Weekly Update: November 4

And.. we’re back!

RECENT COLLEGE-RELATED NEWS

DIVORCED FAMILIES TAKE ON ELITE UNIVERSITIES OVER ALLEGED ANTITRUST SCHEMES

A lawsuit filed in federal court accuses the University of Pennsylvania, Villanova, and 38 other private universities of colluding to make college more expensive for students with divorced parents. The schools require financial aid applicants to include income from both parents through the CSS Profile (as well as their spouses, if they are married), even if only one parent provides financial support. The suit alleges that this approach, which began in 2006, increased tuition costs by an average of $6,200 per student. It claims that this practice violated antitrust laws by limiting competition and making college less affordable, causing stress and financial strain for families. 

This year’s FAFSA redesign has been tough on divorced families, too. Previously, the custodial parent (defined as the parent the student lived with the most during the past year) was responsible for completing the FAFSA. The new FAFSA will now require financial information from the parent who provides the most financial support – and that parent’s spouse, if they are married. If parents provide 50/50 financial support, the FAFSA will require financial information from the parent/spouse pair with the highest income and assets – regardless of custody arrangements or willingness to pay for college.

A WHITE COAT WITH DARK INTENTIONS AT MIAMI

When reflecting on the professionals that students should be able to trust most in a university setting, it’s hard to think of positions higher on that list than professors and doctors. And yet, a professor (and medical doctor) from the University of Miami’s medical school was recently arrested for trafficking and distributing GHB, according to police reports. GHB is widely known as a common date-rape drug; rapists put it in beverages so their victims will lose consciousness. This horrifying incident has raised significant concerns and discussions among students, staff, and the local community about campus safety and ethics at the U. So far, his name has been removed from the school’s website - and we will definitely continue to follow this case to monitor the university’s response.

RECORD-BREAKING DONATIONS ELEVATE W&L AND VILLANOVA

Washington and Lee University received a record $132 million donation from alumnus Bill Miller, the largest in the school’s history (and one of the largest financial aid-related gifts in history for any liberal arts college). It will enable the school to institute a brand new need-blind admissions process, as well as a no-loan financial aid policy. Similarly, Villanova University just announced a $40 million gift - its second-largest ever. This anonymous gift will support the President’s Strategic Initiative Fund, allowing investments in academic programs, campus improvements, and student needs. The gifts to both schools underscore efforts to increase access, affordability, and the overall student experience.

THE NEW RUTGERS ROOMMATES NOBODY WANTED

Gross! Rutgers University students have raised very understandable concerns about bed bug infestations at their residence halls on the main campus in New Brunswick. They are urging the university to take more effective action to address the problem, as it continues to be unresolved over six months (!) after the outbreak began. The situation has prompted calls for better pest control and more transparency from the administration. We caution prospective students to be aware of these concerns - bed bugs could theoretically happen anywhere, but in our opinion, it’s unacceptable that this has gone on for six months.

IS MINNESOTA THE NEW DC?

Wondering which college had the highest voter turnout among students during the last presidential election? Nope, it’s not Georgetown, George Washington, or American - it’s St. Olaf College in Minnesota! The student body achieved an incredible 87% voter turnout during the last presidential election, an impressive feat driven by the college’s strong culture of civic engagement. This commitment to voting reinforces St. Olaf’s dedication to nurturing socially responsible and active citizens. Students interested in a campus that values civic involvement and leadership should make sure to check out St. Olaf - you can even read our thoughts about the school in our college profile (we’ve created these for a huge number of schools to help our students!).

BEST ARTICLES OF THE WEEK

While W&L and Villanova administrators are likely thrilled about the recent donations to their respective schools, their colleagues on other campuses are having a bit of a harder time. This Town & Country article explores the challenges that can occur when long-time wealthy donors begin to disagree with institutional policies. 

The piece discusses the recent wave of "donor revolts" at schools including Harvard, Penn, and Columbia, where formerly-generous alumni have threatened to withhold (or have already withdrawn) their support due to disagreements over campus policies - especially those related to political and social issues. This became a particular issue over the last year, as the donors reacted strongly to what they felt were failures to address antisemitism and other political stances.

These conflicts show the powerful influence that major donors can have on universities, sometimes pushing for actions or policies aligned with their beliefs. Critics argue that this kind of influence undermines academic freedom and the mission of higher education, while others believe it holds institutions accountable. One thing is for sure, though: the growing reliance of universities on these donations means that the disputes can significantly impact campus operations.

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SMU in the ACC? UCLA in the Big Ten? The recent changes in college football conferences - motivated by financial opportunities, media rights deals, and the pursuit of higher visibility - have become downright confusing to prospective students. However, as The New York Times discusses, no one feels the impact more than the actual players. Yes, they are racking up all kinds of frequent flyer miles (and bonding opportunities!) but jetting across the country takes a major toll on their mental health, academic priorities, and ability to live a well-balanced life. 

The realignments have also impacted traditional rivalries, travel logistics, and the overall college sports landscape. They also reflect how college football - and many other college sports, like basketball - have become increasingly driven by business considerations. In combination with all of the NIL controversy, it’s no wonder that long-time coaches are leaving, one after the other. Everyone seems to agree that change is needed, but when will it happen? And how? We’re following this closely.

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Data science has some competition for the position of “hottest new degree” - and the subject matter couldn’t be further away from anything quantitative! Strange as this may seem, a new trend has emerged for mid-career professionals to leave their established careers for a stint at … divinity school! From Wall Street analysts to singer-songwriter Maggie Rogers (yes - the Maggie Rogers who played at Madison Square Garden this past month!), twenty-somethings are flocking to Harvard, Duke, and more to pursue the country’s hottest graduate degree. Confused? You’re not alone, but this Town & Country article provides some helpful insight. 

No, most of the students aren’t trying to pursue careers in religion. Instead, they want to explore deeper questions of ethics, purpose, and morality. The trend reflects a desire for intellectual growth and a break from traditional career paths, with some seeing such degrees as unique credentials that distinguish them in fields valuing empathy and understanding. The programs offer flexibility, allowing students to pursue personal and interdisciplinary interests, impacting their careers and perspectives in unexpected ways. Impressive, yes - but if it were me, I’d still go the data science route. Think about the ROI!

OFFICE HAPPENINGS

It’s been a minute! I know we say this every year (and it’s true every year), but August-October was just beyond hectic in our office. Something that was a little bit different about this particular year was that a lot of colleges released their essay prompts later than usual. 

Most years, about half of the essay prompts are released in advance of the Common Application® refresh on August 1. This year was very different - we had a much smaller percentage of school-specific supplemental prompts in advance and it impacted the ability of our students (and staff!) to use the early summer months for specific prompts. 

Fortunately, we made sure that our students were done with their Common Application® and generic supplemental essays*, which made things as easy as possible for them once the school-specific supplemental prompts were released - but it was still a lot of work for us with many, many late nights spent editing! 

As a result, we made the executive decision to put the blog aside for a few months to focus on our seniors - but we’re excited to be back as things have calmed down! Onward to transfer apps :)

*Wondering what generic supplemental essays are? Stay tuned for an upcoming post..

Weekly Update: April 22

Our thoughts are with all of the students impacted by the situation at Columbia today and over the past few days.

BIGGEST COLLEGE-RELATED NEWS OF THE WEEK

OVER 100 ARRESTED, CLASSES HELD REMOTELY AFTER PRO-PALESTINE PROTESTS AT COLUMBIA 

At least 108 protesters were arrested on Thursday after Columbia University called the police to clear an encampment of pro-Palestinian demonstrators on its South Lawn. The protestors set up tents on Wednesday morning in violation of university policy that allows peaceful demonstrations in certain areas of campus and with two days of notice to the university. Protestors were eventually released and issued summonses for trespassing; two were charged with obstruction of governmental administration.

The protests continued through the weekend and have yet to conclude, despite many Jewish students at Columbia reporting harassment and an unsafe environment: on Sunday, a Columbia University rabbi even pushed students to return home for safety reasons. Columbia’s president, Nemat Shafik, made the decision today to hold classes remotely. She also asked students to stay off campus unless they live there. 

The start of the protests came the day after Shafik spoke at a Congressional hearing on antisemitism on college campuses, where she vowed to keep students safe. After calling in the police on Thursday, Shafik stated that safety is her “top priority” and that the encampment “creates a harassing and intimidating environment for many of our students.” Columbia is no stranger to student protests. The weekend’s events had echoes of a much bigger revolt in April of 1968, when Columbia students seized five campus buildings, took a dean hostage and shut down the university in protest to the Vietnam War. 

NATIONAL SPIKE IN CRIME ON COLLEGE CAMPUSES

According to the Department of Education statistics, the number of on-campus crimes has reverted to pre-pandemic highs. Federal data reports 38,303 crimes on college campuses in 2022, compared to 21,200 crimes in 2020. In February, four college students were murdered in three separate on-campus incidents in Kentucky, Georgia and Colorado in just a 10-day span.  Experts haven’t reached any definitive conclusions about what is fueling this increase, but many point to a full return of on-campus learning as a contributing factor.

NEW VIRGINIA LAW ALLOWS COLLEGES TO PAY ATHLETES DIRECTLY FOR NIL 

Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin signed a bill last week that will allow Virginia universities to pay athletes directly for NIL endorsements. As we have previously shared, NIL is short for "name, image and likeness." A NIL deal means that a student athlete is able to enter into contracts to endorse products and make money off their personal brand. Youngkin said that the new policy, which takes effect on July 1, will help schools be competitive in athletics and provide a level of oversight. It would also nullify certain NCAA rules on NIL deals. Florida was the first state to pave the way for college athletes to be compensated within an NIL context back in June 2020, and some foresee that the new Virginia law could incentivize other states to follow suit.

CORNELL ANNOUNCES CHANGE TO STANDARDIZED TESTING POLICY

This change is different from some of the other recent announcements, both because of the timeline and the scope. First, it should be noted that Cornell was one of the few universities in the country to enact test-blind policies during the Covid-related shift to test-optional admissions.

A test-blind admissions system means that the admissions committee will not consider an applicant’s test scores, even if the applicant wants them considered. As far as the admissions committee is concerned, the test scores effectively do not exist. Cornell’s College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, the College of Architecture, Art and Planning, and the SC Johnson College of Business have been test-blind since 2020 while the rest of the university’s undergraduate programs have been test-optional.

Cornell announced the following policy change today: applicants to the test-blind undergraduate programs mentioned above will still go through a test-blind process during the upcoming application cycle for Fall 2025 admission. Applicants to other undergraduate divisions for Fall 2025 admission, which are currently test-optional, will be “encouraged” (but not required) to submit their SAT and/or ACT scores. However, when it comes to Fall 2026 admission, all students - to all programs - will be required to send SAT or ACT scores.

BEST ARTICLES OF THE WEEK

Should freshmen be allowed to choose their roommate? An article in The New York Times last week said no, pointing out the important life lessons learned and the many benefits of not choosing your own roommate. The author argues that forcing kids from widely diverging backgrounds, ethnicities and economic classes to live in close quarters offers its own education: preparing young people for the world by learning to get along. 

Many colleges give students the option of choosing a roommate, through social media or a campus matching service. Qualities like resilience, risk-taking, and navigating differences across identity and ideology are exchanged for comfort and control. When kids choose their own roommates, they tend to go with people exactly like themselves, the author says. Dartmouth economist Bruce Sacerdote stated that his research shows a clear advantage to a randomized process. “Universities work so hard to achieve diversity… and the most powerful tool universities have to foster that is through roommate matches,” he said.

In light of this kind of research, Duke has stopped letting first-year students self-select. According to the article, the freshman roommate experience is about getting kids out of their bubble, interacting with different kinds of people, and learning to adapt.

In our office we can see the pros and cons of roommate self-selection in a general sense, but have always advised students against choosing a roommate they know from home - especially someone with whom they are close friends. Roommates often experience conflict with one another during their first year in college as they learn to live in a shared environment. When this occurs with a friend from home, it can result in long-term social consequences that go way beyond the residence hall. Much better, in our opinion, to stay close with the friend from home and live separately.

I read an opinion piece last week on campus freedom of speech stating that fear and paranoia have descended onto college campuses. There are increasingly tougher penalties and new rules for students wanting to speak out on Palestine and Israel, with some schools banning indoor protests or preventing students from posting political messages on their residence hall doors. Student activists report feeling like they are being watched by university officials, believing that the administrators may be monitoring student Wi-Fi or watching students through campus cameras. Since October 7, there have been increased allegations of antisemitism and Islamophobia on campuses, and some schools have responded with tougher disciplinary stances, such as the threat of academic probation. 

The author opined that college protest isn’t antithetical to the mission of higher education, but rather, it is central to developing critical thinking skills and a moral philosophy of life. What do students on both sides of the aisle think? A recent Harris Poll conducted for Axios found that 77% of college students “said campus speech should be protected even if some feel the language is deeply upsetting,” – and these opinions were shared equally by young Democrats and Republicans.

Last week, we shared the news that ACT, Inc. is partnering with California-based private equity firm Nexus Capital Management after being slammed by financial losses. Since then, the private equity buyout has set off a lot of alarm bells for education advocates. Many are concerned that the move from non-profit to for-profit status will decrease transparency in the testing process. This is because non-profits are subject to regulatory oversight and disclosure requirements, which help ensure transparency and maintain public confidence. When it comes to test-taking, people need to be able to trust that there is a fair evaluation process. And while ACT says it will not immediately raise test prices, only time will tell if that, too, will ultimately change.

OFFICE HAPPENINGS

In between helping our juniors make progress on their lists, we’re still continuing to help our seniors make their final choices! I wanted to share one tip I gave a student last week that seemed to help her, in case any of our readers could benefit.

While it’s not particularly ground-breaking, I do want to acknowledge that this is not my original idea and I can’t remember where it came from - probably one of my former colleagues. I have used it with students for many years, though, and sometimes I even use it myself when I’m trying to make a hard life decision!

Here it is: once you’ve narrowed your list down to two or three schools using all of the traditional decision-making methods, pretend that you’ve chosen one of them and live in that space for a few days.

Wear the sweatshirt, tell friends and teachers that’s where you’re going, start engaging in admitted student groups and putting winter and spring break vacation dates in your calendar. Read about freshman course selection and start researching professors to differentiate between options in the online course schedule. When you go to sleep at night, think about everything you’ll experience “next year.” Are you excited for the football games? Can’t wait to explore your new city? Which aspects of your new life will be easy from an acclimation standpoint, and which may present a learning curve?

Take notes during this period. What surprises you? Do you feel a sense of relief or a sense of regret? Sometimes our body sends us signals after we make decisions - listen to those and write them down!

Next, repeat the entire process with the other final contender school(s). After you’ve had the chance to reflect on the differences between your experiences from school to school, discuss them with a trusted adult. See if this process provides new insight or helps your decision move along!

Good luck to all of the seniors out there - remember, you chose to apply to these schools for a reason, and there’s typically no “wrong” choice. Most students will be happy at any school on their list!

Weekly Update: April 16

Finally, a full week of school for all the Fairfax County parents out there! 👏👏👏

BIGGEST COLLEGE-RELATED NEWS OF THE WEEK

HARVARD & CALTECH WILL REQUIRE TEST SCORES 

On Thursday, both Harvard and Caltech announced they will reinstitute standardized testing as a requirement for admission. Test-optional policies were instituted with the intent to help low-income students; however, as we have mentioned before, a new study by Opportunity Insights found that test scores help admissions officers identify highly talented students from low-income groups who would have otherwise gone unnoticed. Harvard and Caltech join a growing number of schools that have reversed their test-optional policies, including Brown, Yale, Darthmouth, MIT, Georgetown, Purdue and University of Texas at Austin. If you ask me, the timeline in which these changes have been announced seems a little unfair. Most of our juniors have had their testing plans in place for 9-12 months already, and it’s a little late for schools to be pivoting like this. At this point, we recommend that all students applying to highly selective schools should operate as if they will need test scores for next year.

PRIVATE EQUITY IS TAKING OVER THE WORLD, COLLEGE ADMISSIONS EDITION

When I first read this article, I thought it was a late April Fool’s joke - but it wasn’t! ACT, Inc., the company behind the ACT, announced last Wednesday that it is shifting from a non-profit to a for-profit company. The new company will be majority-owned by Nexus Capital Management, a Los Angeles-based private equity investment firm. This comes after years of struggling to break even. The non-profit reported a net loss of $12 million and a 44% decrease in assets at the end of the 2022 fiscal year. At the height of the pandemic in 2020, it reported a net loss of $60.5 million. The new for-profit is describing itself as a “public benefit” corporation.” It will not have tax-exempt status, but its board is supposed to take the public good, as well as shareholders’ interests, into account.

What does this mean for families? No one really knows quite yet, but in the meantime, test pricing will NOT change as a result of the new partnership. Currently, ACT costs $93 with the writing portion of the test, and $68 without. This includes the option to send the test score to four colleges, but we recommend that students wait to see all of their scores before making the decision about which scores to send where.

CAITLIN CLARK: “THERE WILL NEVER BE ANOTHER 22”

University of Iowa announced last week that they are retiring Clark’s No. 22, the number she wore in her four years with the Hawkeyes. No women’s basketball player at Iowa will ever wear a jersey with that number; it will always belong to Clark. “There will never be another 22,” the team wrote on social media. I’m not crying, you’re crying!

To add to the excitement, Clark was named the #1 WNBA draft pick yesterday and selected by the Indiana Fever! We’re excited to watch her career play out.

BIDEN AUTHORIZES ANOTHER ROUND OF DEBT FORGIVENESS 

The Biden Administration stated last Friday that it will cancel an additional $7.4 billion in student debt, coming to a total of $153 billion in student loan forgiveness from the administration. Biden’s income-driven repayment plan, known as SAVE (Saving on Valuable Education), will erase student debt after 10 years of payments, compared with the 20-plus years in other existing plans. It will also wipe away the accrued interest for loan balances that are bigger than the amounts that were initially borrowed. Republicans have criticized the program, and assert that Biden is circumventing the Supreme Court, which struck down another version of it last year. They also argue that it is unfair to transfer the cost of repaying these loans to American taxpayers who chose not to go to college or worked to pay for it themselves. With the November elections approaching, this national conversation is just heating up.

BEST ARTICLES OF THE WEEK

As I mentioned in last week’s update, the cost of college education has risen to $95K at some elite colleges. A Bloomberg piece suggested that students who are not accepted to Ivy League schools are better off considering public flagship universities, rather than enrolling in the next-most prestigious school that accepted them. Public schools can be a much better investment than one of the private, elite “Hidden Ivies.”

Their study of more than 1,500 non-profit colleges found that the return on investment (ROI) at many of these elite, private institutions is 9% less than the ROI at the states’ public flagships. Those who paid less by attending a public school had an advantage when it came to building wealth by saving for a house or retirement. Some experts pointed out, however, that success should not only be considered in terms of dollars and cents.

Looking for insight into your brooding or anxious teenager’s mind?  A new documentary called “The Teen Brain” came out yesterday. It’s a ten minute video, and may be worth watching! Top neuroscientists and a slew of teenagers were consulted for the project, which shares medical reasons that explain why teens feel and experience emotions more deeply compared to adults.  Experts said the amygdala, the part of the brain that processes emotions, becomes sensitive and grows in size during adolescence. This documentary comes at a time that teens in particular are facing a mental health crisis, CDC data shows. Last year, U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy issued an advisory warning of an urgent public health issue regarding social media usage and youth mental health.

FAFSA has done it again! Just when we thought that colleges could finally start putting together aid packages for students, schools are reporting major errors in the tax information that was automatically populated in the FAFSA form. The Education Department has at last processed and released FAFSA forms to colleges, but they are fraught with mistakes, leading financial aid offices to distrust the data and to manually correct the information themselves. 

For example, some fields in the forms processed by the Department were blank, had the wrong codes, imported incorrect or partial tax data from the IRS, or incorrectly calculated the students’ eligibility for federal grants. Some of these errors will require the applicants themselves to correct them. Many institutions have pushed back their May 1 enrollment deadline to help students.  Some institutions like University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill are being even more flexible, and will allow students to decide once they know their financial situation. My guess is that we will see a lot of waitlist movement this summer as a result of these extended deadlines.

And lastly - I almost didn’t post this, but this New York Times piece entitled The Troubling Trend in Teenage Sex is one of the most disturbing and shocking articles I have ever read (and this is coming from someone who has curated articles relating to adolescents every single week for years!). It was almost unbelievable.

I decided to go ahead and post it because of the seriousness of the issue, and I really do think all parents should make time to discuss it with their high school and college-age children. I sent the link to some girlfriends yesterday, and one of them responded: “each line in this article gets more and more crazy.” That was my exact reaction, too. I was stunned by the percentages quoted, and by the time I got to the brain damage part I was in absolute disbelief. At the end of the day, kids need to be educated about the long-term impact of the choices they are making - and my guess is that most of them simply have no idea.

OFFICE HAPPENINGS

We are having a blast helping our seniors navigate through their acceptances to make their final college choices - this is the hardest part of the process in many ways, but definitely the most fun!

In the meantime, our juniors have been BUSY! We are in our second week of spring check-in meetings and they are all hard at work on their essays. A few are nearly finished at this point! It’s so amazing to cross that major milestone off the list early - not only does it get the actual work out of the way, it leaves them with a well-deserved feeling of accomplishment and motivates them to continue making headway in the application process.

Have a great week!

Holiday Celebrations Across College Campuses

The winter holiday season is filled with celebrations, special foods, and beautiful decorations. Whether you celebrate Hanukkah, the Winter Solstice, Christmas, Kwanzaa, or other holidays, this time of year is marked by traditions at home and at school. Last year we highlighted some of our favorite college Thanksgiving traditions, so this year we are highlighting some of our favorite winter holiday celebrations on college campuses across the country!

CHRISTMAS ON 5TH, BAYLOR UNIVERSITY

From Christmas carols to the tree lighting, students and members of the Waco, Texas community will fill the center of campus in celebration of Baylor’s traditional Christmas on 5th. They can enjoy food trucks, arts and crafts, pictures with Santa and Mrs. Claus, and other holiday activities supported by many student organizations. The festivities include performances ranging from live Nativity scenes to The Nutcracker to Holiday Carols from Around the World by the Department of Modern Languages & Cultures, and culminate in a Christmas tree lighting and concert.

KWANZAA AND FEAST OF FAITH, NORTH CAROLINA STATE UNIVERSITY

The African American Cultural Center at NC State invites students for an early celebration of Kwanzaa and the Feast of Faith, taking place before final exams as Kwanzaa falls during winter break. NC State teaches the principles of Kwanzaa, which include unity, self-determination, collective work and responsibility, cooperative economics, purpose, creativity, and faith. In this special event, the community finds new ways to focus on Black resilience, innovation, and joy!

CHANUKAH IN THE SQUARE, COLLEGE OF CHARLESTON

Students at the College of Charleston gather to recognize the Festival of Lights in Marion Square with the annual Chanukah in the Square, the largest Jewish celebration in South Carolina. Sponsored by the city and the school, everyone is invited to enjoy live music and food ranging from traditional hot latkes to kettle corn. Students can also take part in the 16th annual lighting of the giant menorah!

CHRISTMAS ON CAMPUS, UNIVERSITY OF DAYTON

For 60 years, the University of Dayton community has held Christmas on Campus. Student organizations host activities ranging from a carnival with activities sponsored by fraternities and sororities to performances from campus dance, music, and demonstration group. There’s also ornament making, cookie decorating, pictures with Santa, and more! But UD students don’t just celebrate: they buddy up with over 1,000 local children from the Dayton City Schools to explore and enjoy. 

LATKAPALOOZA, DUKE UNIVERSITY

Duke students celebrate Latkapalooza each year at the start of Hanukkah. This fun event includes a candle lighting with traditional Jewish prayers, latkes, and even a jelly doughnut-eating contest! Co-sponsored by the Jewish Student Union and Jewish Life at Duke, all students are welcome to play the Dreidel game and try latkes, a pancake-like traditional dish made from potatoes.

YULE LOG CELEBRATION, WILLIAM & MARY

At the annual Yule Log Celebration of peace, joy and gratitude, students and alumni gather to enjoy music and singing; a reading of traditional poems; and, for good luck, the tossing of holly sprigs into the fireplace. If you’re in a different city, you can still participate - check out the Yule Log gatherings across the country for alumni, families, and friends of the school. There’s even an option for those who can’t celebrate in person at all: William & Mary provides a live feed of the festivities in Williamsburg, along with videos of the fireplace and recipes for the traditional cakes, cookies, and cinnamon rolls.

Happy Holidays!

Weekly Update: November 21

It’s Thanksgiving week - almost time for turkey, football, friends, and family! Yet for seniors, this time of year can be especially challenging. They are trying to keep their grades up while teachers try to squeeze in assessments between Thanksgiving and winter breaks, and they are also juggling hundreds of emails and requests to set up portals, add optional admissions videos, and apply to additional “special programs.” Not to mention the stress and anxiety that comes with waiting on decisions!

So every year as we head into this holiday, I am reminded of the need to help seniors prepare for the onslaught of unsolicited questions and advice that comes with well-meaning visiting relatives, annual family gatherings, and uncertain notification dates. You know how it goes: Auntie Anne asks if Susie has heard from X college or Uncle Oscar asks Jimmy why he doesn’t add Oscar’s alma mater to his list “just to see what happens.” The “helpful” inquiries just pile stress on the already stressed senior.

Our advice to parents: help your son or daughter prepare a couple of polite responses, acknowledge that the comments come from a place of love and affection, and still politely end the conversation.

For example: “Thank you for asking, Auntie Anne. I’m excited to hear back from schools, too, but right now I am focusing on my classes and finishing my regular decision applications.” Responses that redirect the conversation can help the senior focus on the near future and control what she can control.

Or: “Thank you for your thoughts, Uncle Oscar. I will certainly take a look at your alma mater’s website when I get back to my applications after the Thanksgiving break.” Jimmy doesn’t commit to anything more than a quick look at the school’s website, while making it clear that he is on vacation too.

BIGGEST COLLEGE-RELATED NEWS OF THE LAST FEW WEEKS

PSAT SCORES (AND NATIONAL MERIT CUTOFF ESTIMATES) RELEASED

PSAT scores were released on November 6 or 16, depending on the date students took the test (if your student hasn’t received their score reports, have them go see their school counselor!). Check out Compass Prep’s analysis of this year's scores as well as their estimates for Commended Students and Semifinalists. It sounds like Commended Students can expect a 2 point cutoff increase, and while the Semifinalist increases vary by state, most will be in the 1-2 point range.

RISE IN NUMBERS OF EARLY APPLICATIONS

Now that the deadlines for most early applications have passed, the Common App has released preliminary data about early decision and early action numbers. According to them, early applications to member schools are up 41% over pre-pandemic numbers from 2019-2020. We will have to wait until the final application numbers are available before fully understanding the trends, but this increase may reflect a more permanent shift in students and colleges relying on early admission plans. We know from our work with students on the applications and essays that most students have quite a few early deadlines, some of which have moved to early October (and even early September for schools with rolling admissions or those that release admissions decisions in waves).

MICHIGAN SIGN-STEALING SCANDAL LEAVES HARBAUGH SUSPENDED

The Big Ten has made the decision to suspend coach Jim Harbaugh for three games as a result of the ongoing controversy relating to low-level employee Connor Stalions. Stalions is accused of attending opponents’ games in person, often disguised in the respective teams’ gear, to record their signs and signals as part of an extensive scheme to give Michigan an unfair advantage.

UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA IN FINANCIAL TROUBLE

Students applying to the University of Arizona will want to pay close attention to the recent reports of financial mismanagement - after financial predictions turned out to be wildly inaccurate, the school now admits to having only 97 days of cash on hand. President Robert Robbins has warned that “draconian cuts” may impact academic and athletic programs, salaries, and jobs.

PC: JMU Marketing and Branding Department

BEST ARTICLES OF THE LAST FEW WEEKS

Georgia Tech’s Rick Clark offers advice to juniors about test-optional admissions in his recent post: Middle 50%, Test Optional (… and Country Music?) He explains that middle 50% test score ranges are not as straightforward as they used to be (neither is test-optional admissions in general!), so students need to carefully analyze the information provided. After all, what does that range even represent? Accepted students or matriculated students? He recommends students ask questions when they look at colleges and universities' middle 50% of test scores to understand whose scores are included in that figure. As you develop your standardized testing plan, make sure you understand if the schools on your list require test scores, are test-optional, are test-blind, or if they are test-optional but prefer test scores. Some schools also have different policies based on majors, so be thorough. We help all of our current clients make these decisions, so if you’re a non-client who could use some assistance, feel free to book an introductory meeting.

Are you confused about the controversy between JMU and the NCAA? This feel-good piece is definitely worth a read (Unfortunately, the NCAA denied the latest waiver request this past week, and then things took another turn over the weekend when JMU lost to Appalachian State despite breaking attendance records for ESPN’s College GameDay). Whether they get to play in a bowl or not, the cynic in me is a little bit concerned about the inevitable admissions impact after so much athletic success. And we don’t have much wiggle room - last year, applications were up over 68% from just two years prior. 68%! That’s huge.

Speaking of football, this New York Times piece on young football players with C.T.E. was incredibly moving and tragic. It’s awful to think of these poor kids suffering this way, and the recommendation to delay tackle football until high school is compelling, given the latest research.

Lastly, don’t miss Vanity Fair’s excerpt from Among the Bros: A Fraternity Crime Story by Max Marshall. Named by Amazon as a “Best Book of the Year 2023,” it covers a disturbingly extensive, multimillion-dollar underground fraternity drug ring at the College of Charleston and has been the talk of the higher education world for the past few weeks. It reads a little bit like Bama Rush meets the Murdaugh’s, and I’ve already downloaded the book to read over the holidays.

OFFICE HAPPENINGS

We’ve been busy finishing up those last-minute additions with seniors (so. many. videos. this. year!) and of course, getting ready for Thanksgiving! At Sally’s house, that looks a little different from mine, so she’s sharing a few thoughts below on the challenges of having a student home from college!

College students arrive home, often for the first time since starting the semester, and have different expectations than parents do. My priorities are about family time, hearing about her life at college, making sure she spends time with her siblings, and having fun/making memories together. On the other hand, her priorities may be relaxing, catching up on sleep, seeing her friends, more sleep, eating her favorite meals, and more sleep. She has been completely independent since Labor Day, making all the decisions about her time, her car, and her responsibilities. Suddenly, she is home and doesn’t necessarily have the same freedoms. Even to go shopping, she will have to work with our schedules to borrow a car because her own will still be at school. 

Of course we have different expectations: I am excited to have my kid home, and she is excited to be at home with her family. But even those expectations can be a mismatch. When she left for college, her younger sister had finished middle school, but now she is one-third of the way through 9th grade and has begun to exert her independence and navigate a social life of her own. College students can find it jarring that their family hasn’t frozen in time while they were away. In the same way, parents forget that their “kid” has been making adult decisions for months. The kid expects to be on vacation during break, while we parents are expecting them to jump back into family life including chores like loading the dishwasher, picking up siblings at practice, and coming home at a “reasonable time.” (This last one is definitely fraught with differing expectations!)

What have I learned from our son’s four years and our daughter’s previous two years returning for break? There is no one right way to navigate the shift, not even with the same kid in subsequent years. My advice is to acknowledge the differences beforehand (as in, during the car ride home from the airport) and to be patient with each other. As much as I want to spend time with her, I also have to remember to respect our daughter’s independence. Similarly, she has to remember to balance her need to take a real break before returning to school for final exams and to respect that she is part of a family with work, schedules, and time commitments. 

And when she thinks I am demanding too much or I think she is coming home too late, I hope we remember to give each other a little leeway as we sail these uncharted waters together.

Enjoy the Thanksgiving break!

Weekly Update: February 6

BIGGEST COLLEGE-RELATED NEWS OF THE WEEK

MORE BAD NEWS FOR MARYLAND 529 COLLEGE SAVINGS ACCOUNTS

Another board member at Maryland 529 has resigned. Jessica McClain- a member of the audit and governance subcommittee- stepped down as the organization continues to face intense scrutiny. After freezing college savings accounts over an interest calculation error, Maryland 529 sought to correct the discrepancies. However, families are not happy with their newly adjusted totals, and now Maryland 529 admits that the issue may take until late 2023 to resolve. In response, Senator Mary Washington is requesting that the Attorney General launch an investigation. 

CONTROVERSIAL CHANGES REVEALED IN THE NEW AP AFRICAN AMERICAN STUDIES DRAFT

On February 1, The College Board released a newly revised draft of its AP African American Studies course. Several scholarly terms have been deleted, and now there is more emphasis on “foundational history” rather than “contemporary theorists.” Concepts such as reparations and the Black Lives Matter movement are no longer included in the course–but some current topics are offered as optional project ideas instead. Although many suspect the changes were the result of “political pressure,” The College Board insists that the revisions were made in response to teacher feedback. Meanwhile, educators across the country are expressing their concerns over the new draft and what it could mean for academic freedom. 

COLLEGE ENROLLMENT IS REBOUNDING

The data is in, and college enrollment numbers are on the rise! Last week the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center released their report, offering hope for the state of higher education. After significant dips in enrollment since the start of the pandemic, regions around the country are seeing an uptick in undergraduate enrollment. Most notably, the number of first-year college students increased by 4.3% in just one year. It’s not all good news, though. Undergraduate enrollment is still down 5.8% from where it was in 2019, and graduate programs experienced drops as well. However, experts insist that the numbers are ultimately encouraging as higher education continues to recover from COVID-19. 

DESANTIS PROPOSES NEW BAN AT FLORIDA UNIVERSITIES

On Tuesday, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis announced his plan to prohibit state universities from funding diversity and inclusion initiatives. The proposed legislation would also prevent schools from implementing such initiatives, even if “the money isn’t coming from the state.” 

BEST ARTICLES OF THE WEEK

After spending nearly half of their high school years facing quarantines, Zoom classes, and virtual social lives, the class of 2022 is out of isolation and settled into college campuses across the US. So how are they doing? That’s the question NPR posed to six first-year undergrads, who opened up about how the pandemic has affected their college experiences. While some commented on academic gaps, most focused on the social and emotional impacts of COVID-19. Many students are struggling to develop the skills it takes to be part of such a socially-driven community. As one freshman noted, “We came basically from middle school to college not knowing how to act or who we were.” Slowly, first-year students are finding their ways and creating stability in real-life once again. 

Google, Amazon, Meta- it was a “take your pick” situation for years, as computer science undergraduates in top programs across the country secured impressive internships and lucrative entry-level jobs with these tech giants. This “pipeline” steadily fed technology corporations with new talent and young professionals with job stability and high salaries. However, hiring freezes are breaking the pipeline and forcing students to reconsider their professional options. Rather than focusing on name recognition, young professionals are pivoting toward roles with lesser-known companies, while others are opting for graduate school or technology jobs in other fields, such as healthcare and finance. Fortunately, computer science continues to be a growing field, and there is no shortage of jobs if students are willing to create their own pathways.

What is the ultimate job of a college president? Last week, John Petillo- president of Sacred Heart University- shared his thoughts. He believes that in such a highly politicized world, it’s more important than ever for colleges and universities to uphold free speech and be “safe havens” for open discourse, dissenting voices, and truth. At Sacred Heart University, the core curriculum directly supports such freedoms, encouraging students to grapple with essential questions of human existence. Petillo insists that schools need to “get out of the business of higher ed becoming an echo chamber for a single political ideology” so that “our society may continue to thrive and prosper.”

OFFICE HAPPENINGS

Last week was BUSY! The latest round of EA decisions was challenging and it just gets harder and harder each year. I feel like a broken record saying that during my 10th and 11th grade meetings, but it’s true and it has become tougher each year for me to stay upbeat in the face of a totally broken system.

And I know I’m absolutely biased - but wow, this is not a time to DIY the college process unless you know what you’re doing. It’s just.. brutal out there.

I was talking to a parent last week who characterized it perfectly when he noted that for years, we all heard those horror stories of the mythical good kid from the next town over, four degrees of separation away, who supposedly “didn’t get into college.” As he pointed out, these stories are not urban legends anymore. There are legitimately good kids who will not go to college next year because they (or their parents) were in denial and didn’t take the changing landscape seriously.

If a school has early decision, that school’s early action program is not a safe option for ANYONE anymore. And if it’s a popular public flagship, same deal. Plan accordingly! I hope to write a mid-week blog about this soon because I think it’s very interesting to reflect on how our role as college counselors has changed so much over the last few years. The value we provide is so different today.

On a different note, I made time to share my thoughts on double majoring in U.S. News and World Report. While some students think more is automatically better, I encourage them to reflect on whether it’s worth it. Will the extra time, tuition, and/or effort have a good return on investment? It really depends on the industry and your career goals, as well as the flexibility of your school and the requirements of the majors involved.

Last but not least, I got to spend my free time delivering Girl Scout cookies! I am fairly confident that anyone reading this has already been hit up by 123,428 Girl Scouts already, but if not, I’ve got your hook up. We also have a few boxes of Thin Mints, Tagalongs and Trefoils (aka Shortbread, for those of you in my generation) that are ready to be delivered right away and can be at your house tomorrow if you are local and send me an email!

For those of you who are not budding Girl Scout entrepreneurs, don’t worry - we have a career-related opportunity to kickstart your path, too! Fairfax County’s Instruction 2 Industry Career Fair Expo gives teenagers a chance to learn more about in-demand career paths and hear from experts in different industries–all from the convenience of their laptop screens. The Expo is a series of live Zoom webinars that take place during after-school hours, February 13-15. Click here to learn more and register for the event. 

Trend Watch: The Rise of Metaversities

This week Morehouse College made headlines when it announced its new Black History course, set to launch in Spring 2023. Why all of the hype, you might ask? Well, this isn’t a case of a controversial curriculum. It’s an innovative leap into the future of higher education. 

Students who enroll in “History of the African Diaspora Since 1800” will have the opportunity to attend the March on Washington with Martin Luther King, Jr. and visit soldiers on the civil war battlefields. That’s because the course takes place in the metaverse–an immersive online environment that defies all limits of time and space. With the aid of virtual reality headsets and avatars, students will transport themselves into key historical events, gaining a perspective like never before. 

This is just one of the courses Morehouse offers in the metaverse. There are currently nine others, spanning across several academic departments. And Morehouse isn’t the only college where undergraduates can strap on a headset and experience an entirely new kind of learning. Currently ten schools across the country are experimenting with metaverse courses, and many are predicting that such classes- and even “metaversitites”- will be the future of higher education.

Understanding the metaverse

Last year when Facebook rebranded itself as Meta, the term “metaverse” began popping up all over the internet. If you conduct a quick Google search, you’ll find that there is no standard definition of the term. In fact, most admit that we don’t know exactly what the metaverse entails just yet; there are still many unknown possibilities. But in simple terms, the metaverse is a network of 3D interactive environments where users can work, socialize, and yes, even go to school. 

The metaverse is still in early stages of experimentation, and colleges like Morehouse are acting as case studies for how the metaverse can enhance students’ educational experiences.

The birth of metaversities 

This past April, virtual reality specialists VictoryXR and EngageXR teamed up to create a virtual university pilot program for ten participating schools, including West Virginia University and University of Maryland Global Campus. These “metaversities” are digital campuses that replicate the exact look and feel of the physical school setting. With the aid of a headset, undergrads can do just about everything they’d do if they were right on campus: walk through the quad; engage in class discussions; work on group projects. But the technology also allows students to experience a type of learning that just wouldn’t be feasible IRL (in real life). For example, students dissecting a heart in a biology lab can shrink their avatars and walk through the ventricles. And those studying astronomy can get up close and personal with the stars. 

potential advantages and drawbacks of metaversities

Not only do metaverse courses eliminate the barriers of time and space; they can also address other educational challenges. The metaverse does away with the traditional classroom structure, creating a more exciting and personalized learning experience for students. Proponents of metaversities believe that such courses will increase student retention, especially for those who struggle in a typical classroom environment.  And for students with learning differences, the metaverse could be a real game-changer. 

Additionally, several have commented on the potential for metaverse classes to improve student engagement. Forget boring lectures! Classes in the metaverse rely on student-centered learning experiences where participants are constantly exploring, creating, and building. And because the metaverse takes students outside the constraints of geography and time, there are endless possibilities for constructing and connecting.

Of course, no new technology is without its critics. Logistical concerns are at the forefront of the metaversity debate. After all, the metaverse can get expensive! Schools not only have to purchase virtual reality headsets for all students, which can cost anywhere from $400-1,500 per pair, but they spend thousands in metaverse platform subscriptions each year. Plus, universities will have to expand their IT departments to maintain the technology and invest in extensive professor training.  Students themselves can accrue unexpected costs as well. Metaverse courses put a big strain on internet services, requiring some to ‘up’ their internet packages. And what about those who don’t have access to high-speed connections? Who knows? 

Furthermore, many are concerned about the psychological and social ramifications of virtual education. This is our biggest concern, too. Will students have difficulty distinguishing reality from fantasy? How will they develop healthy relationship-building habits and socialization skills? How will they .. have fun? And how will the metaverse prepare them to succeed in real life? What impact could this shift have upon future generations and the world as we know it? Only time will tell. 

Looking into the future

Given that metaversities are in their infancy, it is difficult to predict where these worlds will ultimately steer higher education. For now colleges experimenting with metaversities can continue collecting and assessing data. The numbers on course enrollments, student attendance, and assessments will hopefully start to tell us more about the risks and rewards and the world of possibilities for the future. 

Weekly Update: November 18

BIGGEST COLLEGE-RELATED NEWS OF THE WEEK

ACADEMIC WORKERS AT UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA GO ON STRIKE

This week, workers at the University of California staged the largest academic strike in the history of US higher education. Representing over 48,000 researchers, graders, and post-doctoral fellows, the academic staff union has been trying to negotiate higher wages and increased benefits with university administrators for over a year. However, the union believes that administrators have not been bargaining in “good faith.” UC officials have denied this claim and hope to reach an agreement as soon as possible. In the meantime, professors at UC institutions are planning for class disruptions.

EYEWITNESS ACCOUNTS OF UVA SHOOTING

Details of the deadly UVA shooting on Sunday night continue to emerge. Just as a group of students returned from a class trip to Washington, D.C., suspect Christopher Darnell Jones, Jr. opened fire on the bus, killing three fellow students and injuring others. The rest of the group fled into nearby campus buildings, and the university went into lockdown until Jones was apprehended. Eyewitnesses are now trying to piece together their last conversations with the victims and offering their observations of the suspect, who some claim was targeting specific students on the bus. We will continue tracking this story as the investigation proceeds.

MYSTERIOUS MURDERS AT THE UNIVERSITY OF IDAHO

As Virginians reel from the devastating events at UVA this week, it’s important to remember that another tragedy occurred at the University of Idaho as well. Four students were found dead near campus on Sunday in an apparent homicide. The case is being investigated in what police describe as a “crime of passion,” but no further details have been released. 

VIRGINIA’S UPDATED HISTORY AND SOCIAL STUDIES STANDARDS COME UNDER FIRE

Every seven years, the Virginia Department of Education is required to redevelop standards of learning - otherwise known as SOLs - for each subject area and garner approval from the state board of education. Typically this process is routine, but not this year! In August, the board called for an extensive revision of the history and social studies standards proposal. The several hundred page document was streamlined into just 53 pages and submitted for another review this week. While the latest version may be easier to digest, many feel that the standards overlook important areas of history and “minimize diverse perspectives.” Yesterday, the Board of Education voted to push back their review, advising the Department of Education to revise the proposal once again.

SCHOOLS REJECT COLLEGE RANKINGS

In a shocking move, Yale Law School and Harvard Law School announced this week that they will no longer participate in the annual U.S. News and World Report’s College Rankings. Although these institutions typically take top spots on the list, officials at both schools are calling the ranking’s methodology into question. Deans at Harvard and Yale claim the rankings are driven by “misguided formulas” that undermine student choice. They are concerned with what they believe is an over-emphasis on LSAT scores and GPAs and skewed calculations of student debt loads. Many wonder how this move will affect the ranking’s reputation and if other institutions will follow in Yale and Harvard’s footsteps.

BEST ARTICLES OF THE WEEK

Did you know that international students contribute over thirty billion dollars to the US economy? Inside Higher Ed took a close look at the impact of international student enrollment losses in the United States over the past two years. Although international enrollment is rebounding, experts are still concerned. In fact, some policy makers are calling for a national strategy to promote international enrollment, which they note was declining even before the pandemic. Other factors include cost, concerns of gun violence in America, and increased xenophobia. 

Selecting a major is one of the most important decisions an undergraduate will make. So how do you choose a degree that you won’t regret later? According to CNBC, the answer lies in value. Recent surveys indicate that the least-regretted majors are those that yield direct career pathways and high salaries. While these findings aren’t necessarily surprising, the list of top ten most regretted majors may be to some. Take a look for yourself! 

Walk into a dorm room, and you just might find yourself face-to-face with a snake–well at least in the state of Indiana. Recent data has shown a surge in the number of emotional support animals (ESAs) across Indiana’s colleges and universities. Under the Fair Housing Act, students can house emotional support animals as part of their mental health accommodations. Although cats and dogs are the most popular ESAs, Indiana campuses are now housing support hamsters, guinea pigs, and even snakes. Officials have drawn the line, though, at exotic pets and farm animals. Personally, I am not sure how snakes aren’t considered to be exotic pets…?

Parents, you’ll be happy to know that your teenagers do, in fact, trust you! According to recent EAB surveys, nearly half of teenagers polled consider parents to be one of the most trusted sources of college information - an 11% increase from a similar survey conducted just two years ago. According to Robert Alexander, Dean of Admissions at the University of Rochester, parental involvement in the college admissions process is continuing to rise. And while the support may be a welcome relief to stressed-out college applicants, parental overinvolvement is a real danger. Alexander offers a list of dos and don’ts to help parents navigate the process in a way that empowers their children. We especially like his suggestion to schedule a weekly family meeting time. That way, parents don’t run the risk of turning every conversation into an application meeting.

Lastly, Forbes published an article that released some interesting Common Application statistics relating to the current application cycle. Applications are way up, and the highest increase in apps can be found in the group of most selective schools. Trends have also emerged relating to geography - applications to schools in South Carolina, Texas, and Alabama have increased more than they have any other states (this aligns with the viral article from Town & Country that we posted in October - check this out if you haven’t yet!).

OFFICE HAPPENINGS

The holiday season is here, and it’s the perfect time for teens to get involved in the community! There are a variety of unique volunteer opportunities in northern Virginia and DC, especially for expert gingerbread house makers and light-stringers. Visit our database to see an up-to-date list.

If you’re a junior staying in town during Thanksgiving week, consider checking out some local schools to gain an initial sense of your college preferences. Even if you have zero interest in attending any D.C. area schools, it’s easy to spend some time exploring the campuses of Georgetown, GW, American, Catholic and/or George Mason, and the experience can be a really valuable opportunity to learn which factors appeal to you. We can use your observations to help make recommendations for other schools - and also tell you which to skip.

And p.s. - does it even count as a visit to Georgetown if you don’t stop by Call Your Mother for bagels?

I was there this morning and grabbed a Sun City with Bacon, YUM!!! Highly recommend and it’s always packed full of Georgetown students. Make sure to pre-order if you are going on a weekend. I also picked up some treats for my kids while I was there :)

Have a fantastic weekend!

Weekly Update: November 11

We want to thank all of our veterans for their service 🇺🇸

BIGGEST COLLEGE-RELATED NEWS OF THE WEEK

LEARN BIOMEDICAL ENGINEERING AT SIX FLAGS

Every year, over 100 first year students in biomedical engineering and physics at Johns Hopkins have a unique learning experience - riding roller coasters at Six Flags. The program - really an experiment - has been running for 20 years, with students measuring acceleration, heart rate, altitude, and other metrics on the amusement park rides. It also serves as a bonding experience for these future biomedical engineering majors. 

ABA VOTES ON TEST SCORES IN LAW SCHOOL ACCREDITATION

In one week, the ABA’s Council of the Section of Legal Education will vote on whether to continue to require standardized testing be used in law school admissions in order for law schools to remain accredited by the organization. Currently, law schools must use a “valid and reliable” test for admissions - a category that grew to include the GRE in November 2021. 

Even if the measure passes next Friday, it will still need to go before the ABA’s House of Delegates in February for final approval. In a 2018 attempt to eliminate the requirement, the measure was withdrawn before that approval process began. 

“VARSITY BLUES” YALE COACH SENTENCED TO FIVE MONTHS

The former Yale women’s soccer coach, who pled guilty to a charge of wire fraud in 2019 for his involvement in the Varsity Blues scandal, was sentenced to five months in prison on Wednesday. The coach, Rudy Meredith, was the first to tell authorities about Rick Singer, after Meredith was caught soliciting a $450,000 bribe from a father in April 2018.

SENATOR BEN SASSE APPROVED AS UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA PRESIDENT

Senator Ben Sasse (R-NE) will leave the Senate in January in order to assume his new position as the President of the University of Florida on February 6, 2023. The Board of Governors approved Sasse’s appointment during a regular meeting on Wednesday despite the ongoing controversy related to his selection.

BEST ARTICLES OF THE WEEK

A group of college students move into a convent… It may sound like the beginning of a punchline, but this is what happened at Neumann University in Pennsylvania. Neumann, a Catholic university, wanted more housing for students - and the convent on the edge of campus, once home to 1,600 nuns and now with a population of only about 300, had some extra bedrooms. While the nuns and students have separate entrances to the building and eat in separate dining halls, they have bonded over dorm pizza parties, painting pumpkins, and even learning a TikTok dance. Neumann anticipates moving even more students into the sisters’ home in the future. 

What does buying tickets to Taylor Swift’s tour have to do with college admissions? According to Jeff Selingo, buying concert tickets and applying to college have a few similarities. In his latest newsletter, Selingo explores the impact of early admissions, particularly early decision, on college admissions. At some schools, it is basically impossible to be admitted without applying early - and this phenomenon is only increasing. With ED becoming the new RD, we expect this trend will only be exacerbated by an economic downturn. During the Great Recession, colleges relied heavily on ED, so there is precedent to this increase. 

Lastly, don’t miss the Washington Post’s concerning expose about Yale’s handling of students with mental health challenges. I know that dealing with these struggles is sort of a lose-lose situation from an institutional standpoint- the colleges are of course very concerned about the students’ welfare, but still need to minimize their own liability. Still, this does not feel like a good solution to me at all - there has to be a better way.

OFFICE HAPPENINGS

I just finished the 2nd to last week of the intensive part of my Goldman Sachs 10KSB program! (we will still meet during 2023 and have our “graduation” in May but the commitment will be substantially smaller than the 20+ hour weekly time commitment this past fall).

Anyway, we were working on operations and processes this past week (which I am truly passionate about) and had a fun exercise in which we had to work with our groups to provide instructions to build a PBJ sandwich. I led my group and it turned out we were only the 7th in the entire history of the program to wind up with an actual sandwich at the end! The other groups wound up with a peanut butter jar on the bread and so forth, but I helped my group create a detailed standard operating procedure to ensure a consistent product with no room for error.

This is exactly how I run DC College Counseling, and I have to say I am very proud of what a great job we do from an operations standpoint. We are not figuring things out on the fly - from college essays to proofreading applications to course registration - even for providing reminders and updating status charts - we have a well-thought-out system for every single thing we do. This gives us the opportunity to provide a consistently amazing client experience that reduces stress for our families and yields the positive outcomes they want.

(Ok - done bragging - now I will go back to struggling through financial statements, which are 100% NOT my superpower).

In other news - our juniors are really focused on the college search process right now, and we are so excited to get their feedback! It really is like a puzzle, finding a great list for each individual student, and we have so much fun working with our students to find their perfect fit(s)

If you are feeling overwhelmed by the choices or unsure how to research schools, book a Meet & Greet to learn more about how we can help!

Lastly, if you’re a high school student who loves to read, or is looking for a volunteer opportunity, become a member of the Fairfax Library’s Teen Advisory Board. The position will allow students in grades 7-12 to share ideas to improve teen programming at the libraries, as well as gain volunteer hours. Email alisha.hasson@fairfaxcounty.gov for more information or to apply. 

Enjoy the weekend!

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Weekly Update: November 4

BIGGEST COLLEGE-RELATED NEWS OF THE WEEK

AFFIRMATIVE ACTION BEFORE THE SUPREME COURT

Like many in the higher education world, we were glued to Monday’s arguments in the Supreme Court! After the arguments, it seems likely that the Court will decide to eliminate race-consciousness in college admissions at the end of this term. This is likely going to have a reverberating impact on many aspects of the process, so we’ll be keeping a close watch on this one!

VIRGINIA’S FIRST COLLEGE OF PUBLIC HEALTH

The school itself has been around for a while, but George Mason recently announced it will be renaming its College of Health and Human Services, instituting the George Mason College of Public Health as the first college of public health in Virginia. The College, which houses several schools at GMU including the School of Nursing, will offer both online and in person classes to graduate and undergraduate students.

FORDHAM INSTITUTES BOOSTER SHOT REQUIREMENT

On Tuesday, Fordham University’s policy requiring a mandatory fourth dose of the COVID-19 vaccine went into effect. This vaccine mandate, one of the strictest in the country, sparked backlash - with a group of Fordham Law School students announcing that they will file a lawsuit in the Bronx Supreme Court against the mandate. 

STRUGGLING ECONOMY IMPACTS UNIVERSITY ENDOWMENTS

Many schools are seeing the largest dip in their endowments since 2009 as assets continue to decline. Wash U, for example, lost over 10% of its endowment this fiscal year - slightly more than the average 7.8% loss across schools. For wealthier colleges, however, the impact has been less intense - with Princeton and Harvard losing just over 1% of their endowments. A continued decrease could impact faculty salaries and hiring, new projects on campuses, and more. 

BEST ARTICLES OF THE WEEK

The affirmative action case in the Supreme Court is generating a lot of articles around college admissions this week. We were especially intrigued by this article from The Atlantic, which explores the multitude of factors that go into the admissions process (as we always tell families, at a certain level, it doesn’t actually have much to do with how wonderful the student is!). And CNN dives into the specific relationship between Asian-American students and affirmative action - a particular issue as the cases currently before the Court allege that UNC and Harvard are discriminating against Asian-American students. 

Plus, yet more evidence of gaps in learning for students who attended high school virtually during the pandemic - particularly in classes like math, where foundational concepts clearly affect mastery of more complex material down the line. Math professors are faced with the dilemma of giving out more poor grades and failing more students, or changing their curricula and focusing more on fundamentals (we’re in favor of the latter!). 

OFFICE HAPPENINGS

Shannon got back from a trip to Richmond recently to see VCU and the University of Richmond. Here’s what she had to say:

After visiting both schools at the same time, I was reminded of what a great microcosm of college variety they are! For sophomores or juniors just beginning their college search, Richmond is a great trip to take. Students will be able to experience and figure out whether they prefer an urban or suburban school; a big or small school; a public or private school… having two schools so close together that are such opposites is a really wonderful opportunity to start to figure out what works for you. 

November 1 deadlines may have passed, but things are still busy over here! We are focusing on wrapping up applications for our late-start seniors, as well as law school applications. We’re also getting started on military academy applications (remember to start these early!) and brainstorming college lists with our Class of 2024 juniors. Finally, we are continuing to finalize course selection as well as scholarship applications with our college experience coaching students. Phew! One of these days we will take a vacation ;)

Enjoy the beautiful weather this weekend!

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Weekly Update: October 28

Happy Halloween!

BIGGEST COLLEGE-RELATED NEWS OF THE WEEK

HALF OF STAFFORD HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS OUT SICK

1,000 students at Stafford High School in Fredericksburg, nearly half of the student body, were out sick today with “flu-like and gastrointestinal symptoms.” The school is investigating the cause of the illness, and currently plans to be open on Monday. 

ELI LILLY CREATES NEW PURDUE SCHOLARSHIP

Eli Lilly has committed a $92.5 million gift to Purdue University, nearly half of which will fund a new pharmaceutical manufacturing scholarship program. The 75-100 students who receive the scholarship each year will receive full tuition, in addition to guaranteed internships or co-ops with Eli Lilly. The school expects to award the first of these scholarships next fall.

The remaining $50 million will go towards extending the established research partnership between Eli Lilly and Purdue. 

UMD MAKES NEW “TERRAPIN COMMITMENT”

UMD pledged this week to invest $20 million in need-based aid. The program will help fill in the gaps for low-income students who receive federal Pell Grants, to make tuition and fees more affordable for these students and families. The “Terrapin Commitment” joins programs such as UNC’s “Carolina Covenant” and Michigan’s “Go Blue Guarantee” in making it easier for low-income students to attend public universities. 

NC STATE COPES WITH STUDENT DEATH BY SUICIDE

This week, NC State suffered the third reported death by suicide of a student in the last two months. With 1,100 deaths on college campuses per year, suicide is the second leading cause of death for college students, and this is another harsh reminder of the mental health crisis that all schools continue to face. 

BEST ARTICLES OF THE WEEK

This article from The Atlantic explores the income gap at colleges and universities, in light of the affirmative action case coming before the Supreme Court. The author, Richard D. Kahlenberg, is serving as an expert witness for Students for Fair Admissions, the plaintiff in the case. He argues that striking down affirmative action is a progressive move, because it will require universities to give an “admissions boost” to economically disadvantaged applicants, rather than doing so along racial lines. Kahlenberg notes that while Harvard’s classes reflect America in racial diversity, the school has 15 times as many students from the top quintile of wealth distribution as from the bottom quintile. Likewise, UNC has 16 times as many students from the top fifth as the bottom fifth. He argues that a more authentic way to achieve racial diversity, after affirmative action is struck down, will be by admitting more economically disadvantaged students, noting that this is the case at schools like UC Berkeley and UCLA, which do not use race in admissions. 

Penn’s doctoral program in higher education management - a class for aspiring professionals hoping to become top-level administrators and university presidents - dedicated an entire weekend to discussing college sports and the NCAA. The importance of this subject matter is a clear sign of the impact that athletics have at the top levels of college administration. Students were asked questions about various aspects of athletic policy and budgeting - for example, if they were presidents of Big Ten schools, what would they do with the income from the conference’s new media rights deal? These types of questions are becoming increasingly more important for college presidents to answer as college sports continue to grow in popularity and revenue.

OFFICE HAPPENINGS

Those November 1 deadlines are right around the corner - good luck to those submitting this weekend and CONGRATULATIONS to all of our seniors who have submitted their early applications! We are so proud of all of you. Enjoy the Halloween weekend!

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Weekly Update: October 21

Hope everyone is staying calm this week - those early deadlines are coming up fast!

BIGGEST COLLEGE-RELATED NEWS OF THE WEEK

CLEMSON’S NEW 10/15 DEADLINE CAUSES PANIC NATIONWIDE FOR HS SENIORS (EXCEPT OUR CLIENTS)

Back in May, when Clemson announced that they were moving to a 10/15 EA deadline by which student files had to be complete, I posted online that I knew it was going to be a disaster and I was right! A complete file means that all materials must be received and processed by the deadline, which is highly unusual - almost every school in the country has a materials deadline a week after the actual deadline.

That new policy, in combination with the 10/15 deadline (which only a handful of other colleges share - the rest are 11/1 or later) and the fact that students had to log in post-submission and submit a Self-Reported Academic Record before 10/15 was a recipe for disaster. We were ON IT and basically spent last Friday and Saturday hunting down every last one of our Clemson applicants to make sure every SRAR and file was complete by 10/15. And they all were!

Meanwhile, all hell broke loose a few days after the 15th! Tons and tons of applicants (my best guess is thousands) across the country were notified by Clemson that they were no longer under consideration because they missed the deadline and OMG they were furious. After a lot of social media bashing, Clemson ultimately buckled and responded by giving them another week, but wow - lots of needless stress. Moral of the story, read the directions or work with counselors who will read them on your behalf! 😀

LAWRENCE UNIVERSITY STUDENTS DO NOTHING

No, seriously. In an effort to improve student mental health on campus, the university created a “Do Nothing” course, where students learn about mind-body techniques including sleep hygiene and Tai Chi. The course has the highest enrollment out of any non-required course at the university. 

BODY OF PRINCETON UNIVERSITY STUDENT FOUND

Misrach Ewunetie, a Princeton student, had been missing for six days when her body was found on the campus’s facilities grounds yesterday. Police note that the tragedy does not appear to have been a result of suspicious or criminal activity, and both the university and Misrach’s high school have issued statements of mourning and support for her family.

TJHSST REGISTRATION OPENS SOON

Middle school students interested in applying for admission to TJ should note that registration opens next week, and will close in mid-November. Students can review the eligibility requirements and apply on the FCPS website. 

BEST ARTICLES OF THE WEEK

In this week’s Next newsletter, Jeff Selingo considers the “content” and “distribution” model as it applies to colleges. Many technology companies that he uses as examples started out as distribution channels only - think Netflix - and then went on to become content creators, while others (he mentions Disney) went the other way around, moving from creating content to controlling distribution (hello, Disney+). Selingo asks what the content is that universities uniquely create - their professors, curriculum, residential experience, etc. - and how it is distributed. As colleges move more and more content online, these questions will continue to resonate.

This is an idea that comes up nearly every year, but one that is worth considering for students and families - the way that niche sports can provide the typically white, wealthy students that excel in them with a path to admission at selective colleges. We’ve heard about the private squash and tennis courts at Connecticut homes, and this article dives into the world of fencing. But this path to admissions may be short-lived - if affirmative action is struck down by the Supreme Court, expect colleges to overhaul their admissions processes. 

If you’ve been reading the blog for a while, you may remember MIT’s controversial reasoning behind reinstating test scores as part of the admissions process - that this metric, long considered a source of bias in the process, actually made it more equitable. A study from a Vanderbilt professor shows that MIT may have been onto something. Admissions officers find it much more difficult to evaluate students fairly when test scores are optional, and overall it has made the admissions process much more subjective than when scores were more widely used. 

OFFICE HAPPENINGS

Some local news - Fairfax County health and medical science students are gaining valuable immersive experience through a partnership with GW, which provides access to the university’s Mobile Learning Center. The learning center includes AI aspects, virtual demonstration, and simulation activities. 

I was quoted in U.S. News and World Report this week in an article about how to know that you’re truly ready for college and all it entails! Check that out here.

We are excited to be wrapping up applications with most of our seniors! We know that the waiting is often the hardest part of the process, but hope that everyone submitting for the 11/1 deadline gets a chance to relax and celebrate a job well done. 

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

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5 Reasons to Consider Academic Coaching

You’ve probably seen coaches on the football field and in the gym. They help people reach their peak physical condition and create strategies for victory. But did you know there’s another type of coach, the kind that doesn’t focus on footwork or cardio? 

Academic coaches train high school, college and graduate students for academic success. Whether a student is suffering from executive functioning difficulties, test anxiety, or project management challenges, academic coaching can empower students with the tools, techniques, and habits necessary for growth. 

There are numerous benefits to academic coaching, and today we’re sharing the top 5 reasons to consider an academic coach for your child.

1. Learn HOW to succeed, step-by-step

One of the biggest benefits of academic coaching is learning HOW to do the organizational work that is the foundation for success in high school and college. Most students know they are supposed to study, or supposed to work on essays in advance, or supposed to keep their homework organized, but they've never been taught HOW to do these things. Instead, they’ve simply been told: “do your homework” or “turn in that assignment by Friday.” 

Academic coaches help students develop systems to organize their schedules, manage specific projects, and develop essential study skills. By breaking down big concepts like organization and time management into actionable, step-by-step processes, students can feel more empowered and know exactly HOW to achieve success. Bonus: the habits and systems students create now will continue to benefit them in college and in their careers!

2. Stop a crisis before it starts

Are your child’s grades starting to fall? Are they having difficulty managing their schedule or completing their work? Do they seem overwhelmed? If so, an academic coach might be just what your student needs. After all, timing is everything. Academic coaching can prevent a bad quarter from turning into a bad year AND stop self-defeat in its tracks. If a student begins working with an academic coach early, they’ll have the time and space to try different techniques. Instead of desperately trying to get their ‘head above water,’ they’ll be focused on discovering what works for them–and stopping the crisis before it starts.

3. Uncover the real roadblock

I procrastinate too much. I just can’t get started on.... These are common challenges we hear students express when they first seek out academic coaching. Many believe they struggle with time management or motivation, and while these factors may play a part in a student’s challenges, they aren’t always the real roadblocks. An academic coach supports students in identifying underlying behaviors and thought-processes that are leading to academic challenges. Once students understand that their procrastination is actually anxiety or their time management challenge is really just an overloaded schedule, they can begin taking the steps to address the root of the problem.

4. Get the personalization you need

Academic coaching is NOT a one-size-fits-all approach. It’s a personalized experience that allows coaches to get to know the student and their particular needs. Coaches work closely with families (and sometimes even a student’s subject tutor or academic support professional) to determine the strategies that will work best for a student. And if something isn’t working, the coach will make adjustments!

Even more importantly, academic coaching sessions are tailored to each student, whether they are learning a new way to take notes or planning their finals schedule. Here at DC College Counseling, we offer periodic meetings or consistent, monthly coaching sessions to fit exactly what students need.

5. Eliminate stress at home

Did you do your homework? Go study! I told you to finish that last night. 

Let’s face it, academic struggles are stressful, not just for students but for parents too.

Many parents aren’t quite sure HOW to ‘get through’ to their child, and we know that the constant reminders (and nagging!) can be frustrating for everyone.

That’s where an academic coach comes in. They encourage students to take ownership of their schedules and provide the tools and reminders to support them along the way. Many families have found that academic coaching eases tensions at home and creates a more positive, unified approach to overcoming challenges.

Interested in learning more about academic coaching?

Shannon has extensive academic coaching experience with high school, college, and graduate students. She loves helping students find the right combination of tools and techniques to gain confidence and reach their potential.

DC College Counseling offers academic coaching with flexible options for as- needed sessions or monthly packages. If you would like to book a meet-and-greet with Shannon to explore options, please click here. 

To see what an academic coaching sessions with Shannon entail, as well as specifics about or package options, you can read more here.

Weekly Update: September 23

BIGGEST COLLEGE-RELATED NEWS OF THE WEEK

FLORIDA A&M STUDENTS SUE THE STATE OF FLORIDA

Six students from Florida A&M, an HBCU in Tallahassee, FL, are suing the state of Florida for what they say is unequal funding and resources. As a public institution, Florida A&M receives state funding, but the students allege that FAMU does not receive fair funding compared to other state schools, like Florida State. The lawsuit is another example of how the issue of underfunding at HBCUs is becoming more and more salient across the country.

BOMB THREAT AT NORTHEASTERN UNIVERSITY

Students at Northeastern were instructed to shelter in place last night while police addressed a bomb threat at the Curry Student Center. And Northeastern wasn’t the only school facing threats this week - a University of Utah student was arrested on Wednesday after she threatened to detonate the nuclear reactor located on campus if Utah’s football team lost to San Diego State last Saturday. If you were wondering, Utah won the game 35-7. 

YESHIVA UNIVERSITY LGBTQ CLUB FINDS A COMPROMISE

We shared a couple of weeks ago about Yeshiva University’s attempt to bring a case to the Supreme Court against a Pride club on campus, arguing that recognizing the club would be against the university’s religious affiliation. The Supreme Court did not block the lower court’s order, meaning Yeshiva is still required to recognize the club. In response, Yeshiva put all undergraduate club activities on hold.

On Wednesday, the YU Pride Alliance agreed to a stay of the original court order in order to allow other student clubs to resume activities on campus.

BEST ARTICLES OF THE WEEK

Many families don’t realize when they initially start working with us that helping students ask for and receive excellent letters of recommendation is a core part of our process! We help all of our ongoing clients with everything from which teachers to the best way to phrase the question to preparing information for an awesome recommendation. Even if you’re not an ongoing client, though, you can pick up some tips from Colleen in this U.S. News article!  

With all the news about college football picking up this week (another sign of fall!), we found this WSJ article about college football eligibility an interesting read. 

A study published in Nature, the premier scientific journal, found that 20% of U.S. colleges and universities produce 80% of tenured college professors. In fact, one in eight professors got their degrees from Berkeley, Harvard, Michigan, Stanford, or Wisconsin. The study demonstrates that there is unequal access to faculty jobs and a lack of intellectual diversity among college professors. It also proves that as with many graduate degrees, including law and business, where you get your Ph.D. matters!

OFFICE HAPPENINGS

We highly recommend that students register for the College Fair on Sunday, October 16 at GMU’s EagleBank Arena. This is a great way to demonstrate interest and chat with representatives from more than 250 colleges and universities, including service academies. Check it out if you can!

We hope you have a fantastic weekend!

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Weekly Update: September 9

BIGGEST COLLEGE-RELATED NEWS OF THE WEEK

OBERLIN PAYS LOCAL BAKERY $36.59 MILLION

Oberlin College settled a years-long legal fight this week with a $36.59 million dollar settlement to a local bakery. The payout came after Oberlin sided with students who accused Gibson’s Bakery of racial profiling after a Black Oberlin student was caught stealing wine from the baker. After the incident, several hundred students protested outside of Gibson’s. The lawsuit emerged because members of Oberlin’s administration, including the dean of students, attended the protest. Oberlin hopes the payout will help to resolve and strengthen its relationship with local businesses. 

PRINCETON EXPANDS FINANCIAL AID POLICY

Princeton announced this week that it will cover tuition, room, and board for all students whose families make less than $100,000 per year. This new policy is expected to cover about a quarter of Princeton’s student body, who will now attend the university at no cost. The university has also expanded its “Miscellaneous Expenses” estimate from $3,500 to over $4,000 per year. Additionally, the expansion will help students from more affluent families, especially those who have multiple children in college at the same time. 

UVA STUDENTS PROTEST NEW BOARD MEMBER

Bert Ellis, one of Governor Youngkin’s picks for the UVA governing board, is receiving pushback from students. Ellis received his bachelors and masters from UVA, and is also the leader of the Jefferson Council, a UVA alumni group. The Cavalier Daily, UVA’s newspaper, recently published an article about Ellis’ efforts as an undergraduate to bring a prominent eugenicist to speak on campus, which led to student leaders objecting to Ellis’ appointment to the board. 

BEST ARTICLES OF THE WEEK

If there is one thing that intimidates many of our students, it is picking a college major! And while we reassure our juniors and seniors that their majors are not set in stone yet, if you are looking for tips on choosing a major, check out this article. The article’s author advises students to focus on a subject they love rather than a major that they think will be most financially profitable. While this is great advice for some students, for others, financial considerations are a huge part of their college degree choice! There are also certain careers that depend much more on degree than others. We encourage our students to talk with their parents and advisors (and us!) to figure out the best major path for them. 

I for one never took a film class in college, but if you’ve been wondering which movies your aspiring Film Studies major will be watching, check out this list of the most commonly assigned movies and directors in college classrooms! You’ll be surprised at the top choice. The article also provides data on the biggest drivers of “brain drain” - when students from public colleges move out of state to work. But D.C. is the biggest winner of brain drain by far, with 302% more college graduates living in D.C. than the city generates.

OFFICE HAPPENINGS

Shannon and I have a ton of webinars and tours of various schools these next few weeks (Shannon is in Richmond today exploring UR and VCU). We’re excited to share our 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! 

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. 

Have a great weekend!

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Weekly Update: September 2

BIGGEST COLLEGE-RELATED NEWS OF THE WEEK

TRAGEDY AT LEWIS & CLARK COLLEGE

A column collapse at Lewis & Clark College killed one student and injured two others on Monday, the first day of classes for the semester. The three students were lying in hammocks when the brick column collapsed. We’re keeping these students and families in our thoughts, and hoping that everyone returning to school stays safe!

YESHIVA UNIVERSITY PETITIONS SUPREME COURT

In June, the New York County Supreme Court ordered Yeshiva University, a Jewish university in New York City, to officially recognize the YU Pride Alliance. Now, Yeshiva is petitioning the Supreme Court, arguing that its religious beliefs prevent it from recognizing the group. We will have to see if the results of this case have an impact on LGBTQ+ groups at other religious universities.

W&M OPENS FALL INTERVIEW SLOTS

Seniors who have been waiting for W&M interviews, you’re in luck! The college opened up new slots for interviews this fall, and there are a few times still available - interested students can register on their website.  

BEST ARTICLES OF THE WEEK

It seems like there are articles everywhere these days about the mental health crisis for teens and young adults - but though the pandemic certainly exacerbated this issue, it had been worsening for several years before any of us had ever heard of COVID-19. For a deep dive into the mental health crisis among teens, check out this episode of the New York Times’ The Daily podcast. 

We regularly see the tension between “town and gown” in some college towns in the news, but colleges and universities are now being judged more often by their relationship with their communities. This article argues that Muncie, Indiana’s Ball State University is a great example of how university leaders can integrate their institutions with the town and surrounding community. 

Curious about campuses that bring art to their communities? Check out some of the cool architecture and art installations in the world’s quirkiest campuses.   

OFFICE HAPPENINGS

If you are a high school girl interested in social justice and making positive change, the ChangeMaker’s Institute may be a great program for you! Students in this virtual program have the opportunity to connect with mentors and work with experts in social impact to think critically about problems in their communities and the world. The program is enrolling now for the fall class (held on Saturdays). 

I (Colleen) headed back to school myself this week - I posted last week about being chosen for Goldman Sach’s 10,000 Small Businesses Program and we began this past week with our orientation!

Now we are all back in school and ready for a great year! I’m excited to learn and connect with other entrepreneurs, and can’t wait to bring what I’ve learned to you all!

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Weekly Update: June 17

Happy Father’s Day this weekend to all the dads being celebrated! And I apologize that we are posting on Saturday instead of Friday - I was basically going nonstop all day every day last week with rising senior meetings!

BIGGEST COLLEGE-RELATED NEWS OF THE WEEK

GEORGE WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY PHASES OUT “COLONIALS” NAME

GW has committed to doing away with the “Colonials” moniker by the 2023-2024 school year, in response to criticism that the name glorifies colonialism. The announcement is the result of two years of committee deliberations on the name, as well as the name of the Student Center on campus (which was renamed last year). The change won’t impact only the sports teams, but also services on campus like the “Colonial Health Center” and “Colonial Cash” dining dollars. 44% of students voted against the name, versus 43% who voted in favor.

FINAL VARSITY BLUES VERDICT

The final parent charged in connection with the Operation Varsity Blues scandal was acquitted yesterday of charges that he bribed the Georgetown tennis coach with $200,000 cash to treat his daughter as a recruit. This is a surprise in the string of Varsity Blues trials that have led to guilty verdicts earlier this year.

MAKING THE MOST OF YOUR 529 ACCOUNT

As college tuition bills start to come due, many families are finding smaller balances in their 529 accounts after the stock market decline. This article provides some strategies that you can use if you are looking at a 529 balance that is no longer sufficient to fund your student’s education.

COLLEGE ENROLLMENT ISSUES AREN’T GOING AWAY

Though many colleges hoped that pandemic enrollment drops were temporary, it appears that the pandemic has changed how students think about their college education. Fewer high school students are choosing to pursue higher education immediately following school. In some states, including Indiana and West Virginia, less than half of 2020 graduates chose to pursue full time education after high school. We will have to keep an eye on how these trends affect future numbers in the workforce. 

UVA ESSAY PROMPTS OUT!

As promised on social media, I wanted to take some time to discuss the brand-new UVA essay prompts that were released earlier this week. I’m focusing on the ones that Arts and Sciences students will have to write, becuse that’s where most of our students apply.

First, I have to mention that these new essays serve as a great example of why students should never begin writing until a school has confirmed their essay prompts for the upcoming cycle. You never know when a prompt will change for the coming year, and you don’t want to waste your time and effort drafting an essay for an outdated prompt. UVA has used more or less the exact same Arts and Sciences mandatory prompt since the beginning of my career and probably even earlier, so this was definitely not an essay that anyone expected would change - but it did, out of nowhere!

Next, remember that every essay you submit should be used as a tool to share something new about you that the admissions committee doesn’t already know. So when you’re writing about a college course that all UVA students should take, don’t just write about something you think is cool. Make sure it’s relevant - that you are clearly linking it to your background, life experiences, or personality. This way, the admissions committee can learn something new about you that would reflect positively on your candidacy.

Here’s an example - let’s say I’d like to learn more about how to make TikTok videos. If I wrote about how I want to make TikToks because I think TikToks are cool and I really like watching them in bed on my phone before I fall asleep, the admissions committee would learn nothing about me. But if I wrote about how watching TikToks on my phone before I fall asleep every night led me to realize that I could incorporate them into my business’s social media strategy, the admissions committee would start to learn more about what I do and who I am. I could then go into my history of success with content marketing and why I believe that other budding entrepreneurs at UVA could benefit from instruction in this area too.

Regarding the “choice” prompts, I would recommend avoiding the “topic you could speak about for an hour” and “expert-level skill” options, because I think that those are too similar to the Arts and Sciences essay. On the other hand, I think the “favorite word and why,” “website the internet is missing,” “happy place” and “message on Beta Bridge” prompts are probably going to lend themselves more easily to sharing new information to the committee. Those would allow students who know they want to write about something specific to come in and tie that information directly to a message, word, happy place or nonexistent website!

BEST ARTICLES OF THE WEEK

In his latest newsletter, Jeff Selingo dives into the importance of the student experience when it comes to choosing a college. A survey of over 100 institutions indicates that the student experience is one of the main fears in the college world today. Selingo shares a story that is common to many college students - a student looking to get his questions answered and moving from the registrar’s office, to the financial aid office, to the career center, to his academic advisor, and finally to an academic dean, repeating his story each time. Selingo argues that colleges need to improve their service infrastructure and enable students to get their questions answered - through technologies like chatbots and smart speakers - so that services catch up with the physical infrastructure that so many colleges have been investing in for the past several years. 

The third and final installment of Forbes’ series on college admissions encourages students and counselors to become “data scientists,” delving into schools’ admissions data in order to maximize their success and better understand the process. We AGREE! While some of the statistics mentioned in the article aren’t readily available, students and families interested in pursuing some of this data can Google “[School Name] Common Data Set” to find the latest statistics that the college has released on its admissions and class makeup. This is a wise move for anyone looking to assess their chances of admission at a particular school. 

I particularly recommend using Common Data Sets to calculate the difference between ED and RD acceptance rates, for schools that have both. Here’s how we explain this in our early decision guide, available to clients through our vault:

It takes some math, but you can quickly determine the acceptance rate of ED applicants by dividing the number accepted by the number who applied. When determining non-ED numbers, you’ll need to subtract the ED folks (applied and admitted) from the total numbers and then again divide the number accepted by the number who applied. Now you can compare these rates and determine the importance of ED to a school. 

Here’s an example from the 2019-2020 Common Data Set for the University of Pennsylvania. Most Common Data set numbers are split by gender which requires an additional step in calculations. After adding the male and female numbers together, we learn the following on page 8:

Total Number Applied: 44,961 // Total Number Admitted: 3446 // Total Number Enrolled: 2400

Then we scroll down to page 13, where we learn the following about the ED numbers:

Total Number Applied ED: 7109 // Total Number Admitted ED: 1280

We can then use this information to calculate the following statistics:

Total Acceptance Rate = 3446/44961 = 7.66% // Percentage of Class Filled ED = 1280/2400 = 53%

ED Acceptance Rate = 1280/7109 = 18% // RD Acceptance Rate = (3446-1280) / (44961-7109) = 5.72%

You can also see that students applying ED have a very clear advantage over those applying RD - it’s practically a lost cause at a 5.72% acceptance rate - and this was using number from several years ago!

Finally, this interview with the current president of USC (and former president of Dartmouth and UNC), Carol L. Folt, explores the experience and importance of students who move from community college to a four-year university. The subject is personal for Folt, who got her bachelor’s degree at UC Santa Barbara after beginning her education at a community college, and her perspective is an interesting way to look at both sides of this issue.

OFFICE HAPPENINGS

I (Colleen) am writing this post on a plane to Greece! I’ll be out of the office for the next two weeks, and Shannon will be holding down the fort. Families with college counseling questions should email her while I’m away, and of course Courtney and Donna are there as always to help out with administrative and scheduling needs!

We hope our students are also getting some time to relax, too! But if anyone out there is still looking for summer opportunities, don’t miss our mid-week post on last-minute Summer 2022 options for high school students.

We’ve also got a couple of opportunities to share this week for current college students! If you are a student interested in sharing your college experience with others, College Scoops is seeking student ambassadors willing to film a video about their college for high school students to use as they try to get a feel for the campus culture (particularly difficult when travel is limited). If you’d like to create a video for your school, reach out to moira@collegescoops.com for more information. 

And if you are a current college student looking to pursue a mental health career, the Chesapeake Center for ADHD, Learning, and Behavioral Health is looking for you! Interns for their Fall 2022 internship will have the opportunity to co-facilitate group programs and sit in on various other meetings, receiving valuable hands-on experience working with clients as well as marketing & programming. Interested students should send their resume to communications@chesapeakeadd.com. 

Enjoy the weekend!

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Weekly Update: June 10

We were shocked and saddened by the tragedy at Oakton High School this week, and our thoughts and support are with our Oakton families.

BIGGEST COLLEGE-RELATED NEWS OF THE WEEK

SUPPLEMENTAL ESSAY TOPICS RELEASED

A number of schools have begun to release supplemental essays for the 2022-2023 application cycle, including Virginia Tech, Villanova, University of Miami, University of Georgia and more. UGA also announced that they will be releasing their actual Common Application supplement on 8/1 in order to align with other schools' application release dates. This is welcome news, as UGA applicants in previous years have had to wait until September to complete the supplement!

MIT TOPS WORLD UNIVERSITY RANKINGS

The QS world university rankings came out this week, with MIT topping the list. This list includes universities from all over the world (see #2 - the University of Cambridge), but five of the top 10 were U.S. schools, and four were in the UK. The only outlier? Switzerland’s ETH Zurich. 

HISPANIC-SERVING RESEARCH INSTITUTION ALLIANCE

Twenty hispanic-serving research institutions across the U.S. announced a new alliance at their launch event in D.C. yesterday, pledging to increase the number of Hispanic faculty and doctoral students at their institutions. The alliance includes UT El Paso, UC Santa Cruz, UC Riverside, and the University of Illinois at Chicago. 

UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT ZELENSKY ADDRESSES UK UNIVERSITY STUDENTS

During tonight’s live broadcast, President Zelensky will address students at Cambridge, Oxford, LSE, UCL, Glasgow, and a number of other UK universities. Zelensky is expected to address the importance of international cooperation, as well as answer student questions. The event is being held by a newly formed group of Ukrainian students at UK universities (USU).

BEST ARTICLES OF THE WEEK

We’ve covered on the blog both the New York Times opinion piece “My College Students Are Not OK,” as well as the backlash from many readers about the burnout that college students are experiencing in the wake of the pandemic. Now, the column’s author, a first-year writing professor at SMU, has published a series of responses to questions about how this burnout fits into larger issues about the cost and value of attending college. If you’ve been following this story, the piece is definitely worth a read!

During pride month, we also wanted to share this article about the mental health challenges that face LGBTQ+ college students. Many, many students struggle with the transition to college, but it can be helpful for LGBTQ+ students and their parents to be aware of the particular challenges that may arise, and the resources on their campus that are available to help with this transition. 

In a follow-up to the article we shared last week with unexpected public colleges that lead to six-figure salaries, check out this list of ten jobs with the best future outlook for college graduates. Some of these jobs are certainly surprising - with elementary school teacher topping the list!

OFFICE HAPPENINGS

With the start of summer, things are really ramping up for our juniors! We know that they are going to put in a lot of hard work over the next several months, but it will be so worth it when they are done with our Finish by September Timeline and can spend senior year focused on their classes and other commitments, not applications. For our past clients, this is often one of their favorite things about working with us!

All those essay coaching meetings mean that we are excited to bring on new coaches, and McClain will start meeting with students next week! You can check out one of McClain’s guest blog posts here, and current clients can book a meeting with her here. Welcome back, McClain!

And last but not least, I was out of the office yesterday celebrating my son’s preschool graduation! A bunch of our current families were working with me while I was pregnant with him (with their older children, of course) so I get questions from time to time about how old “the baby” is now. Hard to believe he will be off to kindergarten and turning six in the fall!

Enjoy the weekend, everyone!

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Weekly Update: January 14

Happy Friday! A note that our office will be closed on Monday for MLK, Jr. Day. Have a great long weekend!

BIGGEST COLLEGE-RELATED NEWS OF THE WEEK

TOP COLLEGES SUED FOR ANTITRUST VIOLATIONS

Sixteen top universities, including Yale, Georgetown, Penn, MIT, Brown, and Northwestern, are being sued for antitrust violations in response to the way that they work together when determining financial aid awards for students. The lawsuit was filed in Illinois this past weekend, and claims that over 170,000 students were overcharged in a financial aid system that amounts to price-fixing by the colleges. 

Though the schools do coordinate their financial aid processes, this system has been exempt from antitrust laws because all of the schools named in the lawsuit are need-blind, so financial need is not considered a factor in their admissions processes. But the lawsuit casts doubt on whether these universities truly do not consider need as an admissions factor. 

This is why we never recommend “applying just to apply” if you already know you won’t qualify for need-based financial aid! For more about this, check out our blog post on the FAFSA.

GO DAWGS!

On Monday night, the University of Georgia beat Alabama in the national football championship. This is the first title for Georgia since 1980. UGA’s campus as well as the city of Atlanta and other areas around Georgia have been celebrating the historic win!

ENROLLMENT CONTINUES TO DROP

This feels like a groundhog-day story at this point, but college enrollment nationwide continued to drop this fall, despite vaccine availability. The decline equals over a million students in the workforce rather than in the classroom, which we can expect to have an impact on the US economy moving forward, especially if this trend continues beyond the pandemic years.

UVA PROVOST BECOMES PENN’S NEXT PRESIDENT

Liz Magill, the Provost at UVA, has been selected as the next president of the University of Pennsylvania. In 2019, Magill became the first female provost at UVA. Magill will begin her new role at Penn on July 1. Ian Baucom, the current Dean of Arts & Sciences, will become UVA’s new provost. 

BEST ARTICLES OF THE WEEK

This week’s biggest story is that of Mackenzie Fierceton, a graduate student at the University of Pennsylvania. Fierceton was admitted to Penn as an undergraduate, first-generation student - she wrote her senior thesis based on her time in foster care. After Fierceton was awarded a Rhodes Scholarship, however, her story began to fall apart. 

An anonymous informant emailed Penn’s administration to reveal that Mackenzie grew up in an affluent suburb, with her mother, who was a college graduate. The email, sent to both Penn and the Rhodes Trust, included images of Mackenzie from her high school yearbook - skydiving, horseback riding, and whitewater rafting. Both organizations began extensive investigations into her story. Ultimately, Fierceton withdrew from the Rhodes scholarship. Penn is also withholding her diploma until their investigation is complete. 

In December, Mackenzie Fierceton filed a lawsuit against Penn for their handling of her case, and particularly the “unjust” withholding of her degree. The case also raises issues of how victims of child abuse are treated, and whether her essays and descriptions of her childhood are reflective of what she experienced. 

At the center of the controversy was Fierceton’s undergraduate admissions essay, detailing the severe child abuse that landed her in the foster care system. These events have brought to the surface the pressure that some students feel to write about trauma as the topic for an engaging college essay. But as we tell our students every year, you don’t need to have experienced hardship to write an engaging essay - and pretending you did can clearly backfire! Our Wow Writing Workshop process helps students tell THEIR stories in a clear, interesting, and exciting way.

OFFICE HAPPENINGS

In our midweek blog this week, we covered your questions about summer opportunities. And yes, you should begin thinking about summer opportunities now! A couple that stood out to us this week were Vanderbilt’s Programs for Talented Youth, which serve students in grades 1-12. Applications are open now for the university’s in-person residential Summer Academy for 7-12th graders, as well as the Virtual Research Experience. 

If you don’t have the money to spend this summer on an impressive-sounding college program, don’t worry! There are plenty of free or even paid opportunities to specialize and develop your niche as an applicant. We’re excited about the course options available through FCPS’s High School Academies, which give the opportunity to specialize in a variety of areas for all FCPS students!

That’s it for today - enjoy the long weekend!

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Weekly Update: January 7

We hope you all had a fun and restful break, and we’re excited to be back with our first weekly update of 2022!

BIGGEST COLLEGE-RELATED NEWS OF THE WEEK

FCPS CANCELLED DUE TO SNOW

An FCPS snow day turned into a snow week as students in Fairfax County, Arlington County, and other local districts had an entire extra week of break due to the weather. We hope that our students enjoyed the extra week off and were able to catch up on some rest before heading back to the classroom next week!

CHICAGO SCHOOLS CLOSE  

In Chicago, it isn’t snow that is keeping the schools closed. Schools have now been closed for three days due to the standoff between the teachers’ union and city officials. Officials want the school year to proceed in person, while the teachers’ union is calling for more COVID-19 precautions and more widely available testing. As of this posting, there is no sign of a resolution to the difficulties, and we expect to see schools continue to be closed next week, leaving some families scrambling to find childcare. 

HBCU CAMPUSES TARGETED WITH BOMB THREATS

Howard and Spelman were two of the eight HBCUs that received bomb threats on Tuesday. The FBI and local police investigated the threats and found no bombs, but the targeted threats caused some anxiety for students and staff on campus. Howard students and staff reported that as one of two HBCUs in DC, they feel particularly vulnerable to these types of threats. 

NCAA NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP

Monday night’s championship game between the University of Alabama and the University of Georgia will be the first game in what George Will calls the “name-image-likeness era.” The players in this game will be the first to benefit from the NCAA’s new NIL regulations that allow student-athletes to profit off of the use of their name, image, or likeness - a reversal of the NCAA’s strong commitment to not paying amateur players.

BEST ARTICLES OF THE WEEK

Jeff Selingo’s latest newsletter offers some ideas on how to make a big campus feel small. What they all have in common is building community. Having a “cohort” on campus is important, whether something formal like a sports team or club or just a group of peers. But building relationships with faculty mentors is also essential, and forced “mentorship” does not have nearly the same positive effect as genuine relationship-building. This was especially interesting to read during the pandemic, as online learning has made these types of connections more difficult to create for college students. 

A couple articles from The Atlantic this week underline this sentiment: that perhaps school closures cause more harm than good, at both the college and K-12 levels. Between struggles with mental health and the learning loss that comes from remote learning, both articles outline the risks that continued school closures pose to students.  

This was an interesting article about the benefits and drawbacks of taking dual enrollment classes during high school. If you are considering a dual enrollment class, we’d encourage you to think about it in the context of what is available at your high school. If you have maxed out your high school’s offerings, particularly in core subjects like math and foreign language, dual enrollment courses could be great options. However, as the article says, they aren’t necessarily a foolproof way to obtain college credits. Just note that most of this information applies to dual enrollment college courses that are taught at community colleges, rather than “college-level” coursework in high school such as AP and IB. 

Wondering what’s going on in your high school teacher’s brain during a typical school day? A high school English teacher sums it up for the Washington Post.

OFFICE HAPPENINGS

As we check in with our 10th and 11th grade students in the next few weeks, a big part of our conversations is selecting summer plans. It seems early, but many summer program applications are open right now! If you are looking for enrichment opportunities this summer or even this spring, take a look at our summer opportunities database, updated today. One new opportunity we’re sharing is paid work as a referee for the Great Falls Reston Soccer Club - a way to earn some extra money and round out an activities list for an athlete who is an aspiring education, kinesiology, or sports psychology major! 

We have had a lot to catch up on after the break, and decisions keep coming in for our Class of 2022 students. We are so proud!! We are also working on initial research and application materials with the Class of 2023. To learn more about how we can help your student navigate this coming admissions cycle, book a Meet & Greet.

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