Weekly Update: May 15

BIGGEST COLLEGE-RELATED NEWS OF THE WEEK

VARSITY BLUES FRAUD CONVICTIONS OVERTURNED

Two parents who were convicted in the Varsity Blues scandal had their convictions overturned this week by a federal appeals court. The court overturned all convictions against Gamal Abdelaziz and all but one conviction of another parent, John Wilson.  

The federal judges on the case determined that the two parents did not knowingly commit fraud, believing that they were making legitimate donations to the universities. We’ll be paying attention to how this development affects the 50+ convictions of other parents in the aftermath of Varsity Blues. 

NEVER TOO LATE TO GRADUATE

A 72-year-old man graduated from Georgia Gwinnett College last week. After raising 5 kids and 15 grandchildren, Sam Kaplan got his degree in Cinema and Media Arts with his 99-year-old mother and several of his children in the audience. He hopes to become a screenwriter. 

Meanwhile, at Texas Lutheran University, senior Ashley Adams is making university history by graduating alongside both of her parents on Saturday. We believe that everyone should have the chance to get their degree - but we have to say, we’re not sure many of our students would love having their parents on the same campus!

FREE TUITION PROGRAM IN MINNESOTA

The Minnesota House and Senate passed a bill that includes a free tuition program for students coming from families that make less than $80,000 per year. The program will allow Minnesota students to attend public colleges and universities for free, covering any tuition costs left over after state and federal grants and institutional scholarships. Now, these students will not need to take out loans to cover their education!

BEST ARTICLES OF THE WEEK

This CNBC article is a reality check for some college students when it comes to starting salary. Job prospects look good for the graduating class of 2023, who are graduating into a strong job market, and the average starting salary for new graduates is $56,000. However, a survey found that college students expect to be making nearly $85,000 just one year after graduating - a difference of 30K! In fact, the same survey found that many college graduates say they wouldn’t take a job for less than $72,000 - lower than the average expectation, but much higher than the average starting salary. While salary expectations vary widely across industries, it is smart for students to do their research so they can manage their expectations upon entering the workforce. 

DC local Yasmine Arrington started ScholarCHIPS - a scholarship nonprofit to assisted Children of Incarcerated Parents - when she was just sixteen years old. The child of an incarcerated parent herself, Yasmine started the organization to provide a safe space for students who need support - many of whom have not disclosed at school or to their friends that their parent is incarcerated. Since the organization was created in 2010, it has awarded over $450,000 in scholarships to more than 80 students. In addition to scholarships, the organization provides each student with a laptop, access to an emergency fund, check-ins throughout the year, and the option of being matched with a mentor. Students can apply or get involved here, or donate to ScholarCHIPS here. Of course, do your research before you donate, as we have not vetted this organization - just passing it along!

We hope the moms out there had a wonderful mother’s day yesterday! My own mom sent this article to me about the #1 phrase that moms are sick of hearing and it really resonated with me (I could probably write a book on invisible labor- don’t even get me started).

Mother’s Day 2023, representing 11 years of love, joy and invisible labor :)

One thought I did have while reading, though, was that I can sleep well at night knowing that my team and I are 100% part of the solution for other parents - we absolutely, one million percent have your back and will do whatever we can to help you out and make adolescence easier on your family, whether something is directly related to college applications or not. And that’s how I ended up at Nordstrom last week, helping one of my favorite young women try on clothes for an interview - true story :) I know we get paid for our services, but at the same time, we really care and will go to great lengths to ease your load however we can (as long as it’s not illegal!). This is a central part of our mission and I think we do an excellent job living it out.

OFFICE HAPPENINGS

Shannon attended the Best of Boston counselor session this week and wanted to share some of her biggest takeaways:

1. Early decision is becoming more and more important. Tufts and Northeastern expect to admit about half or slightly more through the early rounds, while BU intends to admit 55% of its class early decision next cycle. Many selective and highly selective colleges around the country will have similar projections, so we encourage students to think hard about whether the strategic advantage associated with ED is the way to go!

2. Check your email! Tufts, Northeastern, and BU all expect to close their waitlists in mid-June, so we’ve got about a month or less of waitlist activity. In the event that students are admitted off the waitlist, the school will give them about a week (or sometimes less!) to respond. So, if you are waiting on a decision, make sure to check email regularly and prepare to commit on a short timeline. 

3. Don’t phone in your “Why This School?” essay. All three schools at the session consider demonstrated interest, as do many others. While Northeastern does not typically have supplemental essays, for Tufts and BU, the “Why This School?” supplemental essay is the most important essay - and a big factor in their consideration of demonstrated interest! It is essential to ensure that the essay is unique, authentic to you, and could only be used to describe that single school.

   P.S. We have noticed that these types of essays have been a real pain point for students post-Covid. As a result, we made the decision to offer our Class of 2024 students two options for free instruction from our essay coaches on how to approach these essays. Yes - totally free - that’s how important we think these are. If you missed the email communication and are wondering how to sign up, please email admin@dccollegecounseling.com for details. 

And for any OLGC families reading - students who are members of OLGC parish with a GPA of at least 3.0 are eligible to apply for the JTC Scholarship. Interested students should apply by May 25!

Have a great week!

Weekly Update: May 8

BIGGEST COLLEGE-RELATED NEWS OF THE WEEK

HACKERS THREATEN VIRGINIA UNIVERSITY

The emergency information system at Bluefield University, a small university in western Virginia, was hacked last week. Hackers sent a threat to all students and faculty, and students were told that unless the school paid a ransom, their full personal and admissions data would be leaked online. While hacks at educational institutions have become more common, this is the first time hackers have hijacked a school’s emergency alert system. Bluefield was one of five universities to have been allegedly hacked last week alone. 

NEW COLLEGE CREATED AT UT AUSTIN

The University of Texas System Board of Regents voted last week to create a new college at UT Austin. The unanimous vote created the School of Civic Leadership to house the Civitas Institute, a center created less than a year ago with the help of state leadership and conservative donors. The dean of the School of Civic Leadership will be hired by November, and have the responsibility of bringing on 20 new faculty members related to the Institute. 

VCU FACULTY PROTEST POTENTIAL LAYOFFS

VCU’s Focused Inquiry courses are meant to teach new students the skills they will need in college, like communication and problem-solving. But VCU is now proposing to cut about a third of the faculty in the Focused Inquiry department. Professors predict that the cuts will eliminate about 130 sections of these small seminar-style classes, which are often new students’ first opportunity to build a personal connection with their professors. The university’s United Campus Workers union has started a petition against the proposed cuts. 

HOWARD UNIVERSITY CHOOSES NEW PRESIDENT

Ben Vinson III will move from his current position as provost at Case Western on September 1 to become the new president of DC’s Howard University. Dr. Vinson’s academic work as a historian focuses on the African diaspora, particularly in Latin America. Dr. Vinson is returning to the DC area, where he has previously founded the Center for Africana Studies at Johns Hopkins and served as dean of the College of Arts & Sciences at GW.

BEST ARTICLES OF THE WEEK

Concerned about paying for college? Even seniors who have already committed to their schools (and current college students!) may still have a chance to increase their financial aid awards, particularly if their family’s income has recently changed. It isn’t too late to apply for financial aid and even some scholarships! This article covers the top five ways students can help mitigate the costs of college. 

The Washington Post published an article this week about the value of teaching students “civil discourse” in an effort to combat polarization and give students the skills to discuss potentially controversial issues. American University’s “Disagree with a Professor” series allows students to practice speaking up, voicing their opinions, and opposing ideas with which they disagree. This is just one civil discourse program - other colleges across the country are instituting similar ideas, like MIT’s “Dialogues Across Difference.” Here in Virginia, UVA has partnered with Heterodox Academy, a nonprofit that promotes “open inquiry” and “constructive disagreement,” while Virginia Tech, William & Mary, and George Mason have partnered with a different nonprofit, the Constructive Dialogue Institute. 

OFFICE HAPPENINGS

FCPS recently announced a partnership with Hazel Health, which will allow students and families to access free behavioral health services at home. Parents can opt in to receive a behavioral health assessment for their child, short-term counseling, and even help with transitioning to other providers in the community for the long-term.

We also want to share a great opportunity for any students interested in history: apply to join Mt. Vernon’s Student Advisory Board! This is a fun way to learn more about history while getting a behind-the-scenes look at how the museum works. Plus, it’s a great activity to add to an application or mention in an essay.

Anybody catch me on Fox News tonight? I was honored to be included as part of a special report on the impact of Covid on education and learning loss! Tonight was just the first part of the program, so you might see me on again soon.

And back at the office, we have had some exciting changes - Courtney’s last day was last week, and while we will miss her, we are so happy for her as she begins her career as a therapist. We are thrilled to announce that we’ve brought on our newest team member, Libby, to fill her shoes!

Our current clients may notice that some of their emails and reminders will come from Libby in the coming weeks, but don’t worry - you can still send any questions or concerns to the same admin@dccollegecounseling.com address and Libby or Donna will help you out!

Have a great week!

Weekly Update: April 29

Decision Day is almost here - good luck to all of the seniors who are making their decisions this weekend! Make sure to celebrate once that deposit is in :)

BIGGEST COLLEGE-RELATED NEWS OF THE WEEK

FCPS HIGH SCHOOLS RANKED AMONG THE BEST IN THE COUNTRY

The U.S. News rankings are out, and TJ tops the list of public high schools as the best school in the country for the fourth consecutive year. Other FCPS schools, like Langley and McLean, were ranked in the top 200 high schools in the U.S. Take a look at where other FCPS schools fall on their website!

And on a related note, the Supreme Court decided this week to let TJ’s new admissions policy stand.

COLLEGES STILL ACCEPTING APPLICATIONS

Thankfully, all of our seniors have great options for this fall! But every year, there are some students who do not plan as carefully and need additional school options. If you or someone you know is looking for college openings, check out this list of schools that are still accepting applications for Fall 2022. 

UC SYSTEM WAIVES TUITION FOR NATIVE AMERICAN STUDENTS

The approximately 500 undergraduate students at University of California schools who are California residents and members of Native tribes will have their tuition and fees waived as part of the UC Native American Opportunity Plan. UC professors say that they hope other public land-grant institutions will follow the UC’s example in offering tuition-free education to Native American students. 

FACEBOOK OBTAINED FAFSA DATA

Code embedded in the website where students fill out the FAFSA automatically sent data like first and last names, email addresses, and zip codes to Facebook. It is unclear how many students were affected by the system, which affected students who were not logged into the FAFSA site and even those who did not have a Facebook account. Scary!

BEST ARTICLES OF THE WEEK

With so much conversation about student loan debt in the news, it can be comforting to hear that many states already offer free public college options for students. This Forbes article covers a list of the most popular tuition-free schools, as well as other options for students who don’t have the means or the desire to pay for college. 

If there is one thing we can say with certainty at this point, it is that the COVID-19 pandemic and corresponding uptick in applications to selective schools has made getting into college MUCH harder for the students we work with - and they’re not alone! During the pandemic, the number of students who chose to take gap years rather than continuing directly to college rose by over 100%. Some schools have also shifted to rolling admissions models, to give students more flexibility over when to begin their college education. 

Finally, an interesting perspective on the past few years of changes at Liberty University from the New Yorker, including interviews with students, faculty, and staff, as well as with the former president Jerry Falwell, Jr. and his wife.

OFFICE HAPPENINGS

We are so excited for all of our seniors who have sent in deposits!! Congratulations to everyone for such phenomenal success in such a difficult year. We are so proud of you!

For underclassmen who are still looking to bring their grades up during the fourth quarter, FCPS is partnering with Tutor.com to offer free, live tutoring to students in all years - learn more here. 

And for sophomores and juniors working on the college search, the Six College Consortium (which is made up of small liberal arts colleges - Amherst, Swarthmore, Bowdoin, Carleton, Pomona, and Williams) is offering a variety of virtual events next month, including special sessions for first generation and international students. We’ve enjoyed Six Colleges counselor events, and this is a great way for students who know they are interested in a traditional liberal arts college to explore several in a single session. 

Enjoy the sun this weekend!

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Weekly Update: April 22

Happy Earth Day! Don’t forget to check out last year’s blog about some of the greenest colleges in the country if you are hoping to be eco-focused all year round.

BIGGEST COLLEGE-RELATED NEWS OF THE WEEK

50 NEW COMMON APPⓇ COLLEGES THIS CYCLE

We were THRILLED with the announcement that UT Austin will accept the Common AppⓇ this cycle. The change makes applying to UT Austing MUCH easier for so many of our students! Texas A&M is another school added to the list - for the full list of new additions for the 2022-2023 application season, click here.

COMMON APP STUDENT ADVISORY COMMITTEE

In other Common AppⓇ news, the organization is assembling a 15-20 student group to provide feedback on the admissions process. This paid position allows students to meet with Common AppⓇ staff each month to share their views. The opportunity is open to high school juniors and seniors, as well as first and second year college students.

Applications are only open until April 26, so if you are interested in applying, check it out!

VA-10 VIRTUAL ACADEMY DAY

Planning to apply to one or more military academies in the fall? If you are seeking a nomination from Congresswoman Jennifer Wexton (or even if you are considering beginning the process), you don’t want to miss Academy Day on Saturday, April 30. This is a great opportunity to get more information about the specialized admissions and nomination process for military academies. 

TEACHER APPRECIATION WEEK

If there is an FCPS teacher who has made a big difference to you or your student, let them know! Submit either a video or written story using this form and it will be shared during the first week of May, Teacher Appreciation Week, to thank teachers for all that they do.

BEST ARTICLES OF THE WEEK

At a certain level of selectivity, particularly when you get into those single-digit admit rates, college admission becomes less about the student’s record and experiences and more about factors outside of their control. We tell families this every year, but there are always going to be some disappointed Ivy-League hopefuls who want to know WHY they didn’t get admitted. What could they have done differently? As hard as it is to hear, sometimes the answer is: nothing. As this Wall Street Journal article so powerfully illustrates, “‘extraordinary’ isn’t always enough” to gain admissions to these super selective (and highly rejective) schools. 

This article provides an interesting take on legacy preference in college admissions, arguing that not only do specific schools or lawmakers need to eliminate the practice, but social norms around legacy admissions need to change as well. There is some interesting information here about the history of legacy admissions, and worth a read for anyone interested in how legacy admissions has evolved and will continue to do so in the near future. 

OFFICE HAPPENINGS

We are busy this week and next helping Class of 2022 students make their final decisions! Current clients, if you need help with this before the deadline of May 1, make sure to let us know soon so we can squeeze you in. And if you are not a client, we still have some of our favorite strategies on the blog for students and parents when it comes to making that final college choice. 

Good luck and enjoy the weekend!

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Weekly Update: March 18

We hope everyone had a happy St. Patrick’s Day and a great week (and isn’t too tired from springing ahead)!

BIGGEST COLLEGE-RELATED NEWS OF THE WEEK

REGULAR DECISION RELEASE DATES

It is that time of year again - many of our students are receiving regular decision news from colleges! American, Notre Dame, Bucknell, Northeastern, and MIT were among the colleges to release decisions this week, and we expect to hear from UVA, Johns Hopkins, UGA, Villanova, and Swarthmore today! 🤞🤞🤞 For more updates on release dates, we recommend following College Kickstart’s list - it is updated almost every day with new information. 

CHANGES IN LAW SCHOOL RANKINGS ON THE HORIZON

U.S. News will be updating its law school rankings on March 29, and this year could be a surprise for the T-14 schools that consistently top that list. The organization has changed its metrics for ranking schools - including putting more weight on bar passage rates and far less weight on things like number of books in the library or ratio of full-time librarians to students. With these changes, we expect to see unprecedented movement on the U.S. News list - and it will be interesting to see the impact.

I’m particularly curious to see if Georgetown will get its coveted T14 slot back - there was a big shake-up last spring when they moved down to #15. As Above the Law joked, “Not since the NCAA tournament has Georgetown been so hyped and so disappointed.” Only time will tell!

UC BERKELEY ENROLLMENT CUTS ON HOLD

We wrote last month about the impending cuts that would require UC Berkeley to shrink its incoming class by 3,000 seats, and this was certainly scary news for many applicants. But on Monday, California legislators passed a bill to halt the cuts and preserve Berkeley’s size and intended growth. Don’t get too excited, though, unless you’re a California resident. Berkeley, UCLA, and UC San Diego are still reducing their out-of-state population by approximately 22% (moving from 23% of the student body to 18%).

BEST ARTICLES OF THE WEEK

We’ve said it before and we’ll say it again - by and large, U.S. News rankings are not the best way to determine which school to attend as an undergraduate (it should carry more weight for law and business school applicants).

For students and families still looking for proof that the rankings are somewhat arbitrary, a Columbia University math professor published an extensive critique of Columbia’s new #2 ranking, arguing that the university provided inaccurate or inflated data about class sizes, spending, and other categories. Columbia agrees that the data could be interpreted in different ways, but stands by the data provided to U.S. News. The controversy has reignited the wider debate about whether rankings really offer an accurate way to think about the value of a college education. 

We know that for many students and families, paying for college is the most difficult and confusing part of the admissions process to navigate. For those looking for a free resource, check out The Wall Street Journal’s Guide to navigating college debt.

Upper-middle class families often complain about finding themselves in a college funding “donut hole” - they don’t qualify for financial aid, yet can’t afford to pay full tuition at a private or out-of-state school. What remains? In-state public options. Of course, not every state has top-tier public institutions, so some families actually relocate (!) to places like North Carolina, Virginia, Texas, Michigan or California to give their children a chance.

With so much on the line, you can understand why Californians exhibited such “rising fury” about the Berkeley enrollment cuts - Virginians would probably have done the same! You can learn more about the background here: California NIMBYs learn a lesson: Don’t mess with college admissions. It does a great job of explaining the housing crisis that led to the cuts in the first place.

OFFICE HAPPENINGS

Calling all budding entrepreneurs, especially students interested in environmental science, food policy, social justice, or business - the Seeds Pitch Competition is a great way to win up to $500 for the best pitch for a solution to a problem in the community. Plus, this will look great on college applications!

This week, we had such a sweet surprise visit from a graduating senior! Like we said last week, it’s crazy that we’ve gone through so much with these students and never met some of them in person, so it was great to have a check-in from her and her family at our office. We are so excited to hear all about her journey at Cornell this coming fall!

I think we can all relate to this!!! ^

We’ve also been thinking a lot about opening up the office again - I feel like it’s just one deja vu moment after the other. As soon as we start to think “okay, it’s really over this time,” another variant pops up out of nowhere. We actually did bring students back in the office last summer for a few days before we had to revert back to remote work as a result of Delta - then we started making plans to reopen again and had to stop because of Omicron - and here we go again with BA2. Enough already!!!

Have a great weekend and enjoy the weather! We’ll be keeping our fingers crossed for all those students waiting to hear from regular decision schools tonight.

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Weekly Update: March 11

We hope everyone has been enjoying the beautiful weather!

BIGGEST COLLEGE-RELATED NEWS OF THE WEEK

HIGH SCHOOL CLASSES COULD LOSE AP STATUS WITH BANNED CONTENT

The College Board has announced that courses that are classified as Advanced Placement will need to teach the entire AP curriculum in order to retain AP designation. In the wake of discussion and litigation around banned topics, this provides a new consideration for schools - they risk losing AP status for classes if AP-specific materials are banned. This may have a particular impact on AP U.S. History classes, which have come under scrutiny before for course content.

IMPACT OF THE WAR IN UKRAINE ON HIGHER EDUCATION

The news has been saturated this week with stories from the invasion of Ukraine, and the ripple effects of the war have begun to be felt by U.S. colleges. Many colleges are pulling students out of study abroad programs in Russia, ending research partnerships, and cutting any financial ties with Russian institutions. At the same time, most colleges are making an effort to protect and support both Russian and Ukrainian students on campus. 

NEW MEXICO MAKES PUBLIC COLLEGE FREE

A new initiative in New Mexico will waive tuition for state and tribal colleges, including community colleges. This follows similar initiatives, at the community college level, from states like California and North Carolina. However, we don’t expect to see state systems with more demand for in-state education (like Virginia) make this change any time soon.

HIGH POINT UNIVERSITY ADDS NEW SCHOOLS AND COLLEGES

With the help of private donors, High Point has raised around $500 million for new initiatives on campus. The university will open a law school, announcing the new dean in May, and also embark on major campus improvement projects including a new library, new student housing, and a brand new parking garage. Since 2005, the number of academic schools at High Point has jumped from three to 14!

BEST ARTICLES OF THE WEEK

A UVA senior published an essay in the New York Times opinion section this week grappling with free speech and censorship on campus. The essay describes how even students that hold “mainstream” views are often self-censoring for fear of social recriminations on campus. It is a nuanced piece that is definitely worth a read, no matter which side of the debate around campus speech you support. 

There has certainly been a shift in recent years toward more entrepreneurial emphasis on college campuses, with new dedicated spaces and coursework meant to empower young entrepreneurs (that High Point fundraise we mentioned earlier? One of the new schools they add will be a School of Entrepreneurship). This opinion piece by the founder of Best Buy supports the movement toward emphasizing creativity, courage, and innovation as essential parts of a valuable college education. 

OFFICE HAPPENINGS

We had such a fun lunch today with this adorable NYU freshman who is killing it at school and home for spring break! She and I had already worked together in person for about a year pre-Covid, but she reminded me today that she had never actually met Staci or Shannon in person before!!

I had completely forgotten that, particularly with Staci because they worked so closely together for so long. Anyway, it was a lot of fun and I hope we get to do it again when she is back over the summer :)

And speaking of the summer… if you’re still looking for summer plans or just hoping for some resume and interview tips, check out this year’s FCPS Teen Job Fairs! The fairs will be held at West Springfield High School on March 12 and at Chantilly High School on March 19. 

Lastly, now that essay season is upon us- we are hiring again and LOVE referrals! If you know any talented teachers or writers who would be interested in helping to serve our students as essay coaches this summer, please let us know. 

Have a great weekend!

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Weekly Update: September 10

BIGGEST COLLEGE-RELATED NEWS OF THE WEEK

UC BERKELEY IN NUMBER ONE SPOT ON FORBES’ COLLEGE RANKINGS

Forbes released its college rankings this week, with Berkeley as number one! Berkeley is the first-ever public school to top the list. Forbes cites the world-class education that Berkeley students receive, many of them at a fraction of the cost of top private schools, as the reason for the UC school’s number one ranking. The new rankings represent a change in Forbes’ criteria - they now consider schools that “educate the greatest number of students from the broadest range of backgrounds” - something that large schools like the UCs can do more effectively than schools like Harvard, which dropped to number seven on the Forbes list. 

HARVARD DROPS FOSSIL FUELS FROM ITS ENDOWMENT

Harvard is not the first campus to divest from fossil fuels, many thanks to the pressure from students and faculty. But with the largest endowment of any school in the U.S., Harvard's withdrawal may have a big impact for activists. The student activist group that pushed for this decision was Divest Harvard, which in 2019 staged a protest by interrupting the Harvard-Yale football game. Yale has also recently adopted what it calls “ethical investing principles,” in which several major oil and gas companies are considered ineligible for investment by the institution. 

AMAZON COVERS COLLEGE TUITION FOR US EMPLOYEES

In a newly competitive market for hourly employees, large companies like Amazon have been working to provide more incentives for employee retention. Amazon recently announced that it will pay 100% of college tuition, including books and fees, for hourly employees beginning in January 2022. Employees can begin to take advantage of this benefit 90 days after employment.

HOWARD UNIVERSITY CLASSES CANCELLED AFTER RANSOMWARE ATTACK

On Friday, officials at Howard University discovered a ransomware cyberattack that took the school offline for the entire holiday weekend, with online and hybrid classes cancelled on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday. Students headed to nearby stores and restaurants off-campus in order to access wifi during the week. Without internet, professors have also been confused about how much work to assign and what to expect from their students. The university is still trying to figure out whether student data was accessed during the attack.  

BEST ARTICLES OF THE WEEK

We posted on social media earlier this week about this Wall Street Journal article, which illuminates a widening education gap between men and women across the country. We’ve talked before about the decline in college enrollment over the past five years, but this article highlights that men have been responsible for 71% of that decline. Women now make up nearly 60% of the college-age population in the U.S.

That 60-40 split is a scary line for colleges - it usually marks the point at which both women and men are reluctant to attend a school with an imbalanced population. But given that women are more likely to apply to college, more likely to complete their applications, and more likely to enroll and stay enrolled, it is becoming increasingly difficult for colleges to maintain close to a 50-50 split. 

The efforts to do so mean that men are more likely to receive offers of admission than women, which the article calls a “tacit affirmative action for boys.” There are definitely schools, both public and private, where we see this happen - and often have to remind young women with whom we work that there is this additional chip stacked against them - one which is usually not discussed. The article suggests that people aren’t talking about this difficulty because it is unpopular to work toward support for men in higher education - particularly white men.

The New York Times also published a response this week, noting that despite the fact that women have outnumbered men with college degrees since the 1970s, men are still more likely to have leadership roles and to make more money in the corporate world. Rather than asking about why boys aren’t enrolling in college, this article asks us to consider why girls need additional education to get the same jobs that boys are getting without attending college. 

College disability services offices are contending with a new population of students this year: COVID-19 long-haulers. There are still a lot of questions about long-haul COVID, but we know that many sufferers experience physical symptoms of dizziness or difficulty breathing, as well as brain fog and difficulties with memory and concentration. President Biden announced in July that long-haul COVID cases could qualify as a disability, and colleges will need to continue to consider how their disability services can assist these students. An increase in accommodation request may illuminate existing challenges and lack of resources that colleges face when it comes to accommodating students with disabilities.

OFFICE HAPPENINGS

We’ve found out about a lot of cool student opportunities this week and are excited to share them with you!

The Girl Scouts are partnering with PepCo to offer a panel of early career women professionals in STEM careers, particularly in the energy industry. This event takes place next Tuesday and is open to all Girl Scouts - it could be a great opportunity to hear about young women’s experiences in STEM! 

Next, the Daughters of the American Revolution are launching a High School Essay Contest. Students are asked to write about a person, famous or unknown, who contributed to the founding of the nation, and to use primary source material. DAR will be providing first, second, and third place awards. This is exactly the type of award that looks fantastic in the Honors section of the Common Application. 

And finally, the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society has another really great opportunity for local high school students. SOY is a seven-week fundraising challenge focused on helping 9th-12th graders develop their communication, project management, and presentation skills while raising funds and awareness for LLS’s mission of curing blood cancers. So for everyone who complains about how they can’t find activities because of Covid - here is your chance to add some leadership to your resume :) One of our client dads is hoping to find five more potential candidates to participate, so please let us know if you are interested (whether you work with us or not) and we’ll send you his way!

• Hear from Past SOY Candidates & Parents

• How SOY Impacts Your College Application

• SOY Behind the Scenes

Have a great weekend! 

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Weekly Update: November 20

We hope that all of our students are looking forward to a relaxing Thanksgiving break!

BIGGEST COLLEGE-RELATED NEWS OF THE WEEK

UNIVERSITY OF GEORGIA RELEASES EARLY ACTION DECISIONS

Yes, UGA is releasing its 2021 EA decisions TODAY - so check those portals! We’re keeping our fingers crossed for some good news for our students going into Thanksgiving break. As we have seen with other large public universities, UGA has seen an increase in applications. They are up 27% over last year’s early action pool. Their average ACT was 32, average SAT was 1404, and average unweighted GPA was 3.91. That’s pretty intense! Keep an eye out for our upcoming post about early action decisions, what they mean, and what to do next!

DECEMBER STANDARDIZED TEST CANCELLATIONS

While we’ve been excited by the good news about potential coronavirus vaccines, cases are still increasing throughout Virginia, and with those increases come SAT and ACT cancellations. McLean High School and Yorktown High School both cancelled the December SAT, and Annandale High School has cancelled the December ACT. While these links can be helpful, we continue to highly recommend that families call to check in with individual testing centers about December tests - this list is not always up to date, and we anticipate more cancellations to come. 

SYRACUSE UNIVERSITY OFFERS FREE MOCK CLASSES

The College of Engineering and Computer Science at Syracuse is offering free mock classes in December. This is a great opportunity for high school students to get a sense of the (virtual) college classroom, and connect with Syracuse professors. We recommend that students who choose to attend these classes keep their camera and microphone on, so they can engage with the professor during and after the class. We’re especially excited for the Introduction to Aerospace Engineering class on December 10, taught by the Director of the Aerospace Engineering program.  

TERRIFIC TEN COLLEGE EXPLORATION SERIES

Ten top public research universities - including Clemson, Penn State, UT Austin, UC Boulder, and UGA - are offering joint virtual sessions to discuss every aspect of the college admissions process, from finding your fit to financial aid. Register for one or more of their upcoming sessions on December 2nd and 3rd for a one-stop shop to learn more about these excellent schools.  

BEST ARTICLES OF THE WEEK

The New York Times published an interesting article this week about so-called “weed out” classes in STEM education. Most universities have that introductory science class that upperclassmen tell warning tales about, but the practice of weeding out students from a subject due to an introductory class is an outdated one, left over from the days where STEM programs simply could not support a large number of students. This article emphasizes the importance of students building relationships and connecting with their values in making it through these notorious classes. In short, weed out classes are less about a student’s academic ability and more about his or her mindset and the social connections they make in the classroom. 

This NBC News report gives an unsettling perspective on Parent Plus loans, a program that allows parents to take out loans to help their children pay for college. The 3.5 million parents that have taken out these additional loans now collectively owe nearly 100 billion dollars - and these parent numbers are not included in the data that the government releases about student loan debt. While parents, like students, were granted a reprieve from making payments during the pandemic, this provision is set to expire at the end of the year, a deadline that is looming closer for parents who are struggling to make payments. For our parents and students beginning to contemplate financial aid packages, let this serve as a reminder to read them extremely carefully! Many that appear to meet full need may in fact include Parent Plus or other high-interest loans. 

OFFICE HAPPENINGS

This week, I attended several conference sessions with the Independent Educational Consultants Association. I was especially excited to have the opportunity to present on Monday with a group of other educational consultants from around the country.

Some of my favorite sessions from the IECA conference included a virtual UVA session with admissions officer Tom McGovern, where I learned about the new Data Science major that UVA will be adding over the next few years.

Shannon and I also made sure to tune into “Unprecedented: Admissions Advice during a Pandemic” with admissions representatives from the University of Rochester, Ohio Wesleyan University, UT Austin, and Northern Arizona University. Here are our main takeaways for students and families:

Demonstrated interest WILL still be a factor in the admissions process at many schools, both this cycle and next cycle. Students who are unable to visit schools in person should be opening and clicking on emails, attending virtual visits, interacting on social media, reaching out to admissions counselors, and otherwise interacting with the colleges on their lists. If you are wondering whether demonstrated interest is a factor at a particular school, you can also reach out to the admissions office directly (no need to give your name!) and ask whether they consider demonstrated interest in admissions. (This was not in the session and reflects only my own opinion, but I am positive that some of the schools that do not consider demonstrated interest actually do. Sort of like demonstrated need. I wish everyone could just be up front!)

1. I have written about test-optional before, but it is worth repeating that a test-optional policy means that students who do submit test scores will have those scores considered as part of the application. If you have doubts about the test-optional policy at a particular school, make sure to check the website or ask an admissions officer to clarify. Some schools have additional requirements for students who do not submit test scores or are test-optional for admission but require test scores from students who enroll, so it is important to read carefully and make sure that you have all of the information. 

2. We have been hearing from a lot of our juniors as we work to put together their activity lists that some activities have been shortened or canceled due to the pandemic - and that is okay! Admissions officers understand that this is not a typical school year, so my advice to students is to continue to focus on things you are passionate about, but don’t worry too much if your extracurricular involvement looks a bit different this year than it has in the past. 

3. In addition to “official” virtual visits and tours on the school’s website, look out for Instagram Live or Facebook Live videos, webinars on YouTube, and other ways to get to know schools virtually (and check out our tips to make the most of your virtual visit). 

Our office will be closed next Thursday - wishing everyone a happy Thanksgiving!

Weekly Update: November 13

We have been busy helping our late-late-start seniors submit for the November 15 early deadline. Good luck to everyone submitting this weekend!

BIGGEST COLLEGE-RELATED NEWS OF THE WEEK

LATEST AFFIRMATIVE ACTION LAWSUIT HITS UNC

The anti-affirmative-action group Students for Fair Admissions, which has previously brought litigation against Harvard and the University of Texas, is currently arguing against UNC in the Winston-Salem federal court. The group claims that UNC discriminates against white and Asian-American students in admissions, while the university argues that its use of race in admissions is just one factor that is considered holistically in the context of the application. Just yesterday, a federal appeals court upheld the 2018 ruling in Harvard’s favor on this same issue. We will be watching closely to see if any of these affirmative action cases, including this most recent one, make their way to the Supreme Court. 

FLORIDA PUBLIC UNIVERSITIES SEE APPLICATIONS DECLINE

We have written before about the State University System of Florida’s refusal to go test-optional this cycle. This makes Florida the only state in the US (aside from Wyoming) to require students to test. As we expected, the controversial decision has resulted in a decline in applications - applications to Florida public universities are down a whopping 50% this cycle! 

USNA NAMES FIRST BLACK FEMALE BRIGADE COMMANDER

Midshipman 1st Class Sydney Barber (a senior at the Naval Academy, for those unfamiliar with the lingo!) has been named brigade commander for the spring semester. This is the university’s highest student leadership position, and is the first black woman and the sixteenth woman to serve as brigade commander in USNA’s history. She will be responsible for the day-to-day activities and professional training for the nearly 5,000 Naval Academy midshipmen.  

FCPS ATHLETICS AND RETURN TO SCHOOL UPDATE

As Fairfax County Public Schools continues with the phased-in approach to in-person learning after last night’s heated school board work session, they have also released an update on school sports. FCPS athletes will be allowed to return to the Virginia High School League competition in December, with basketball practices beginning on December 7 and all other winter sports practices on December 14. Loudoun County will also be competing this winter, and Arlington gave in to the pressure and reversed their previous decision - so they will too!

IVY LEAGUE SPORTS WILL NOT COMPETE IN WINTER SEASON

In another sports update this week, the Ivy League Council of Presidents released a unanimous decision yesterday to suspend intercollegiate competitions for winter sports. Students will still be allowed to practice and train on campus, and will not lose a season of NCAA-eligibility.

APPLICATIONS ARE DOWN OVERALL - BUT THAT MAY NOT MAKE A DIFFERENCE

As we mentioned last week after Shannon’s “Coffee with the Carnegie Mellon Deans” conversation, applications to college are down overall this cycle as a result of the uncertainty caused by the pandemic. Fewer students this year have applied early or filled out the FAFSA compared to previous years. However, for many of our students, that may not have as much of an impact as you might think - applications to highly selective schools, especially those that are newly test-optional, are UP this cycle. The number of highly selective schools in the US represents a very tiny fraction of the whole - everyone is trying to get in to the same 50 (or so) schools when there are over 4,000 four-year colleges and universities in the United States. While we did expect numbers to rise at the selective institutions, particularly at the public schools with lower tuition thresholds, I don't think any of us thought that UVA would have a 35% year over year increase in early decision applicants! That’s incredible.

BEST ARTICLES OF THE WEEK

Harvard and Columbia have introduced new certificate and “lifelong learning” programs to their business schools, a move that could change the way we think about business education. The idea behind these programs is that rather than completing a business degree in two years and graduating with an MBA, students will return to their education over a lifetime, through online re-education and certification. We have been busy with business school applications this cycle, and so far our students remain interested in traditional, two-year MBAs - but we’re interested to see how these programs change the landscape of MBA admissions. 

Georgetown University Law Center has debuted a new “Lawyers as Leaders” course to celebrate its 150th anniversary and respond to the political and cultural events of 2020. The course focuses on social justice and is the largest class in the Law Center’s history, enrolling over 300 students. During this course, Dean William M. Treanor interviews Georgetown Law faculty about pressing issues for young lawyers. Videos of these conversations are also available on Georgetown’s website, a great resource for any aspiring lawyers or any students interested in social justice! 

We wrote last week about how schools are preparing for students to leave for a long break this Thanksgiving, but parents also have to prepare to have their students home. This New York Times article offers tips for parents during this unusual time. From practical points about scheduling travel and quarantine, to checking in on your student’s emotional state, this is a must-read for any parent feeling apprehensive about welcoming their children home for the holidays. 

Also last week, we mentioned that we would be paying close attention to how the outcome of the election will impact higher education. This article gives some big-picture ideas of how higher education policies might change, particularly in response to a Vice President who is an HBCU graduate and a First Lady who is a community college instructor. We know that information about higher education policies will continue to develop, so keep an eye out for further updates!

OFFICE HAPPENINGS

As we wrap up early applications with our late-late-start seniors, many of our juniors are just starting to research and put together their college lists. We have had a lot of questions about how to get a feel for the school when the student is unable to visit in person. If you are in the same boat, check out our post from earlier this week for some tips to help really get to know a school during virtual visits.

If you are feeling overwhelmed by the search process, find out more about how we can help by booking a Meet & Greet!

Weekly Update: October 30

Happy Halloween!

BIGGEST COLLEGE-RELATED NEWS OF THE WEEK

ACT SETTLES CLASS-ACTION LAWSUIT

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

UNIVERSITY OF DAYTON FRESHMAN DIES OF COVID-19

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

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

FCPS RETURNING TO SCHOOL! (AND SCHEDULE CHANGES)

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

BEST ARTICLES OF THE WEEK

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

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

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

OFFICE HAPPENINGS

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

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

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

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

Weekly Update: September 25

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

BIGGEST COLLEGE-RELATED NEWS OF THE WEEK

SAT UPDATES: CHECK WITH YOUR TESTING CENTER

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

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

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

PAC-12 FOOTBALL UPDATE

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

NETFLIX REALITY SHOW ABOUT GALLAUDET PREMIERES OCTOBER 9

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

UC IMPROPERLY ADMITTED AT LEAST 64 STUDENTS

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

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

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

BEST ARTICLES OF THE WEEK

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

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

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

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

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

OFFICE HAPPENINGS

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

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

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

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

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

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

Weekly Update: September 18

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

BIGGEST COLLEGE-RELATED NEWS OF THE WEEK

MATH TUTORING FROM VIRGINIA TECH

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

COLLEGE BOARD LAUNCHES AFRICAN DIASPORA CURRICULUM

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

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

DIVISION I SPORTS UPDATE

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

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

BEST ARTICLES OF THE WEEK

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

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

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

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

OFFICE HAPPENINGS

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

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

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

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

Casual Friday :)

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

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

Weekly Update: September 11

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

BIGGEST COLLEGE-RELATED NEWS OF THE WEEK

TEST-OPTIONAL, BUT ESSAY REQUIRED!

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

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

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

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

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

FLORIDA STATE SYSTEM STILL REQUIRES TESTING

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

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

A GREAT (FREE!) RESOURCE FROM DAVIDSON

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

COLLEGE FOOTBALL IS (SORT OF) BACK

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

BEST ARTICLES OF THE WEEK

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

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

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

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

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

OFFICE HAPPENINGS

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

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

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

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

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

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

Weekly Update: August 28

Wrapping up the month of August!

BIGGEST COLLEGE-RELATED NEWS OF THE WEEK

NATIONAL MERIT SCORE UPDATES

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

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

VIRGINIA: 221 Cutoffs with 369 Semifinalists & 1612 Commended

MARYLAND: 221 Cutoffs with 296 Semifinalists & 1057 Commended

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

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

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

ON MY READING LIST

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

THE UNIVERSITY SYSTEM OF GEORGIA FINALLY WENT TEST-OPTIONAL

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

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

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

ESSAYS KEEP CHANGING IN THE COMMON APP

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

BEST ARTICLES OF THE WEEK

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

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

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

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

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

OFFICE HAPPENINGS

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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