Summer Time Summit - Yale 2010

I just got back from four days at Hogwarts Yale and had a great time working with College Summit for the third summer in a row. I served as a College Coach and it was wonderful to spend a few days meeting with students and helping them compile college lists. The Yale campus was wonderfully accommodating for the group and I give the dining hall two thumbs up (two words: panini grill).

Yale is obviously a place that is highly selective, but I can definitely confirm that it is one of the few campuses I've visited that truly is able to transport you to a place that feels totally distinct from your everyday world. The few days there gave me a small taste of what it must feel like to spend four years at a place so full of history and with an intellectual tradition that literally oozes from every hallway, library, and wrought iron gate.

The best part of the weekend though had nothing to do with the stone buildings and leaded glass windows, the students in attendance put forth an amazing amount of effort and wrote some really incredible personal statements. I can't wait for next summer when I can participate all over again!

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Summer Travels

One of my goals this summer was take my own advice: use summer to go check out college campuses. So far I've hit Boston College and Stony Brook University, next up tomorrow are RPI and SUNY at Albany, followed by Yale on Thursday. The rest of the summer will bring Vassar, Marist, and Bard and if I'm really ambitious maybe some Indianapolis area campuses when I'm home.

How are you spending your summer? Throwing in a campus visit may be easier than you think!

Almost Time For College Summit

For the past three summers I have volunteered with College Summit (short video above), first as a Writing Coach and Chaperone and then as a College Counselor. It is an organization that helps schools systematically build a college-going culture.  Even though now I'm working in a school that already has a college-going culture in place, it is an honor to work with College Summit Peer Leaders and a great highlight for my summer. Ms. Hsu is even joining in this year, serving as a Writing Coach at a workshop.

I'm heading to Yale next week to volunteer and I can't wait!

AP Results are in!

After literally hours of trying to break through the quagmire that was the site overload at the AP Online Score Report site, I was finally able to access the 2010 ElRo AP Scores. I'm happy to report that the average score for almost every exam went up from last year. Great work everyone!

Special shout out to Calc AB, a class that earned more 5s than all the other subjects combined!

Click here to learn more about which schools accept AP Credit 

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School's Out For Summer!

I hope everyone has a summer full of sunshine, popsicles, friends, family, and fun!

Stay tuned to the blog. I hope to keep updating it every week or so. But, I will likely save some of the better posts for the Fall when more people will be reading.

As always, please feel free to email me over the summer.

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Recommended Read

I've been making my way through the books in the college office library and recently finished The Gatekeepers by Jacques Steinberg. If that name sounds familiar to you, it is because he is a writer for the Education section of the New York Times.

The Gatekeepers is an in-depth look at a year in the life of the Wesleyan Admissions Office during the Fall of 1999 and Spring of 2000 to recruit the class of 2004. This also happens to be the year that I myself was a senior in high school, so the book resonated for me even more.

As a former Admissions Officer, my respect for Wesleyan only grows given how transparent they were willing to be and the access they were willing to grant. Their candor is refreshing. I know how confusing admissions decisions can seems. In all honesty, many people will probably still be confused when they read the book, because the system doesn't seem 'fair.' But if you are willing to read this book with an open mind, what I hope you will realize is that there is a Wesleyan out there for every student. What I mean by that is that there is a place with an admissions office that is willing to take chances, go "off-profile" and fight for applicants they believe in. The process is a human one and "mistakes" are undoubtedly made each year, but as I've said here before: life hands you gifts and challenges and both are valuable.

This book is not meant to be the final word on the admissions process. It can speak only to the way the process is done at Wesleyan, and ten years ago at that. But, it can hopefully illuminate how students are considered in the context of their environment. It also addresses how nuances that make one student land in the admit pile and an equally qualified student land in the deny pile are impossible to predict.

If any students, or parents, decide to read this book I hope you come out of it with the same conclusions that I did. Admissions is stressful, for both the colleges and the students. Empower yourself by doing what you can to understand the process, and doing even more to understand yourself. Wesleyan is part of a small percentage of schools that do have the luxury of turning away highly qualified and capable candidates. Balance your options by considering some schools that may have more straightforward admissions criteria or places that are looking for students just like you.

If nothing else, turn to page 161 and read the essay submitted with Jordan Goldman's application. It is a great example of a well written personal statement that illuminates the character of the author and keeps the attention of the admission officer.

Happy Reading!

Congratulations Class of 2010!

This afternoon we will bid farewell to the Class of 2010. We will hear from many talented speakers, but I figured it is appropriate to add one more to the mix here. 

I wish this year's senior class nothing but the best. I know it was hard to pick up with a college counselor in the Fall of Senior year; thank you for welcoming me with open arms.

To Loan or Not to Loan . . .

A few weeks ago the NY Times had an article that I think is worth reading (click on the link). It speaks to the dilemma that many people find themselves in when they take out large loans to go to a 'top' college and then find themselves unprepared to repay the investment. I found the article to be a frank analysis of the issues faced by both students and colleges when it comes to navigating making college affordable.

On the one hand, loans are a realistic part of most financial aid packages. As, I would argue, they should be. But taking large loans, in the case of Cortney Munna (picture above) that end up totaling $100,000 is probably a bad decision in the long term. Colleges too are put in a precarious position because the majority of institutions do prefer to keep Financial Aid and Admissions relatively autonomous. As colleges strive at admit students based on their potential for success academically, they then open the door to offering admission to students that can only realistically attend with a significant loan. With the luck of finding a stable and well paying job and some financial restraint, loans are not always a bad thing. But as we are seeing now with a tight economy, people really must look themselves in the mirror and look even more closely into their finances to see what loan repayment will really look like.

I am convinced there are ways to make college affordable. But that does mean sometimes being open to trying a school that is 'off the beaten path' and willing to offer a lower total price tag. Or, at the very least, being committed to staying financially solvent after graduation with a combination of other life sacrifices that make loan payments feasible.

Image by Noah Berger, NY Times

Thanks Cooper Union!

Last Thursday I was able to participate in a Counselor event at The Cooper Union (not pictured above, sadly there was no confetti). I got to hear from many individuals, including the Admissions staff and each of the three academic departments (Art, Architecture, and Engineering), and I was lucky enough to see first hand the amazing views from the 8th floor terrace.

The Cooper Union may be, I think, one of the last schools around that has truly stuck to its original mission. They know who they are and after 150 years they don't need to change. It was put best during the presentation by Dean Lipton where he alluded to the fact that Cooper Union isn't going to be attracting students because of a rock climbing wall; students are attracted to Cooper Union because they want to push themselves to be problem solvers, to think critically, and be surrounded by dynamic minds.

The fact that they remain able to provide all admitted students with a full tuition scholarship only proves further that they really do walk the walk.

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NYCDOE meets Facebook

New York City is launching a new website for public school alumni (www.nycgrads.org) as a way for the city to better keep in touch with its graduates (and I assume eventually for graduates to stay in touch with one another).

Best part? The first 75 members of the Class of 2010 in the city to register get a $1,500 gift certificate to Staples. Get on it!