Weekly Update x2: August 14/21

Happy first day of school to FCPS students starting this week! We have been SWAMPED and are combining two weeks of updates for you!

BIGGEST COLLEGE-RELATED NEWS OF THE WEEK

WEST VIRGINIA CUTS FOREIGN LANGUAGES

West Virginia University made the controversial decision last week to cut all foreign language instruction and let go of professors in response to budget constraints. The proposed cuts include other programs as well, for a total of 32 majors and 7% of the university’s faculty. With declining enrollment, WVU has determined that the drastic cuts are necessary to maintain more popular programs like forensics, engineering, and neuroscience. Professors and students are objecting to the cuts.

While many other public universities have faced budget constraints, WVU is the first state flagship to make such extreme cuts to its programs in response. The proposed cuts, if approved, will take effect in May.

ATTACK AT HOWARD UNIVERSITY

Howard University ramped up security last week after three Howard students were attacked by a mob of teenagers outside of a residence hall and one student was stabbed. In response to this act of violence, as well as rising rates of violence in DC as a whole, Howard has worked to increase security on campus in advance of the arrival of the newest freshman class. The changes for this orientation include “safety paths” on campus with officers stationed every 100-200 feet, and some events being moved indoors where student IDs can be checked on entry.

CHANGES TO FCPS TRANSCRIPTS

I almost had a heart attack last week as I was scanning through a general FCPS email to parents one night and noticed that major changes had been made to high school transcripts effective immediately. They are good changes, actually, but we had already finalized so many self-reported transcripts and senior year schedules and I knew a lot of that work would need to be redone. You can read about the changes here: basically, all courses that receive honors/advanced weighting will now have the designations to match on the transcripts. To be honest, this was a long time coming as the former policy just made no sense - why wouldn’t all courses with honors weighting be called honors? I’m glad they fixed it, but wish they would have done it sooner. I scrambled to put a plan in place and emailed all of our families at 11:00 that night! We’ve been able to get everything fixed for most of the impacted students already, so I’m glad for that!

NEW FAFSA IS COMING

A new version of the FAFSA, said to be more user-friendly than previous versions of the form, is expected to be unveiled for the 2024-2025 school year. In addition to eliminating the “discount” for families with multiple students in college at once, the new form will also replace “expected family contribution” with the “student aid index,” a guideline for the amount of aid for which a student qualifies. The number of questions on the form has also been reduced, which we certainly hope will make this challenging process a bit easier for families!

Unfortunately, the changes do mean that the FAFSA will be released significantly later this year - the form often comes out in October, but this year, it is not expected to be released until December. Colleges and universities are updating their due dates for the FAFSA accordingly, with some pushing March dates to April or rethinking winter priority deadlines.

BEST ARTICLES OF THE WEEK

We definitely empathized with Clara, the mother in this Town & Country article, who is allowing her son to take a laid-back approach to college admissions in favor of a more balanced experience in high school. There can be something very freeing about intentionally choosing to bypass the rat race. Two words of caution, though: first, if your family is going to go in this direction, you have to truly understand the landscape and what the outcome will be. Some parents say things like: “We have very realistic expectations - he doesn’t need to go to an Ivy! We would be thrilled witha place like Tufts!.” Well, Tufts has a 9.7% acceptance rate - that’s more selective than Harvard was, when today’s parents applied. Tufts isn’t a safety for anyone anymore! Even the University of South Carolina - a fine place, of course, but not the most selective school, historically - is adamant that they are looking for As on transcripts in math, science, and English classes specifically.

Next, after you’re made peace with the outcome, you have to firmly commit to this approach - you can’t change your mind junior or senior year. That would be the absolute worst thing to do. Your family would undergo an enormous amount of stress trying to “catch up” and would likely not be able to catch up anyway, because admissions committees assess students on their performance from grades 9-11.

If you are an international student applying from abroad to US schools, check out this article for a clear breakdown of what might be an unfamiliar education system. Learn about the different types of schools in the US and how the grading system, majors and minors, and exam schedule may differ from your home country. This is also a great primer for US students and families who feel confused by some of the terminology schools use (what are majors vs. concentrations?).

Plus, check out this comprehensive look at legacy admissions, and what it might mean for more schools to eliminate it.

And finally, there are a lot of changes, both good and bad, when a child moves away from home for the first time. Unfortunately, we all know that college students have been suffering from a mental health crisis in recent years, and one mental health issue that is particularly common on college campuses is eating disorders. This article offers some tips to help talk with your student and protect them from this type of mental health challenge when they head off to their new campus home.

OFFICE HAPPENINGS

It’s #firstdayfairfax and so many of you are heading back to school! My son James was so excited to go back this morning that he was literally running down the street to try to get into his first grade classroom faster!

We are so lucky to have an amazing neighborhood public school - every year I think to myself that there’s no way this year’s teacher is going to measure up to last year’s (or in last year’s case, that James’ teacher wouldn’t measure up to his sister Caroline’s amazing kindergarten teacher) and somehow they manage to just have a whole team full of rockstars over there. Very grateful! Caroline starts her first day of middle school on Wednesday at OLGC with another incredible team of rockstars and I am so grateful for them too.

(Also, I can’t believe I have a child in middle school! Yikes!)

I would just like to put it on the record that I had nothing to do with this sock choice :)

It has been such a whirlwind over the past several weeks between August 1 and today, when about half of our students returned to school. This has always been the busiest time of the year by a very long shot, and as the FCPS start date inches earlier and earlier, everything compresses into a shorter and shorter period.

This year’s enormous increase in essays as a result of the Supreme Court ruling has just been the cherry on top of a fun three weeks :) Our students and essay coaches have been cranking out supplemental essays at a record pace, and many of our students are close to finishing their Common ApplicationⓇ work! We’re so excited to see everything start to come together.

As always, we will have more space for Late Start Seniors after our first cohort finishes up - so feel free to schedule a Meet & Greet session if you’re a senior who still needs help! We have appointments available as early as next week during school hours (parents are able to attend on their child’s behalf, if that’s easier), and our first after-school availability at the moment is on Thursday, September 7.

Have a great week!

Weekly Update: August 12

This is going to be a shorter-than-usual blog post because OMG we are swamped!

BIGGEST COLLEGE-RELATED NEWS OF THE WEEK

COLLEGE MOVE INS BEGIN

College freshmen all over the country are beginning to move into their dorms, and I thought it was cute to see Angelina Jolie moving her daughter Zahara into Spelman College this week. Good luck to Zahara and everyone else kicking off their first weekend in college! (Be safe!)

UPDATED COVID GUIDANCE FROM THE CDC

We’re all hoping for a more normal academic year now that the CDC updated guidance for handling Covid in schools. Although am I the only one starting to get a little nervous about Monkeypox?!

INFLATION IMPACTING TUITION RATES

Tuition rates are rising substantially as a result of inflation, which is less than ideal timing considering the state of everyone’s college savings accounts! It’s going to be interesting to see whether the economy has an impact on the college admissions process overall - my guess is that we will see many more students choosing state universities with lower price points.

BEST ARTICLES OF THE WEEK

I am not sure whether I’ve heard more about Bama Rush this week from my 17-year-old clients or 37-year-old peers, but it sure is the talk of the country right now. Remember that all of these stories are really for entertainment purposes and that sorority recruitment (as well as greek life in general) at most schools is nothing like what’s been unfolding on TikTok this week. Check out the New York Times coverage here.

Rush (or maybe Bid Day?) 2006 at Wash U!

As Inside Higher Ed explained, the number of part-time application readers is skyrocketing this year and it’s important to understand that context when describing specific activities or other application information that a reader may not know if they are unfamiliar with a particular school community. Check out my TikTok on the subject!

Some colleges are taking their consideration of race in the admissions process to a new level, according to the Wall Street Journal. A test group of six colleges, including our neighbor down the street George Mason, is proactively contacting applicants who meet certain criteria to let them know that they are guaranteed a spot in the freshman class if they apply. Their study showed “a particularly strong effect” on the way this type of proactive notification influenced the behavior of underrepresented students.

OFFICE HAPPENINGS

Then 2nd week of August is now in the books with another 86 appointments taking place. Since there are many tasks and essays that students can’t start until August 1, the three weeks before FCPS begins on August 22 are without question the craziest three weeks of our year. I swear it feels like a race against the clock (and our sanity)! One more week to go, and then it will calm down a little bit after the Fairfax kids are back in session.

On a happy note, our students are making AMAZING progress. There are a few who are already in the final stages of reviewing PDF copies of their applications and we have our first student scheduled to submit his early decision application next week! If you are a parent of a senior and still need help, don’t hesitate to put your name on our Late Start Waitlist - we will be able to take at least five new students early enough for them to be able to complete all of their early applications with us.

Have a great weekend!

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Weekly Update: August 5

BIGGEST COLLEGE-RELATED NEWS OF THE WEEK

THE BRAND-NEW COMMON APPⓇ

The Common AppⓇ has rolled over! Not too many changes to report this year in the main part of the application, though the application continues to tweak where and how students report their legal sex, gender, and preferred pronouns. There is also a slight change to the section about fee waivers. If, like our clients, you started working on the application before the rollover, make sure you are going back to confirm that everything has carried over properly and all the questions are answered! 

LOTS OF NEW COMMON APPⓇ SUPPLEMENTAL ESSAYS

Along with the new application come new supplemental essays! It seems like more schools changed their longtime prompts this year than ever before, with major changes at UVA (we covered these in an earlier post), Penn, NYU, and more!

UVA’S NEW DEAN OF ARTS AND SCIENCES

UVA’s College of Arts and Sciences will welcome a new dean this September. Christa Acampora grew up in Virginia, and currently serves as deputy provost and professor of philosophy at Emory University. She previously worked within the CUNY system. Dr. Acampora will arrive on Grounds on September 1. 

MIT’S NEW ALGORITHM FOR COLLEGE-LEVEL MATH

A team of researchers at MIT has designed a new model that is capable of solving college-level math problems. Students and faculty from MIT as well as Columbia, Harvard, and the University of Waterloo, have been working on the system for the past two years. The team hopes that, though the algorithm won’t be replacing university professors, it will help improve math education at the college level.  

“YOU’RE THE DEAN” AT TULANE

Tulane is offering students a mock application review session to help them experience what goes on “on the other side of the desk” in the admissions office. We highly recommend students take advantage of this fantastic opportunity! The session takes place on Monday, August 8 at 5:00 pm ET and students can register here.

BEST ARTICLES OF THE WEEK

If you are a rising senior going back and forth on whether applying Early Decision is worth it (it usually is!), check out this chart for more information on the acceptance rates of ED versus RD students at a variety of schools.

Every year as we work with our juniors on their activities section (which we will start for the Class of 2024 next month!), we have students who hesitate when they say that they’ve never had an internship or research experience because they were working. But having an after-school or summer job can be a great experience to share with colleges! This opinion piece from the New York Times agrees: jobs teach a number of lessons, including managing your time and interacting with an employer. 

After the activities section, our juniors move on to brainstorming for their college lists. For the majority of students, a traditional green campus is a must-have. But this opinion piece argues that the institution of the college campus actually separates colleges from “the real world” - and not in a good way. It is certainly an interesting perspective to consider. 

Navigating all of the big changes of early adulthood has always been tough, but for this generation in the midst of the pandemic, it is even more of a challenge. We liked this article with tips from psychologists on navigating a “quarter-life crisis,” which would be a great read for many high school and college students. 

Finally, many of our students are starting on the head-scratching UChicago prompts this week - and luckily, we have a system for tackling these “Quirky Topics” essays! If you are interested in some of the wackiest essay questions for the 2022-2023 cycle, check out this WSJ article. I just love that Ben & Jerry’s prompt!

OFFICE HAPPENINGS

Week 1 of August is done, with 73 appointments (that is not a joke!) and I believe 4 different application guides behind us. Many of our students have rolled over their Common ApplicationⓇ, our essay coaches continue to work through supplemental essays, and we are so impressed with how hard our students are working. For many of them, this is the final stretch - and they will definitely see their hard work pay off this fall! 

Finishing up with our current seniors this month also means that we will have plenty of space opening up in the fall for Late-Start Seniors. If you are interested in working with us this fall, check out our Late Start Waitlist page for more information.

And finally, we’re on TikTok! Follow me for more insight and information about the college admissions process - including the five things I DEFINITELY wouldn’t do if I were applying to college in 2022. 

(P.S. I need some more video ideas!)

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Weekly Update: July 29

BIGGEST COLLEGE-RELATED NEWS OF THE WEEK

COMMON APPLICATION® RELEASE

The 2022-2023 Common Application® will be released Monday, August 1, after a several-day shutdown period.  We’re excited! We will be hard at work on Monday updating all of our application guides, and our clients and membership vault subscribers will have access early next week!

BERKELEY HAAS ANNOUNCES FOUR YEAR BUSINESS PROGRAM

The undergraduate program at Berkeley’s Haas School of Business has been extended from two to four years, thanks to a $30 million dollar donation from a Haas alumnus. The first class will enroll in the new four-year program in August 2024. For applicants, this means that rather than applying as Berkeley sophomores to begin the business program during junior year, they will apply as high school seniors to enter the program as freshmen. 

CALTECH ANNOUNCES ADMISSIONS UPDATES

In other California news, Caltech announced several updates to its admissions process this week. The school will continue to be test-blind for two additional years - meaning that they will not consider test scores even if students do submit them. This brings the moratorium on test scores to five years total. The university is also replacing its current Early Action program with Restrictive Early Action beginning this fall - the REA deadline will be November 1. The program will also be open to international students with financial need for the first time.

CLARENCE THOMAS LEAVES GW LAW 

Clarence Thomas announced this week that he will not be returning to teach at George Washington’s law school this fall. After ten years of teaching constitutional law, Justice Thomas made his decision to leave in the wake of student protests against the overturning of Roe v. Wade. 

COLLEGES IN ALABAMA AND MISSISSIPPI FACE BOMB THREATS

On Wednesday, at least 13 colleges in Alabama and 5 in Mississippi faced bomb threats, including Auburn University and Mississippi state. Four campuses were evacuated. The threats affected universities all over both states, but as yet no suspect or motive has been identified.

BEST ARTICLES OF THE WEEK

Slate published an article this week exposing the process of institutional financial aid at many colleges (not to be confused with federal college aid) - calling it a “scam.” While some elite colleges, like the Ivy League, provide need-blind admissions and meet 100% of student need, this is not the case at most colleges and universities. But many schools instead use algorithms to identify how likely students are to attend the college and how much they or their families are willing to pay. The article encourages students to think of paying for college like they would another commodity, rather than trusting colleges to have their best interests at heart. 

It makes sense that with the price of college and the size of loans rising, some Americans are questioning whether college provides value to the country. While 73% of Democrats think higher education provides value, the number of Republicans is only 37%. But despite being divided on value and who should pay for college, about half of people in both parties think that it isn’t possible to receive an affordable college education in the U.S.

The next emerging market sector appears to be the metaverse, and it might be a good idea for students hoping for jobs in the field to begin thinking about the best programs to pursue. This Forbes article identifies degrees in computer science, game design, and virtual reality as some of the best programs to pursue for skills that will be applicable to the metaverse. 

OFFICE HAPPENINGS

I (Colleen) was featured in a U.S. News article this week about high school GPA scales. Most students know that GPA is a major factor in the admissions process, but colleges consider GPA in the context of the rigor of curriculum, the reputation of the high school, and other factors like the idiosyncrasies of recalculating GPAs. In theory, colleges will have information from school counselors that allows them to understand the context of a GPA - but this isn’t always the case in practice. 

I was away from the office this past week (see below!) and will work through my email this weekend - thanks in advance for your patience! As always, anyone with urgent needs should contact Donna/Courtney or Shannon.

And lastly - it is hard to believe this is already our final weekly update of July! The Common App is rolling over this weekend, and we will hit the ground running on Monday with our class of 2023 students. August is our busiest month of the year, but it’s also the most fun - we love seeing our students’ hard work all come together!

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Weekly Update: July 15

We’ve got plenty of news for you from the past two weeks after taking the holiday week break!

BIGGEST COLLEGE-RELATED NEWS OF THE WEEK(S)

PENN’S EARLY EXPLORATION PROGRAM

Penn has announced two great programs for high school seniors, serving students from historically underrepresented backgrounds in order to underscore their commitment to a diverse class. The Early Exploration Program is a month-long program will allow students to meet with current students and admissions staff to learn more about Penn and participate in workshops on writing essays and preparing for interviews. If you are a low income and/or first generation student, you should definitely take advantage of this opportunity!

BOSTON COLLEGE ENDOWS HEAD SKIING COACH POSITION

BC received a gift of $1.25 million this week from an alumnus, in order to endow a head coaching position for BC’s skiing program. BC’s ski team sent its first student to the NCAA Championships in 2018, and has sent seven other skiers to national championships in the years since. 

CAMBRIDGE OPENS INQUIRY INTO STUDENT DEATHS

Five students at Cambridge University have died in the last five months, and the school is now opening an investigation into these tragedies, one of which has been confirmed as a suicide. While the university is not releasing information in order to protect the students’ privacy, a spokesperson said that they do not believe there is any connection between these incidents. 

NEW CHANGES TO B-SCHOOL ADMISSIONS

Dartmouth, Duke, and Michigan have all made announcements about changes to their MBA application process for the MBA class of 2025. Duke has announced a new Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion concentration to the program, for a total of 17 concentration options that students have during the application process. The university also created the new Fuqua Impact Scholars Program, which will award merit scholarships to incoming Fuqua School students. 

Michigan’s Ross School added an additional short essay to its application, and will offer students the option of submitting a standardized test waiver in lieu of a test score. And the Tuck School at Dartmouth will now offer virtual interviews to all students who apply in Rounds 1 and 2!

MORE CHANGES IN STORE FOR NCAA CONFERENCES

After the announcement two weeks ago about USC and UCLA’s move to the Big Ten conference, there is a lot of speculation about the creation of “Super Conferences,” in which the Big Ten, SEC, and possibly Big 12 conferences jump out ahead of other teams, creating a new tier of college football that will leave behind the ACC and the Pac-12 with teams that didn’t make the cut for these new super conferences. 

BEST ARTICLES OF THE WEEK(S)

We like this short list as an easy guide for rising seniors as they work on their college applications this summer. Many juniors who start with us in the fall have already done most of these things by now, but if you’re just getting started, it’s not too late to get a jump on the college process before school is back in session (P.S. our Late-Start Waitlist opened last week for rising seniors who want some help tackling this list - you can join here). 

Larry Arnn - president of Hillsdale College - created controversy this past weekend when he remarked at a conference that teachers are “trained in the dumbest parts of the dumbest colleges in the country,” calling the Education Department the “dumbest part” of any college. Ouch. Hillsdale has helped to open a network of charter schools around the country, and argues that students will receive a better education from teachers at these schools than those at public institutions. 

If you are going on college tours this summer, you may be surprised to learn that campus tours “keep college presidents up at night.” But the college tour, often led by a current student, is one part of the admissions process over which the college administration has the least control. Often, students’ experiences on a tour are shaped by their particular tour guide, who is hanging around campus that day, even the weather! If you are a student touring colleges this summer, this article is a really good reminder that the tour shouldn’t be the be-all, end-all of your college search - because so much depends on luck, this isn’t necessarily the most representative piece of your college research!

I really enjoyed this piece from the Washington Post about self-deprecation in the college essay! I definitely agree with the author - do NOT overdo it. But if you can do this in a way that still shares positive characteristics and/or personal growth with the reader, go for it!

OFFICE HAPPENINGS

Many of our students are moving onto their school-specific essays, and we love reading more about them! Students who stick to our timeline will usually knock out about half of their supplemental essays before August 1, which makes the work in August a bit more manageable and sets them up to finish their applications by September. If you are looking to get a head start on your essays as well, don’t forget to check out our essay prompt database, which we update weekly with new prompts for the class of 2023 as they are released. 

Speaking of essays - we just had two cancellations come through for appointments with Staci if anyone wants to snap them up! One is for Monday, July 25 at 4:00pm and one is for Tuesday, July 19 at 11:00am., and you can go ahead and book here.

Have a great weekend!

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Weekly Update: May 6

It’s a rainy weekend ahead, so we’ve got some good reads to keep you busy!

BIGGEST COLLEGE-RELATED NEWS OF THE WEEK

ABA COMMITTEE RECOMMENDS THAT LAW SCHOOLS STOP REQUIRING LSAT

A committee from the American Bar Association has advised the organization to put out an official recommendation for law schools to stop requiring the LSAT (or other standardized tests) as a factor in admissions decisions. They are not endorsing test-blind admissions, in which the organizations cannot factor in test scores, but believe that the schools should instead have the option.

Of course, the Law School Admissions Council (LSAC - the organization behind the LSAT) continues to stand by the importance of the test. It’s a tough decision, because higher LSAT scores are directly correlated with bar passage rates, so it’s easy to make the argument that they are important. At the same time, there are equity issues involved - test prep is very expensive, and under-represented groups traditionally score lower on the LSAT. Stay tuned on the final ABA decision!

FIRST WEEK OF AP EXAMS ARE OVER!

We have gotten a lot of panicked emails from families this week about the importance AP exams - I know they are stressful! I do think that these have become more important for students applying to highly selective schools now that the SAT Subject Tests are no longer. Unfortunately, students will not have scores for quite a while, but sometimes they feel less anxious after reviewing the free-response questions after the exams take place in order to get a sense of how their answers might stack up.

COLLEGE STUDENT SALARY EXPECTATIONS ARE WAY OFF FROM REALITY

The Class of 2022 is rather optimistic about the job market, believing that their average starting salaries will be approximately $104,000. Every single group of majors overestimated what they’d earn, with journalism majors overestimating by 139% and computer science majors overestimating by “just” 27%. It’s all about the power of positive thinking, right? :)

BEST ARTICLES OF THE WEEK

If you are a data geek like me and want to read more about how everything stacked up in the bloodbath that was the 2021-2022 college admissions cycle, don’t miss this CTAS Higher Ed Business report - it’s probably the most comprehensive piece I’ve read so far. They share that UCLA received more applications than any school in the country - just under 150,000. CRAZY!! Some of the other UC schools were next up in terms of volume, before NYU at 105,000 applications and Northeastern with 91,000. This represents increases of 30-40% for each of those schools since 2020.

But what I found most interesting were some of the schools that were specifically identified as having the most growth on a percentage basis rather than straight volume. Colgate is apparently the new hot school, along with other smaller schools like Macalester, Tufts, Dickinson, and Williams. As for the schools bucking the trends: Bowdoin, Tulane, and Pitzer. They had a particularly interesting theory about Tulane, so read the report!

That said, if you weren’t happy with your student’s 2021-2022 outcome - all is not lost! Check out this Washington Post piece about transfer admissions, which gives readers an inside look about the transfer process as well as the most recent statistics. It’s fascinating that some schools (like UVA, which this article covers heavily) are so much easier to get into via the transfer pathway and yet others are even harder than they were during the first-year admissions process.

Not quite an article, but I’ve been listening to a series on Freakonomics Radio that has been going viral in the college admissions world. First, What Exactly is College For?; then The University of Impossible-to-Get-Into; and yesterday, I Don’t Think the Country Is Turning Away From College. They are definitely worth a listen. Also, if you are a student looking for some summer reading, I HIGHLY recommend reading Freakonomics: A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything - by Steven D. Levitt & Stephen J. Dubner. If I had a top ten list of books everyone should read, this would be on it - really makes you think about things differently!

OFFICE HAPPENINGS

It was a relatively quiet week this week because of AP exams, although we had a lot of new client consultations! If you are considering services for your Class of 2023 student, we are very close to reaching capacity and will soon move to our Late Start Waitlist. Our services will be valuable up until the very last minute, but there’s no question that the entire process is more stressful for students who start later.

Happy Mother’s Day to all the moms out there! One of my own mom’s favorite sayings is “Little kids, little problems; big kids, big problems.” The older my own kids become, the more I realize how true that is and how incredibly stressful and challenging it can be for moms of teenagers today. We hope that all of you are able to relax and let somebody else handle all the problems (and reminders!) on Sunday :)

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Weekly Update: October 21

BIGGEST COLLEGE-RELATED NEWS OF THE WEEK

AMHERST COLLEGE DOES AWAY WITH LEGACY ADMISSIONS

Amherst is the one of the first highly selective colleges to announce that it will no longer take legacy into consideration during the college admissions process. Other top-tier schools that do not consider legacy include MIT, Johns Hopkins, and CalTech. 

If the announcement has left you with questions about what exactly legacy is, which schools consider legacy, and how it might impact your college process, check out our blog post on the topic!

MIZZOU SUSPENDS FRATERNITIES ON CAMPUS

After a freshman at the University of Missouri was found unresponsive following a frat party, the university has announced that all fraternity activities on campus are suspended. The school also intends to complete a review to determine if any changes need to be made to Greek life on campus. The last such review at the university took place in 2016, after a hazing incident. 

HOWARD UNIVERSITY PROTESTS CONTINUE INTO A SECOND WEEK

Last week, we covered the student sit-ins in protest of living conditions on campus at Howard. Students have now entered a second week of sit-ins in the student center, with some even sleeping in tents overnight. The students are complaining of issues like rats, roaches, and mold that make university housing unlivable. 

The protest is making even more of an impact as this is Howard’s homecoming week. Gucci Mane, who was scheduled to perform at homecoming, canceled his appearance in support of the protests.  

BEST ARTICLES OF THE WEEK

After financial hardships for many colleges and universities during the pandemic, this article explores how colleges might use their endowment funds to help students and faculty during times of crisis. Traditionally, the role of the endowment has been to sustain colleges over the long term, not to respond to immediate needs. Even in the height of the pandemic, only 8% of colleges and universities had any intention of changing how they used their endowment funds. But those that did draw on endowment funds were able to absorb some of the worst impacts of the pandemic, by reducing layoffs for faculty and staff and sending more money to student services. 

UVA clinched the second spot on the Princeton Review’s list of best-value public colleges, right behind UC Berkeley. We always say that those of us in Virginia are so lucky to have such great in-state options! For private institutions, Princeton and MIT were top for ROI. Return on investment for the schools was calculated using the average amount that students spend in tuition compared to the salaries they were making shortly after graduation.

OFFICE HAPPENINGS

Merit scholarship deadlines are coming up quick, and for students that do not complete their applications early, it may be difficult to even find deadlines you are missing! We love this list from College Kickstart, which keeps track of the hard scholarship deadlines at popular schools. If you are applying for merit scholarships, bookmark this list!

As I’ve mentioned before, I find it very gratifying to work with last-minute students because we are able to restore order in their lives so quickly. Here's some feedback I received this week from one of their moms!

This student worked with us for six weeks and was able to submit his first round of early applications this week! We have been working with a lot of students who are just beginning the process, and it was great to hear this positive feedback. If you are interested in working with us for those regular decision deadlines (they are coming up faster than you think!), please book a Meet & Greet.

Have a great weekend?

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Weekly Update: October 1

Happy October!

BIGGEST COLLEGE-RELATED NEWS OF THE WEEK

THE FAFSA IS OPEN

Finally, the moment some of you have been waiting for… the FAFSA opens today! If you intend to complete the form, I encourage you to do it as soon as possible. If you are unsure whether or not you should complete the FAFSA, you can check out my earlier posts here and here to help make the best decision for you and your family. There are a lot of myths about the FAFSA that circle around every year, so if any of our current clients have questions about the process, make sure to reach out to us so we can help you make this decision.

WILL STUDENT-ATHLETES BECOME EMPLOYEES?

At the very least, they are a lot closer this week than ever before! On Wednesday, the National Labor Relations Board released a memo classifying some college athletes as employees and allowing them to petition to unionize. Some experts think that students will make the push to unionize this year, which will definitely complicate the relationship between the school and its students (now employees).

NORTHWESTERN STUDENTS PROTEST GREEK LIFE

In the wake of reports that students were drugged without their consent at fraternity parties, protestors at Northwestern are asking the school to abolish Greek life on campus. In response to the allegations, the university has suspended social events and recruitment activities at its fraternities for at least the next two weeks. 

FORENSIC SCIENCE STUDENTS AT GMU WILL USE REAL HUMAN BONES

GMU is launching a new, five-acre research center where forensic science students will learn how to find and recover human remains, using real human bones from donors to recreate actual crime scenes. Students will begin being able to use the center next semester. 

SCHULER EDUCATION FOUNDATION DONATION TO THE LIBERAL ARTS

In an effort to promote equity in the liberal arts, the Schuler Education Foundation plans to donate $500 million to 25 liberal arts colleges, including Bates, Tufts, and Union. The donations are intended to expand access for underserved students to these institutions, which the foundation selected because of their historic support for underrepresented students.

BEST ARTICLES OF THE WEEK

Now that it is already October, it seems that students have had to transition rapidly back to going full steam ahead at school. But after so many months off, this transition can be tough!

This New York Times article explores the effects of the pandemic on students who are now returning to the classroom, many of whom need to catch up on academics (and the college planning process!). It is sobering to read the statements from these students. And if your student is one of those seniors wondering how to move forward with college planning or how to ask teachers they barely know for recommendations, book a Meet & Greet with us and we can talk with you more about getting back on track. 

In college admissions, one of the most unpredictable movements of the year is “melt” - students who have made a deposit to the college over the summer, but for one reason or another, do not ultimately matriculate in the fall. This is the reason why some colleges will pull from waitlists as late as the first week of classes! This podcast from NPR explains more about melt and why it has been so much more difficult for colleges to calculate during the pandemic. 

U.S. News put together this helpful guide for planning college visits in the DC area. We are so lucky to live in an area with so many different (and excellent!) colleges and universities. A good strategy for current sophomores and juniors is to take day trips to nearby schools on weekends to start to figure out their preferences before they start traveling around the country. If you know the difference between the way GW and Georgetown feel, for instance, you also have a pretty good understanding of how it might feel at Boston University versus Boston College, or NYU versus Columbia, and will be able to prioritize your list for out-of-state visits. 

This expose on sexual assault at Moody Bible Institute is a difficult, but important, read. Moody is the most prestigious evangelical bible college in the country, and eleven alumnae who were assaulted at Moody have recently decided to speak up about their experiences. The pressure on women to stay “pure” in the evangelical tradition often translates to school administrators placing blame on the women who were assaulted rather than the perpetrators. 

OFFICE HAPPENINGS

We’re so excited that local events are (slowly) coming back for our students to attend! On Monday, the deans of admission from the University of Chicago, Vanderbilt University, and Brown University will be holding an information session on the admissions process at highly selective institutions. Interested students can register here. 

Shannon really enjoyed presenting as part of Illuminos Academic Coaching & Tutoring’s “Less Stress Parenting” webinar series this week - if anyone knows the stress that the college application process can bring for parents and families, it’s us! Shannon is currently booking presentations for school and community groups for the rest of the school year and can speak on a variety of topics, including:

• Finding the Best College Fit for Your Child

• Top Tips to Avoid Parenting Stress during the Admissions Process

• Academic Planning for Middle School Students

• Demystifying College Admissions

• College Selection

Shannon can also tailor a presentation specifically for your school or organization. If you are interested in getting on our calendar for this school year, reach out to her directly at shannon@dccollegecounseling.com. These presentations are completely free to organizers as a service to the community, and your organization can either charge a modest fee for attendance and use the profits as you see fit, or offer an event to participants at no charge.

And after some heavy news and articles this week, if you need a laugh, check out this Daily Princetonian article!

Have a great weekend - I hope everyone has a chance to get outside and enjoy the weather!

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Weekly Update: October 23

Another week, another Friday update!

BIGGEST COLLEGE-RELATED NEWS OF THE WEEK

STATE SCHOOL APPLICATION NUMBERS RISE

Applications are predicted to rise at a lot of state schools this cycle, and we are already seeing this play out at the University of Georgia. UGA’s Early Action deadline was October 15, and the school received over 20,000 applications - a huge 25% increase. We will be paying close attention to these numbers at other public schools as we come upon the November 1 deadline.

RETURN OF BIG TEN FOOTBALL

College towns across the Midwest are preparing for the return of Big Ten football this weekend. Though the rules prohibit even the players’ families from entering the stadiums to watch the games, the mayors of these towns are still concerned that they will turn into COVID-19 test cases with the return of alumni and fans who will follow the team to the towns’ restaurants and bars, even if they can’t attend the game. It will definitely be interesting to see whether the weekend ahead brings about an increase in cases, or if students, fans, and alumni can celebrate safely. 

DUKE’S TEST-OPTIONAL ADMISSIONS PLAN

It’s the question that everyone has been asking - how will highly selective schools read applications fairly when some applicants submit test scores and others don’t? Many admissions officers have told us that they have no clue, which is not particularly surprising but concerning nonetheless. Christoph Guttentag, Duke’s Dean of Undergraduate Admissions, shared an interesting approach recently and I wonder if more schools are going to follow his lead.

One way he hopes to ensure fairness to applicants is by “ensuring that the percentage of accepted students who applied with test scores will roughly equal the percentage of students who applied without.” In other words, the office will be working to make sure that the admissions rate is roughly the same for test-optional and non-test-optional students.

I will admit that I have spent far too long wrapping my mind around how this could play out in terms of strategy. Anecdotally, I think that the likelihood of a student having taken the SAT or ACT a couple of times before March of their junior year also correlates with higher levels of achievement on paper (or at least higher levels of motivation) across the board. Many of these students were hardcore about test prep during the summer after their sophomore year, and that’s the same personality type that finishes essays early, has straight As, and so forth.

Yes, there are some outliers. But by and large, I think that this will be a more qualified group of applicants simply because the ones who prepared and took these tests earlier than their peers are more academically driven in general. So how will it play out if an admissions committee is committed to equal percentages? Could it end up that kids in the group with scores will actually face some discrimination, in a sense? Maybe it’s actually a better idea for a strong candidate to withhold scores to be placed in the pool with less competition? It’s just so hard to say because we don’t know if other schools will follow this route or if Duke will stick to the plan. I’m so intrigued!!!

BEST ARTICLES OF THE WEEK

We all know by now that the COVID-19 pandemic has reinvigorated the debate surrounding the use of standardized testing during the college application process, and I’ve talked before about how some schools that go test-optional this cycle may never go back. This Huffington Post article by a Class of 2021 applicant from Arlington provides some more insight into the testing system from a student who is going through the process right now. It is definitely worth a read, and I hope that colleges and universities take note of all that our students can accomplish when they aren’t spending time on test prep! 

The Washington Post published an article this week written by one of Shannon’s favorite Boston College professors! For an office like ours, full of English majors, the need for college literature classes is obvious. But for those who are more skeptical about study in the humanities, this is definitely worth a read. Learning how to read and analyze texts is, as Professor Rotella puts it, essential “equipment for living.” We notice how our own students improve as they work with us on their college essays through the Wow Writing Workshop, and we’re excited to be able to provide them with skills that they can use in their college writing and literature classes. Despite the emphasis that many students, families, and schools place on STEM subjects, there is always a reason to learn how to read and write well as part of a good education. 

The specter of the Varsity Blues scandal is still haunting elite college admissions. This article from the Atlantic covers the latest casualty of the scandal - high-stakes niche sports. While most parents don’t go as far as photoshopping pictures of their children playing a sport they’ve never played, there is still a culture in wealthier districts of students competing in sports like squash, crew, and fencing in the hopes that they will be able to enter top schools as athletic recruits. 

On its face, this extreme strategy seems like it could work - almost 18% of Princeton students are athletic recruits (compare that to only 2% at a state school like the University of Alabama!). But as this article suggests, niche sports are on the chopping block at many schools, and the financial strain from COVID-19 may mean that even more schools consider cutting the squash or fencing program. 

Another article from The Atlantic this week - they are on a roll - explores the real reason that students choose to go to college. No one knows it better than we do, as we hear from our students and families: college is about more than the classes. Sure, our students are looking for strong academic programs and career preparation, but they are really excited about the campus experience. There has been a lot of debate about whether schools should discount tuition if students are learning online, and this article speaks to the reason for that. Even if students are able to attend classes and learn the material (whether that is possible for some students online is a whole different debate!), they are certainly missing something essential about the college experience.

OFFICE HAPPENINGS

I mentioned in last week's blog post that I find it very gratifying to work with last-minute students because we are able to restore order in their lives so quickly. Here's some completely unsolicited feedback I received this past week from one of their parents!

To give context, this student's parents signed their contract on October 5 and she submitted her first early application on October 21! This particular application required two supplemental essays plus her main Common App essay, so we've been busy with her but we made it happen! We have been working with a lot of students who are just beginning the process, and it was nice to hear this positive feedback. I’d like to agree that we are really good at what we do :)

If you are interested in working with us for those regular decision deadlines (they are coming up faster than you think!), please book a Meet & Greet.

Enjoy the weekend! Such amazing weather today!

Weekly Update: Saturday Edition

This week was just about as crazy as I’d anticipated - maybe more so! Thanks in advance for everyone’s patience as we try to move meetings around to accommodate deadline and application release changes.

BIGGEST COLLEGE-RELATED NEWS OF THE WEEK

COMMON APPLICATION® RELEASE

Check out my post from earlier this week about the 2020-2021 Common Application® release! We finished all of our guides mid-week, so our students are all busy using them to complete their Common Applications®, Coalition Applications, and University of California Applications. If you need help, remember that membership vault subscribers have access to everything too!

THE U EXPERIENCE

My first question: why didn’t I come up with this? My second question: am I too old? (kidding) - but seriously this looks amazing. Two guys from Princeton came up with an absolutely brilliant (in my opinion) idea to form cushy “bubble” communities in which students can pursue their virtual coursework. Yes, Hawaii is an option - and the cost is about the same as room and board at a typical school. I can’t decide if this is going to be the next big thing or the next Fyre Festival, but it’s definitely something I’m going to watch.

FALL SCHEDULE CHANGES

More schools continued to transition to fully remote instruction this past week, including Princeton and Johns Hopkins. Virginia seems to be choosing the delayed route, with UVA and a number of other schools delaying in-person instruction for a couple of weeks to buy time before making the call. A student at Middlebury put together this interactive map, which is SO cool!! The nerd in me is very impressed!!

TESTING

Fairfax County redeemed themselves big time on Tuesday when they announced that FCPS seniors will have the ability to take the SAT at their school on September 23 through School Day Testing. This is so awesome and I’m really happy about it. They are also continuing with the August 29 SAT at a handful of schools, although it’s really difficult to get seats.

I have noticed that there has been some movement as students with seats for the August 29 administration cancel in anticipation of taking it during the school day on September 23, so don’t give up hope if you’re still holding out for an August 29 slot. And if you have one of the coveted August 29 slots and decide to cancel it, feel free to shoot me an email after you cancel so I can let other kids know where there might be a spot available (even if very temporarily). I have students actively seeking spots for both regular time and 50% extended time tests, and I’d love to be able to point them in the right direction.

BEST ARTICLES OF THE WEEK

School has already started in certain parts of the US and the New York Times had a few good pieces on the subject! Here’s what some kids have to say about their schools reopening, and this one discusses the tough choice about closing again that reopened schools are already having to make. Many are wondering if the schools should have focused their efforts on improving virtual instruction instead of putting together reopening plans, and if precious time was wasted as a result.

This piece in The Atlantic, Cancel College, acknowledges the parallels between colleges and universities trying to open and Americans as a whole in trying to go to work. It’s such a tough call.

Thanks to one of my favorite readers who sent me this Boston Globe article yesterday about the increase in deferral numbers for the upcoming year. One out of every five freshmen at Harvard has chosen to defer- WOW! That’s enormous. I’d love to know more about which students are deferring. This would make a good research project! Are they from certain geographic regions? Income brackets? Majors? I’m mainly just curious. Interestingly enough, I actually haven’t noticed a huge rush to defer with my own 2020 students.

Lastly, this blog post from the end of last week about College Board privacy/selling student data was pretty creepy and is definitely worth a read!

OFFICE HAPPENINGS

UGA is killing my September schedule! Because they aren’t releasing the application until 9/1, and because every kid in Northern Virginia is applying there (only half kidding), it’s really screwing things up for us as we try to move meetings around to accommodate. But we have had some meetings open up in mid-to-late August, so Donna has been in touch with Late Start Waitlist families!

And lastly, I will wrap up with a very sweet testimonial from a Class of 2020 parent that totally made my night last night! :) You are the best - thank you! We really do love what we do and I am glad it shows! I share this because I think it does make a great point that not all of our students are out to go to Harvard. Sometimes the ones that aren’t are actually the most fun to work with, because I get to share all of my knowledge about various colleges with them!!

Have a great weekend, everyone!

Weekly Update: July 31

We’re just about ready for our busiest month of the year! August is always so crazy. But as nuts as it is, I love the packed waiting room and the hustle and bustle of everyone coming and going.

From marathon sessions with surprise Starbucks deliveries, to seeing years of hard work coming together with each “review and submit,” these meetings are also a lot of fun and my favorite of the whole process.

So while Zoom does have many benefits and I know everyone loves cutting drive time out of their schedule… I will be missing in-person interaction more than usual in the weeks to come!

BIGGEST COLLEGE-RELATED NEWS OF THE WEEK

COMMON APPLICATION® RELEASE

The 2020-2021 Common Application® will be released tomorrow, August 1, after a several-day shutdown period. We’re excited! We will be hard at work updating all of our application guides, and our clients and membership vault subscribers will have access early next week!

JMU

The JMU application is LIVE, even though it’s not quite August 1 yet! Our students will already be able to see the confirmed essay prompt in their Supplemental Essays folder. They (and membership vault subscribers) will also see a new section under the Tutorials category called “James Madison University.” It contains videos with step-by-step directions showing how to create a JMU account and complete the application. Remember to pay attention to my advice in the video about which recommender to use! JMU is unique in that students have to pick between their counselor or one teacher.

ACT

Another week, another ACT issue! Students were supposed to be able to register this past Monday, but the entire system crashed. The ACT announced a shift to a Tuesday registration period and then postponed it to Wednesday. Finally, on Wednesday, they announced that students would be able to sign up this coming Monday, August 3. I swear it is always something!!

FALL SCHEDULE CHANGES, DISCOUNTS, AND OTHER PERKS

We’re continuing to see so many changes for the fall, and schools are beginning to offer discounts and other perks to try to keep students enrolled. Ten percent discounts seem to be the norm, but Wartburg College came up with a pretty unique offer: a fifth-year free tuition guarantee for students impacted by COVID. Can’t say I’ve ever had a student apply there but I think the concept is a great one! Maybe we will see it from more schools.

FALL 2020 SUBJECT MATTER TUTORING

I guess this isn’t really news, but for lack of a better place to put it.. many families have been reaching out to us for recommendations for subject matter tutors for the upcoming school year. We actually have quite a few recommendations for math tutors in particular and are happy to pass their information along. We also have our own College Prep English Seminar. Some of our essay coaches are available for private 1:1 writing tutoring as well (unrelated to the college process). Just reach out if you are interested and we can facilitate.

Please make sure that you vet any tutor you find. There are definitely some people out there who are not qualified and are trying to take advantage of this situation. I’m also seeing that across the board with high school and college students offering their college counseling services, as crazy as it sounds. An 18-year-old just emailed us yesterday looking for a college advising position!

BEST ARTICLES OF THE WEEK

This Philadelphia Inquirer piece written by a high-school student gave a pretty accurate description of the safety risks facing ACT test-takers. I found it pretty concerning (to put it mildly), especially with kids testing positive after taking the tests.

If you’re thinking about a gap year or worried about the potential for a double-cohort, check out this article from Barron’s about the opportunity cost of taking a gap year during COVID-19. I think the whole concept of opportunity cost is actually really under-appreciated, to be honest.

We’re hearing more and more about the impact of the economy on the higher ed landscape, and I thought this piece about the future of traditional MBA programs was eye-opening. It will be interesting to see the split between the top programs and the rest, and I tend to agree with the educational consultant quoted at the end of the article. Anecdotally, we had a number of former clients come back to work with us this spring on graduate school applications when the economy tanked.. but they only applied to the top schools.

On the flip side, this piece on Sweet Briar definitely offers a glimmer of hope for institutions facing financial hardship. I was glad to read that they are doing so well, although I do think it’s going to be a continued uphill battle.

OFFICE HAPPENINGS

My post about Jennifer last week sparked a lot of questions this past week from prospective clients about whether we still have space available to help new clients with essays, so I thought I would post a follow-up explanation about the Late Start Waitlist and how it works.

We have been at capacity for a little while now, but we finish the active stage of the process with most of our seniors in late August/early September. Those students are our first priority for obvious reasons. As they finish up, however, we are able to take new seniors on.

It’s not a one-for-one swap because the late start seniors require more work in a concentrated period of time, but we’re usually able to get through everyone by the end. This year, many of our traditional students are further ahead than usual because so many essay prompts were released early (and also because we tried to maximize the work that they could complete during the winter and spring as a result of COVID closures).

So if you still need help for your student, please fill out the Late Start Waitlist form and one of us will respond to you within a few days to let you know where things stand and when we may be able to fit you in. This is the same process whether you need help with essays, applications, college selection, or pretty much anything!

We are prioritizing those who know for sure that they want to move forward, and were actually able to get two families up and running already with their first meetings scheduled during the last week of August. We will do the bulk of our work with late start seniors during September and October so that they can submit their applications by November 1. Those with RD apps due January 1 can still work well into November and December.