Tips for Building Your College List

As we transition over to the active stage of the application process with all of our Class of 2023 juniors this fall, we’re working hard to help them build their college lists! We’d love to share some tips to consider as you work toward building a balanced list (and if you are visiting colleges now as a senior, don’t forget to check out our tips for choosing your college for more help with those visits!). 

One major source of anxiety that we hear about from students and families all the time is not having options. Students are nervous that come decision time, they will feel “stuck” with a choice that they don’t love. The problem is usually that the student has a list of only super-selective schools. And while every student should absolutely apply to one or more of what we call “dream reaches,” there are often dozens of schools where the student could be equally (or more!) happy and successful. 

The other common mistake that students make is having just one “safety” school - that they would never want to attend! Yes, it is important to have less selective options, usually more than one, but that doesn’t mean that you should throw a school on there just to have one. With just a bit of extra research (or help from a counselor), you can find safety schools that actually meet your criteria, where you’d be excited to attend! The goal is that every school on your list is there for a reason beyond, “Well, I could probably get in.”

So if you are looking to build a list of colleges that makes you feel like you’ve got a TON of great opportunities, follow these tips:

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1. Start early

Now really is the time to start building a list - we’ll start brainstorming with our class of 2023 students in a few weeks! When you start early, the process becomes a lot more fun and a lot less stressful. You can also capitalize on fall and winter breaks at school to visit campuses, and make sure that you don’t miss any important info sessions or college visits to your high school. 

2. Get to know yourself

During our first brainstorming meeting with students, we ask a TON of questions! We want to get to know exactly what our clients are looking for in their schools - from academics, to extracurriculars, to community experience. There are so many different areas of consideration when choosing a college, and it is helpful to have a sense of what you are looking for, and what is an absolute deal-breaker. 

Secondly, make sure you know how important those characteristics are. We put different aspects in four categories: Must Have, No Way, Would Be Nice, and Don’t Love. That way, we know exactly how important each characteristic is to a particular student. One student might prefer a suburban environment, but be willing to attend a rural school if it has a specific program or major. For another student, a city school is a Must Have - if it’s rural, they’re not going! Make sure you know what your priorities are so that you can build your list accordingly.

3. Do your research

Once you have some idea of the type of school that interests you, you can begin research. There are websites and free resources online that can be very helpful (we particularly like the Princeton Review), as well as paid resources like the Fiske Guide that you may also be able to borrow from your school counselor or local library. 

But of course, nothing beats a visit to the school! Some campuses are open now for in-person visits, while others are remaining virtual. Whether you do a tour in person or online, taking the time to really learn about the campus and community is the best way to figure out whether it matches your criteria. Also, in-person visits are the number one place that we see students’ criteria change - you may think you want a mid-size school, but realize after a few visits that a smaller campus is the best fit for you.

4. Check your balance

We recommend at least two likely/safety schools and at least three target schools to make up the base of your list. Once you have this foundation, you can build on some reach or “dream reach” schools. But without that core of likelies and targets, you are putting unnecessary pressure on yourself - if your mindset is “If I don’t get in, I’ll be miserable!” it is a lot harder to enjoy the process.

5. Check your own time!

Careful not to go too far with the list - be mindful of your time and other commitments. Again, the earlier you start, the easier this will be, but keep in mind that some schools can have six or more supplemental essays, and they add up quickly! We try for a list of 8-10 schools with our students, though of course there is always some range depending on the individual student’s needs. Just keep in mind that if you are planning on applying to 20 different schools, you will need to be prepared to complete the work. 

Building your college list should be a fun part of the process, not a stressful one. Follow these tips and you’ll be well on your way to a list that makes you feel happy and excited about the rest of the process! If you’d like to learn more about how we can help, book a Meet & Greet to discuss our brainstorming process in more depth. 

LGBTQ-Friendly Campuses!

We are proud to both employ and serve members of the LGBTQ+ community, and wanted to take this opportunity during Pride Month to spotlight a few of the most unexpectedly LGBTQ-friendly college campuses in the country. While there are a number of schools that are widely known to come in strong in this category, such as Bryn Mawr, Wesleyan, Vassar, and Brown, we wanted to share a few others whose amazing LGBTQ+ offerings and resources are not quite as well-known to the general public.

Check them out:

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Lehigh University

Lehigh’s Pride Center for Sexual Orientation & Gender Diversity is dedicated to supporting LGBTQ+ students on campus. Some of the Center’s signature programs include a mentorship program to match first-year students with upperclassmen, graduate students, faculty, or staff to serve as mentors. The Pride Center also maintains a public Out List of LGBTQ+ faculty and staff to allow for networking and mentorship opportunities. Trans students who are considering LU can find all of the support the school offers through Trans@LU. 

In addition to LGBTQ issues, the Pride Center focuses on intersectional justice, with themes that in past years have included racial justice, disability justice, and prison abolition. For students who do not identify as LGBTQ+, the Center also offers LU Allyship training to help all students become better allies to the community on campus! 

Indiana University

Indiana’s LGBTQ+ Culture Center also offers mentorship opportunities for incoming first-year students, in addition to LGBTQ-specific scholarships. The Center also offers free counseling for students, free HIV testing, and free safer sex supplies, as well as resources and guidance for students who are transitioning at IU and allyship training for all students. IU also has many student groups available for LGBTQ+ students: the Ace/Aro Group, Black & Bold, for Black LGBTQ+ students, Connections, for LBGTQ+ women and non-binary people, Men Like Us, for GBQ+ men, and the Transgender Union for Students. 

Housing at IU allows trans students to live in spaces that align with their gender identity, as well as gender-inclusive restrooms. There is also a dedicated LGBTQ+ living-learning community, called Spectrum. 

Macalester College

The Gender & Sexuality Commons at Mac offers many different events for students to celebrate and build community, including the Lavender Reception and Lavender Graduation, GSRC weekly Tea Time, and Pride Month celebrations. The center also keeps an Out & Proud list of faculty and staff, offers allyship training, and provides dedicated resources for trans students. 

Mac also provides all-gender housing for students beginning in fall 2023.

CU Boulder

CU Boulder’s Pride Office provides weekly check-ins (virtual during COVID-19) for students to attend when seeking support or community. Boulder also offers gender-neutral housing in addition to a dedicated Spectrum living-learning community with gender-neutral bathroom facilities. 

Medical Services at CU Boulder provide a variety of healthcare services for LGBTQ+ students, including identity-affirming care, identify-affirming hormone therapy, the use of preferred names and pronouns, PrEP for HIV prevention, insurance and billing support, and identity-affirming surgical options. 

University of Washington

The Q Center at the University of Washington has worked hard to offer virtual services to students during COVID-19, including a Discord group, an online Gender Discussion Group, and a QTBIPOC Discussion Group, as well as drop-in hours and a mentorship program. The Center also offers educational services, like allyship training and Queer 101, as well as events like Lavender Graduation. 

The Center also allows students to rent space and spend time building community!

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Need more ideas? Check out the Campus Pride Index for more information: it measures a number of factors to help LGBTQ+ students and families find their best fit! We would also recommend looking at Princeton Review’s LGBTQ-Unfriendly list - it’s really sad that this has to exist in 2021, but here we are, so it’s better to stay informed.

Finally, if you came upon this post as an LGBTQ+ student who is embarking on the college admissions process without parental support because of your sexual orientation, our hearts go out to you. Please reach out to us - you DO have options, even if you don’t know they exist, and we would be happy to discuss them with you and get you the help you need at no charge.

While we can definitely be more useful if you contact us earlier in the process, please email us at admin at dccollegecounseling dot com at any time and one of my colleagues or I will get back to you ASAP.

Happy Pride!

Earth Day Blog: Greenest Schools in the US

Happy Earth Day! In honor of the day, we have compiled a list of some of the greenest colleges in the country, as well as some unexpected environmentally-friendly majors to consider (beyond environmental science)! 

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Oberlin College

With the top spot on the Princeton Review’s list of the Greenest Colleges, Oberlin is a great choice for an environmentally-conscious student. In 2000, the Center for Environmental Studies was opened on campus, a “green building” with solar panels on the roof and waste water recycling. On campus as well as in the town of Oberlin, they monitor electricity and water use in real time, and recently installed 10 acres of solar panels. Their goal is to achieve carbon neutrality by the year 2025. 

Students can engage in the process by volunteering at the George Jones Memorial Farm, which grows a third of the produce consumed on campus. Sustainable food practices are important to Oberlin students - 25% of them are part of the Oberlin Student Cooperative Association, a student-run dining system that buys the majority of its food from local vendors. Students also run a Bicycle Co-op and other volunteer groups on campus.

The environmental studies program is one of the top in the country, as you may expect, but Oberlin is also a world-class conservatory with phenomenal opportunities for the budding musicians out there!

Middlebury College

Currently in the midst of an “Earth Week” lecture series for students and faculty, Middlebury College in Vermont is another school that keeps environmental sustainability front and center. Middlebury’s campus became carbon neutral in 2016, the final result of a student initiative that began in 2007. It is the first school of its size to achieve carbon neutrality. The school is currently in the process of working toward additional goals with its 10-year Energy2028 initiative. The initiative includes a transition to 100% renewable energy by 2028, as well as divesting fully from fossil fuels.

The environmental studies program at Middlebury offers 14 different concentrations, ranging from conservation biology to literature. Wow! And if you’re interested in combining your interests in environmental studies with a passion for cultures and languages, Middlebury has you covered. Their reputation as an international studies/foreign language powerhouse comes through in offerings that include the summer Middlebury School of the Environment program in China and an accelerated master’s degree in International Environmental Policy.

Pitzer College

Pitzer, one of the Claremont Colleges near Los Angeles, lists Environmental Sustainability as one of its five core values. The school “walks the walk” with drought-resistant native plants and LEED-certified sustainable buildings populating the campus. 68% of the residence halls on Pitzer’s campus are LEED-certified. More than 25% of the energy on campus comes from renewable sources. 

Environmental analysis is one of the most popular majors for Pitzer students. Pitzer was also the first school in Southern California to divest from fossil fuels, and is home to the Robert Redford Conservancy for Southern California Sustainability. 

If you’re interested in taking a more active approach by starting your own project or research in the field, Pitzer might be a particularly good fit. As we mentioned back in November on our election day blog post on Schools for Politically-Minded Students, Pitzer’s Community Engagement Center offers funding to support individual projects!

Dickinson College

Students at Dickinson are currently in the midst of a sustainability-focused EcoChallenge for the month of April. During the challenge, students will form teams and work to lower their carbon footprint. Dickinson itself reached carbon neutrality last year in 2020, and uses real-time energy monitoring in over 20 campus buildings. 

Dickinson also has its own organic farm, which grows much of the produce eaten on campus. In fact, the dining hall has been named a Certified Green Restaurant by the Green Restaurant Association, making it one of 50 colleges in the US to achieve this status. The campus is also home to two honeybee hives, and students can volunteer to become part of The Hive Cooperative!

Lewis & Clark College

Students describe Lewis & Clark as collaborative, outdoorsy, open-minded, and inclusive. The campus sits on 137 wooded acres one block from a national park, giving students the opportunity to have a bucolic college experience only a few miles from Portland, OR. 

Lewis & Clark is nationally recognized for its environmental studies programs on both the undergraduate and the graduate level. The School of Law is ranked first in the country for its environmental law program, and undergraduate students can take advantage through an accelerated BA and Masters of Studies in Law (MSL) in Environmental, Natural Resources, and Energy Law that students can complete in four years. 

Colby College

Colby recently introduced a new concentration in ecocriticism, allowing humanities students to add their voices to the conversation around the environment. Years ago, Colby was also one of the first colleges in the country to reach carbon neutrality, becoming carbon neutral in 2013. 24% of the buildings on Colby’s campus are LEED-certified. The campus’ Buck Environment and Climate Change Lab connects and provides funding for students and faculty engaged in research on climate change. 

Students who want to get involved in sustainability on campus can choose from many different organizations, including EcoReps, the Environmental Coalition, the Colby Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association, and the Colby Alliance for Renewable Energy. And the latest student initiative on campus is the reusable mug program, which would require Dining Services to provide a reusable mug to each student in an effort to curb the use of paper and plastic cups to take beverages on the go. 

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Not interested in a green school, but still want to do your part for the environment? Check out the Princeton Review’s list of the top ten green majors. Some of these may surprise you - majoring in fashion design, urban planning, or entrepreneurship can definitely be an amazing eco-friendly choice!

In-Person College Visits During COVID-19

Whether we’re meeting with Class of 2021 seniors who are making their final decisions, Class of 2022 juniors who are hoping to squeeze in some visits before finalizing their lists in June, or Class of 2023 sophomores who don’t know where to start with their college search during such a strange time, everyone’s asking the same question:

When WILL SCHOOLS OPEN FOR IN-PERSON VISITS AGAIN?

We don’t have a crystal ball, so the answer for many colleges and universities is that we simply don’t know. But there are a number of institutions that have reopened for prospective students already - yes, you could theoretically tour one of these schools this weekend if you felt like it!

That said, the offerings vary greatly from school to school - and many won’t be the typical campus tours of years past. Keep reading to learn more about what’s being offered right now and how to make the best out of each opportunity!

1. Traditional Campus Tours

Some schools are offering relatively traditional visit opportunities. In general, these tours are offered through one of two approaches.

The first, at schools like Tulane, American, the University of Alabama and Loyola University Maryland, are small-group tours. These are very similar to pre-COVID tours, except that the schools typically require advance registration and the use of face coverings. Some schools doing small-group tours will also limit the number of guests that the student can bring, and others may limit the scope of the tour (Tulane will only take tour groups through outdoor areas of campus, for example). 

The second option is an individual tour and meeting with an admissions representative. Smaller schools, like the University of New England, will allow students to register for a visit that consists of a one-on-one meeting with an admissions counselor as well as a private tour for the student and family. These events typically also require face coverings, limit the number of guests, and may take extra precautions such as requiring visitors to fill out COVID-19 symptom questionnaires. 

Pro Tips:

• If you do your research and find out that the school you want to see is offering tours, try to book sooner rather than later! You will get the best sense of the campus while school is in session, so you can see what the day-to-day really looks like. On many campuses, you will see a very different school after May begins, and this is even more true during an already unusual time! 

• Even if you are able to snag a tour reservation, take your own “unofficial” tour to see even more of the campus (mostly, the parts that the tour doesn’t show off!). See the section below on informal tours for more tips. 

• Finally, take notes! Just like virtual tours, in-person tours will blur together after a while, and you want to make sure that you write down your thoughts and feelings about the school during and soon after your visit. And make sure that you send an email afterward to thank your regional admissions representative for the experience. Clients who want more help on the thank-you email should reach out to us and we can provide a template!

2. Hybrid Campus Tours

Other schools offer opportunities for students to come to campus in some form, but with elements of self-guided or virtual tours to supplement a safe visit.

The University of Richmond, for example, offers both a self-guided walking tour and a self-guided driving tour of campus. They provide students with a map, written descriptions of the buildings on campus, and driving directions, in addition to audio about each building that you can play from your car! This is a great option for local students to take a day trip and see the campus. 

And while you’re driving, head on down to Virginia Tech - they also offer a driving tour map and audio to help you get to know the campus safely. GW, right in our backyard, has a self-guided walking tour brochure that you can pair with audio from their student-run podcast tour as you walk around campus. William & Mary has a walking tour brochure as well that will allow students to read along - keep in mind that masks are required at all times while on campus! 

Pro Tips:

• Maximize your walking or driving tour by arranging an outdoor lunch or coffee with a friend who attends that school. Don’t know anyone personally? Ask your school counselor if there are any alumni there who would be comfortable meeting with you. Make sure you check out the local area as well, and track down a Starbucks, community park, beach, or whatever is important for you to have nearby. 

• You’ll notice that all of the examples in this section are local to DC-area residents. If you are unable to travel to see the school of your dreams, you can still develop an understanding of the type of school you are looking for from our many excellent Virginia schools. For example, you know how Georgetown is a green campus near the city, while GW is in the city? Same goes for University of Richmond (green and suburban) vs. VCU (extremely urban), even though both schools are in Richmond. Once you have an understanding of the differences, you might be able to form an educated opinion on whether Columbia or NYU is more your speed - even if you can’t make it to New York! 

3. Informal Walk Through Campus

Other schools, like Johns Hopkins or UVA, are not offering tours at all. There are a few ways you can combat this if you really want to get a better sense of a school by visiting in person. One is to show up on campus for an informal walk or drive. This is an especially good solution for nearby schools that do not require a lot of travel. 

Again, this is also a great time to reach out to friends or other contacts at the school to see if they’ll meet you for a socially-distanced conversation about their experience. 

Pro Tips:

• Make sure to check university regulations to confirm that you will not be breaking any rules by visiting campus and walking around or driving through. Some schools are not open to visitors at this time, and you can reach out to the Public Safety department to inquire.

• While you won’t likely have access to dorms or academic buildings on an informal walk, pay attention to everything you see outside - do students hang out on the quad? Is there a popular dining hall or coffee shop? Do you see flyers or posters hanging up around campus for events that interest or excite you? Remember that even if you are not able to step foot on campus itself, you can still look online to find an off-campus spot that’s popular with students. For example, grab bagels at Bodo’s!

• Finally, don’t be afraid to wander “off the beaten path” to find the less desirable parts of campus - if the gym is outdated or the math building is really far away (and you’re a math major!), you want to find out sooner rather than later.

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Whether you choose to visit in person or virtually, take careful notes and do a gut check by envisioning yourself on campus. Not sure where to begin with your visits? Current clients should reach out to us for more tips, or leave a question in the comments and we’ll answer it in a future post!

Note: DC College Counseling does not encourage or advise students to visit campuses in person during the COVID-19 pandemic. Each family needs to make the decision for themselves about whether or not this is safe based on current conditions, vaccination status, and individual comfort level. If you are not planning to visit schools in person just yet, take a look at our blog post about virtual visits to make the most out of your virtual experience!

Tips for Virtual Visits

Now that 11/1 is behind us, our focus has shifted to the Class of 2022!

The upcoming 2021-2022 admissions cycle has so many unknowns, but we’re doing our best to embrace this new normal so that our students are as minimally impacted as possible by all things Covid!

One of the major concerns we’ve heard over and over again relates to the difficulty of finding a “best fit” college without the opportunity for traditional college visits. No, it’s not ideal, but it’s not the end of the world, either.

As promised, Shannon is joining us today to share some tips about the virtual college search!

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At this point, nearly every school has a variety of virtual options, whether a live guided tour with a current student or a virtual information session on YouTube (I even saw a Minecraft tour option during a meeting with a student this week!). But when opportunities to travel are limited, it can be even more challenging to get a feel for each school on your list, because the official representatives from the admissions office can only tell you so much about the feeling on campus. Eventually, you want to find out for yourself! Here are a few tips to make the most out of virtual visits and find your best fit.

1. Meet with current students

Talking with students at a school you’re considering may be the most important action you can take to gain a better understanding of the community. If you choose to apply to this school, there is a chance that these people will be your classmates, teammates, and roommates, and talking with them can give you a real sense for the culture on campus. Reach out to the admissions office and see if they can put you in touch with students for a one-on-one Zoom call or FaceTime, or connect you with young alumni in your area for a physically-distanced walk or coffee.  

The Princeton Review has a good list of general questions for current students, but when you can’t get to campus, you can focus your questions on the physical aspects of the school: Do students stick around campus, or go into town on the weekends? When you walk through campus, do you see students studying or playing games on the quad? Where do you go when you’re tired of dining hall food? If close proximity to a Starbucks or a community park is important to you, ask!  

2. Use social media

Sure, you’ve been following your dream school’s official Twitter account throughout the process, but social media is a great place to find more informal information as well, which can give you deeper insight into the college or university. Look for Instagram, YouTube, or TikTok accounts run by teams or student groups, and see if there is an admitted students Facebook group that you can join. These resources will let you have the kind of casual conversations that you might have during a run-in at the dining hall, virtually. 

And remember that if you do choose to use social media during your college search, make sure that your own page is cleaned up! Interacting with a school on social media is a great way to demonstrate interest, especially virtually, but make sure that there is nothing on your page you wouldn’t want to share with the admissions office. On the other hand, don’t go over the top in the opposite direction either. It will be very obvious (and will appear inauthentic) if you try to create a fake profile to impress college admissions officers.

3. Take notes and dig deep

As you learn more about different institutions through virtual visit days, conversations with students, and social media, jot down your impressions. When every school visit takes place on Zoom, it is even easier for different schools to blend together, so you want to have notes to review once you’ve finished your research.  

Write down not only important facts about academic programs, but also your feelings and reactions to each school. It is good to know if a school will accept AP or IB credits, but it is also easy to double-check online. Instead, think about how your conversations with students, faculty and staff made you feel, or how excited you were to see a busy campus coffee shop on the virtual tour. It’s vital to write down those emotional reactions when you may not be able to experience the “feels like home” sentiment in person.

We ask all of our students to make a list of six new things they learned about each school during their virtual visit - three positive and three negative. This helps them and us begin to gain a sense of what they are seeking in a college, and we can take that information and use it to make recommendations and tailor the list. Sometimes they end up being surprised by their reactions! Remember, you don’t know what you don’t know. If you are feeling overwhelmed by the search process - so many schools to consider! - book a Meet & Greet with us to learn more about how we can help. 

Election Day Blog: Schools for Politically-Minded Students

Living in the DC area, we don’t have to look far to find colleges that offer exciting opportunities for politically-minded students. We all know that American, GW, and Georgetown offer great programs for the future politicians among us - and you can’t beat the exposure to the DC political scene (in both good and bad ways!).

Today, though, we want to spotlight a few others that may have fallen under your radar!

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Hillsdale College

Hillsdale hosted Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos just last week, and has also had visits from prominent speakers like Attorney General Barr. Hillsdale is a nonsectarian Christian institution, and according to its mission statement, “considers itself a trustee of our Western philosophical and theological inheritance tracing to Athens and Jerusalem, a heritage finding its clearest expression in the American experiment of self-government under law.” One of the only colleges in the country that does not accept any form of state or federal aid, Hillsdale is very appealing for ultra-conservative students with an interest in politics. The interdisciplinary Political Economy major combines economics, politics, and history, and students of all majors report positive experiences participating in WHIP, the Washington-Hillsdale Internship Program based at the school’s D.C. campus.

Claremont Colleges

The Claremont Colleges include Claremont McKenna, Pitzer, Pomona, Scripps, and Harvey Mudd. The Consortium offers several unique programs for students interested in politics through a more philosophical lens, including majors in Philosophy, Politics, and Economics (PPE), and well as Philosophy and Public Affairs (PPA). The PPE major uses the Oxford tutorial style to provide students with the opportunity to learn in small group discussions and seminars. Students can apply for this highly selective major in their sophomore year.  For students interested in current political issues, the interdisciplinary Environment, Economics, and Politics major prepares them for a career in many environmental fields. While activism is popular at all of the Claremont Colleges, Pitzer stands out in particular, with core values including Social Responsibility and Student Engagement. Graduation requirements at Pitzer even include coursework in Social Justice Theory and Social Responsibility! All Consortium students can take advantage of the many resources at Pitzer’s Community Engagement Center, including funding to support individual projects.

Syracuse University

Syracuse made international headlines several years ago after student protests led the university to remove fossil fuel stocks from its endowment several years back, and the administration has continued to demonstrated its commitment to student activism by establishing a dedicated Student Activism Engagement Team. More recently, the university sponsored dozens of informational sessions and conversations about voting for students in the lead-up to the election. Academically, they also offer a Citizenship and Civic Engagement (CCE) program, in which students combine the CCE major with a second, related major of their choice and finish their senior year by creating a workable Action Plan around a social issue. Environmentally-minded students may choose to combine CCE with a major in Environment, Sustainability, and Policy. Both majors are housed in Syracuse’s Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs. Maxwell is also home to nine different research centers, where interested undergraduates can complete research on a variety of political topics. However, students from a variety of different majors can take advantage of the DC campus and all of its offerings!

Texas Christian University

TCU’s Political Science department offers a variety of opportunities for students to learn outside of the classroom, including an internship program in Washington, D.C. and the ability to participate in Model United Nations and Moot Court. Whether students pursue the BA Program in Comparative Race and Ethnic Studies or the signature TCU Justice Journey program that actually takes students on a bus tour to sites that were significant in the civil rights movement, there is no question that the Interdisciplinary Department of Comparative Race and Ethnic Studies provides opportunities that cannot be found at other schools. TCU is also home to a number of politically active student groups, including chapters of the College Republicans and College Democrats. The Community Engagement Programming division works hard to keeps students active, and has even pivoted to sharing virtual engagement opportunities during Covid!

Washington University St. Louis

Wash U in St. Louis has always been known for its politically active campus community. The university has hosted four presidential debates (and one VP debate!) through which students were able to volunteer and gain real-world experience behind the scenes of a presidential election. The school also offers a unique “religion and politics” minor that offers the chance to delve deeper into niche issues. Another appealing option can be found in the distinctive, in-depth civil engagement leadership training program for juniors and seniors called the Civic Scholars Program. Lastly, future artists might enjoy the Civic and Community Arts Residency initiative, which offers the option for undergrads to blend an interest in civic engagement with a passion for arts. 

Hampden-Sydney College

Located right here in Virginia, Hampden-Sydney is the country’s oldest traditional all-male college and one of the most conservative schools in the country. The Government and Foreign Affairs department at Hampden-Sydney offers two distinctive minors through the Wilson Center for Leadership: National Security Studies and Leadership in the Public Interest. Hampden-Sydney is also home to the Center for the Study of Political Economy, a co-curricular center that sponsors lecture series and reading groups. The Center’s mission is “to motivate undergraduate students to create a more just and prosperous world through entrepreneurship and scholarship in classical liberal political economy.”

Columbia University

Columbia has always had a well-known reputation for political activism on campus, including the Butler Banner Project in recent years. While the majority of students are liberal, the school also has a large conservative population and a diversity of political thought on campus. Students can publish political commentary in two journals, The Columbia Political Review and The Current. The World Leaders Forum allows students to hear from political leaders all over the world, and undergrads can join a wide variety of political organizations on campus. The dedicated Task Force on Inclusion and Belonging proactively identifies issues and solutions, including the Campus Conversations intiative that encourages students to engage in dialogue. Columbia has graduated three Presidents, eight Attorneys General, and ten Supreme Court Justices, as well as numerous other political actors in recent years, and hosts many notable speakers in its political speaker series. 

Remember to get out and vote today!

I was pleasantly surprised at the non-existent lines after hearing so many cautionary warnings!

If you’re already thinking about tonight’s dinner-table discussion, I really liked this piece from NPR for parents of teenagers and younger children alike!

Welcome to Miami / Bienvenidos a Miami

Am I the only one who automatically starts singing the Will Smith song in my head when I think about Miami? (It just occurred to me that anyone applying to college today was born years after that song came out.. yikes!)

I visit 30-40 schools per year to be able to stay on top of all of the new trends and recommend schools to students, but hardly any of my trip reports make it to this blog. One of my goals for 2020 is to change that!

I decided that my recent visit to the University of Miami was a perfect place to start, because it has a very wide appeal for many different types of students.

The school wasn’t always as well-regarded as it is now, and a lot of where it is today is because of former president Donna Shalala. I probably wouldn’t have said it this way myself, but I agree with the Miami Herald’s characterization that Shalala “transformed the university from a beer-and-party-school to one with a global reach, raising billions of dollars in the process.”

UM’s most recent Common Data Set statistics show a score average range of 1250-1430 for enrolled first-year students (or 29-32 on the ACT). If my calculations are correct, it also shows a 31.27% acceptance rates for students who applied via non-binding plans (early action and regular decision combined) and 55.6% acceptance rate for students applying via early decision.

Okay, enough on the statistics. Here are my thoughts!

WHAT TO LOVE:

• THE WEATHER! I mean, really. It was so depressing to fly back to DC!

• THE CITY! Miami is just booming right now. I stayed downtown near the new (ish) Brickell City Centre complex and it was beautiful. So much to do. It’s really a great city.

• Along those lines, it’s awesome that students get to experience the “city life” when they want, the “beach life” when they want, and a fully residential, closed campus when they want. Definitely a best-of-all-worlds kind of situation.

• It’s one of the few schools that has a ton of school spirit despite being both private and mid-size (11,000+ undergraduates). Typically we see this kind of school spirit at a much larger public school. This almost always correlates with a loyal alumni network and that’s definitely the case here as well.

• Sought-after majors that aren’t offered everywhere - from engineering to business to communication to nursing to architecture - to very highly regarded niche programs like meteorology, marine science, music, and sport administration. There are really a lot of options, especially when considering the size of the student body. UM does a lot, and does a lot well.

• It’s selective while still being possible for a “normal” (i.e. you don’t have to cure cancer) student with good grades and test scores to get in.

• There’s an incredibly active Jewish community (but it’s not the kind of thing where students who are not Jewish will feel left out - I do not get that sense at all).

• Generous merit aid to qualified students, especially those with high test scores.

• No essay on the Common App supplement - it basically takes five minutes to apply!

WHAT TO THINK MORE ABOUT:

• The surrounding neighborhood is not amazing. Coral Gables itself definitely does have some nice aspects - I had lunch at Bachour, which was soooo delicious, and I also went shopping at Merrick Park, which was very nice and upscale. But the immediate area surrounding campus is not exactly a bragging point.

• Students that do not speak Spanish might feel a little out of place. I am actually from Miami originally, but I do not speak Spanish - and whenever I am in Miami I am reminded that I wish I did!

• The campus itself has a lot of concrete, which makes sense given the hurricane situation. The school is beautiful in a lush, tropical sort of way, but it’s not beautiful in the “classic college campus” sort of way.

• Back to the whole “city life” thing - there’s a higher percentage of students that go out clubbing on the weekend than one will find at most schools. Some students appreciate this, some don’t.

All in all, it gets a thumbs-up in my book and I can see why it appeals to so many different kinds of students. Pro tip: if you decide to visit (and you should!), a lot of hotels in Miami have great discounts for those visiting the school. I stayed at the W for something like $249/night when the website was showing rates of $800+/night. Make sure to take advantage of that!

Practical Tips for Researching Colleges

As we’ve begun the process of finalizing college lists with this year’s junior class, we realized that lists of school recommendations aren’t all that helpful if students aren’t able to narrow that broader list down to one that is manageable. This is especially the case when trying to prioritize which schools to visit.

Below I have outlined our recommendations to help students work toward finding their home away from home for the next four years, once they already have a starting point of schools from which to choose.

1. Spend time exploring each school's website. I would specifically recommend looking for information on the following:

(a) General Education Requirements - How strict/liberal are they? How do they align with your preferences?

(b) Career Center - What do they offer? What statistics do they share? Be wary of any school that brags about a 100% acceptance rate to certain graduate programs - this usually means that they restrict where you can apply to manipulate their statistics and is not a good sign, in my opinion, for a number of reasons. What about internship opportunities?

(c) Residential Life - What is the dorm situation like? What kinds of activities are offered on weekends? 

(d) School Mission - A lot of people don't pay attention to mission statements and I think this is critical! This will give you a lot of information about a school's priorities. 

(e) Alumni Relations - Which cities are represented most with alumni gatherings? How often are events planned? This will give you an idea of the strength of the alumni network.

(f) Major Information - What is offered? What are the major requirements and options? What extracurriculars are available in conjunction with that major?

(g) School Newspaper - My secret weapon! You'll learn about everything, good and bad. 

EXTRA TIP: Write lots of notes during this part of your research. These will come in handy during the supplemental essay process.

2. Take a virtual tour, either on the school's website or at youvisit.com.

3. Create an account at Princeton Review's website (review.com) and read their write-ups. I particularly like the "students say" perspective vs. the "school says" perspective.

4. Read reviews at unigo.com (I like the "most answered questions" part).

5. Check out the "report cards" at niche.com.

6. If you want to buy a book to read profiles, I like the Fiske Guide the best, personally, but I also don't really think this is necessary because you will find so much online! Some people like to read a book, though, and that is fine too!

Once you’ve checked off these steps, you should end up with a clear grasp of which schools deserve a planned visit and which do not. Don’t forget that I ultimately recommend a final college list of about ten schools: one dream reach, three “regular reaches,” three middle schools, and three safety schools.

If you have any burning questions about school, college, graduate admissions, or even high school in general, please shoot us an email and we will be sure to get back in touch.

Sorry, JMU! I tried!

I love college visits, and almost always leave campus thinking: “WOW, I want my kids to go here someday” or “No, this one is even better!” It’s rare that I leave a visit without a smile on my face - there are so many great colleges out there and it’s really hard to pick a favorite. I love playing the “If I were going to college today, where would I go?” game with myself!

With that said, it’s pretty rare for me to finish a visit feeling less-than-impressed. For a while, every time I had a visit that didn’t knock me out of the park, I questioned myself a little bit - especially if it was a school that had rave reviews from others.

Prime example: JMU. Every time I visited the campus, I’ve blamed one reason or another for the fact that I didn’t like it. After all, disliking JMU feels sort of disloyal as a college counselor based in Virginia! It’s a really good school, they have some wonderful programs and opportunities, and they are a perfect distance from our area - and my former students there are so happy. And I can’t forget the amazing food!

So, the first time I visited on a blazing July day, I decided that I didn’t like it because it was just too hot. Not a great way to see a school. Then it was raining - definitely a bummer. Nobody likes a school in the rain. Well, the third visit - on a gorgeous day - solidified the fact that it’s not the weather, it’s JMU. I’ve finally come to terms with the fact that I just don’t like the place. I really want to like it, but I don’t. There- I’ve said it!

My most recent visit in April - a GORGEOUS day but that didn’t make a difference.

First, I think it’s a very unattractive campus. A pretty campus means a lot to me, and I wouldn’t personally feel the need to settle if I was comparing options for myself - there are so many other amazing schools that also have gorgeous campuses. I was trying to describe JMU’s aesthetic to someone the other day and explained that it kind of reminds me of mid-90s construction (so many palladian windows- which of course I did not capture in a photo!!) meets corporate campus meets industrial park meets traditional bluestone. The quad is very pretty but the rest of the campus just falls flat to me. Not to mention, the buildings surrounding campus vaguely remind me of post-Civil War dilapidation! I just really don’t like the atmosphere.. and I’m not even going to mention the dorms!

I do like the quad!

Sorry, but this is not a pretty library. I just want to attack it with a power washer.

The Honors College -this building is pretty.

Next, I think that the public streets (and even a highway!) running through campus make it feel very choppy and disjointed. This bothers me a lot.

Finally, I absolutely hate Harrisonburg. While I’m a fan of the drive-through Starbucks, I think Harrisonburg would be a pretty unappealing place to live, especially coming from our area. I feel like it’s just seen better days… about 150 years ago! I wish I had taken some photos of the surrounding area but anyone can find them online.

Why am I writing all of this out? Well, I learned from the experience, and I hope you can learn from it too.

First of all, I realized that I just had to follow my gut. If you don’t like a school, don’t force it. Yes, factors like rain can make a huge difference, but at some point you have to trust yourself. I’m obviously not visiting for the purpose of making my own college decision, but most students and parents visiting colleges WILL be. So, trust yourself. This is a big decision and if you don’t like the school, even for superficial reasons, that’s ok. There are so many options.

Secondly, and this is sort of along the same lines, everyone’s individual opinion is based on their own background and preferences. Don’t think too much about what friends or classmates like or dislike about a school. This is YOUR decision.

Lastly, campus visits are a must. Today we have virtual tours, ratings, reviews, you name it - but there’s not really a substitute for a good old-fashioned visit to campus. Maybe you will absolutely fall in love with JMU, like thousands and thousands of other students- but you won’t know until you go see it for yourself!

Sample Packing Ideas

Remember: look presentable without overdressing, wear comfortable shoes, layer, and prepare for rain in any circumstance!

College Visits: What to Wear?

Of all of the advice that I could provide about the many different topics relating to college visits, this is what I write about? Truth be told, though, I would estimate that about 3/4 of the parent-student fights relating to college visits revolve around what to wear!

The parent that embarrasses their student with too many questions on the tour is definitely in second place, and I’ll get to that another day! (Pro tip, and I’m looking at you, dads: don’t grill the tour guide about boys spending the night in dorm rooms. Your daughter will never forgive you. Save it for a private, anonymous phone call to the residence life office!)

In any case, since I’m all about stepping in to be the bad guy, I’m happy to discuss appropriate outfits. Parents and students: free to screen-shot this and show it to one another instead of fighting!

TAILOR YOUR OUTFIT FOR THE VISIT

I am writing this particular post for a typical visit involving a campus tour and information session, because most colleges do not provide on-campus interviews anymore. I realize there are still plenty that do (Wake Forest, W&M, etc.), but the majority do not. If you are attending an interview on campus or meeting with a professor, I would advise taking it up a notch.

DON’T OVER-DRESS!

I know it sounds silly, but this is the biggest mistake that I see. In news that will shock absolutely no one, I find that teenage boys are the one group that is not at fault for this particular issue :) However, I do see it a lot with girls and parents (or boys whose parents picked out their outfits).

For girls, it’s primarily about the shoe. Most of you cannot walk in heels, which is okay. You are a teenager and no one expects you to have extensive experience with heels! At best, you will look kind of silly if you show up to a campus hobbling around in shoes that make it difficult for you to walk. Worst case, you will look like you have no common sense. At the same time, you don’t have to wear a pair of grungy sneakers, either: find a comfortable flat. I personally LIVE in Rothy’s on college visits and even better, they are eco-friendly! If you are set on sneakers for the tour, that is fine as long as they are clean and you swap them out for something dressier for the information session.

For parents, I’d really try to avoid wearing a suit. I know this can be tempting, but think business casual, or even a cross between casual and business casual. If you wear a suit, you will stand out. In general, you want to avoid standing out and you just want to blend in with the group. I promise that when a tour guide comes back to talk about a parent that stands out, it’s not in a positive way. By the way, the “no heels” rule does not apply to moms. Typically, a grown woman who would choose to wear heels on a campus tour is used to walking in them, so that’s fine.

I’m going to throw the boys in here too - please, please, do not force your son to wear a suit. He will look silly and out of place. This is even worse than you wearing a suit, because at least you will likely look comfortable. More on what he should wear later.

DON’T UNDER-DRESS!

Yes, I had to say it! Just because you don’t want to overdress doesn’t mean under-dressing is okay, either. It’s not. Anything ripped or torn (even fashionably so) is off limits. Certainly, nothing objectionable. I’d put the MAGA hat away, or basically any hat for that matter. In general, if a shirt has words written on it, it’s probably not appropriate to wear. Jeans are fine as long as they are “nice” and in good condition.

Also, make sure that your clothes are pressed and clean. The same khaki shorts and collared shirt will present very differently if they are wrinkled vs. straight out of the dry cleaning bag. I would strongly advise wearing a different outfit in the car if you are taking a car ride longer than an hour or so. Wear something comfortable and then stop at a Starbucks near campus to change. Even if you have a shorter car ride, you may want to err on the side of caution and bring a change of clothes just in case you spill something on yourself. I am notorious for spilling iced coffee (what can I say!) so i always have a change of clothes ready.

CONSIDER LAYERS

Especially if your visit will take place during spring break when the weather is unpredictable, make sure to consider layers. Even if you don’t want to hold extra options with you, keep them in the car. Particularly if you are visiting multiple schools in the same day, it’s very possible that the day will start off cool, become warm, and then end cool again. You don’t want to freeze or melt!

TRY EVERYTHING ON IN ADVANCE

Don’t wait till the morning of the trip to pick out your outfit. Set it all out on your bed a few weeks in advance, so you have time to buy something new if needed. I would recommend laying out everything that you’d like to wear and making sure that it all looks good paired together (including shoes and any accessories), and then once you have it all picked out, try it on to make sure it fits well. This is really important, as you could wear the nicest, cleanest, most appropriate outfit and it will not look good if it doesn’t fit. Think Goldilocks: avoid clothing that is too big or too small, and shoot for “just right.” Also, if you have any doubts about how something will fit while walking (i.e. a skirt that might ride up), practice walking around the block.

PREPARE FOR RAIN

College visits in the rain are the worst. If you are visiting a school locally and it’s easy to postpone your trip, you may want to do that. Otherwise, dress accordingly so that you are prepared rain or shine! If you’ve flown all the way to a school and it does rain, try not to skip the tour, as tempting as it will be. Make sure to pack rain gear and an umbrella for each person that will be touring, even if it doesn’t look like rain will be in the forecast. It’s better to be prepared, and you just know that if you lug all your raincoats somewhere, it won’t end up raining - so think of it as an insurance policy for good weather! On that note - don’t forget your sunglasses, either!

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