This is going to be a shorter-than-usual blog post because OMG we are swamped!
BIGGEST COLLEGE-RELATED NEWS OF THE WEEK
COLLEGE MOVE INS BEGIN
College freshmen all over the country are beginning to move into their dorms, and I thought it was cute to see Angelina Jolie moving her daughter Zahara into Spelman College this week. Good luck to Zahara and everyone else kicking off their first weekend in college! (Be safe!)
UPDATED COVID GUIDANCE FROM THE CDC
We’re all hoping for a more normal academic year now that the CDC updated guidance for handling Covid in schools. Although am I the only one starting to get a little nervous about Monkeypox?!
INFLATION IMPACTING TUITION RATES
Tuition rates are rising substantially as a result of inflation, which is less than ideal timing considering the state of everyone’s college savings accounts! It’s going to be interesting to see whether the economy has an impact on the college admissions process overall - my guess is that we will see many more students choosing state universities with lower price points.
BEST ARTICLES OF THE WEEK
I am not sure whether I’ve heard more about Bama Rush this week from my 17-year-old clients or 37-year-old peers, but it sure is the talk of the country right now. Remember that all of these stories are really for entertainment purposes and that sorority recruitment (as well as greek life in general) at most schools is nothing like what’s been unfolding on TikTok this week. Check out the New York Times coverage here.
Rush (or maybe Bid Day?) 2006 at Wash U!
As Inside Higher Ed explained, the number of part-time application readers is skyrocketing this year and it’s important to understand that context when describing specific activities or other application information that a reader may not know if they are unfamiliar with a particular school community. Check out my TikTok on the subject!
Some colleges are taking their consideration of race in the admissions process to a new level, according to the Wall Street Journal. A test group of six colleges, including our neighbor down the street George Mason, is proactively contacting applicants who meet certain criteria to let them know that they are guaranteed a spot in the freshman class if they apply. Their study showed “a particularly strong effect” on the way this type of proactive notification influenced the behavior of underrepresented students.
OFFICE HAPPENINGS
Then 2nd week of August is now in the books with another 86 appointments taking place. Since there are many tasks and essays that students can’t start until August 1, the three weeks before FCPS begins on August 22 are without question the craziest three weeks of our year. I swear it feels like a race against the clock (and our sanity)! One more week to go, and then it will calm down a little bit after the Fairfax kids are back in session.
On a happy note, our students are making AMAZING progress. There are a few who are already in the final stages of reviewing PDF copies of their applications and we have our first student scheduled to submit his early decision application next week! If you are a parent of a senior and still need help, don’t hesitate to put your name on our Late Start Waitlist - we will be able to take at least five new students early enough for them to be able to complete all of their early applications with us.
Have a great weekend!
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