I started the day with a session called "Research Meets Practice for Young Adults with Mental Illnesses" run by a mother daughter team that authored the book Perfect Chaos. This session addressed a topic that is rarely talked about openly, and that is a shame. The daughter, Linea, has bipolar disorder but, through treatment, has been highly successful. The presentation was a balance of best practices for counselors (notice every student, refer to a psychiatrist and follow up if you are concerned about a student, never suggest a diagnosis, etc) and excerpts from Linea's journals which are printed in the book gave a touching look into the experiences that she has had through her various stages of depression and mania. One in 5 students has a mental health, emotional, or behavioral disorder. Colleges and college counselors (and parents) need to work together to support all students and remind them that things can get better. I'm a firm believer that there is a college setting out there for everyone and students that fall anywhere on the mental health spectrum can find a campus that will work best to support them toward their ultimate goals. In the case of Linea, she was hospitalized twice, took a semester off, and transferred schools before eventually graduating, but the message is that she did it. Mental health isn't a topic that most people talk about opening and the presenters made the astute observation that the reason it is stigmatized is that the faces of mental illness are in most cases not individuals with their mental illness under control. More people who have treated and stabilized their conditions, so that they live well, need to speak out. Others need to see that over time and by working with a counselor and psychiatrist there can be progress to get mental health disorders in check. I applaud the presenters for being so brave as to share their personal story with the world and hope I can meet the call to notice every student and speak up when it looks like a student needs help. If you or someone you know struggle with mental health, or think you might be struggling with mental health, contact an adult that you trust. Go to www.lineacinda.com to find resources related to this session.
My next workshop was "The State of Affirmative Action" a timely topic given that the supreme court has agreed to hear Fisher vs. The University of Texas. Let me say first that race is an uncomfortable topic for many people (I guess my morning was full of uncomfortable topics), but-- as the panel shared-- race is an integral part of our history and our society's fabric. We have to talk about it. It was a very informative session both about history of affirmative action and the implications that this court ruling could have on colleges and universities going forward. One interesting slide showed the racial breakdown of all SAT test takers and the overwhelming majority (and I'm talking like big huge tall bar vs teeny tiny squatty bar) are white. What does this mean? It means that even if you disagree that race should be considered as schools admit candidates, we are still not experiencing an academic landscape where a huge onslaught of underrepresented minorities are stealing away admission places from white students. If you threw a dart at a board of college applicants in the US - you are almost always going to hit a white applicant. The panic of spaces being given away 'unfairly' is unfounded. It is still a reality that in this country today a white high school student has a far greater chance of moving on to (and graduating from college) than an underrepresented minority. Last year at UCLA, 3.8% of admitted students were black. Three. Point. Eight. This is a topic I can't really fully express through a blog post, but it will certainly be interesting to follow what decision the court makes and how colleges adjust accordingly.
The final session I attended (or at least half way attended, because I was camped out outside the door since the session was full. But then they let me in ;) was about the new Common App that is coming out in 2013. The main news to report is that the plan is to eliminate the 'choose your own topic' essay question. Let me tell you, I've been coming to this conference for four years and I've never heard a gasp that large in a session. People seriously started freaking out. Personally, I think people are overreacting. They say they are going to provide essay topics that are broad enough that students will be able to choose one where they can essentially write on whatever topic they want, but you would think that the presenter had just announced that puppies would all be stolen away from their owners. If you hear me Common App, I have your back.
The rest of my day consisted of a massive college fair. And tomorrow is the final day of the conference. Stay tuned for more updates and enjoy the long weekend!
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(If you are too young to get this picture, google John Denver. If you don't know who Kermit is, you lost out as a child.)
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