My last senior decided on his college today!
The trend was obviously in favor of larger universities. Every one of these decisions has a story: a strategy (ED/EA/RD), a form of demonstrated interest despite the pandemic, and understanding what the categories of likely, possible, and reach mean. The stress of decision making should have passed, though there are a few students who have decided to remain on waitlists. Most important: positive thinking based on logic--a belief in the power of students to create their own success.
I appreciate the opportunity to have guided all my 2021 graduates and their families--and helped with those tough decisions when asked.
Boston College Bucknell University Clemson University CU Boulder Cornell University Hamilton College Indiana University (Kelley) New York University Northeastern University Pennsylvania State University Sacred Heart University (direct admit nursing; merit and athletic scholarships) Salve Regina University Tulane University (3) University of California Santa Cruz (top gaming design program) University of Maryland University of Miami (4-one Presidential Scholarship, one Foote Fellows Honors Scholarship/direct admit nursing) University of Michigan (5) University of Tennessee University of Vermont (Presidential Scholarship) University of Virginia University of Wisconsin Virginia Polytechnic University (2) Villanova University
*unless waitlist calls change plans!
After all the 2021 admissions stress, several of my seniors are now wrestling with too many good options! They may be on one or more waitlists, but those are on the back burner now as they picture themselves at one college or another. I weigh in, and my nation-wide network of consultants has shared invaluable insights on colleges I’m less familiar with. The truth? These high-achievers will do well, and likely be happy, wherever they go. Just ten days left to make that final choice! (Of course, who knows what will happen with waitlists this summer.)
The official GPA is set when final junior year grades are in. Students should focus on academics above all (even test prep). While my juniors are earning their best grades, I’m prepping for essay and application season. Common App Essay Workshops are on Saturday, May 22nd, at 10:00 am, 1:00 pm, and 4:00 pm. Students will leave ready to write!
High points of last week’s conference: How to help students handle a problem on their record (misconduct, academic, or both) that requires further explanation on applications; how to prepare future-ready students; how liberal arts majors still get great jobs; all about international options (UK, Ireland, Australia, Germany, the Netherlands, Canada); and most of all: how to help students and families through admissions changes that were in the works but exacerbated by the pandemic.
Back to college: An hour and a half “speed-date” through the University of Delaware, College of Charleston, the University of Vermont, and the University of North Carolina Raleigh brought me up-to-date on new academic programs and admissions outcomes. Then onto Trinity University in San Antonio, the 7th largest city in the US (who knew that?) with a major (and growing) economy. Trinity combines the best of the liberal arts with strong business, computer science, and entrepreneurship programs. They offer great merit aid, internship/career support, and fabulous weather. Think outside the box!
Learning the definition of “prestige" on Jeopardy! really clicked for me.
Going back to the original Latin praestrigae juggler’s tricks...derivative from base of praestringere “to blunt (sight or mind), literally, to tie up so as to constrict.
>French: deceits, delusions, juggler’s tricks, 1650-60
The Gothic architecture of some campuses and the terracotta Spanish colonial buildings of others draws me in. I love seeing new science buildings with huge labs (bonus points for planetariums), small classrooms with Harkness tables that spark great discussions, dining halls with locally-sourced meals, and living/learning dorms that house individual tutoring and even career centers on the first floor. Some of these (not the architecture) are directly linked to serving students, or at least those who choose to use them. But are these elements of prestige? Prestige, as noted above, is an illusion.
Though the pleasure of huge gyms with climbing walls and other such amenities for non-athletes is not lost on me, their explosion at many schools represents a small crack in the veneer of our purest idea of a quality education. These, and the lazy rivers, private hot tubs, tanning salons, and resort-style pools with cabanas were created to conjure the mood of an upscale resort on a campus. Colleges seduce families with the trappings of paradise, masked as prestige.
But the point is not about expensive add-ons, but the value of four+ years spent at a college. Families and the media focus on how few spots there are at top universities, but colleges follow the demographics, knowing that the number of students, especially those who can afford full tuition, is declining. Colleges did their part playing the prestige card; that was the impetus for building the new athletic centers and boxing gyms years ago. But we play a role in tricking ourselves.
Is there a spot for every qualified applicant on a mid-sized Ivy-League or hyper-selective campus? When we choose to deny logic, we buy into the delusion.
Where does the conjuring truly originate--with the colleges or within us? College rankings also work their flawed magic on us (see 3/14/21 blogpost). Can we honestly think about what drives real success on college campuses?
Our students are real, prestige is not. They transform themselves and their institutions, creating what we equate with prestige (knowledge, reputation, achievement) when they engage on their campuses. Some of them may not be ready to actualize or define their version of it until they are older, in graduate school or the work world, but that’s the nature of being human. There is no magic, but there is always promise. And belief in that promise, what students will make real beyond the tricks the colleges sell or we tell ourselves, is what captivates me every time I walk onto a campus.