For the next couple of weeks, I'll be posting college feedback from students.
I am LOVING Providence right now. I cannot wait to go back!! :) I love the atmosphere of the school. Everyone is so genuine and kind and there is ALWAYS something to do. Our D1 sports are so strong and everything is all right on the same campus- from the food to the easily accessible places…my professors are incredible. Seriously. the classes can be tough, but I have so much of a support system from my teachers.
My classes at the University of South Carolina so far have gone very well! I got on the Dean's List the first semester! I love the people I've met so far and the football games and community outside of classes is really fun!
I really love the atmosphere. I don’t know how to exactly explain it in writing but basically, everyone is just so nice. We have an open door policy on campus, so it’s part of the Villanova Values to hold the door for the person behind you. And it’s just small things like that that totally make your day and make you smile!
Also, they have so many amazing clubs and club sports teams. I joined the club swim team even though I’m not the best swimmer. Now I have friends ranging from freshmen to seniors and people to turn to for advice. It’s been really helpful and nice to have a tight-knit group of people to turn to my first semester finding my way!
Happy New Year to you too! I am enjoying Villanova and can’t believe the first semester is done!
Hi! School is great (Hamilton College)-I love it!
Happy New Year and school (University of Richmond) is going great. I love it so far.
More to share next week! Let me know if you would like to speak to a current student at any college.
(I have edited for length and clarity from the original by Jon Boeckenstedt, a longtime respected university admissions professional.)
As Early Decision admission decisions roll in, the understandable confusion from parents, counselors, and students rolls in behind them. Few are questioning acceptances; it’s the denials (imprecisely called “rejections” by students and families) that cause the stress.
We’re talking about the colleges everyone talks about. Those of us who sit on stage at high school events where stressed parents (and by osmosis, their stressed children) ask, “What do colleges want?” or “Why is it so hard to get into <insert college not listed above>?”
At the colleges not listed above, your ability to control things is less than you think.
Who reads your file: The admissions office may have dozens (or more) first readers. That person is subject to all the biases and random events that affect attitude on any day. The day your file pops up, they could have gotten an acknowledgment from a boss, or their dog might have died. They might like your sarcastic and ironic tone, or it might cause them to stop reading your file before finishing your essay.
When your file gets read: Your file might pop up after the application of a brilliant researcher or the one who submitted the worst essay of the year. It might get read at 10 am on a Tuesday, or 4pm on a Friday, with dozens more to read before the reader can knock off for the weekend.
What other people say about you: Your letter of recommendation might not be glowing, even though the teacher who submitted it loved you. When I worked at Grinnell, an Iowan student’s teacher wrote “she’s not afraid to ask questions if she doesn’t understand the content.” Any Iowan would recognize that as a compliment, but if you’re not from Iowa, let me translate: “Although her academic record shows that this student is the best our high school has produced in years, she is nonetheless still blessed with that humbleness we expect. She doesn’t think she’s better than her classmates.” One faculty member (a native of Brooklyn, New York read this and said, “Clearly, this student is slow on the uptake.”
Whether your grandparents’ have their name on a campus building: If your name is Barney Rubble VI, and the library is named “The Betty and Barney Rubble IV Memorial Library,” your file will get more attention, even before the Advancement Office signs the deal on the Pebbles and Bam-Bam Rubble Recreation Center. (Yes, Bam-Bam was actually named Barney Rubble V, and he and Pebbles did marry after the series ended.)
The college’s preferences: At some colleges, standardized tests are still important, even if the college reluctantly went test-optional during the pandemic. At some of those institutions, submitting tests can hurt you; at others, not submitting tests can hurt you. You have no way of knowing this or predicting which college is which (unless they come out and say it, like MIT and Purdue have done recently by re-instating testing requirements for Fall 2024 admission).
How a college views a choice you made in your senior schedule: At a New England prep school, a student said she would graduate with seven AP courses, but worried that if she took a pottery course she really wanted to take, she couldn’t take an eighth. She asked how her “top choice” might react to that, and what she should do. I thought for a moment and suggested that she consider: “If your top choice doesn’t value your decision, why do you think it should be your top choice?” She was not satisfied.
The lesson here is that you will never know why you were not admitted; it’s almost never one factor. And you won’t know if you missed it by a hair or a mile. It is perhaps a cruel but poignant lesson that will be repeated many times in your life. Sometimes things don’t go your way. And even when they don’t, they usually turn out just fine.
There is a lot of buzz about the digital SAT, but it won't impact US students before the class of 2025. Read below:
Class of 2024: The digital SAT won’t be here until March of your senior year, well after your testing process is complete. Prepare for years of complaining about how you were in the last HS class to take a 3+ hour SAT using pencil and paper. You can even say you had to walk uphill both ways to get to the test.
Class of 2025: You’re the most affected by the switch. In the fall of Junior year, you will be part of the first class to take the digital version of the PSAT. In the spring of 2024, you’ll have the opportunity to take the digital SAT. Importantly, if you perform well on the current version of the SAT, it will still be offered in the fall and winter of your junior year.
This means you’ll be able to pick and choose between the current SAT, the digital SAT, and the ACT. If the current SAT speaks to you, it might be worthwhile to push your testing plan earlier into the junior year so that you can take the paper version of the test. If you don’t perform as well as you hope to, there’s nothing stopping you from also taking the digital test in the spring of junior year or fall of senior year.
Class of 2026 and beyond: Read, study, and focus on your grades. You will surely be taking the digital SAT!