Weekly Update: November 6

Happy Friday at the end of a crazy week! We’re keeping a close eye on the election results and learning about how they may impact higher education.

BIGGEST COLLEGE-RELATED NEWS OF THE WEEK

THE ATLANTIC NICHE SPORTS STORY TAKES A TURN

You may have seen that we covered a story on our blog last week that discussed the world of niche sports in college admissions. Since that story was released, the Atlantic has made significant changes after discovering that both the author of the piece and its main subject had deceived fact-checkers about several important details. These allegations cast doubt on the entire piece, particularly as the author has had previous instances of journalistic misconduct - “Ruth S. Barrett” is in fact Ruth Shalit, who left DC years ago as a young journalist due to a plagiarism scandal. We are waiting to see if the Atlantic allows the now-edited story to stand, or if more will come to light that necessitates the retraction of the whole story. 

HAVERFORD STUDENTS GO ON STRIKE

Last week, the president and dean of Haverford College sent out an email to dissuade students from participating in the Philadelphia protests following the police shooting of Walter Wallace, Jr. Students responded by going on strike. The strike has continued or over a week, with some students refusing to work, attend classes, or complete assignments until the school provides more support and aid to first-generation students, students of color, and LGBTQ+ students. Many students at Bryn Mawr, which has a close relationship with Haverford, have joined the strike in solidarity. Some faculty have also canceled classes.

COLLEGES RAMP UP PRE-THANKSGIVING TESTING

As we’ve discussed before, many colleges have chosen to send students home before Thanksgiving and keep them at home until January or February. This widespread strategy will hopefully minimize COVID risk from students’ frequent travel. But they are still headed home soon, and it is possible that students who have contracted the virus on campus will be bringing it home to their families during the holiday. To combat this potential outcome, many colleges are ramping up testing in advance of Thanksgiving. UVA is one of a number of schools that will give every student a chance to test shortly before they leave campus. Some schools, like the SUNY system, are taking it a step further by requiring students to test negative before they can head home.  

BEST ARTICLES OF THE WEEK

So many of the students with whom we work are budding entrepreneurs! I love hearing their creative ideas, and as a small business owner myself, it’s been exciting to see how so many colleges have created programs specifically related to entrepreneurship. From Carnegie Mellon’s Swartz Center for Entrepreneurship to the new Entrepreneurial Leadership and Innovation minor at Lewis & Clark College, these are popping up left and right. The Wall Street Journal published an article this week that all entrepreneurial students should definitely check out - a list of college courses that business owners wish they had taken. I certainly wish I had been able to take some of these in college!  

Especially right now, so much attention has been on the national media - and on the void created by the collapse of many local newspapers. The New York Times published an interesting article this week about how this void is being filled by undergraduate reporters. In some college towns, the university newspaper is the only local newspaper available and college students are stepping up to cover major stories during the pandemic. Many student papers, including The Michigan Daily and The Indiana Daily Student, have been the first to break the news of outbreaks of coronavirus on campus. 

OFFICE HAPPENINGS

We've noticed some concerning shifts this week regarding the impact of COVID-19 at local schools. We work with a lot of kids at one particular independent school that made the decision to shut down for a period of time because a teacher was diagnosed earlier this week. Arlington Public Schools actually reversed course a few days ago to postpone in-person learning indefinitely, and yesterday they made the (rather unpopular! sorry guys) decision to cancel winter sports. FCPS is still rolling out their phased return-to-school plan but we will see what happens. You can track FCPS cases here, as some students are already back and others have students and teachers coming in and out of the building for various reasons.

In the meantime, we had a very insightful question from a Class of 2022 student asking about how signing up for in-person vs. virtual learning at FCPS next semester will affect the college admissions process. Such a smart question, right? I told her that I was surprised that she was the only student who asked.

So in case you were wondering - my opinion is that the decision about in-person vs. virtual learning won’t really matter too much from the admissions standpoint. FCPS has been communicating all along that the quality of education will be the same across both platforms, and that is what they will likely communicate to colleges as well if asked - though I would be surprised if FCPS shared a student’s choice in the first place! 

My advice for any FCPS student is to choose the option that you think will give you the best chance of academic success and the highest quality of life. If you are happy and successful, that will have a much greater impact on your overall chance of success in the admissions process than the choice itself.

Switching gears a bit, we have seen a lot of speculation about how schools will consider test-optional applications this cycle. Shannon attended a “Coffee with the Carnegie Mellon Deans” event just this morning and learned that applications this cycle are down across the board for Common App schools. However, don’t get too excited - Carnegie Mellon and other highly selective schools like it that have traditionally been very dependent on test scores have received more applications since going test-optional. This shows that students who would potentially have felt that more selective institutions were “reaches” based on test scores are now deciding to apply. We are really interested to see how Carnegie Mellon and peer schools navigate this new normal - and whether all of these test-optional policies will continue during the 2021-2022 admissions cycle!

It is a GORGEOUS day outside - have a great weekend!

Weekly Update: October 30

Happy Halloween!

BIGGEST COLLEGE-RELATED NEWS OF THE WEEK

ACT SETTLES CLASS-ACTION LAWSUIT

The ACT had to pay out $16 million to students in California this week. The students sued ACT because the organization indicated on score reports when the students had received extra time on the test or had another documented disability (it is worth noting that the SAT does not include disability status on score reports). Thankfully, the ACT stopped this practice in 2018 as a result of the pending lawsuit and the settlement forbids them from restarting this practice in the future. 

UNIVERSITY OF DAYTON FRESHMAN DIES OF COVID-19

This week saw another tragic death of a college student due to complications from COVID-19. 18-year-old Michael Lang died after a long hospitalization in LaGrange, Illinois. It is not clear if Lang caught the coronavirus on campus, where he was living until switching to remote learning on September 13. Every time I read a story like this, I’m heartbroken - as a parent and as an educator, I can’t even imagine such a devastating loss. It underscores the stakes involved in keeping young people, particularly college students, safe and healthy during this time. 

Michael Lang, a first-year student at the University of Dayton (PC: University of Dayton)

FCPS RETURNING TO SCHOOL! (AND SCHEDULE CHANGES)

It’s official - almost 11 months after COVID-19 began, Dr. Brabrand announced that FCPS high school students will be heading back for in-person instruction on January 26. Many parents have expressed frustration that the return will only involve two days of in-person instruction (augmented by two days of virtual instruction). Fingers crossed that we can keep the cases low enough in our area that the plan actually comes to fruition in January! On another note, Dr. Brabrand also extended the first quarter of the current school year. Students will now have until Monday, November 2nd at 5 p.m. to complete missing assignments.

BEST ARTICLES OF THE WEEK

The New York Times published an article this week recounting the drastic budget cuts that schools are having to make as a result of the pandemic. Even Harvard University, with its nearly $42 billion endowment, reported a deficit this year. The temporary hiring freezes, furloughs, and early retirements that colleges implemented at the start of the pandemic are giving way to more permanent measures, including cuts to programs and faculty. Other school systems, like those in Connecticut and Pennsylvania, are merging multiple schools or campuses to create single operating units with centralized administrations as a way to cut costs. The article notes that many of the changes happening now on college campuses are likely to outlast the pandemic and will change higher education for this entire generation.

This Forbes article details the potential impact of the election on college admissions. The impact is not limited to the presidential election - it could be a result of state and local elections as well. These effects include a shortage of counselors at public schools. (As an aside: did you know that the average school counselor handles a caseload of 480 students?! That’s why it’s so important to provide your counselor with lots of content for the recommendation letter!) The election may also dictate whether or not schools are permitted to take race into account for admissions, as well as their ability to accept international students. Funding for higher education institutions could also be dependent on potential federal stimulus. 

This is a great article from Dr. Lisa Damour, author of Untangled. You may have seen her book on my bookshelf in my office! It’s an absolute must-read for parents, teachers, and other adults in the lives of teenage girls. In this article, she tackles the lack of motivation that some teenagers are experiencing during the pandemic. We have definitely noticed this for some of our students - it is so hard to stay motivated when studying virtually. Damour covers the two forms of motivation, extrinsic and intrinsic, and discusses how students can use both in a balanced way. This is such an important point! I think a lot of times as parents we want our students to learn because they love the material or are intellectually curious. But sometimes there is a late-night study session or a difficult class, and the promise of ice cream at the end is what gets the student through it - and that’s okay too! Keeping up the balance is how we can really help our students stay motivated over the long term. 

OFFICE HAPPENINGS

Shannon had the opportunity on Wednesday to speak at a College Selection webinar through the office of the DC Student Loan Ombudsman. The Ombudsman’s role is to help make higher education available and affordable for all DC residents, and Shannon was really excited to participate and talk to students about what they should consider when selecting a college, essay preparation, and application timelines. The shift to virtual events has been a challenge for a lot of organizations during COVID-19, but we’ve loved participating in these types of events this cycle! If you have a group that would like us to come speak at an event, please reach out and we’ll do our best to fit you into our calendar. 

Our students already know how to avoid these common admissions misconceptions!

The office of the Student Loan Ombudsman is an excellent resource for DC families with questions about paying for college. College Access Fairfax provides resources for Northern Virginia families as well - if you need help with the FAFSA, CSS Profile, or other financial aid forms, I really recommend attending one of their free virtual seminars. These events are open to anyone and can be really helpful in figuring out financial aid questions. They will literally walk you through the forms line by line. Class of 2021 seniors and their parents can also set up individual appointments to complete the FAFSA with 1:1 help. Such an amazing organization!

CONGRATULATIONS to all of our seniors who have submitted their early applications! We are so proud of all of you (and so beyond relieved to have hit this milestone, let’s be honest!). If you’d like to get a head start on post-submission emails, check out Wednesday’s blog post for instructions. Otherwise, enjoy the Halloween weekend and stay safe!

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: October 16

As more and more of our traditional seniors submit, we’ve been able to accept additional late start seniors! We had so many begin this past week. I’ve written about this before - that even though the work is condensed and it can be rushed (not my ideal timeline for sure), it’s very gratifying to work with these families. They come in so stressed and pulling their hair out, and we are able to basically restore calm and order to their lives within a few days :)

We’re now full for early November deadlines but still have a few spots left for December, January, and possibly mid-November deadlines. Late start families should start the process by signing up for a Meet & Greet here.

BIGGEST COLLEGE-RELATED NEWS OF THE WEEK

SAT RESULTS RETURNED

The results of the September 23 School Day SAT came back yesterday (October 15), and the results from the October 3 SAT came back this morning. Anecdotally, we have seen many students disappointed with their scores. Now everyone is waiting on ACT scores, and there is still a lot of uncertainty about whether they will be released before the November 1 early deadline, as conflicting information has been released. These close-call score reports have definitely been stressing me out and making it difficult for students to submit applications early! I literally helped people submit applications on the day of the deadline yesterday, which I don’t think I’ve ever done in my whole career.

SWARTHMORE DISCONTINUES COUNSELOR ADVOCACY CALLS

Swarthmore sent out an email to counselors this week stating that they are discontinuing their practice of holding school counselor calls before decisions are released. The email stated, “After conducting internal analysis, we found that counselor calls were requested disproportionately by private and independent school counselors and rarely by public school counselors and college access advisors."

The point that they are making here is completely correct, and there is certainly room for improvement in the equity of who receives the opportunity to advocate for their students. But this is still a hard pill to swallow for those families at independent schools during a year in which additional context and advocacy would have been particularly useful. While I recognize that it would require more work from staff, I wish that Swarthmore had offered to reach out to more public school counselors as well, rather than discontinuing the calls entirely. This is a year when our students need more context shared with admissions officers, not less. We will be watching closely to see if other schools follow suit after this announcement. 

SPRING CALENDAR CHANGES AT COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES

Many schools have already begun to shift their Spring 2021 academic calendars to provide a safer experience for students during the pandemic. Lehigh and Fordham are among the colleges pushing back the start of classes and eliminating spring break to try to limit student travel and, hopefully, coronavirus spread. Texas A&M is also eliminating spring break, starting the semester on time and ending early, with a single-day break in March. Davidson gave students a surprise, single-day break last Friday, and plans to replace Spring Break with two shorter breaks, during which students are encouraged not to travel away from campus.  

UVA RELEASES CLASS OF 2024 DATA

UVa has finally released more information about its most recent incoming class. The Class of 2024 is the smallest class UVa has seen since the Class of 2016, and it is also the most diverse in the institution’s history. Though the class is smaller, it is still over the University’s enrollment target. This article also states that the return of the early decision option is not the reason for the decline in the acceptance rate last cycle, according to the university, as only 10% of the class was admitted early decision. The stats also show some COVID impact - twice the usual amount of UVa applicants chose to take a gap year rather than enroll in the Class of 2024. 

ENROLLMENT DOWN NATIONALLY DURING COVID-19

UVA is not the only school that is seeing an enrollment decline during the pandemic. This study out of the National Student Clearinghouse in Herndon, reveals that first-year enrollment is down by 14% at public four-year universities and down by 12% at private institutions. Graduate enrollment, however, is up throughout most of the country (see our post from earlier in the week for more about the pros and cons of applying to graduate school this cycle). 

BEST ARTICLES OF THE WEEK

This New York Times interview with Jeff Selingo contains so many great tips for students and parents, and I really encourage you to read the whole thing! But if you take anything away, I want to emphasize his answer to a question about whether students should apply early decision this year:

Selective colleges with already robust early decision pools are likely to accept more students that way. As I point out in my book, that’s exactly what they did in the wake of the 2008 recession. They didn’t want to take a chance that they’d struggle to fill seats in the spring. Schools that traditionally filled maybe a quarter to one-third of their classes through early decision boosted that proportion to upward of half in the fall of 2008.

I expect the same this year. They don’t have much room to grow that part of the incoming class — after all, they likely won’t admit 75 percent early — but they’ll up the numbers where they can.

While I know it can be difficult to choose to commit to a school in a year when students may have been unable to tour the campus, this reinforces my advice that early decision can be a great choice for students who do know where they want to go to school - and more so this year than ever!

I always tell students who are waffling about making a binding commitment that they need to reframe their thought process. The question should not be “Binding commitment or not?” because they have to make a binding commitment at some point regardless of where and how they enroll. Instead, the question should be “Is it worth making the commitment a few months early to increase the chances of admission at my top-choice school?” The answer is usually yes.

The New York Times has published a lot on the admissions process this week, and I also recommend this article that contains advice from a range of college admissions officers. I particularly want to point out the answers from Seth Allen at Pomona and Zaire McCoy at Rollins about the impact of deferrals on this cycle’s applicants. I have fielded so many questions about how deferrals will affect applicants (I wrote a detailed post about this back in July), so I was glad to see that Allen and McCoy also felt that deferrals would not have a huge impact on this year’s class. Shannon has been attending a lot of counselor information sessions that emphasize the same thing - colleges are working to mitigate the effects of deferred enrollment, so this shouldn’t be something that has current seniors overly concerned, at least for right now.   

I don’t know if this is quite as simple as it sounds, but it is worth reading this study out of Georgetown, which found that Joe Biden’s free public college plan would pay for itself within ten years. The study results indicate that even though Biden’s plan would cost $73 billion a year, it would be offset by a $186.8 billion increase in tax revenue from workers who would earn more money because of their advanced education. I always approach these “free college” plans with a little bit of skepticism from the taxpayer standpoint, but if it really is that simple it sounds good to me!

Finally, if you are a podcast lover like me, check out this NPR podcast episode which explores the coronavirus testing protocol at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. The campus has seventeen testing centers and tests all students and staff on campus every few days. Students are required to have a negative result in order to enter campus buildings and attend classes.

Because the school does its own testing in-house, there are days when 2% of all coronavirus testing in the U.S. is done on that particular campus! It was interesting to hear about the impact of this aggressive testing model, especially considering that Illinois still saw coronavirus spikes from students socializing even after knowing they had received a positive test result.

OFFICE HAPPENINGS

Submitting is most seniors’ favorite part of this process (at least until the acceptances roll in!), but as we keep repeating and over and over and over again….submitting an application DOES NOT mean that the work is done.

After submitting, students need to continue checking email daily and keep track of the status portal login information for each school. These portals are essential because they will show if information or application components are missing. Applicants can then take care of any missing pieces (which often involves following up with recommenders) and can ultimately make sure all materials have been received.

Some schools will also use the portal to request additional information or outline next steps.. and this can come as a surprise! Below is an example of a form that appears on the University of South Carolina portal. All applicants applying to the school have to fill out this form in order to complete their applications. Students must indicate which “one supplemental material” they are providing for review (SAT/ACT scores, three alternative test scores, or a graded paper).

This is a great example of a portal situation that could go wrong quickly if ignored. Interestingly enough, the USC application doesn’t indicate that this form exists on the portal or that the student is required to fill it out.

So if a student didn’t log in to the portal, he would naturally assume that his requirements had been met - particularly if he had already submitted his SAT scores. However, that’s not enough - without the completed form by November 2, USC would consider his application incomplete and would not review it. All of the student’s hard work would go down the drain! And if you’ve had the “pleasure” of writing those USC Honors College essays this fall, you can understand exactly how frustrating that would be!

Finally, some of the emails with portal access can time out quickly (within 24-48 hours), so if students miss these emails, they will have to follow up with the admissions offices to explain why they aren’t checking their email each day as requested - not a great impression to give off!

Have a great weekend and check those portals!

Weekly Update: October 11

Even as we continue to be busy with seniors submitting their applications (so much fun!), we are also starting to work with a lot of juniors on big-picture strategy for the next two years.

The cyclical nature of admissions means there are always new students starting with us, and we love getting to know them! If you are a Class of 2022, Class of 2023 or Class of 2024 student interested in working with us, you can book a Meet & Greet to talk more about your goals.

BIGGEST COLLEGE-RELATED NEWS OF THE WEEK

FAIRFAX COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS VIRTUAL COLLEGE WEEK

Fairfax County Public Schools are pivoting to a virtual approach instead of their traditional College Fair and College Night. They will have live virtual sessions from Monday, October 19 - Friday, October 23. There will be two sessions each evening, and students should take a look at the schedule to see which sessions they may be interested in attending, because many of the sessions are for populations with particular interests, including Attending College in Europe, Applying to a Military Academy, and Dual Enrollment. 

NOTRE DAME’S PRESIDENT RETURNS TO CAMPUS WITH COVID-19

As you may have seen on the news this week, Notre Dame’s president Rev. John I. Jenkins was infected with the coronavirus at the White House reception for Judge Amy Coney Barrett, a former Notre Dame Law professor. Students have petitioned for his resignation for violating his own mask mandate at the event, and his infection has sparked faculty debate on campus as well. Father Jenkins is perhaps the most high-profile case of a school president being infected with COVID-19, but I anticipate that as the school year goes on, we will continue to hear debate about the responsibility of administrators and schools officials to set an example for the rules enforced on their campuses. 

CANCELLATION OF DIVERSITY, EQUITY, AND INCLUSION PROGRAMMING

The White House’s recent executive order against “divisive concepts” in federally-funded programs has some schools scrambling to cancel diversity, equity, and inclusion programming or risk losing federal funding. The University of Iowa has paused DEI programming entirely for two weeks, and some military academies are cancelling or postponing a planned showing of the film Malcolm X. Other schools, like the University of Michigan, are reaffirming their commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion work. 

DEADLINE SHIFTS KEEP COMING

Colleges have been changing deadlines and requirements nonstop. We've posted about this before, but it continues to happen left and right. Some of the recent deadline shifts have included Penn State, Michigan, and Duke. This past week, Tufts and Villanova joined the group. I anticipate we will see more of this over the next week. We will be keeping a close eye on deadlines for our students, and we recommend that everyone watch closely for continued changes during this tumultuous year. 

BEST ARTICLES OF THE WEEK

TJ has been in the news again recently for its latest attempt at diversifying the student body. At this nationally-renowned public high school, only 1.7% of the student body is low-income, and only 5% is made up of students of color. TJ has previously tried other strategies to increase the diversity of the student body, including revisions to admissions essays and tests and the hiring of a full-time outreach specialist, but the school was largely unsuccessful. Now, it plans to raise the GPA necessary for admission to a 3.5, and then admit students based on a random lottery system.

I found this Washington Post article in support of the lottery plan to be really interesting, particularly because of the implications for college admissions. It is actually more difficult to be admitted to a highly selective college from a magnet school like TJ than it is from other Nova high schools. This is one reason, as the article says, why many smart students from Northern Virginia may not be interested in attending TJ - and why, for the lottery, students who sign up are clearly motivated to take on a challenging STEM education in high school. 

Jeff Selingo, who wrote my top college admissions article of the year, has written another Washington Post article about “feeder” schools for top colleges. The term always makes me think of an old-fashioned idea of New England prep schools, but even in 2020, 18% of the nation’s high schools are responsible for a full 79% of admitted students! This happens in part because admissions readers who are familiar with the rigor of certain high schools can be confident that students from those schools are prepared to succeed in college coursework. 

Because COVID-19 means that some students won’t have test scores or spring semester grades to measure academic ability, admissions officers may lean harder than ever on high schools that are familiar to them. In our area, this applies particularly to our nationally-recognized Fairfax County and Montgomery County schools. The reputation of our local schools could be a plus in the admissions process more than ever this cycle! 

This New York Times article really speaks to the feelings of loneliness that we’ve been hearing about from our Class of 2020 students. Even for the students who are happy to be on campus for (at least partial) in-person instruction, coronavirus precautions have completely transformed their college experience. Students are telling us that it is hard to get a break from school work, with all the social activities that they would normally use to unwind being cancelled or put on hold. This serves as a good reminder to our students (and to all of us!) that while focusing on work is important, we need to be conscious of making time for ourselves right now too.

I love the idea from two students in this article to shut down computers by 10:00 or 11:00 pm and focus on some face-to-face time with the people around you! 

OFFICE HAPPENINGS

I snuck out of the office on Friday to head to Annapolis! I’ve mentioned a few times that we are working on a lot of service academy nomination applications this year and I am thrilled to say that every last one of those nomination applications is DONE! Now we are working on the actual academy applications, but those are a breeze compared to the nomination apps. The process was always complex pre-COVID, but this year has just been a complete nightmare from a logistical standpoint.

If you aren’t familiar, students seeking appointments to service academies need to not only be admitted to the academy itself but also receive a nomination. These nominations are incredibly, incredibly competitive. For example, Tim Kaine receives 500-600 per year and picks 10! The goal is to pursue as many nominations as possible to increase the chances of getting one - but every nomination application is different. The one commonality is that each senator and/or representative typically wants the student to mail every single component together in a packet, which makes it a little tougher from a logistical standpoint in terms of tracking everything and collecting the materials from the various recommenders - of which there are MANY!

In COVID times, all of the different senators and representatives have made different modifications to their process. Some want scores, some don’t. Some want certain evidence of attempted testing registration, some don’t. Some want everything in the packets, some don’t. I won’t even get into the situation that occurred when one of the offices was closed during the week of the deadline and hundreds of nomination packets were stuck in FedEx tracking limbo. It’s no one’s fault, and we are masters of organization with this stuff, but it’s a LOT. Shannon has been a total rockstar in managing all of it!

Anyway, with all of this going on over the past couple of weeks, I couldn’t help looking at all the midshipmen I saw in Annapolis and wondering to myself about where their nominations came from and what their secret sauce was! There is no question that a USNA appointment would be such an amazing opportunity for the right student. However, it’s really important to know what you’re getting into. If you’re in the Class of 2022 and think you may be interested, we highly recommend applying to Summer Seminar! Not only will this give you a taste of USNA life, but attending will also improve your chances of nomination and admission. Applications are due January 4, but you really need to get them in by mid-December at the latest.

—

Changing gears entirely - I have been a big fan of Dr. Dan Shapiro for many years and recently saw that he put some of his courses online for parents to follow at their own pace. I am personally really excited to take this course, as soon as I have a free minute, and I thought I would share it here as well because I know that it would be useful to a number of our parents.

As an aside, I would also highly recommend his most recent book, Parent Child Excursions: ADHD, Anxiety, and Autism, which is enormously helpful for anyone whose child struggles with any of the three or a combination.

—

One last thought from the past week - as our rising seniors have been learning the results of their recent SAT and ACT exams, we've continued to field questions left and right about applying test-optional. I have started suggesting that students email the admissions reps directly to ask their advice - nothing beats going right to the source, after all!

I have to say, the results of these emails have exceeded my expectations. While most of them quote a party line about not being able to advise students one way or the other, nearly all of them still add some commentary that makes it pretty darn clear what they think the student should do. So if you have questions - don’t hesitate to reach out!

Enjoy the weekend!

Weekly Update: October 2

And.. October it is! With our first deadlines less than two weeks away, everyone has been very busy! It’s kind of killing me that the results of the 9/23 school-based SAT are released THE SAME DAY as the first round of deadlines (10/15). Yet in order to submit an application to at least one of those schools, students have to answer a question about whether or not they are submitting test scores for consideration. So stressful on everyone involved. The idea of submitting an application the day it is due literally gives me heart palpitations, yet at the same time it’s unavoidable if students are waiting on that round of scores to decide!

BIGGEST COLLEGE-RELATED NEWS OF THE WEEK

THE FAFSA IS OPEN

Finally, the moment some of you have been waiting for… the FAFSA opened yesterday, and if you intend to complete the form, I encourage you to do it as soon as possible. It is more important than ever this year to complete this form promptly!

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! We will help you decide how to proceed.

MORE VIRTUAL VISITS

We are working hard to keep our list of virtual college fairs, tours, and information sessions updated, as more and more schools open up registration for virtual events. Some upcoming events that we’re excited about are the Virtual College Exploration fair for Atlanta-area colleges, the Six Colleges events hosted by Amherst, Bowdoin, Carleton, Pomona, Swarthmore, and Williams, and the NWHE special topics sessions that Notre Dame, Wash U, Johns Hopkins, and Emory have put together. 

COMMON APP REMOVES DISCIPLINARY DISCLOSURE FOR CLASS OF 2022

After finding that the disclosure of disciplinary history disproportionately impacts low-income students and students of color, the Common App has decided to remove the question beginning with the Class of 2022. Students who recorded a disciplinary incident were also nearly twice as likely as others to leave their applications incomplete, choosing not to apply to college at all. The Common App will no longer ask students or their counselors to disclose disciplinary information.

But before we get too excited, I should also note that schools will still be able to ask about disciplinary history on their supplements, and it is likely that many will continue to do so.

It was through pressure from schools that the Common App chose to add this question in the first place in 2006, and Common App schools can continue to require it going forward. So while this is definitely a step in the right direction, it is not a guarantee that Class of 2022 students will not have to report disciplinary action. The right choice is always to avoid disciplinary incidents, but in the event that you do have to report, check out my recent video for some tips!

BEST ARTICLES OF THE WEEK

As my current clients know, I find transparency in college admissions to be incredibly important! So I really enjoyed this article about econometric modeling as it relates to the admissions process. We always emphasize the necessity of demonstrating interest in your school of choice by attending information sessions and (virtual) tours, but this article highlights additional ways to engage without the ability to see a college in person. Some tips I want to emphasize are:

1. Visit the college’s website and click “request more information” - this will enter you into the college’s enrollment management system. 

2. Once you are on that list, you will likely receive a lot of emails, but if you can, click on the links within the email and explore more about the college. Many colleges track this type of engagement, so taking the time to read and learn more is a great way to demonstrate interest. 

3. Like, share, and comment on the college’s social media posts. This kind of engagement may also be tracked. 

The key to any of this engagement is to make sure you have ONE email address that you use for all interactions with colleges (including social media accounts linked to this address). We encourage many of our clients to set up a gmail account just for this purpose. And of course, if you interact with any college on social media, be very careful of what they will see if they click on your profile! 

This Forbes Investigation into the SAT is long, but a worthwhile read. There has been a long-running conversation about the value of the SAT in college admissions, but the change in testing policies due to COVID-19 has sparked a renewal of that conversation. In my opinion, many of the schools who are going test-optional this cycle are likely to remain so, even after the pandemic has passed. That said, I do have my doubts as to whether that will be the case for the most highly selective schools - I’m just not sure how they would be able to assess academic performance without that data point - but it will be interesting to see how it plays out.

Either way, I’m very interested to see how next cycle will look, and I hope that we will see more and more schools focus on students’ academic progress over the course of four years, rather than their preparation for a single test day. What do you think of the potential shift toward test-blind admissions? Has your student been impacted by SAT difficulties this cycle? Comment and let us know! 

We have continued to field a ton of questions this year about how deferrals and changes in class size relating to COVID-19 will impact that Class of 2021. But this article also shows that the pandemic will have a positive impact for transfer applicants, at least in the short term. Over three-quarters of colleges anticipate having a higher admit rate for transfers this year! However, this may be short-lived; I expect that transferring will become more difficult in the long term. COVID-related deferrals mean that many schools may welcome a larger-than-usual first year class in 2021, and be less likely to admit transfer applicants in future cycles. We are already well underway in our work with prospective transfer applicants, and if you are considering transferring, now is the time to book a transfer strategy session!   

It seems like every time I post this Friday blog post, I see something come out right afterwards that I wish I had been able to include. This New York Times article from last Friday notes that one of the major reasons students are still putting in so much effort to take standardized tests in a year when most schools are test-optional is because they hope to receive merit aid. Merit aid can be one of the most opaque parts of the college admissions process, so I was excited to see this article shed some light.

The article also points out that some schools, like the College of Wooster in Ohio and Whitman College in Walla Walla, Washington, are offering pre-application financial estimates so that prospective students can assess how much college will cost before they apply. If anyone hears of other schools offering this service, let us know in the comments - we’ll be keeping an eye on how this impacts the admissions process. 

We have worked with so many students this year who care deeply about the commitment to “going green” that college and universities demonstrate, and I think this trend will only continue as high schoolers become more and more environmentally-conscious. The Sierra Club’s “Cool Schools” list ranks colleges based on their environmental commitments, and it is a “cool” alternative to more traditional college rankings.

OFFICE HAPPENINGS

We’ve begun to spend a lot of time helping our students with post-submission follow-up, and I had a question from a student this week that I thought would be helpful to share as I did not find the answer to be intuitive. Hopefully this will clear things up for anyone else in the same boat!

Many schools require students to submit their self-reported grades and test scores after their applications are submitted. The form through which this takes place is known as a Self-Reported Academic Record, or SRAR. Virginia Tech is one of those schools, and has introduced a test-optional question this year that allows students to decide whether or not they want the SAT and/or ACT to be considered.

Our student wasn't sure how to indicate that she wanted to share her AP scores, but not her SAT/ACT scores. On the Common App, this is very straightforward and easy to do. However, the language that VT used in their question confused both of us.

As you can see, it reads "To allow Virginia Tech access to your self-reported test scores, select Yes below."

However, it turns out that students who want to self-report their AP scores only should actually go ahead and answer NO to this question but should enter their AP scores anyway through the drop-down box under "Add New Exams." The same goes for students who want to share IB or CLEP scores. I honestly would not have thought to do it that way! Thankfully, our VT rep is very helpful and emailed me back to explain, and I was able to pass the information on to our student.

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I’ve gotten a lot of questions about how it works to submit over Zoom, so one of my seniors yesterday allowed me to share a screen shot of our submission session with all of you (she’s blocked out, obviously). It really does feel just like the real thing! Ignore my goofy smile - I get really excited to click submit and she was equally excited too!

I love each and every one of our seniors but have to brag for a minute about the particular girl - it occurred to me during our session that I literally have not seen or spoken to either one of her parents since I met her mom at our consultation, which took place probably 15 months ago. I mean not ONCE! How cool is that? I truly would not know these people if I saw them on the street :) We have emailed back and forth a few times and my team and I always CC them on everything, so they are always informed, but she’s worked with us independently the entire way. We helped advise her on every single detail - from college tours, to standardized test approaches, to writing amazing essays, to perfecting and submitting every application! And she was so on the ball that she actually finished her testing and most of her college visits pre-COVID!

While that example is a little extreme, and some parents prefer to be actively involved in each step (don’t worry, we love you guys too and welcome as much or as little involvement as each family wants!), on average we probably have less parent contact than most would guess. When families choose to hand us the reins, they always end up to really appreciate the outcome - not only because it reduces stress in the home and they are able to focus on their own lives knowing that their kids are in good hands, but also because of the life skills that their children gain through the process.

SOME OF OUR FAVORITE BOOKS ON THE SUBJECT!

It’s important to be able to know how to communicate and interact with adults without using parents as intermediaries. It’s also important to be able to take ownership over tasks - we try as much as possible to use careful scaffolding and constant reminders to help our students step out of their comfort zones and truly become ready for college - not just to get in, but also to succeed when they get there!

Have a great weekend!

Weekly Update: September 25

I can’t believe this is already my last weekly update of the month. Time is speeding by and it feels like every day now we have another student clicking “submit” - so exciting!

BIGGEST COLLEGE-RELATED NEWS OF THE WEEK

SAT UPDATES: CHECK WITH YOUR TESTING CENTER

It sounds like everyone was able to get through this past week’s school-based SAT administration relatively unscathed (although I have heard a lot of complaints about the reading passages). However, there might be some issues ahead. Out of the nearly 700,000 students registered to take the test on September 26 and October 3, almost half will be unable to take it due to test center closures. In a perfect world, students should have heard from College Board already if their test was impacted; however, we know it doesn’t always pan out like that in reality! If you have a test scheduled for tomorrow or for October 3, please call your test center directly to confirm that you will be able to take the test as scheduled.

SOME UNDERGRADUATE COLLEGES AT CORNELL WILL BE TEST-BLIND FOR THE 2020-2021 CYCLE

Cornell’s College of Agriculture and Life Sciences; College of Architecture, Art, and Planning; and the SC Johnson School of Business (which includes both Dyson and the Hotel School) will be test-blind this cycle, meaning that scores will not be considered for any applicant. If you haven’t already, you can read more about the difference between test-optional and test-blind admissions in my blog post from April. 

PAC-12 FOOTBALL UPDATE

Now that we’re well into fall, I’m seeing college sports updates every week! The Pac-12 announced yesterday that it will play a seven-game season beginning on November 6. This follows the news that I shared last week from the Big 10, which has also reversed its original decision to suspend play this fall. If you are following along, that means that only one top conference, the Mid-American Conference, has no plans to play a fall football season.

NETFLIX REALITY SHOW ABOUT GALLAUDET PREMIERES OCTOBER 9

Netflix has just released the trailer for its new reality series, Deaf U, about life at Gallaudet University right here in DC. One of the producers for the show is Nyle DiMarco, who is from Frederick and attended Gallaudet (he also won America’s Next Top Model in 2015). The trailer definitely made me excited to check out the first episode on October 9!

UC IMPROPERLY ADMITTED AT LEAST 64 STUDENTS

A California state audit recently found that the University of California admitted at least 55 students who were under-qualified as a result of family connections or donations. The audit was conducted in response to last year’s Varsity Blues scandal, which had previously identified at least three students at UCLA and UC Berkeley who were improperly admitted. Auditors found that UC admitted 22 students falsely designated as student-athlete recruits, and an additional 42 applicants were admitted to Berkeley based on connections to staff, leadership, and donors.

Perhaps even more discouraging, the audit also found that admissions staff were insufficiently trained and supervised, leading to inconsistent application reviews. Hopefully, the UC system and other institutions will learn from this and pay a little more attention to their oversight processes. They have already pledged to follow the auditors’ recommendation of verifying athletic ability and donor records before admitting students. 

One silver lining of the shift to test-optional admissions at many schools is that admissions officers are receiving additional training to read and review applications without test scores. I am optimistic that training will help keep admissions practices consistent in these offices that are re-training for this cycle. 

BEST ARTICLES OF THE WEEK

This article from the Washington Post does a nice job of providing a big-picture look at the manner in which college campuses opened this past fall. The ability to control COVID-19 in a university setting depends on so many factors, including whether the school is public or private, whether the surrounding area is urban or rural, and the number of students on campus. It was helpful to understand the issues at play during a year in which colleges are making really tough calls when it comes to on-campus instruction.

This profile of Washington State cross-country runner Andrew Cooper gave me a lot to think about when it comes to college athletics. Cooper was a strong voice in the Pac-12 players’ initiative, which made demands of administrators related to health and safety, racial justice, and economic rights, and is dedicated to making these types of athletic reforms. He ultimately hopes to provide a collective bargaining agreement for student-athletes, among other changes to the NCAA. Players’ rights are particularly important right now, when COVID-19 is spreading and illuminating health risks for student-athletes. 

I love being able to promote free programs from colleges and universities, and I’m really excited about these sessions on Activism & Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion from Pomona College. We’ve seen our students including activism experience in the activities sections of their applications more and more frequently, as they have taken advantage of more opportunities for civic engagement during their high school years than past cohorts. This article does a great job of discussing the nuances of including student activism during the application process. Just as there is no single way to be an activist, there is no one-size-fits-all advice for representing student activism in the application - for our clients, we can help you put your best foot forward in the application process while remaining true to yourself and your beliefs. 

You may remember my post from earlier this month, where I revealed my college admissions “article of the year” from Jeff Selingo. If you missed that post, I encourage you to go back and take a look - I break down the three pieces of advice that I hope you take away. The article made me so excited to read Jeff’s new book, which he discusses in this recent interview (along with his views on how admissions has changed during the coronavirus pandemic). I am plugging away at the book bit by bit every night, and it’s great so far!

I also provided a FAFSA update in that same September 5 post, and shared that it opens for Class of 2021 students on October 1 (this coming Thursday). I mentioned that if you experienced a dramatic shift in finances as a result of COVID-19, the FAFSA will not pick that up. If that is the case for your family, you will need to complete the FAFSA as early as possible with 2019 tax information and then reach out to financial aid offices directly to request a “professional judgment” review, for which you can submit new material like layoff notices, unemployment checks, or medical bills. This article from the New York Times expands on my guidance and provides an excellent overview of the steps that students and families will need to take to qualify for financial aid in that type of scenario.

OFFICE HAPPENINGS

We can’t engage in the same level of travel to college campuses this year, but that does not mean our research stops! In fact, we take it more seriously than ever, because our families can’t visit either - and they are relying on us to provide them with up-to-date insider information that is not always obvious from their online research.

Shannon has been attending a ton of counselor-only virtual visits and presentations in order to write up individual profiles to help our students with their decision making and school-specific essays. Ultimately, these profiles will go up on our Membership Vault for current clients and subscribers, but in the meantime, here are just a couple of examples for anyone hoping for a preview!

This time of year is definitely bittersweet as we begin the active stages of the process with juniors and finish up with seniors. Usually I think “it feels like yesterday that the seniors were having their own junior year meetings,” but NOT THIS YEAR! Haha, September 2019 feels like a century ago! We received an email a few days ago from a student who started out as one of our most reluctant writers last year but ended up with absolutely amazing work:

We get a lot of feedback like this about how students’ writing skills improve throughout the process - so once they matriculate at the college they choose, they already have a leg up on college writing! My favorite part of my job is hearing about how we were able to help students feel more confident in themselves during what can be a (very!) challenging process.

I have another video to share - this time about submitting test scores. I have been fielding questions about this topic over and over again during the current application cycle, and I hope my advice will help students make the tough decision about whether or not to share their test scores with schools.  As you can see, it’s not as straightforward as we’d hope!

Have a great weekend and good luck to those taking the SAT tomorrow! Don’t forget to call your test center this afternoon to double-check that the test is on as planned!

Weekly Update: September 18

Now that our students have headed back to school, they are juggling classes and extracurriculars along with finishing up their applications. We’re so proud of their work ethic!

BIGGEST COLLEGE-RELATED NEWS OF THE WEEK

MATH TUTORING FROM VIRGINIA TECH

I’ve been excited to pass on the information for so many interesting FREE programs lately! This one from Virginia Tech has Department of Mathematics students offering free virtual math tutoring to students in grades K-12. I really encourage kids to take advantage of this service during Fall 2020 and hopefully beyond!

COLLEGE BOARD LAUNCHES AFRICAN DIASPORA CURRICULUM

Between rescheduled SATs and online AP exams this spring, most people I know aren’t interested in hearing more from the College Board. But they remain an influential organization, and they’ve created an ambitious new AP curriculum on the African diaspora. This was developed alongside Columbia’s Teachers College and the non-profit African Diaspora Consortium. 

This program has been tested in select public schools for the past three years, and now it will be available to students across the country. This curriculum is not an AP subject course - instead, it is linked to the Capstone program, which gives teachers more flexibility to cater the course to their student population.

DIVISION I SPORTS UPDATE

The big news in college sports is that the Big Ten conference will start its season on October 24, citing advances in rapid testing that make it possible for student-athletes to play football this fall after all. Big Ten originally announced in August that it was suspending football in the fall and considering a spring season. 

Meanwhile, the NCAA Division I Council released several updates this week. The NCAA college basketball season start date has been pushed to November 25, with the DI Council saying that many schools will have sent general students home by this point, leaving six weeks or so for basketball to begin on mostly-empty campuses. The Division I Council also extended the recruiting “dead period” through the start of the new year. This means that coaches will not be able to recruit prospective student-athletes in person, though they can still do so virtually.

BEST ARTICLES OF THE WEEK

This is not an article, but SUCH a cool webinar series out of Franklin & Marshall College! F&M is teaming up with admissions professionals from other schools to put out really helpful webinars about the admissions process. I can’t emphasize enough what a great resource these will be. If you only have time for one, I particularly recommend the “Selective College Admission: Case Studies” presentation to 9th-11th grade students and families. And remember: you do not have to have any interest in F&M to benefit from this. Case studies run by individual admissions offices are often-times only open to alumni or special friends of the institution - but this is a valuable opportunity for any family to gain insight into the inner workings of a selective admissions office. You can sign up here for a morning or evening session.

Back in the good old days of last February, when we were still doing crazy things like shaking hands with each other, sending kids to public school, and walking around without masks over our faces, I tried to analyze the impact of the return to Early Decision on the overall application landscape at UVA. I was genuinely curious about how it would all pan out in the spring and planned to post a follow up after regular decision results came through. I never did, partially because I did not have access to all of the data I wanted, but mostly because I believed that COVID’s impact on waitlist movement would probably cancel out the increase in selectivity I’d originally envisioned. However! I was wrong.

College Kickstart put out a blog post with all of the notable changes in admissions rates from this year, and even with an incredibly active waitlist, UVA’s admissions rate declined. Same thing happened with Boston College, for the same reason. BC filled 37% of its class with Early Decision applicants, so the admit rate fell by 15%. UVA was not far behind: with the added Early Decision option accounting for 19% of the class, the admit rate fell by 13%. Since both schools are keeping that Early Decision option, we assume that the rates will stay similar this cycle. A good reminder that if you are confident a school is your number one choice (and you know how you will pay for college), Early Decision might be the way to go.

Traditional college sports may be risky during COVID-19, but that doesn’t mean that intramural competitions aren’t taking place. The National Association of Collegiate Esports has seen a major increase in schools looking to esports programs to replace a fraction of the lost school spirit and lost revenue that accompanied the suspension of traditional sports. Almost 200 colleges in the United States already offer scholarships for esports players. I can’t say that I think streaming and esports will ever replace college football or basketball for fans, but it is definitely an interesting trend to watch.

OFFICE HAPPENINGS

We are busy with so many virtual tours and information sessions. It has been exciting to see what schools have been able to put together online to replace in-person campus visits. For a list of upcoming virtual fairs, tours, and information sessions for students and parents, see our latest post. Some of these virtual events begin as early as this weekend - let us know what you think of them!

Speaking of virtual events, this past weekend I gave a long-planned virtual presentation to a community organization to which many of my families have belonged over the years - it was a lot of fun and there were 93 different sets of families in attendance! We were able to survey the moms to tailor the presentation to address their most common topics of interest and fears, and the format worked very well. We also collected a ton of questions in advance so that I could answer them for the benefit of the group at the end of the session.

Shannon was just asked to hold a similar presentation for a different group in D.C., and she’s been busy working on preparations this week. We do these often for various high schools and local parent organizations, especially in the fall, and are always happy to expand our reach. If you have a group that would like one of us to come speak at an event, please reach out and we’ll do our best to fit you into our calendar!

In other exciting news - we finished up with our last service academy nomination packet for the first Virginia deadline next week. Had some COVID-related snafus so I drove the materials to FedEx myself to make sure they got where they needed to be.

Casual Friday :)

It occurred to me that it’s been a LONG time since I’ve personally mailed a student’s application materials anywhere. Between having admin staff here on site during normal times plus the fact that most everything is sent electronically now, I honestly can’t even remember. Years and years. 7-8 at least. But hey, we are a full service operation and I am not above running around if needed!

Happy New Year to our friends who are celebrating Rosh Hashanah this weekend- and Happy Friday to everyone else (although I think most of us could use a fresh new year right about now, am I right?!)!

Weekly Update: September 11

Thinking about 9/11 today along with everyone else, I’m sure. The events of September 11 have been on my mind a lot these past six months, as I mentioned last spring, because I felt like it really defined my high school years. I have thought a lot about the parallels between what that represented for my high school class and what COVID will ultimately represent for the Class of 2021.

BIGGEST COLLEGE-RELATED NEWS OF THE WEEK

TEST-OPTIONAL, BUT ESSAY REQUIRED!

If you read any section of the blog today, I hope it is this one! Some schools have added additional requirements to their applications for students who apply test-optional - and these requirements are going under the radar, because they are often NOT included or mentioned on the application itself. Students will only be instructed to submit additional information upon gaining access to their post-application-submission status portals.

The University of South Carolina has added a requirement for “one required supplemental material” from their applicants. Students who do not send in test scores will need to submit graded writing assignments. And this might be a difficult one for students to catch, because they will be asked to complete Supplemental Materials Forms AFTER submitting their applications, but the forms are still due by the original application deadline! 

Applicants to the University of Delaware under their Test-Optional Admissions Program will not only need to complete additional supplemental essays, but also submit “any additional evidence of academic skills.” If you are a current client, we can help you select the most relevant material to submit for this (vague!) stipulation. 

We will absolutely alert every one of our current clients if we learn about a change that impacts one of their applications, but it is always best for students to take a proactive approach as well. Read and re-read the school’s test-optional policy and to get your application in early, so you have time to monitor your status portal and send in any additional required materials after submitting. Anything else needed should be reflected on your status portal! 

And I have to say - I’m not thrilled about what schools are doing here. Has this year not been hard enough for students? Is it really a great idea to simultaneously add more requirements while failing to publicize them? Incredible.

FLORIDA STATE SYSTEM STILL REQUIRES TESTING

State universities in Florida are still refusing to drop the requirement for ACT or SAT scores as part of their application. This makes Florida the only public university system other than Wyoming with a test score requirement. Applicants, admissions officers, and college counselors are continuing to pressure the state to waive it. If they do hold on to the requirement, there will be many applicants who can’t qualify for admission because they are unable to test.

Fun Fact: The state of Florida has an incredibly generous merit scholarship program for in-state residents. Students with weighted GPAs of 3.5+ and scores of 29/1330 have their tuition 100% covered at public universities (University of Florida, Florida State, etc). Crazy, right? So, the state’s failure to drop the testing requirement is going to have an enormous impact on families that expected their children to go to college tuition-free!

A GREAT (FREE!) RESOURCE FROM DAVIDSON

Davidson College is offering a free admission intensive that runs until early November (though you can also register for individual sessions). These look like great sessions whether you are applying to Davidson or not. And if you are, this is also a great way of demonstrating interest in Davidson! As we know from the WSJ article in last week’s blog, that’s an essential part of the process!

COLLEGE FOOTBALL IS (SORT OF) BACK

Despite threats from the coronavirus, college football is still happening at some Division I schools, prompting apprehension from health experts. But for those schools that have chosen not to play this year, there are also concerns: the suspension of the season has been devastating for towns where college football is an essential part of the community.

BEST ARTICLES OF THE WEEK

There is so much in the news recently about whether or not a traditional four-year college experience is “worth it.” As I’ve mentioned before, I am still all for this route. So I was excited to read this opinion piece from the New York Times that does a great job of articulating why the traditional college experience still can’t be beat by online courses or certificate programs. Like Mr. Iyer, I am constantly amazed by the experience, maturity, and open-mindedness of our students, and I can’t wait to see them go on to be brilliant college students. Being part of a campus community is essential to showing our kids different perspectives and allowing them to think critically and form their own ideas. The college experience is honestly about so much more than just finding a job after graduation! 

CNN has compiled a really interesting list of health experts’ opinions on whether or not it is safe for college students to return to campus. There is a lot of information here, but it is definitely worth taking a look at opinions from the president of the American Medical Association, as well as college stakeholders like the co-chairs of the American College Health Association’s COVID-19 task force. They cover everything from talking to your student about health and safety on campus to what they think college will look like in a post-COVID world.  

This is not exactly an article, but Georgia Tech has put out a very helpful podcast called College Admissions Brief that covers various parts of the college admissions process. The episodes are less than ten minutes long and give actionable advice for students and parents. I’ve been getting so many questions this cycle about testing - their latest episode on standardized tests and test-optional admissions is definitely worth a listen!   

In my post last week about Dr. Fauci’s advice that students who test positive for the coronavirus stay on campus, I commented that most parents I knew would want to have their sick students home. I’m even more convinced of that after reading this article! Schools have been so focused on keeping sick students from infecting others that they have not thought about the care and support that these students will need when they are ill, isolated, and far from home. We are all rooting for colleges to be able to keep students safe, so it is heartbreaking to read about issues like these. 

We’ve talked a lot about the coronavirus response on campus, but a lot of students are still learning from home - including most of our Class of 2021 students! The Washington Post has provided a list of helpful tips for Zoom classes. The tips are geared toward college students, but many of them will also be useful for high schoolers completing their first semester on Zoom. 

OFFICE HAPPENINGS

HUGE congratulations to all of our National Merit Scholarship Semi-Finalists and Commended Students this year! I don’t think we’ve ever had so many of our students on the list before - and this is just the FCPS list! We are so proud of all of you!

Our office calendar is packed with counselor-only webinars and virtual tours of various schools these next few weeks - Shannon is taking most of them on and she is excited to share her tips and impressions with all of you. Keep an eye out for a future post here with a list of virtual info sessions for students to attend as well! 

Her favorite virtual tour of the past week was provided by the United States Air Force Academy - which is timely because we have both been working like crazy all week on service academy nomination applications! Oh my gosh - these are an incredible amount of work. The process is so different from the traditional college application process, but for the right student, a service academy might be a great fit!

If you are applying this year, make sure that you are working to send nomination applications to both of your state’s senators and your representative, as well as the vice president - applying through every possible avenue is the best way to maximize your chances of being nominated. In Virginia, this is especially important, since we have so many students interested in service academies in our state. Mark Warner’s deadline is coming up in about a week and a half!

No matter where you are applying this year, we are in the home stretch of this process! If you are feeling overwhelmed by all of the upcoming deadlines, it’s not too late to set up a Meet & Greet - students who start this week should still be able to have their applications submitted by November 1. 

Good luck to everyone starting school, whether in-person or virtual, this week!

Weekly Update: September 5

Can’t believe it’s Labor Day weekend! Hope everyone is enjoying and staying safe!

BIGGEST COLLEGE-RELATED NEWS OF THE WEEK

JUDGE ORDERS UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA SYSTEM TO GO TEST-BLIND

We’ve been following along as more and more schools choose to make testing optional this cycle due to COVID-19, but this is a new one! Alameda County Superior Court Judge Brad Seligman ruled that the UC system is no longer allowed to consider ACT or SAT scores from applicants. 

The UC system had already adopted a test-optional policy, but this new ruling means that they will not consider scores at all - whether applicants want their scores considered or not. This is a test-blind policy - and you can learn more about test-optional vs. test-blind admissions in my blog post from April. Thanks to an awesome senior mom for being the first one to send this to me :)

MORE VARSITY BLUES

Yet another parent was charged in the Varsity Blues scandal this week. Yikes! If you haven’t already, you should check out the tell-all book that came out about the scandal earlier this summer.

FAFSA UPDATE

The 2021-2022 FAFSA opens on October 1 for Class of 2021 seniors, and it is better to fill it out sooner rather than later! The blog posts that I wrote last winter will be helpful for families deciding whether or not to apply, and I stand by my recommendation: If you don’t have financial need, don’t fill out the forms. I personally think that advice will be more sound than ever this coming fall, as colleges will look to make up budget shortfalls with full-pay applicants.

That said, one big caveat - if you have experienced a dramatic shift in finances recently as a result of COVID-19, the calculators likely won’t pick that up. In fact, we won’t see COVID-related changes reflected on the calculators for quite a while because of PPY. However, financial aid offices will still take other information into consideration when attempting to capture a holistic assessment of a family’s ability to pay. So I highly recommend filling out the FAFSA if you think there is any possible chance you may qualify, whether the calculator says you will or not. The people who I do not think should apply are the ones who know full well they won’t qualify but are wondering if they should “apply just to apply.”

FAUCI ASKS COLLEGES TO KEEP STUDENTS ON CAMPUS

We’ve been paying close attention to colleges changing their reopening plans because of COVID-19, and we’ve seen some schools like JMU, Notre Dame, and NC State open in person and then go remote due to outbreaks on campus. This week, Dr. Fauci urged colleges to keep infected students quarantined on campus, rather than sending students home due to outbreaks. This makes sense to protect the communities at home, but I also know a lot of parents who would prefer to have a sick child at home rather than quarantined in a dorm room! 

BEST ARTICLES OF THE WEEK

There’s no shortage of interesting college admissions articles out there (as you know from my weekly posts), but probably once every year or so I come across a piece that makes me really, really excited. It’s almost like I know while reading it for the first time that I’m going to keep coming back to it and referencing it for years.. and come on, who wouldn’t get excited about that?! #nerd (In case you are wondering, this was the last such article).

I came across the most recent "article of the year” about a week ago- just after I’d posted the last blog update - and here it is in the WSJ: “The Secrets of Elite College Admissions” by Jeff Selingo. Seriously - you need to read this article. It’s a teaser for the author’s upcoming book, which I have already pre-ordered!

There’s so much I want to say but I will limit myself to highlighting what I hope are your three greatest take-aways:

• An applicant’s activities must support their intended major. MUST. This is why our first or second meeting with every junior (or Late Start Senior) is spent ensuring alignment between the Common App activities section and the student’s intended major.

• Teacher letters of rec must provide specific, detailed information about how the candidate performed in the classroom. MUST. A glowing character reference will not cut it. Again, this is why we spend substantial time and effort helping our students provide their teachers with the right rec letter content.

• “Why this school” essays must demonstrate how the student’s interests fit with the school’s unique offerings. MUST! They cannot be generic and boilerplate. This is why we use our proprietary “ASC Method” for these essays - to help students rack up those LTE points!

The rest of this week’s articles may not be quite as interesting as that one, but I still have some others worth sharing!

This piece from the Washington Post reports on the interesting method that the University of Arizona has used to prevent coronavirus outbreaks on campus - wastewater testing. Hopefully, other schools will see the success at Arizona and use this method to get ahead of campus outbreaks, so we don’t have to see more students sent home. Pretty fascinating if you ask me!

I really feel for the students at JMU who have had to leave campus due to the outbreaks, and I hope that they are isolating and testing to keep their communities safe! This blog post offers a great read for daily coronavirus status updates in Virginia - especially as it relates to college campuses.

I’ve been posting a lot recently about the tension between students and administrators when it comes to who is to blame for coronavirus outbreaks on campus. This New York Times piece goes deeper into personal tensions for the students themselves. I don’t envy how tough it is for all of the students, even the socially responsible ones, to keep the peace on campus while keeping themselves safe. 

I have to say, amidst all the COVID-19 news, I love to read stories about safe ways to make the most of the college experience this fall! Along the same lines of the U Experience, which I posted about several weeks ago, I found this in-depth article about college “collab houses” really hopeful. Just something else to remind me how resilient, inventive, and adventurous our students are during this crazy year. 

OFFICE HAPPENINGS

Maybe it’s just a holdover from my own days in school (or working at a school!), but September always feels to me like a month of new beginnings. And even though it is still hot and humid here in DC, I’m already looking forward to fall. 

As I have mentioned before, we are continuing to transition from working primarily with our original Class of 2021 cohort to spending more time with our Late Start Seniors. I believe this past week we had four or five different students completely finish their applications, and we have a whole bunch more set to finish next week. Congratulations, guys!

I find it ironic that after years of meaning to do so, I finally documented the entire submission process last fall and of course Common App unexpectedly changed things up for the current cycle! I can’t be too frustrated, though, because they actually simplified it a lot. You don’t have to put in any of the information about the mailing address or email address - the only information that needs to be typed in is the credit card number. So all in all, it’s a much easier and faster process than in years past!

My sample account - I didn’t actually submit it, don’t worry!

If you are reading this and feeling overwhelmed - it’s not too late for help! Seniors who book a Meet & Greet within the next several weeks will likely be able to finish their applications by November 1!

Weekly Update: August 28

Wrapping up the month of August!

BIGGEST COLLEGE-RELATED NEWS OF THE WEEK

NATIONAL MERIT SCORE UPDATES

We’ve seen dramatic shifts and adaptation with more or less everything this year in the college admissions landscape, and the National Merit cutoffs are no exception! They decreased across the board, although we can’t blame this change on COVID. It’s because of the major scoring issue I posted about on social media this past winter.

Here’s an updated list of the official scores for our area

VIRGINIA: 221 Cutoffs with 369 Semifinalists & 1612 Commended

MARYLAND: 221 Cutoffs with 296 Semifinalists & 1057 Commended

DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA: 222 Cutoffs with 28 Semifinalists & 184 Commended

Virginia is consistent with past years in that it is one of the most competitive states. It’s been predicted that at least 40 states will have lower cutoffs this year, with the Commended Student score cutoff falling from 212 to 209.

We have quite a few Commended Students this year and a few Semifinalists too. Congratulations, guys!

ON MY READING LIST

Written by Penn’s former Dean of Admissions, Eric Furda, and college admissions expert, Jacques Steinberg, The College Conversation: A Practical Companion for Parents to Guide Their Children Along the Path to Higher Education, is set to be released on September 22nd. I seriously cannot wait to grab my copy - I think so highly of both of them. I’ve written before about how much I really love Eric Furda, and I’m also a huge fan of Jacques Steinberg, author of The Gatekeepers (2002). Although it’s a little outdated now, I still consider it a must-read for any family wanting to dig deeper into the college admissions process. Steinberg once ran a very popular New York Times college admissions blog called The Choice, and while it was discontinued in 2013, I encourage families to use it as a resource to this day.

THE UNIVERSITY SYSTEM OF GEORGIA FINALLY WENT TEST-OPTIONAL

This was a really long time coming! Announced just this past Tuesday, dozens of Georgia colleges and universities (including University of Georgia and Georgia Tech) decided to forgo their SAT/ACT test requirements for prospective applicants due to COVID scheduling concerns. Of course this obviously means that GPA, teacher recommendations and essays now mean that much more. Oh! And some schools may even reconsider kids they originally denied!

WELLESLEY IS OFFERING A REALLY COOL (FREE) OPPORTUNITY FOR GIRLS

AMPLIFY: Wellesley’s Leadership Series is now open for registration! Specifically for high school juniors, seniors and transfer students, this series is geared towards helping students find their voice and develop pivotal leadership skills as they approach their college years. Just a quick look at the session descriptions and I’m wishing it was open to parents and counselors, too! Register now for access to AMPLIFY, running from Sunday, October 4th through Sunday, the 11th.

ESSAYS KEEP CHANGING IN THE COMMON APP

Gosh, this is driving me nuts. Last night I was helping a student finalize her applications and we found out that Fordham dropped their second essay - which they released on the Common Application just weeks ago. Ugh! Columbia also changed the word count on two of their essays in the last week or so, requiring a ton of our students to make changes to finalized pieces. I find this so frustrating and I wish that the schools would have the courtesy of sending out some kind of email communication when they make these changes.

BEST ARTICLES OF THE WEEK

For all the articles out there that seem to highlight everything going wrong right now, I found this NYT article to be super refreshing. It explains how parents and educators (any adults, really) can booster a teenager’s emotional well-being during these times of uncertainty. They even specifically mention “reliable routines,” something I believe we do well with our work and meetings here at DC College Counseling. Families can expect our team to provide structure and routine. We also provide a comfortable environment (albeit virtual for the time being!) where students can truly be their authentic selves. In combination, this really allows students to get those creative juices flowing and work up to their full potential!

This next one isn’t college related per se but with the craziness of 2020 and my years of experience working with families, I felt the need to include this one from The Washington Post. Don’t get me wrong, I’m all about having a positive mindset and resilience, but kids also need a safe place to share their emotions while feeling heard and supported. The college application process this year is understandably provoking a whole new level of stress and anxiety for most, and I try to find a happy balance of positivity and keeping it real.

With affirmative action again on the ballot in the state of California this fall, residents will have a chance to repeal Proposition 209. This article looks specifically at the disadvantage of the legislation, and is definitely worth a read if you are interested in issues relating to affirmative action and the admissions process.

Thanks to my reader who sent me this article about Google’s new career certificate programs - these sound pretty compelling. That said, while I do love innovation, I’m obviously still pro- “graduate from a 4-year college.” I would love to see some kind of blend of the two.. maybe in the future? I think that colleges and universities could do so much more to prepare students to be marketable in the workforce.

I touched on this last week too, but it seems to be circling our news cycles and I’m not sure when it’ll stop! CNN had a few college professors and administrators weigh in on the psychology behind why college students are struggling to follow all the new COVID guidelines back on campus.

OFFICE HAPPENINGS

We’ve been incredibly busy with essays, essays, and more essays. So many essays! The hardest part for me (I say this every year but it’s true) is not being able to share them. Some of them are just so unbelievably amazing and it makes me sad that they won’t have a larger audience.

Also, it’s a big back to school week around here! Some of our students already started school this week, more start next week, and the rest start the week after that!

Typically our school year schedule offers less appointments during the business day and more during late afternoons and early evenings, but this year is a little unusual with all the virtual learning. We actually had a lot of requests to continue offering availability for meetings during the school day and ended up with sort of a hybrid schedule. Both new clients and existing clients are able to book meetings through the end of October.

Also, we opened up the late start waitlist now that so many of our seniors are done with their applications or are on the verge of being done. If you have a senior and still need help - you’re in luck! You can book a Meet & Greet here to get started right away, and anyone who begins in the next few weeks should be able to finish applications by November 1 unless it’s a particularly unique situation.

—

And speaking of back to school - I decided to share some advice on disciplinary violations in the college admissions process on our facebook page this week! For whatever reason, we have been dealing with a ton of these over the past year. As you kick off the school year, don’t forget my #1 tip!

A whole bunch of you have asked me what I ended up doing about leaving FCPS and starting my daughter at a new school. I said I’d post an update on the blog, so here you go!

Even though I lack confidence in FCPS as a district, we loved our experience at her school and have nothing but great things to say about all of the teachers, staff, and administration there. It was a much harder decision to leave than I thought it would be. She was also accepted to Level IV AAP, and it was so, so incredibly hard to give that up. It pains me to even type that out! Yet after second-guessing myself all summer long, we finally went through with leaving.

I would rather not post her new school’s name here (because it will come up as a search term) but you can see it in the sign she is holding. I have nothing but incredibly positive things to say so far. They are doing such an impressive job with everything COVID related - I truly cannot imagine how much time and effort is being put forth but we are so appreciative. This morning on the way to school she said “I don’t just like it, I love it!” WHEW!

Have a great weekend and GOOD LUCK to all you SAT-takers! Everyone in our office is rooting for you, big time! Make sure to get some sleep tonight!

Weekly Update: August 21

Another Friday, another blog post!

BIGGEST COLLEGE-RELATED NEWS OF THE WEEK

COLLEGES OPENING AND CLOSING AGAIN

What a week with colleges reopening and closing again. We all knew this was going to happen, and students and administrators are blaming one another. I was more on Team Blame the Administration until a meeting I had yesterday with one of our transfer applicants.

It was interesting to hear a student perspective from a normal, social, intelligent kid with a good head on her shoulders. She and her friends at her school are behaving responsibly, but some of the stories she was telling me about friends at other schools… wow. Hearing her take definitely left it in a different light for me. At this point I don’t think it’s rocket science how this spreads, and I think we can all agree that parties with hundreds of people and no masks are probably not the best call.

INDEPENDENT SCHOOLS GOING VIRTUAL

Sort of college related? In the past week it seems like a TON of independent schools announced the shift to virtual learning. Sigh! I honestly don’t even know what the right thing is to do anymore - it is what it is at this point, I guess!

VARSITY BLUES

Lori Laughlin and Mossimo Giannulli were sentenced today to two and five months in prison, respectively. Yikes. Good lesson for everyone!

NCAA ELIGIBILITY CHANGES

This is a really big one, actually - a lot of people were nervous about this, but NCAA finally announced that prospective student athletes who will enroll full-time for the first time during the 2021-2022 school year (in other words, the HS Class of 2021) will not have to take standardized tests. I’m so glad they made this decision now and didn’t wait!

QUARANTINE MEALS

Oh my gosh - these quarantine meals sound so terrible I laughed out loud while reading it! A lemon, granola bar, and cookie?! I am sorry but who eats a lemon? Much less for dinner?? I feel sorry for these kids!

BEST ARTICLES OF THE WEEK

One of our rising senior dads sent me this very interesting piece from NBC News about regional public universities and specifically Ohio University. I thought it was very interesting (and sad). It’s not exactly a promising outlook for these types of institutions.

Not sure I consider this a “best article,” but this Bloomberg article about college admissions becoming more unfair has attracted so much attention in the admissions world this week that i’ll include it anyway.

It goes on to conclude that the economic impact of the virus will lead admissions offices to have to favor these less-qualified, wealthy applicants. I agree with that prediction, but I have two thoughts:

• This will make much more of a difference at mid-first-tier or second-tier schools. I do not think this is going to change the game at Harvard, for example.

• There is nothing fair about this process. Nothing at all. Certain factors will become more or less fair depending on each year’s landscape, but if you’re hoping for fair, you’re going to be disappointed. Might as well just try to control what you can control and make yourself the best candidate you can.

Okay, so not exactly an article. But if you feel like some fun instagram browsing, I love checking out all the dorm room decor at this time of year. Every year I become more impressed!

Do you see how they attach headboards over the dorm beds? This is genius. Seriously, where were these 20 years ago? If I ever have a career change, I want to be a dorm room designer!

Not messing around at SMU and Mississippi State, that’s for sure.

And don’t worry, guys, you can have fancy dorm rooms too! This cracks me up.

OFFICE HAPPENINGS

Did you catch my video on our facebook page?

We’re so excited to be adding Shannon to our team on September 1!

Here’s a little more about her background:

As the former Director of Recruitment at Georgetown University, Shannon’s unique skill set blends selective admissions experience with the pedagogical expertise gained as an academic coach and First-Year Writing instructor at Boston College. She has worked extensively with students across ability levels, from academic high-flyers to those struggling with anxiety, specific learning disabilities, and ADHD. Her enthusiasm, patience, and dedication helps students not only to achieve success in the high school, college and graduate school admissions processes, but also to retain invaluable strategies for their future academic endeavors.

Shannon graduated from Phillips Academy Andover before attending the College of William & Mary as a Monroe Scholar and participant of the William & Mary/ St. Andrews Joint Degree Programme. She later received her master's degree in English from Boston College, where she achieved certification from the Center for Teaching Excellence. 

In her spare time, Shannon enjoys reading memoirs and personal essays, teaching group fitness classes, and the New York Times crossword puzzle. Her favorite places in D.C. are the Botanic Garden and the National Gallery of Art.  

Current clients can book meetings with her here.

Have a great weekend!

Weekly Update: August 14

Almost halfway through the month of August!!!!! YEAH!

BIGGEST COLLEGE-RELATED NEWS OF THE WEEK

DOJ DECISION

Yesterday, after a two-year civil rights investigation, the Justice Department concluded that Yale has discriminated against White and Asian American applicants in its admissions process. Yale, of course, denies this claim and is apparently still providing their defense to the DOJ. So we’ll see where it lands, but unfortunately, this is something we have begun to see every year now, and to answer your next question – yes, it’s happening all across the U.S.

Interestingly enough, there are a few states (including Texas, California, and Florida) which prohibit colleges from using race or ethnicity-based affirmative action practices. Some have moved to percent plans. No matter which side of the card you fall, this will be fascinating to follow. Maybe more states will begin to follow suit?

UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND JOINS THE COMMON APP!

Yessssss!!!!!! Maryland has jumped on the bandwagon and as of August 12th is now offering students the option to apply through the Common Application (in addition to the Coalition Application).

The school’s hope is that high school seniors who may not have previously considered UMD will now check the university’s box on the Common App and explore all it has to offer. In the DC area, this will be fantastic for the many students who did previously consider Maryland and decided it wasn’t worth all of the work to apply.

As for me? I know everyone is sick of hearing me talk about it, but I can’t help thinking about this article every time UMD comes up in a meeting. It really stuck with me, and not in a good way.

COVID WAIVERS AT PENN STATE

On Wednesday Penn State announced that all students would be required to sign a liability waiver ahead of their return to campus for the fall semester. Despite 64,000 student signatures agreeing to the first COVID-19 Compact, that original statement was retracted after 24 hours when some students and members of the faculty questioned the waiver’s “I assume any and all risk” language and intent.

Penn State has since amended the wording and released a new, updated compact. For those interested, you can read all about it here.

BIG 10, PAC 12 & BIG EAST CANCEL SPORTS

By now you’ve heard that the Big 10, Pac 12 and Big East have canceled their Fall 2020 sports seasons amidst COVID concerns, exploring an option to resume football play for a spring season. It will be up to each individual conference to make the decision. We all know that things change rather quickly these days, so as I’m writing this update, who knows - the SEC, ACC and Big 12 could all be calling it quits, too. But as of right now Duke, Notre Dame, Vanderbilt and Rice haven’t throw in the towel.

TESTING UPDATES FOR FAIRFAX COUNTY STUDENTS

FCPS is preparing for 11th grade students to take the PSAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (NMSQT) in-person in October. Students that’d like to request specific accommodations must do so by August 18th, which is fast approaching.

The district is still planning to offer school-based SAT testing on September 23, which is great - but a number of students learned this week that their August administrations were canceled. My best advice: call the test center directly if you are signed up for an upcoming SAT and need an update. The College Board list is not accurate! If your son or daughter is scheduled to take the SAT on the 29th and decides to take the test during the school day on September 23 instead (just like I mentioned last week), I’d love to know so I can give others a heads up in hopes that they can snatch up that seat.

BEST ARTICLES OF THE WEEK

With the ever-changing college admissions landscape due to COVID, colleges are rushing to put new standards into place to help them navigate the months ahead. I’m always intrigued by the creative ideas I see popping up! This NPR read (which four of you sent to me! Thank you!) explains that Tulane is adding an interview option, while Bowdoin is offering an impromptu short answer section. I think the Bowdoin add-on is ingenious – bravo to them!

For families who are sending their college students back to campus this month, here’s a little NYT article about what your child can expect, plan for, and do to live their very best pandemic life.

And I’ll end with this thought-provoking opinion piece taking a look into how all of the safety protocols on campuses could backfire. Sorry, I just don’t think any of this is realistic. I thought Scott Galloway’s take was both hilarious and spot on:

OFFICE HAPPENINGS

I never thought simple human interaction would make me so happy, but it was amazing to have Staci here with me all week. Such a treat. It had been FIVE MONTHS! since another person entered this office. And speaking of treats - we have been getting spoiled out the wazoo all week long. Flowers, cupcakes, and wait for it - even a dozen krispy kreme donuts today!

Also, the experience of smiling (and posing!) for a picture during social distancing is new to me! Do you sit close to each other? We weren’t sure. Smile with a mask? Unclear. We’ll figure that out eventually…

I apologize in advance that I am a bit behind on my emails - so many questions came in over the last few days and I have been in meetings almost nonstop. I will catch up tomorrow - thank you for your patience.

Have a great weekend, everyone!

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.

Weekly Update: July 24

BIGGEST COLLEGE-RELATED NEWS OF THE WEEK

VARSITY BLUES

A tell-all on the Varsity Blues scandal just came out - and I’m not going to lie, I’m pretty excited to read it. Order it from our favorite local bookstore here! PSA: If your dad tells you to get in the pool wearing water polo gear when you don’t play water polo, that’s probably a tip off that something weird is happening. You can’t even make this up, can you?!

THE HOTTEST RESERVATION OF THE SUMMER

If I had a dollar for every client, neighbor, blog reader, or friend-of-a-friend who has emailed me in desperation to try to find an ACT or SAT test site in the last 48 hours… well, I wouldn’t get rich but I could buy myself a nice bottle of wine.

Many students at private schools are taking the ACT and SAT on their own campuses this September, because the schools have registered as closed, unlisted test sites. The ACT will be offered on Saturday, September 12 and the SAT will be offered on Wednesday, September 23.

I can’t say with absolute certainty that every single school had this option, but I did hear secondhand from a very reliable source that every school did. If your child attends an independent school and you want them to take the test, I feel pretty confident that the school had (has?) the option to offer it. Now is probably the time to speak up.

It’s awesome that the private schools are doing this. They should be, and if I were a parent at one of these schools I would absolutely want my child to have that option! But at the same time I also feel like it’s silly that people are still acting like there are no equity issues impacting FCPS students.

FINDING A TEST SITE

If you are reading this and your school has not offered a closed, unlisted testing opportunity, I have decided that South Carolina may be the best option - better than West Virginia at this point. This is only because the governor seems to be 100% determined on opening schools. In particular, I am targeting Northwestern High School in Rock Hill, SC (I realize this sounds oddly specific, but hear me out). They had spots available for both tests as of yesterday, and it’s in a suburb of Charlotte so might be a little closer geographically than the rest of the state.

Honestly, it’s such a crapshoot that who knows - things change by the day. I was targeting NJ earlier in the week, except that nearly every test center was full. I had a few families refreshing constantly to look for openings, but now that’s totally out because VA and MD were put on the NY/NJ/CT quarantine list mid-week. This is definitely a moving target.

TEST-OPTIONAL SCHOOLS

Some more to add to the list this week: UMass Amherst, University of Tennessee and the UNC System, including UNC Chapel Hill and NC State.

AP SCORES

Ok, this really should have gone in my last update post, but I’ll put it here anyway - I cannot stress enough that the decision to report scores should be made in the context of each individual student’s candidacy and overall academic profile.

The old “always report scores of 3, 4, or 5” was never a good strategy and it’s especially not a good strategy this year with a zillion mitigating circumstances. I know that there have been a number of other blog posts floating around with clear guidance on what to do.. but it’s just not that simple. To borrow my favorite admissions terminology, this is truly a holistic decision. I will be making this decision with each one of our students during our early August meetings.

Oh and one last thing - this is not the same as the ACT or SAT, where “test optional” means that the college or university does not know that you took the test in the first place. If you have an AP class or your transcript, don’t kid yourself - they know you took the test. That said, reporting a poor (or average) score is not necessarily the way to go either. You have to find the right balance.

BEST ARTICLES OF THE LAST TWO WEEKS

The Black Lives Matter protests have spurred new interest in historically black colleges and universities from athletic recruits - this is a good read especially in the context of the article I posted last time about the basketball coaches.

What do you know.. colleges are now changing their reopening plans because of COVID. Didn’t see this coming! Check out this piece from NPR with the details.

I missed this one during the last post, but it’s quite a story, that’s for sure - read all about “the heartthrob prince of Qatar” and his - shall we say - unusual college experience - in the LA Times.

OFFICE HAPPENINGS

So - I have some REALLY exciting news to share and that may be the only reason why I haven’t left the office yet and am writing this post so late... with our Late Start Waitlist just about exploding, we persuaded one of our favorite essay coaches ever to come back!

Yes - it’s Jennifer (along with adorable baby Isla!). YAY! Those of you with older students in college now will remember that Jennifer was my right hand lady for quite a while!

Our rising seniors would only have worked with her on summer program essays on interview prep, because she left almost a year ago after Isla was born and then relocated to the UK.

We were so sad to lose her, but since we’re all on Zoom anyway these days - she’s back and we are incredibly grateful!

If you would like to book a session with her, you can do so here.

Have a great weekend, everyone!

Weekly Update: July 19

BIGGEST COLLEGE-RELATED NEWS OF THE LAST TWO WEEKS

You know it’s a long-overdue blog update when there was an enormous issue that has since resolved itself!

INTERNATIONAL STUDENT VISAS

This was a really big deal. In what most believe was an attempt to force colleges and universities to reopen for in-person instruction, the Trump administration moved to revoke all visas for international students whose courses had moved online due to COVID-19. There are more than 350,000 international students on F-1 visas in this country right now and most would have been impacted. The colleges would have lost an incredible amount of money - so they decided to sue. Harvard and MIT filed the first lawsuit and many others were in the works. Fortunately, the administration reversed the order and all is (mostly) well again for now.

TEST-OPTIONAL ADMISSION

Schools continue to become test-optional for the Class of 2021! Since the last time I posted, some of the newest additions to the list include University of South Carolina, University of Maryland, and MIT!

ALABAMA

How crazy is this? Alabama has announced that they will not waive the SAT or ACT for admission. Instead, they will conditionally admit Class of 2021 students. Each will need to take the ACT or SAT by May 1, 2021.

MICHIGAN

They had an incredibly confusing “test-flexible” policy that was, at its core, test-optional. I was telling everyone not to worry about it and to read between the lines - but how many seventeen-year-olds know how to read between the lines with something like this? I’m glad to see that they changed the wording on their website to make it clear that they are test-optional, but it would have been nice if they had indicated on the website that a change was made… now the confusing part will be that some people will think the old policy is still in effect. Can’t win!

ATHLETICS

There’s a lot going on in this space! First, Division I and II student-athletes still have to take the SAT or ACT for NCAA eligibility (whether their actual schools have gone test-optional or not), and nobody is happy about it, let me tell you. The basketball coaches have been particularly outspoken. Next, many universities are dropping athletic programs as a result of COVID-19 and the economy. Stanford cut nearly one-third of their varsity sports offerings about a week ago, and Dartmouth made lots of cuts too. Brown cut teams, reversed a couple of the cuts, and maintains that all of this is unrelated to the pandemic. And then of course there are all the sports that have been suspended for either next fall or the entire year. Here’s a great searchable list. As I tell student-athletes every single year, you’re not in until you have an acceptance letter from the admissions office - but that’s never been more true than this year.

ACT

Lots of angry parents and students this past weekend. There were many situations in which kids showed up to take the test and couldn’t, for whatever reason. Most had last-minute cancellations, but I read this story on Facebook of a mom that traveled from Georgia to South Dakota to get her daughter a seat at a test center (can you even IMAGINE!) and then they wouldn’t let her test because the proctor was mistaken about a rule. That poor family. I would have lost it.

DEADLINE AND DECISION PLAN SHIFTS

Johns Hopkins announced the addition of ED II and Georgia Tech shifted their deadlines around, now differentiating between in-state and out-of-state students. UVA announced the deadline shift for ED a little while back, and my guess is that we will see more of this over the upcoming month or two.

BEST ARTICLES OF THE LAST TWO WEEKS

Scott Galloway posted a great blog post that examined why certain colleges and universities are reopening for in-person instruction and others aren’t: in short, they need the money. “If students don’t return in the fall, many colleges will have to take drastic action that could have serious long-term impacts on their ability to fulfill their missions. That gruesome calculus has resulted in a tsunami of denial.” He then went on to assess the strength of over 400 institutions while considering issues of value and vulnerability. Ultimately, he placed each school in one of four quadrants: thrive, survive, struggle and perish. He noted that schools in the “thrive” category could actually come out stronger and potentially more exclusive as a result.

Check out the entire study - it’s definitely worth a read. Many were predictable, but there were also some real surprises on there for me.

This Washington Post piece about misdiagnoses and inaccessible care at college health centers is (a) scary and (b) not particularly surprising. Everyone, and I mean everyone, complains about this - no matter where they go. I am not sure I have ever had anyone tell me they were happy with their college health center. When I was at Wash U almost 20 years ago (that hurt to type) we always used to joke about how they’d either tell you that you were pregnant or had mono.

If you’ve been thinking about putting together a learning pod for your child, check out the Washington Post’s very in-depth piece on them - in which I was quoted! I also spoke on WTOP about these a week ago. Trust me, pods are not as easy as they seem. In the right setting, they could be great, but 95% of the plans I’ve read and heard about do not sound very promising. More thoughts on these later in the week.

OFFICE HAPPENINGS

This is our busy season, and boy are we busy! The Class of 2022 is continuing to fill up and we have a bunch of kids on the 2021 Late Start Waitlist. Most of our September availability is up on the calendar at this point, and we will be reaching out to 2022 students in the next few weeks to give them booking instructions to get started this fall!

Bingo Night this past winter! Always a good time!

On a separate note, I have been in the media a lot recently, and some of you saw my segment on NBC at the end of last week in addition to the links I posted above. With regard to the NBC piece, I was a bit surprised to see Colvin Run spotlighted that way and hoped that it didn’t give anyone the wrong idea. As I posted on Facebook on Friday, we have not just liked it but LOVED our experience there. It’s a wonderful school with the best teachers and administration you could ever ask for. Truly, every single one of my daughter’s teachers has been phenomenal.

So please know that while I definitely have issues with the county, I have no issues with Colvin Run, which has been nothing short of amazing. Honestly, I think most of my clients’ parents would say the same about all of their schools. Langley, Madison, McLean, Oakton, whatever - everybody loves their teachers and principals.

But I do think most parents agree that the county is simply too big, and there were a lot of balls dropped for a lot of kids this past spring as a result. It will be interesting to see if FCPS ends up starting the year 100% virtually or not - if I had to put money on it, I think all schools will, private and public. We shall see!

Weekly Update and FCPS Q&A!

BIGGEST COLLEGE-RELATED NEWS OF THE WEEK

REOPENING PLANS

More plans were released this week - USC had previously announced a hybrid model, but is now essentially asking students to voluntarily decide to stay home. I think we will see more of this. On the flip side, Claremont McKenna is allowing students to return if they sign “The Agreement” - this is no joke!!

More and more schools (including Yale) will be teaching classes online and allowing certain class years to come to campus. At Yale, for example, juniors and seniors will be able to live on campus all year long. Freshmen will join in the fall while the sophomores stay home, and those two groups will switch in the spring.

Pretty much across the board, professors want to teach remotely, which I understand.

GAP YEARS

Schools are beginning to loosen gap year restrictions. Dartmouth actually reached out to incoming students on Monday to tell them that gap years were not an option, and then circled back on Wednesday with a change of heart. There’s a lot to consider about the impact of gap years, and I typed so much about it that I’m moving it to a separate blog post - stay tuned for that next week!

ACT

Visiting W&L in April 2019 - it’s a really pretty campus!

Ohhh, ACT. Like I said last week, would it really be an update without more ACT drama? Earlier this week, the ACT canceled July administrations in most locations (yep I called it!). I spent some time this week tracking down open spots for kids like a crazy person. Even some of the West Virginia locations canceled! Let’s hope those additional September tests happen, but I’m not all that optimistic.

WASHINGTON & LEE

This push to change Washington & Lee’s name has been a long time coming - I remember reading this article when it came out. it will be interesting to see how it plays out and whether recent events will have an impact.

RACISM AND SOCIAL MEDIA

There have been more situations than ever this summer where colleges (Cornell, Richmond, and many others) have rescinded acceptances as a result of incoming students’ hateful behavior on social media. However, I’m not writing this as cautionary advice about watching what you post (I do have one of those scheduled for next week - but it’s more of the “don’t post party pictures” variety). If you are troubled enough that you’re considering this, maybe it’s better to identify yourself as a racist on social media after all? You’ll be identified immediately and your spot will be given to someone else who deserves to be a member of that community.

BEST* ARTICLES OF THE WEEK

*Or otherwise attention-worthy

I absolutely hate stuff like this, and I’m spotlighting it for that reason: What We Care about in this Time of Crisis: A Collective Statement from College Admission Deans. At it’s core, I think that everything in this letter was truthful and straightforward. For example, notice the theme of family responsibilities throughout the post - I advise students to put that on their applications every year, pandemic or not, if it applies to their situation. And there is absolutely no question that students will not be “penalized” for academic issues beyond their control. But like my post on what it means to be test-blind, just because an applicant isn’t outwardly penalized for something doesn’t mean they will be accepted.

What I wish the letter said, instead, was something like “You will not be penalized for situations beyond your control. HOWEVER - we will look very closely at the manner in which you attempted to mitigate that situation. If you were homeschooling your six year old sister so mom and dad could work their double shifts, by all means, please tell us about that! We will not care what your grades looked like or what else you did.

But if you were the typical suburban kid whose school shut down, how did you handle that? Did you go on Khan Academy and try to learn the material yourself? Did you go on to Masterclass to learn a new skill? Did you take massive open online courses through Coursera and EdX to explore your intended major in depth? No? Ok, no problem. You’ll still be considered. But we have 30,000 applicants and 6,000 spots, so you do the math.”

The thing about holistic admission is that if they want to take you, they can take you. But they have to actually want to take you first. You have to give them a reason to want to take you and it has to be different from the other tens of thousands of suburban applicants.

Ok, getting off that soapbox with a McSweeney’s article! A friend sent it to me, saying “the nerd in you will love this.” Haha, she knows me well. Speaking of McSweeney’s, this piece from Dave Eggers (the founder of McSweeney’s) in today’s New York Times. was funny and relatable too.

For more thoughts on reopening colleges, this blog post was really good, and spot on. The part in the “Off Campus” section made me laugh, but it’s TRUE! I mean seriously! And if you want a more scientific take on the same issue, this one has been floating around.

If you’re in the mood for something positive, this was such a great feel-good story!! I had chills reading it!

OFFICE HAPPENINGS

The podcast episode I mentioned a few weeks ago was released, which I shared on social media! It was fun to talk about the evolution of the business.

Other than that, we are close to being finished with our rising senior meetings and are full speed ahead with essay work. Every summer, I forget how busy this time of year gets with the essays (although in truth it’s usually not this busy until August, we’re just on a different timeline this year with being able to get a head start on everything earlier).

I’m taking off next week but will still be reviewing post-meeting essay edits to keep everybody on track. Other than that, I will respond to all emails when I return and Donna will handle any issues that come up!

FCPS Q&A (AS PROMISED!)

We’re thinking about hiring a tutor to come to our home and homeschool our two kids for two days each week. Do you have any recommendations of someone who can teach multiple subjects for a 9th and 11th grader?

I know a lot of families are talking about hiring tutors for their kids to act as teachers during the school day and my advice on that front is that I just don’t think very many will be available (at least for in-person tutoring during the school day).

The demand for qualified tutors willing to come to your home during the school day will far exceed the supply, as the retired teachers will likely not want to come to your home for health reasons, the actual teachers will be teaching their classes, and the stay-at-home-mom-former-teachers will be teaching their own kids. Maybe that last group will have some availability but not nearly enough to go around.

You can probably get a recent college graduate to come to your home during the day if you try to find that person right now, though. Just be prepared that they are probably looking for a “real job” too, and if they find one, you may be out of luck. Check posts on Next Door, facebook, etc. Be prepared to pay more than the going rate for tutoring and to make a long-term commitment.

If you really want a qualified teacher to come to your home, here’s my best advice to make this happen (spoiler alert, it’s going to cost you, but you could split the cost with multiple families). I actually considered doing this myself but it ended up to be more hassle than I wanted to deal with. Reach out to Carney Sandoe and see if they can help you find a teacher in the DC area who is not working right now for whatever reason. Maybe someone who is about to relocate for their spouse’s job. See if you can pay that person a full salary and benefits to work for your family (or a couple families) for the year.

I researched this option heavily last weekend and determined that it would cost about $120k all-in (not just salary - liability insurance, benefits, etc) to be able to hire a qualified teacher with some experience to run something like this for a year. That does not include the cost of space. Honestly, if you have six kids across multiple families this might not be a bad way to do it… but what ultimately changed my mind were licensing issues and legal implications. It can definitely be done - I just didn’t have the time or energy to put towards it myself.

-

Do you think FCPS will actually be back in person next year? What about private schools?

I think the FCPS part of this question refers to the hybrid approach (in school two days per week). To be honest, I think it’s unlikely that the two day per week plan will work out exactly as advertised. I hope it does but I just think that people will start getting COVID and they are going to have to shut things down, right?

I think private schools will be able to make it longer than FCPS will, yet if the spread of the virus worsens, it’s just not going to be possible for them to continue either.

-

Is it true that high school students will not be able to take AP courses online anymore?

FCPS has indicated that AP courses will not be guaranteed because of staffing issues. This has nothing to do with College Board and taking AP courses online. AP courses were offered online pre-pandemic, they will continued to be offered online during the pandemic, and they’ll be offered online after the pandemic! If you are an FCPS student who wants to take an AP course online and FCPS can’t guarantee it, sign up for one at one of the VPCE-approved online schools we spotlighted.

-

Which of the two choices will you choose for your own children?

(The person is asking whether I will choose the 4-day online version vs. the 2-day hybrid version)

Well, I only have one child enrolled in FCPS and she’s going to be in 3rd grade; also, I’m 99% sure we are leaving FCPS. If I was choosing one of these two options, I personally would have gone for the 2-day hybrid version, but only because I’m more worried about the psychological impact of being isolated than I am about the academic impact. On the off days I would have focused on areas that I know are academic weaknesses. For example, my daughter is amazing at math (definitely did not get that from me) and has a harder time w/writing, so I would have tried to hire someone to help with writing on the off days - and truth be told I would have had one of my essay coaches work with her if I couldn’t find someone experienced with her age group.

If I had a student in high school and I couldn’t get a spot at a private school, I’d go all-virtual and just allow limited socialization in other settings, if I’m being really honest. They’d get more instructional time that way and I would be very concerned about academic impact for an older student.

HAPPY 4TH!

I hope you all have a happy and safe fourth of July. I know it’s tough this year and I am not feeling particularly positive or enthusiastic myself, but I’m trying. On the bright side, Hamilton on Disney Plus today, right? That’s something?!? I’m reaching I know…

June 26: Weekly Update

This was a calmer week on the college front, but the FCPS craziness made up for it!

BIGGEST COLLEGE-RELATED NEWS OF THE WEEK

VIRGINIA TECH

I was starting to get a little nervous that VT hadn’t shared the Common App announcement I blogged about last week, but it came on Monday!

TEST-OPTIONAL ADMISSION

More schools every day, although this week felt like “test optional: state school edition.” We had announcements from UT Austin, Texas A&M, University of Illinois, Ohio State, Miami University, University of Utah and more.

The big one everyone’s waiting on is the University System of Georgia, but I’m not particularly concerned - I think they will come around. Speaking of Georgia, Emory was one of the last highly selective private schools to make the announcement this past week, so maybe that will spur some movement in the state.

ACT

Would it really be a weekly update without an announcement from the ACT? The latest is positive: they are adding a number of new test dates this fall. Now if they could start providing a bit more information about the July test, that would be awesome!

COLLEGE VISITS

In-person visits are happening again, which I’m glad about! An outdoor college tour with everyone wearing masks seems pretty low-risk (I probably wouldn’t go to indoor information sessions, though). You can register for tours at Catholic, Tulane, Elon, SMU and more.

Southern Methodist University two years ago - such a gorgeous campus!

If you’re a rising senior who missed the opportunity for college visits, it might be worth driving over to Catholic even if you know you have no interest in that particular school. You can learn a lot from any campus tour about factors that appeal to you (or turn you off) and then you can use those factors to guide your virtual research.

BEST ARTICLES OF THE WEEK

I love McSweeney’s! This was a hilarious parody about waitlist movement for the HS Class of 2020. Do you know that some schools are actually calling students they denied to retroactively accept them?

This piece from the Washington Post sheds some interesting light on the cost of Coronavirus testing at UVA and other Virginia schools, and also provides information on the financial implications of students staying home in the fall. The wording was a little bit unclear at the time I read this article, but my understanding is that Virginia colleges and universities will lose a combined total of $527 million in tuition revenue if ten percent of students stay home.

This article in the Daily Princetonian provides surprisingly accurate insight on the inner workings of the process at Princeton. The author cautions at the end that his sources were outdated, but I completely agree with the person who mentioned that the process hasn’t really changed much in terms of what goes on internally.

This interactive visual from the New York Times on the spread of the virus was absolutely chilling but completely worth checking out.

OFFICE HAPPENINGS

My own focus this week was really on Fairfax County, both in terms of our office and also personally! I have a rising third grader at an elementary school in the Langley pyramid and another one in full-day preschool at a school that typically follows FCPS.

For those who aren’t aware, FCPS announced their return-to-school plan earlier this week and it’s not great. Parents need to choose one of two options by July 10:

• Two days of in-person instruction at school with no synchronous virtual instruction on the off-days

• Four days of full-day virtual synchronous instruction at home

Pretty much everyone I know is choosing the first option, and most of my clients seem to be doing the same.

UPDATE (2pm): I just saw this article and figured I should add it here. Yikes! A whole other dimension….

—

If you have any questions about the impact of the recent plan on high school planning or college admissions, feel free to submit them here and I will answer them on a blog post next week. You don’t have to be a client - just trying to help facilitate the sharing of information!

Weekly Update: June 19!

BIGGEST COLLEGE-RELATED NEWS OF THE WEEK

Geez, where do I even start with this week?! I feel like I could have written a whole post on “biggest college-related news of Thursday, June 18” itself, haha.

VIRGINIA TECH

I posted last week about new schools accepting the Common Application and mentioned that I hoped JMU would follow suit, joking that I had already given up on Virginia Tech. Well, pigs are flying because Virginia Tech made their own announcement yesterday afternoon! They will accept the Common Application and this is HUGE for so many Virginia residents!

Several years ago, VT switched from using a somewhat-inconvenient-but-not-terrible institutional application to being one of the few schools in the country that required applicants to use the Coalition Application exclusively, i.e. there was no other choice. If you haven’t had to complete a Coalition Application, you may not understand why I’m so excited, but take my word for it: this is very, very good news for anyone interested in Virginia Tech. The Coalition App is just terrible and I’d be so happy if I never had to log into it again!

(Note: as of the time I am writing this post, there has not been an official announcement and it does not even appear that their website has been updated to reflect this, but that’s what they told counselors behind-the-scenes yesterday afternoon).

TEST-OPTIONAL ADMISSION

Nearly all of the most competitive schools that hadn’t yet made announcements did so this week. All of the Ivy League schools, Vanderbilt (that was today), Duke, Notre Dame (also today), NYU (yesterday), etc.

PRINCETON

They get their own category! Princeton dropped single-choice early action yesterday and will only have one application deadline of January 1, 2021. I’m pretty excited about this, actually, as I am not a fan of SCEA. I think we will see more deadline/app cycle related shifts over the months to come.

ACT

The ACT announced last fall that it would provide students with the opportunity to re-take the test one section at a time beginning in September 2020, if the students had already completed the full test at least once. Yesterday, they made the announcement that this initiative has now been postponed until sometime in 2021. Honestly, this is no big loss - to my knowledge, not a single college or university had agreed to accept scores taken through this method and now at least students aren’t making decisions based on something that most of us behind the scenes knew was highly unlikely to pan out.

ERIC FURDA

Ok, so maybe not enormous news but I was sad to hear that Eric Furda is leaving Penn for the “other side of the desk.” I really liked him a lot and he always struck me as very down-to-earth and funny, and we can’t forget his passion for the Eagles! Those kids at Penn Charter just won the college counseling lottery, that’s for sure!

BEST ARTICLES OF THE WEEK

A New York Times piece examines decision-making and risky behavior among college-age students, writing that the plans to return to college this fall “border on delusional.” I have spent my entire career working with students ages 14-22 and I would definitely agree that this age group is not exactly known for their prudent choices, haha. But maybe they can turn things around and serve as an example for the rest of us?

Several days later, this College Reality Check snippet agreed with the first article and said what everyone in higher education is thinking right now: “Colleges have come rushing forth to announce that they will be inviting students back to campus this fall. But as I’ve spoken to college officials over the past few weeks — usually not for quotation — I’ve been struck by the difference between their public optimism and their private uncertainty.”

That’s so true. Regardless of what’s going to happen and whether this is a good idea (I truly have no clue anymore), there is no question that there is a major, major difference in what is being said publicly right now and what’s being said behind the scenes. This Washington Post article about the aftermath of the Great Clips exposure in Missouri made me feel really optimistic, though. If only everyone would wear their masks!!!

OFFICE HAPPENINGS

Tons of meetings with rising seniors - all of whom will be receiving an email on Monday to let them know that our August availability is live on the website! We’re also continuing to hold Meet & Greets with rising juniors and are continuing to fill our roster for the Class of 2022!

Speaking of our roster, we’ve reached capacity for the Class of 2021 and at this point will be moving to our annual Late Start Waitlist. We’re able to take a number of kids this way every year after we finish up our work with the first cohort, and this will likely happen sooner than usual this particular year because so many of our students were able to make substantial progress during COVID closures. Not to mention the fact that SO many supplemental essay topics are being released early! If you are interested in working with us, fill out the linked form above and we’ll give you a call to discuss how the waitlist works and what you can expect.

Families who’d like to start right away can instead purchase one of the membership vault plans launching Monday! The highest tier option is a great alternative to a traditional package; it includes quite a few hours of college counseling and essay coaching services and an incredible amount of DIY resources for just over half the price of our least expensive package.

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That’s all for now! Happy Father’s Day to all the dads out there :)