students and families ask me the categorically futile question of whether I predict they’ll be admitted from a waitlist or not, I simply share the spectrum of what I’ve seen: some colleges have admitted 100% of their waitlist, some have admitted 0%, and no one knows what will happen until after May 1st.

Students are applying to more colleges than ever due to a confluence of increased panic about increased selectivity, and the advent of streamlined, painless, and relatively simple online applications. Moreover, because of waitlists, some students might “melt” and forego their deposit once they are admitted from a waitlist elsewhere. Ergo, colleges are less able to predict their yield than they were a few decades ago, and what with increased selectivity, they are presented with exponentially more applicants than every who are perfectly admissible. (See my blog “Banish the Term Rejeceted.”)

The National Candidate Reply Date is May 1st, a legal mandate to control against, well, a lot (that’s another blog post). So before they hear about waitlists, students must decide on, get excited about, and actually deposit at another college. And so it goes: the waitlist phenomenon perpetuates itself as students deposit at once school, get admitted from a waitlist at a preferred one, the initial school replaces that student from their waitlist, that replacement student “melts” from another college, which then goes to their waitlist...

Essentially, the waitlist sitch is bananas! After having just explained the reasons why, I hope it’s evident that it actually doesn’t matter why. It’s completely futile to guess at one’s chances of being admitted off of a waitlist, and perhaps more importantly, it’s nonsensical to feel sour grapes and discount the possibility of being admitted. I’ve had some students attend the college of their dreams by enduring the waitlist purgatory, all the way up until August! So here are the action items that I espouse:

Immediately reply that you’re interested in remaining on the waitlist. Don’t overthink your response with a bragging litany of your recent escapades (yet), but don’t delay in “opting-in.” If you’re admitted to a college that trumps your waitlist school(s), you can opt-out, but otherwise, why not ride it out?

Decide upon, get excited about, visit or revisit, and deposit at another college by May 1st. Non-negotiable.

Avoid sour grapes about your waitlist school. Don’t forget that you’re entirely admissible to that institution, and would obvi make great contributions. Due to circumstances endemic of our time there wasn’t room for you just yet, but don’t blame the system.

Wait until May, but then send them a “keep warm” missive about your abiding interest. Refer to your maintained success at school, any new achievements, and state clearly that you will enroll if you’re admitted off the waitlist.

Don’t waste a nanosecond guessing about your chances. Don’t ask me to read the tea leaves, and for the love of the gods, don’t ask them. Channel your energy into your deposited school of choice, join all the soc media groups, and consider yourself lucky.

So, I say “Congratulations, you’re on the waitlist!” Seriously, the gesture means you are awesome. You are so awesome that the college would love to have you, but they simply don't have enough beds for everyone. But they might in late May, June, July...

[vtcollegecounseling]

The College Admission Scandal: my reactions and hope for an improved system

My reaction in a nutshell was patently unsurprised. When the college admission scandal broke, I was inundated with understandably shocked friends seeking my thoughts, and it saddened me to tell them I glimpsed clues of this stuff my entire career in admission, and was even directly asked to participate in indiscretions.

The college admission industry in the US has favored and perpetuated privilege since its nascence. In the past four decades, colleges have made tremendous strides in extending opportunities to those less-privileged, perhaps most importantly students of color and first-generation college-goers, but is still rife with broken systems that advance the privilege and allow for crazy (illegal!) transactions, as seen in this recent scandal.

Ways privilege was perpetuated

I’m fortunate to have attended the nation’s oldest higher education institution. Harvard was founded in 1636, which, as The Social Network reminds us, is older than the our country itself. Thus began an endemic perpetuation of the upper class and upper-middle class, sustained by the following classist (and thereby racist) circumstances:

1. College costed a lot

2. Lofty references were an essential factor

3. Students of different backgrounds had to work for money in their teens, and certainly in their twenties

4. Prep schools were “feeders”

5. Parents who didn’t attend college didn’t understand the process or embrace the concept

6. Students of different backgrounds would not feel comfortable at colleges, anyway

7. The careers that colleges furnished were not welcoming to them

8. Super-affluent or famous parents were able to finagle or buy their kids’ admission

9. Measurements for admission - grades, test scores, high school quality, co-curricular activities - were skewed towards privileged applicants

10. If and when privileged students under-performed, they had access to support, special attention, tutoring, and systems to ameliorate their records

Essentially, college admission was founded on prejudice. The first African American attended in 1823, facing horrible harassment. The first woman didn’t attend until1840, Jewish students faced intimidation well into the 20th Century, and don’t get me started on the hesitant introduction of non-western international students. I could expound on each item on the above list with a dissertation, but I want to get back to the scandal.

What’s been done

We have come a long way. A sea change began in the late 19th Century, and in the past few decades, drastic efforts have been installed to combat this issue. I applaud two key factors in improving the system: the boom of remarkable funding for and improvement in public institutions (both state schools and community colleges), and affirmative action.

IMHO, the latter is a gods-sent elixir for centuries of prejudice. In the context of the allocation of resources, Google defines affirmative action as “the practice or policy of favoring individuals belonging to groups known to have been discriminated against previously.” Colleges adopted this process several decades ago, giving a relative leg-up to applicants of color or at least African American and Native American students. More recently, colleges have extended the preferential admission to “first generation college goers.”

The topic is rife with nuances and controversy, such as the most famous case of Grutter v. Bollinger and the University of Michigan, and the topic remains highly contested, but in my professional opinion, affirmative action in the allocating resources is seemingly the only way for to affect staggering discrepancies as quickly as possible, and I stand by my statement.

Moreover, and only from what I can tell, which may be inaccurate, there has been less wheeling and dealing of affluent parents and elite prep schools “buying” their kids’ admission. But then again, check the news recently.

Problems that remain

We have come a long way since the endemic problems I listed above, but I see still see the following as remaining problematic:

1. College costs a lot

2. Students of different backgrounds might have to work for money in their teens, and certainly in their twenties

3. Parents who didn’t attend college don’t understand the process or necessarily embrace the concept

4. The careers and industries that colleges furnish may be skewed towards the more affluent

5. Super-affluent or famous parents are obviously able to finagle or buy their kids’ admission

6. Measurements for admission - grades, test scores, high school quality, co-curricular activities - are still skewed towards privileged applicants

7. If and when privileged students under-perform, they have access to support, special attention, tutoring, and systems to ameliorate their records

8. Merit awards, not to be confused with financial aid, are granted more heavily to affluent applicants

You’ll notice only a few subtractions from the above list, but did you also notice one major addition at the end? That’s right: although merit awards and financial aid help a fraction of needy students, awards are showered more heavily upon the affluent as reputable colleges channel funds from their endowments to woo “full-pay” families. Thus, privileged students are more apt to attend private institutions that may lead to more successful outcomes, thus perpetuating class status.

Of course, the most alarming problem above is #5. When this recent scandal broke, people were shocked. Were you? I was not, but I’m in the industry. That this recent litany of tragic unfairness was able to occur is proof that the college admission industry still needs major fixing.

Hope

I don’t mean to be so negatron! Indeed, my frustration with the system is one of the reasons I left admission to work on the proverbial “other side of the desk.” I truly want to make a difference in the new age of college admission. Fortunately, I have three chief glimmers of hope:

1. State programs - crazy cool things are happening at public institutions!

a) Honors Colleges alá the University of Oregon Clark Honors College offer tremendously high-quality and challenging academics, as well as specialized student life programming. That they take diversity into account in admission and funding means hosts of under-privileged students can get a world-class education for free. Awesome.

b) State schools in general have tons of opportunities for scholarships for needy students. If a student is a high-achiever, is willing to stay in state, and applies early enough to be considered for scholarships, it’s very possible to get a full ride, or at least to graduate debt-free.

c) Community Colleges might offer four year degrees. The Oregon State Senate Committee on Education will soon be considering Bill 3, transitioning some Community Colleges to to Bachelor degree institutions. This potential is so exciting to me because transferring out of Community Colleges is actually rare despite intentions going in, especially since it’s way harder to get financial aid as a transfer.

2. This scandal - although I am not surprised, I am pleased to see these recent infractions come to light, and so virally. Much like the #METOO movement, I hope this scandal incites further whistle-blowing, exposure, monitoring, and a general movement towards buttressing the system from illegal shenanigans.

3. The “kids” - I know, they’re not kids, but our current bastion of college students won’t stand for their colleges’ infractions. It’s not fair to them, and they’re protesting. On March 11th, students at Sarah Lawrence who call themselves the Diaspora Coalition, occupied part of campus to protest against “injustices imposed on people of color by this institution on a daily basis.” I protested at my boarding school, college, and my graduate school (don’t ask me the causes as I am actually a little fuzzy on those deets). Tianamen Square, Kent State, the Anti-Apartheid movement, the Greensboro sit-ins...all of these protests actually led to change.

In summary, the recent scandal didn’t even make me flinch since I wasn’t surprised in the slightest. It did serve as an effective reminder to me, however, of why I am a college counselor. I honestly want to affect change by helping my students with integrity, and to always work pro bono with at least one “first-gen” college-seeking student. I also need to continue to contribute to the larger convention among my colleagues by attending conferences and meeting frequently with my buddies in admission. The scandal also reminded me to champion the above three glimmers of hope, ignoring the ineffectual noise of the media in the spirit of remembering that it’s all about the kids.

[vtcollegecounseling]

What’s the best high school for my kid (and should I move now)?

I am of the age when many of my friends have babies or toddlers, and are already looking ahead to high school since choices they make now might influence their kids’ options for high school. More urgently, those with students in middle school might be freaking out about their choices, knowing that they ideally should choose now and never look back. I revel in helping families navigate the nuances of this precipice and specialize in options in the Portland, Oregon area.

most important

No school is "better" than another, and there is no such thing as the best school in town. Pedagogies and institutional philosophies vary greatly. One school might offer the most excellent traditional academic programming in terms of rigorous classes and homework, and tough grading. Another school might outshine in terms of community, support, experiential education, and/or cocurricular programming. Perhaps the most important factor for your student is a celebration of various learning styles. I'm a firm believer that appropriate fit and happiness beget success. Whatever you do, do NOT get caught up in guessing what the "best" school is considered to be in your area.

how to choose

Define your goals. This process will be complex! Before you weigh the factors of cost, location, and offerings, decide as a family what your priorities are among the following: excellent traditional academics, progressive or holistic academics, life-skills/learning development, community standards, character and moral development, quality arts programming, quality athletic programming, robust parent involvement, high-caliber college placement, student and family diversity (ethnic, socioeconomic, cultural), differences in learning support and accommodation.

Then visit. Open Houses and other visit programs are the best. Don't be afraid to ask for more, though. Every school will be able to accommodate special meetings and visits anytime, during which you're likely to receive better attention. See me for more ideas and protocols.

Chose as individuals. Your kid is unique. So is your family. It's soooo easy to be influenced by what your neighbors are doing, but it's essential to assess your goals based on the list above, and then consider factors of cost, convenience, reputation, size, etc.

There may not be a totally ideal school. But don't get hung up on finding the perfect synthesis of all your criteria. There won't likely be a school the reportedly distance from your home, with the ideal academic programming and activities for you. Prioritize.

Assess how much support you can offer your kid. If you are able to drive to activities elsewhere in town, then perhaps a robust arts or athletic program isn't necessary. If you are willing to pay for standardize test prep, then maybe you can sacrifice traditional academics for progressive. If you have little time beyond your own work schedule and commuting, perhaps a school that offers strong community and advising will help you rest assured your student is being looked out for.

Investigate sticker price. If you're considering private schools, it will be daunting to face tuition, especially with college cost on the horizon. My general belief, based on decades of observation, is that investment in education in the earlier years yields returns on that investment down the road. It may or may not be worth it to take out loans or re- budget elsewhere in your life to ensure a quality education and community during your child's formative years. That stated, it rarely makes sense to struggle, economically, when your student could also thrive in you public school option. In general, the best choice for your family should trump minor differences in tuition. Whatever you do, investigate the real cost of attendance (COA). Is there financial aid available? Are there hidden costs in fees and community expectations? Is there a current family you can ask? What would be your opportunity cost of commuting or buying your kid a car to ultimately drive herself/himself? Again, it may or may not be worth it.

Listen to your kid. She or he may not be able to articulate why one option is more appealing than another, so gently try to determine what is behind their opinion. If it's only friends and social concerns, we adults know that factor can and will change ("nobless oblige"). If it's something deeper like community size, programming, or activities, it's worth further, patient conversation.

You won't be locked-in. Albeit ideal to remain in one school as long as possible, students are transferring high schools more than ever in the past few decades. Transferring makes no impact on college admission, and this acceptable trend should take some weight off your decision.

PDX options and corresponding strengths

Public schools Most offer very impressive and robust IB programs or AP courses. Their strengths also rest in large, dynamic, diverse, and exciting populations. If you have a choice, I advise against splitting hairs about what classes are offered and especially what college credits might be accrued. You should focus on the community vibe, guidance, cocurricular programming, and general cultural feel of the school.

ACMA Public funding with the most advanced curricula in arts and communication.

Catlin Gabel Often viewed as the most elite independent school in the NW. Outstanding writing prep, incredible advising system. and extreme experiential education.

Central Catholic A more affordable option for a larger, faith-based education with many befits of a private institution. Families have often selected CC over other for their broad academic offerings, deep athletic rosters and opportunities, and social vibe, in general.

Jesuit - A dynamic faith-based community with particularly rich programming in athletics and community service. The community at Jesuit is by far the largest and most vibrant of the major prep schools: think filled football bleachers.

Language immersion/international schools - Exceptional communities that empower global citizens and celebrate diversity in an otherwise homogenous city.

Metropolitan Learning Center - awesome. More on this one to come...

Northwest Academy - Extremely small, intimate, and tight-knit community with remarkably devoted faculty and a progressive curriculum.

Oregon Episcopal - Excellent college preparatory education with robust offerings, strong advising, and a surprisingly diverse community.

Pacific Crest - An intensively supportive, small environment with adaptive education.

Portland Waldorf - A wonderfully holistic approach to educating the whole student and drawing connections across the curriculum.

Riverdale - An exceptionally intimate and close-knit community for a public school. Parents and students have reveled in the remarkably small, intimate, and tight-knit community.

St. Mary's - The ultimate option for empowering intelligent, confident young women and ensuring limitless opportunities for their participation.

Valley Catholic - Exceptional, much smaller community with strong character education and, IMO, the best writing prep in town.

admission tips

test prep

You must prep your kiddo for the necessary exams. I know they're unsavory and to expose your middle-schooler to such stress seems cruel, but you should bow to this necessary evil now and help put her or his best foot forward. You will most likely be able to DIY your own prep at home; I recommend a few hours of familiarizing, and then one timed practice exam, and then, most importantly, one hour of assessing results from the practice exam. Or get a tutor. IMHO, the absolute most effective test prep in the Portland area is Stumptown Test Prep.

visiting

At all costs, drop everything to take advantage of special visit days and open houses. In fact, you should participate in pretty much every opportunity and event for prospective students that each school offers. Even if you believe you're already familiar with a school, these events will be useful for myriad reasons, and most oilers will affect your admissibility. See me for questions.

outcomes

DO NOT TAKE IT PERSONALLY IF YOU'RE NOT ADMITTED! I can't state this concept enough. Your kid was not assessed and "rejected," rather, there was simply not enough room for her or his demographic profile. I actually suggest seizing this opportunity to talk to your kid about these dynamics. See my blog tirade (as you can see, I'm pretty passionate about this topic):

[vtcollegecounseling]

Help, I was deferred!

HELP, I WAS DEFERRED! You're likely feeling a small dose of disappointment, and a large dose of confusion, right? I know you wish you had better news, so your deferral to the Regular Decision pool must feel anticlimactic, if not bittersweet. Fortunately, due to my countless hours in admission committee, culling lists and crunching numbers, I can confidently tell you exactly what it means to be deferred and how to process the sitch... WHY WASN'T I ADMITTED? See my post "Banish The Term Rejected." You we're likely a perfect fit for you school, as were thousands of other applicants, and there was simply no room. Check out Duke this year: they admitted 861 out of 3,516 students who applied Early Decision. That's 24.5%, 41% of whom were students of color (dukechronicle.com staff reports 12/14/16). It's not that someone considered your application and decided not to admit you. In fact, you were actually deemed admissible, but they admitted their top cohort of students who met their demographic, ethic, geographic, gender, athletic and artistic needs - whatever they may be this year for any given institution - and there wasn't room, at least yet... WHAT DOES IT MEAN? Running the risk of administering false hope, I invite you to celebrate what is fantastic news. Essentially, your school doesn't want to let go of you. You're a strong enough applicant to be admitted, so they are holding on to your application because there's a chance you'll be admitted this spring. Many schools err on the side of flat-out denying students early, especially since research shows students lose affinity for a school after getting deferred. So it's good news, but... WILL I BE ADMITTED IN THE NEXT ROUND? I can't say this next part enough: even they don't know what the applicant pool will look like in the Regular Action. There is absolutely no way to read the tea leaves or try to guess what each school's institutional needs are for this fall's freshman class. Your chances are impossible to predict. If you've been working with me, you've likely heard me point out the fulity of guess since it won't change your behavior, right? In that spirit... WHAT NOW? First off, "opt in" to be considered for the next round, as your school instructed. There should be clear directives in your notification. No matter what, don't skip this step or consider withdrawing your app due to hard feelings. Only submit new material to them if you have recent test scores from November, or something major new and cool has happened since you applied. See me for specifics. Then, if you're working with me, you should have been actively submitting and preparing other applications, but if you have any outstanding work on remaining apps, hit it! Channel your energy into alternatives and see me to organize your final list. Most importantly, relax... TAKEAWAY. You are the above-norm. I know it feels anticlimactic, but you should actually take pride in your deferral, since most applicants were denied outright. After you've "opted-in," you should try to keep a positive attitude, especially regarding your other options. College acceptance is unpredictable, messy, complex, and controversial. With any luck, we've devised a plan to ensure alternate outcomes that should also be extremely exciting. Your worst case scenario: like most students in the world, you didn't get in to your first choice, but you have incredibly awesome, privileged, impressive, world-class alternatives. You're lucky

[vtcollegecounseling]

Banish the Term #Rejected

"What didn't they like about me?" One of my students, understandably upset, pleaded with me when she wasn't admitted to her dream school. I thought we'd been over this likely outcome, so I stammered, struggling to articulate how futile her question was.

Most students assume that admission offices review their applications to decide if they could thrive at that college (admit), or if they wouldn't be a good fit (rejected). We professionals know this reasoning is far from realistic, and that exponentially increasing selectivity is the endemic plague of higher education today.

There's an urban legend that Harvard could craft, out of each year's applicant pool, ten equally qualified freshman classes. It's not entirely untrue: with a staggering 6% admittance rate, Harvard does not admit thousands of similar perfect SAT scorers, class presidents, star oboists, quarterbacks, and princes of Monaco.

The "admission funnel" is a visual metaphor depicting the chronology of populations admission offices deal with. Numbers decrease through the funnel from inquiry to applicant, applicant to admit, and finally, to matriculate. Looking at Harvard's funnel, it's more like a bottleneck. Perfectly admissible students are simply squeezed out.

Students without a "hook" such as a talent the institution currently seeks, an exremely impactfulconnection, or coveted demographic difference are at a particular disadvantage. Institutions are charged with the essential task of ensuring access across racial lines, inciting affirmative-action Supreme Court-level lawsuits. Socioeconomics present another major factor as students who need financial aid face tougher standards in admission than their "full pay" counterparts. As colleges practice variations of "need-blind" or "need-sensitive" admission, families are confused by the phenomenon of "College Admission Roulette: Ask for Financial Aid, or Not?" addressed by Paul Sullivan for the New York Times. The Times also featured Kenyon's Dean of Admission, Jennifer Delahunty Britz apologizing "To All the Girls I've Rejected."

Still, students believe they're "rejected" due to flaws. How can we change their vocabulary? How about changing the noun: it's the system, not them. We must help them move beyond simplistic concepts of "rejection" to the nuances of changing demographics and the important topic of access. We must expose these realities to contextualize their situation when they're not admitted; after all, they're old enough to vote.

To address the issue at its core, we should educate about fit, quality-beyond-the-rankings, and the strategy of casting a broad net of applications to a spectrum of schools that reflect students' unique traits. A diehard fan of Loren Pope's 40 Colleges That Change Lives, I continually find gems among the 3,000-plus excellent colleges in the U.S. alone. There will always be unattainable dream schools, but developing a host of exciting alternatives (as opposed to reaches vs. safeties), we can ensure happy outcomes, and soften the blow by educating students about how to digest their imminent letters of non-admission.

I thought I forewarned my applicant about selectivity and braced her with myriad comparable dream schools, but in desperation, she still clung on to the idea that she could've done more in her application. Truthfully, she could not have. She submitted a perfect application (IMHO), with an ideal transcript, scores, and resume. But she was one of a thousand. Delahunty Brtiz empathetically stated, "To parents and the students getting thin envelopes, I apologize for the demographic realities." I'd like to take it one step further, urging students to see that they're not "rejected," but simply "not admitted."

[vtcollegecounseling]

Your college essay: no need to dazzle, just be real (and smart)

Just Google "college essay" and you'll find a host of snazzy tips for crafting a "stand-out application." I've personally read hundreds of essays, and while only a few have completely "stood out," I dare say dazzling wasn't actually what mattered. Applicants actually don't need to wildly charm, entertain, or shock the reader; they should simply submit a genuine, organic, mature manifesto. Your college essay is your personal statement. I recommend bypassing Google and heading straight to your favorite college's admission site to see if the dean or director has shared some essay tips. If so, their advice should outrank anything you hear from anyone! Otherwise, here are my two cents... Consider why colleges require essays. It's really your only chance to express your voice, perspective, background, or story (see also: the interview). In a new world plagued with plagiarism and over-editing, the essay also lends to an assessment of your writing skills (compared with academic performance and test scores). Most important, the essay reveals your intellectual maturity as evidenced by your ability to articulate collegiate-level substance and maturity. Admission offices must assess if students have potential to succeed at and contribute to their institution, seeking to craft a class of diverse and capable applicants from their pool. Ergo, while it might in rare cases help to "stand out" with an exceptionally funny, poignant, sad, or showy essay, you should really just focus on nailing the genuine and smart factors. Similar to when students ask me how important leadership is to colleges, you must remember that colleges want a diverse representation of personalities, so admitting a class full of "stand out" kids might lead to a type-A dormitory disaster...not to mention no astrophysics majors. Now, how do you do it? Here is a example of a solid essay, followed by its original draft. It responds to the Common Application prompt "Reflect on a time when you challenged a belief or idea. What prompted you to act? Would you make the same decision again?" Note the four key developments that I teased out of my student, all in his own words: 1) proof of collegiate-level intellectual understanding via a current, relevant, and/or global real-world example 2) "bridging" of an otherwise simple topic to a statement of what this student believes in, how she or he has grown, and will continue to grow in college 3) style makeover... it's much nicer to begin with imagery, as opposed to launching into a dry thesis-like explanation 4) in addition to other grammatical and style edits, I'm a firm believer in eliminating weak language such as "I think..." or "I believe...," which girls especially tend to write FINAL DRAFT "Can the non-western world sustain democracy?" I posed this question to my best friend, Devesh, crammed next to me on a rattling, dank, overpopulated train heading back to Chittagong from Dhaka City. In my four years championing humans rights and relief efforts in third-world countries, this thought only occurred to me for the first time this day. Darlings of our youth mission group Global Gofers, Devesh and I were imperiously proud of having raised our own money to travel, with overhead to contribute to the effort. This particular mission trip aided victims of the tragic Rana Plaza factory building collapse. As I heaved medical supplies, electronics, nutrition, and sporting goods to a local school, I suddenly felt self-conscious. Was my presence really necessary? Did the families see me as a reminder of the western force that caused the destruction? Was the infrastructure and technology we installed really necessary? In fact, if the demise of the factory was incited by gross consumerism in the western world, why would we, in turn, attempt to patch up the tragic outfall with more of the same? On the packed train with Devesh, we brainstormed instances where Americans, in particular, attempted to effect change which may not actually be desired, realistic, or sustainable. Laptops for kids in Rwanda: would they just demand more technology, towers, and unavailable resources? An end to child labor in Vietnam: would it devastate a family to have their child unemployed? Installation of democratic political systems in Egypt: can a population endure such rapid change without another imminent fallout? Three months later, back at home in Portland, my AP world history class discussed human rights. As the discourse grew heated, I could feel my own vexation rise, and I posed my original question. I referred to the examples in Rwanda, Vietnam, and Egypt. My teacher was outraged! I took a major risk in challenging the belief that the western world should invariably rush to the rescue of underdeveloped countries. My fatal flaw (other than jeopardizing my grade from an offended teacher) was that I hadn't given it enough thought, let alone done any research. I was perplexed, indeed, but my challenge didn't hold water. Any good debater knows that he must have facts, evidence, or at least well-thought conceptions when he challenges a major idea. I flailed in class that day. Would I make the same decision again? In a word, yes. I would research the facts first, however, and prepare to articulate my own stance on the topic. In the case of democratization, I've since learned that it highly depends on the scenario. When human rights are being clearly abused, the rest of the world should intervene. When countries are still in turmoil themselves, without a clear dispatch for help, it may be not be prudent. From now on, I will strive to collect reliable facts, like that the US spends $1.3 billion to secure foreign policy, with no evident influence in Egypt (America Has No Leverage in Egypt, Steven Simon; New York Times 8/19/13). I look forward to gleaning more knowledge about this issue in college. I will continue to advance human rights campaigns, and travel for mission trips. I will, however, also continue to question the authority of the western world, and courageously stick my neck out to broach such controversial issues in and out of the classroom, but by doing my homework first! FIRST DRAFT The day I challenged a major idea in my AP world history class, I learned a critical life lesson about opposition, debate, and risk-taking. We were discussing human rights, and I stuck my neck out to suggest something wild: whether US intervention was always necessary. My teacher was outraged. I jeopardized my grade, in addition to my reputation as a compassionate human, especially as one who had devoted my past four years to service trips. My best friend Devesh and I most recently traveled to Bangladesh with a youth mission group called Global Gofers. We were imperiously proud of having raised our own money to travel, with overhead to contribute to the effort. This particular mission trip aided victims of the tragic Rana Plaza factory building collapse. As I heaved medical supplies, electronics, nutrition, and sporting goods, I felt self-conscious. Was my presence really necessary? Did the families see me as a reminder of the western force that caused the destruction? Was the infrastructure and technology we installed really necessary? Wasn't the demise of the factory spurred by gross consumerism in the western world? During that trip, Devesh and I thought of other times when Americans try to install improvements that might not be sustainable. Do laptops for kids in Rwanda just call on towers and other unavailable resources? Do efforts against child labor in Vietnam end up impoverishing families more? Might the installation of democratic political systems in Egypt lead to another imminent fallout? I kept thinking about this topic over the summer, and finally voiced it in history class in the fall. I took a major risk in challenging the belief that the western world should always support third world nations. Would I do it again? In a word, yes. But I realized I hadn't given it enough thought, let alone done any research. I was perplexed, indeed, but my challenge didn't hold water. Any good debater knows that he must have facts, evidence, or at least well-thought conceptions when he challenges a major idea. I flailed in class that day because I didn't research the facts first in an effort to articulate my own stance on the topic. In the case of democratization, I've since learned that it highly depends on the scenario. The US should intervene when human rights are being clearly abused, but intervening may not be prudent when countries are still in turmoil. I will continue to advance human rights campaigns, and travel for mission trips. I will, however, also continue to question the authority of the western world, and courageously stick my neck out to broach such controversial issues in and out of the classroom, but by doing my homework first! I had the student rework the thrust of the essay to unpack his thoughts on a mature, impressive, relevant topic. It doesn't necessarily stand-out, but specific details and experiences make for a thoroughly genuine essay. Bridging to meaningful, smart content, suggestive of his future in college, seals the deal. Your essay is your personal statement. It isn't necessarily your time to dazzle, but it's certainly your time to shine.

[vtcollegecounseling]

Merit awards, merit awards, we all scream for merit awards

Sarah, one of my seniors, received the online notification that she was admitted to her top choice college, and soon shed tears of disappointment. She didn't receive a lofty merit scholarship. She was awarded a grant, but it wasn't as substantial as those from other schools, and she took the perceived slight personally. Jack, another one of my students just texted me, "CC just gave me $10k in merit scholarship, but I didn't get any from Stanford. I'm guessing a mistake. Can you call them?" I spent several wasted minutes yelling to my husband about "kids these days" before I took responsibility as his (Jack's) counselor. I should have better educated him about expectations throughout the process.

Merit awards, grants, and scholarships have become not only expected, but demanded. Hype within schools and neighborhoods has incited a sense of competition and introduced the practice of bartering with financial aid offices by appealing financial aid awards. In reaction, some elite colleges that have entirely prohibited the "appeals process." One of my parents encountered such a roadblock, to which she responded, "that's total bull****!" I do see the big picture issue as it's always been and continues to accelerate: access is narrowing, and tuition rises at a rate higher than inflation. At the same time, though, I'm frustrated that some families feel entitled to grants, missing the reality that elite, private higher education is a privilege, and acceptance makes for a moment of pride and triumph that a student should not overlook. Endemic presumptions about scholarships, I guess, are no major surprise as private institutions compete with one another to yield revenue-supplying "full pay" families. A few weeks ago, the Hechinger Report stated "Colleges and universities last year gave about $8.3 billion in so-called merit aid to students whose family incomes were too high for them to qualify for government-issued Pell Grants...The result is that, since 1995, the proportion of students receiving merit aid has overtaken the proportion that gets need-based aid, nearly doubling..." If you're interested in a more scintillating, if not frightening explanation about what Richard Kahlenberg calls "affirmative action for the rich," check out this NPR Planet Money piece.

I often hear, "How am I supposed to afford $50k a year? I can't just take out loans!" Indeed, the way Estimated Family Contributions are calculated can leave families with a seemingly impossible cost. I see this as part of that big decision, though: weighing the onus of taking out more loans for a private school versus opting for a more affordable institution. I aim to yield diverse financial outcomes, prescribing spring of senior year for comparing cost of attendance. Families and their students should discuss if it's worth the investment of loans (an optimal opportunity to welcome your kid into adulthood) to attend a high-tuition school, or if public university options are more suitable. For some it may be worth the debt (I took that route); for some, maybe not. Entirely individualized decision. Lisa D. Meyer, Dean for Enrollment and Communications at Lewis & Clarke College shares, "Many families come to me saying 'I don't want my student to have to take out any loans.' In return, I offer, 'I don't want your student to take an unreasonable loan.' There's something to be said for students knowing they paid for part of their education. Our students graduate, on average, with $23K in loan and we have a 2% default rate. For a student to graduate with a loan that's less than most cars...this isn't overwhelming and it gives the student a sense of ownership." Dan Reilly, Senior Associate Director of Admission at University of Portland adds, "In fact, studies show that students persist longer if they are working and invested in their own education.” The fact that every single one of my families expressed disappointment for lack of grants this year made me realize that I am the common denominator here. More than ever, it's up to us - educators of applicants and their parents - to change expectations. Insular pockets of academic communities foster hype, competition, and rumors about what should be expected for high-achieving students. Leaders such as college counselors and traveling admission officers must inform families at an early stage that aiming for a high-caliber private college will mean planning to meet full tuition.

To do my part, this year I plan to provide my families with more facts, figures, example awards, and statistics. I will rely on my colleagues in the trenches, quoting friends like Todd Hicks from Santa Clara University. He reminds me, "Merit awards at SCU go to the top 15% of our applicant pool. Moreover, merit nominations are based on a set of holistic criteria (GPA, rigor, test scores, leadership & activities, connection to mission); being strong in just one or two areas will not equal a merit award." I wish my students celebrated their admission more. Grants and merit awards should be considered a lovely bonus. Thinking beyond brand-name schools and prime geographic regions may increase one's chances of receiving them. Loans, however, are a sobering reality for the vast majority of college-goers. Really, just to be admitted to a selective college should be regarded as the crowning victory for hard-working teenagers. If you live in PDX, I recommend an ice cream from Salt n' Straw for every admit letter.

[vtcollegecounseling]

Banish the term #safetyschool

During the historically rabid Harvard vs. Cornell hockey games, over-zealous Harvard students chant “SAFETY SCHOOL” at their counterparts in the opposing stands. Obvi, the students are taunting their rivals in jest—calling Cornell, one of the world's leading (not to mention Ivy League) universities a “safety school,” is preposterous.

“Safety schools” typically describe the less-selective options applicants toss in the hopper in case the worst case scenario occurs: they’re not admitted to any other schools. Affordability, of course, is also a crucial component. Frequently, students add these options without any knowledge or excitement about the school in question. They hope it doesn’t come to it, so they’re not enthusiastic about their bottom of the barrel option. But hope, somebody with half-a-brain once said, is not a strategy.

Let’s explore a classic scenario that I often see here in the Portland area. Mary, a successful and well-rounded senior, has dreams of Stanford. She selects Claremont McKenna, Washington University, Brown, and Occidental, among others, to round-out her list. For safety’s sake, she half-heartedly bangs out an app to OSU, without any knowledge of the university’s programming, features, or strengths.

OH. MY. GOD.

Mary’s strategy is tragically flawed. It doesn’t take an economical statistician or a professional gambler to recognize the risk in this model. Given the prestigious nature of her primary choices, there’s a good likelihood Mary will end up at OSU. She'll set foot on campus with a bitter taste in her mouth, and a general sense of disappointment regarding the four sweetest years of her life. What's a greater shame, is that OSU is an excellent school that may be an excellent fit for Mary, but she's already relegated the school to second-class citizenship!

I have two cardinal reasons (and a buttload more that I’ll spare you) that the concept of “safety schools” should be banished.

1.

C’mon, kids, show a little effort!

There are thousands of outstanding colleges and universities out there! I dare a student to work hard (or, I must say, work with me) and not find a handful of affordable, less-selective options that fit them famously. I encourage students to cast a wide geographical net, and delve into research about the vast opportunities available to them. Modern initiatives like WICHE, designed to broaden in-state tuition benefits, make the search for less-selective schools more fruitful than ever. http://wiche.edu/wue

2.

Hey! Who you callin’ “safety?!?!!??”

Don’t even get me started on Mary’s oversight regarding OSU. True, I am currently obsessed with the tremendous advancements and opportunities at the home of the Beavers. Their Honors College, recent academic innovations, programs to support student life, and the advent of their Cascades Campus could designate OSU a dream school. http://honors.oregonstate.edu

I’m pathologically into the idea of “fit,” in which case OSU could be too big, too close to home, or too something for Mary, but my point is to expose the flaw in applying a college without any level of excitement to attend. I always tell my students that we won’t sleep until we find something less-selective that they’re truly stoked about. They may have to bend a bit, but it’s an inherent mistake to just toss something on the list for “safety’s sake.”