Weekly Update x2: August 14/21

Happy first day of school to FCPS students starting this week! We have been SWAMPED and are combining two weeks of updates for you!

BIGGEST COLLEGE-RELATED NEWS OF THE WEEK

WEST VIRGINIA CUTS FOREIGN LANGUAGES

West Virginia University made the controversial decision last week to cut all foreign language instruction and let go of professors in response to budget constraints. The proposed cuts include other programs as well, for a total of 32 majors and 7% of the university’s faculty. With declining enrollment, WVU has determined that the drastic cuts are necessary to maintain more popular programs like forensics, engineering, and neuroscience. Professors and students are objecting to the cuts.

While many other public universities have faced budget constraints, WVU is the first state flagship to make such extreme cuts to its programs in response. The proposed cuts, if approved, will take effect in May.

ATTACK AT HOWARD UNIVERSITY

Howard University ramped up security last week after three Howard students were attacked by a mob of teenagers outside of a residence hall and one student was stabbed. In response to this act of violence, as well as rising rates of violence in DC as a whole, Howard has worked to increase security on campus in advance of the arrival of the newest freshman class. The changes for this orientation include “safety paths” on campus with officers stationed every 100-200 feet, and some events being moved indoors where student IDs can be checked on entry.

CHANGES TO FCPS TRANSCRIPTS

I almost had a heart attack last week as I was scanning through a general FCPS email to parents one night and noticed that major changes had been made to high school transcripts effective immediately. They are good changes, actually, but we had already finalized so many self-reported transcripts and senior year schedules and I knew a lot of that work would need to be redone. You can read about the changes here: basically, all courses that receive honors/advanced weighting will now have the designations to match on the transcripts. To be honest, this was a long time coming as the former policy just made no sense - why wouldn’t all courses with honors weighting be called honors? I’m glad they fixed it, but wish they would have done it sooner. I scrambled to put a plan in place and emailed all of our families at 11:00 that night! We’ve been able to get everything fixed for most of the impacted students already, so I’m glad for that!

NEW FAFSA IS COMING

A new version of the FAFSA, said to be more user-friendly than previous versions of the form, is expected to be unveiled for the 2024-2025 school year. In addition to eliminating the “discount” for families with multiple students in college at once, the new form will also replace “expected family contribution” with the “student aid index,” a guideline for the amount of aid for which a student qualifies. The number of questions on the form has also been reduced, which we certainly hope will make this challenging process a bit easier for families!

Unfortunately, the changes do mean that the FAFSA will be released significantly later this year - the form often comes out in October, but this year, it is not expected to be released until December. Colleges and universities are updating their due dates for the FAFSA accordingly, with some pushing March dates to April or rethinking winter priority deadlines.

BEST ARTICLES OF THE WEEK

We definitely empathized with Clara, the mother in this Town & Country article, who is allowing her son to take a laid-back approach to college admissions in favor of a more balanced experience in high school. There can be something very freeing about intentionally choosing to bypass the rat race. Two words of caution, though: first, if your family is going to go in this direction, you have to truly understand the landscape and what the outcome will be. Some parents say things like: “We have very realistic expectations - he doesn’t need to go to an Ivy! We would be thrilled witha place like Tufts!.” Well, Tufts has a 9.7% acceptance rate - that’s more selective than Harvard was, when today’s parents applied. Tufts isn’t a safety for anyone anymore! Even the University of South Carolina - a fine place, of course, but not the most selective school, historically - is adamant that they are looking for As on transcripts in math, science, and English classes specifically.

Next, after you’re made peace with the outcome, you have to firmly commit to this approach - you can’t change your mind junior or senior year. That would be the absolute worst thing to do. Your family would undergo an enormous amount of stress trying to “catch up” and would likely not be able to catch up anyway, because admissions committees assess students on their performance from grades 9-11.

If you are an international student applying from abroad to US schools, check out this article for a clear breakdown of what might be an unfamiliar education system. Learn about the different types of schools in the US and how the grading system, majors and minors, and exam schedule may differ from your home country. This is also a great primer for US students and families who feel confused by some of the terminology schools use (what are majors vs. concentrations?).

Plus, check out this comprehensive look at legacy admissions, and what it might mean for more schools to eliminate it.

And finally, there are a lot of changes, both good and bad, when a child moves away from home for the first time. Unfortunately, we all know that college students have been suffering from a mental health crisis in recent years, and one mental health issue that is particularly common on college campuses is eating disorders. This article offers some tips to help talk with your student and protect them from this type of mental health challenge when they head off to their new campus home.

OFFICE HAPPENINGS

It’s #firstdayfairfax and so many of you are heading back to school! My son James was so excited to go back this morning that he was literally running down the street to try to get into his first grade classroom faster!

We are so lucky to have an amazing neighborhood public school - every year I think to myself that there’s no way this year’s teacher is going to measure up to last year’s (or in last year’s case, that James’ teacher wouldn’t measure up to his sister Caroline’s amazing kindergarten teacher) and somehow they manage to just have a whole team full of rockstars over there. Very grateful! Caroline starts her first day of middle school on Wednesday at OLGC with another incredible team of rockstars and I am so grateful for them too.

(Also, I can’t believe I have a child in middle school! Yikes!)

I would just like to put it on the record that I had nothing to do with this sock choice :)

It has been such a whirlwind over the past several weeks between August 1 and today, when about half of our students returned to school. This has always been the busiest time of the year by a very long shot, and as the FCPS start date inches earlier and earlier, everything compresses into a shorter and shorter period.

This year’s enormous increase in essays as a result of the Supreme Court ruling has just been the cherry on top of a fun three weeks :) Our students and essay coaches have been cranking out supplemental essays at a record pace, and many of our students are close to finishing their Common ApplicationⓇ work! We’re so excited to see everything start to come together.

As always, we will have more space for Late Start Seniors after our first cohort finishes up - so feel free to schedule a Meet & Greet session if you’re a senior who still needs help! We have appointments available as early as next week during school hours (parents are able to attend on their child’s behalf, if that’s easier), and our first after-school availability at the moment is on Thursday, September 7.

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: February 21

BIGGEST COLLEGE-RELATED NEWS OF THE WEEK

VIRGINIA TECH RELEASES EARLY ACTION DECISIONS

The last of the major Virginia early action releases occurred with Virginia Tech on Friday evening. VT reported more than 47,000 applications for 7,085 seats in the freshman class, and so many qualified students were unfortunately waitlisted. We definitely encourage all students to read VT's Waitlist FAQ . Note that VT's released numbers represent totals, not just their EA pool. 

Note If you are interested in learning more about other VA schools and their early action data, keep reading! There’s more on this topic and my thoughts later in this post.

STUDENTS PROTEST AT GEORGETOWN UNIVERSITY 

There’s a call for big changes at Georgetown University. In response to incidents over the past several months, students formed the group Georgetown University Protects Racists (GURP) and have been protesting the ways in which the university handles hate crimes and bias incidents. Georgetown officials are now working with student leaders to address these issues, and an external review of the university’s systems is being conducted. 

TRAGIC SHOOTING AT MICHIGAN STATE UNIVERSITY LEAVES THREE STUDENTS DEAD

Last week a gunman opened fire at Michigan State University, killing three students and injuring five others. The attacker- Anthony Dwayne McRae- fled the scene and was later found dead of a self-inflicted gunshot wound. He reportedly did not have any ties to MSU, and his motive is unknown at this time. As of Sunday night, university police reported that three of the injured students remain in critical condition. Meanwhile, the MSU community resumed classes on Monday. Faculty and administrators are working to support students through the rest of the semester with lighter course loads and credit/no credit options for academic classes.

WELLESLEY COLLEGE APOLOGIZES FOR MISHANDLING SEXUAL ABUSE CASE

Last week, Wellesley College president Paula Johnson issued an apology for the school’s mishandling of a sexual abuse case. The written statement was released the same day The Boston Globe published an expose on Wellesley’s former running coach, John Babington. Babington was accused of sexual abuse by a student in the late 1990s but continued working at Wellesley until 2013. In her letter, President Johnson thanked the alumna for sharing her story with The Boston Globe and reaffirmed the school’s commitment to preventing sexual harassment. She insisted,  “There is no question that Wellesley would handle such conduct very differently today.”

CLEMSON UNIVERSITY ANNOUNCES EXCITING NEW MAJOR

There will be a new major to choose from at Clemson University in the fall of 2023! Clemson announced its plans to offer an undergraduate automotive engineering program next year- the first of its kind in the United States. The university is already regarded as a leader in this field of study, having launched a graduate program in automotive engineering in 2006. Now undergraduates will have the opportunity to prepare for dynamic careers in automotive manufacturing thanks to Clemson’s interdisciplinary and experiential curriculum, as well as its “unique geographic advantage.”

BEST ARTICLES OF THE WEEK

Does college need to be four years? That’s the question Professor Steven Mintz (University of Texas at Austin) recently tackled in his opinion piece for Inside Higher Ed. With the rising cost of college tuition, many students are dodging the traditional four-year model. Rather than paying for required electives and stressing out over overloaded semester course schedules, students are turning to online course alternatives and dual enrollment programs. The result is cheaper, more efficient credit earnings, but at what cost? Many wonder if these pathways diminish the value of a college education. The question is one that continues to incite big debates, and Mintz is happy to share where he stands. Ultimately, Mintz believes that students are bogged down in courses that don’t mean anything to them and are subject to far too many lectures and discussion-based classes. He hopes that in the future schools will turn to more meaningful, project-based learning opportunities for undergraduates, as well as increased options for “career-aligned degree pathways.” 

Race, politics, religion–these topics may be controversial, even off-limits in some places, but not at the University of Austin (and no, that’s not a typo - University of Austin, not UT Austin!). The university’s Forbidden Courses summer program creates a space for civil engagement on topics that are often “forbidden” as topics of discussion. Students have the chance to “inquire openly into vexing questions with honesty and without fear of shame.” In other words, students are free! Whether they want to ask questions, offer a dissenting opinion, or challenge a belief, they can do that. If you’d like to hear students share their experiences in the forbidden courses or see the lineup of Summer 2023 offerings, click here.

Watching the Howard University swim team is a marvel for many, and it’s not because they’ve got the school dance team cheering them on at the sidelines. In a sport where only 2% of college athletes are Black, Howard University swim coach, Nic Askew, has made historic strides. Since taking over the program eight years ago, he’s revamped a once hopeless team. Over sixty school swim records have been broken, and last year, Howard earned a second-place finish at the Northeast Conference championship. Although Howard’s team is admittedly not a national powerhouse, they are “on the front line of change” in a sport that has historically denied access to the Black community.

OFFICE HAPPENINGS

As I mentioned earlier in the post, we’ve been spending a lot of time tracking early decision and early action data for this year’s admission cycle as well as doing our best to make meaning of what we see.

If you were surprised to find yourself on the VT waitlist, you’re in good company with a lot of others! Let’s take a step back in time to understand more about what’s been happening over in Blacksburg. During the 2016-2017 admissions cycle, VT accepted way too many students and over-enrolled their freshman class. As a result, they decided to be very conservative with acceptances in 2017-2018, but took it too far and ended up way below their enrollment goals. Ultimately they had to take about 2,000 students from the waitlist to fill the class. But then they went too far in the opposite direction again the following year! (Are you noticing a trend..?). Yes, in 2018-2019, they accepted far too many students again, and the situation attracted national attention because of the housing crisis in Blacksburg that resulted.

A few years ago at Virginia Tech!

Since that point, they have consistently under-enrolled - better than over-enrolling, I guess! During the following years, they took 3,961 (2019-2020), 3,286 (2020-2021) and 2,458 (2021-2022) students from the waitlist, respectively. These numbers represent HUGE percentages of the freshman class as a whole - taking 3,961 students off the waitlist for a freshman class of 7,000 is extremely significant.

This year, I’m wondering whether the possibility of a pending recession will impact the new pattern of under-enrollment leading to large waitlist acceptances. It could: historically, we see more students choosing public universities during periods of economic uncertainty. If more VT accepted students choose to enroll instead of pursuing private options, this could result in less spots for waitlisted students. There’s also the chance that VT accounted for this possibility when it came to building out this year’s model. Time will tell!

As for UVA, they released their EA decisions about a week before VT, and their numbers are up as well. As is typical for their office, UVA broke everything down to make the differences between EA and ED clear. It’s also really nice that they provide an in-state vs. out-of-state breakdown, but at the same time, keep in mind that data representing the entire state of Virginia may not represent the breakdown for Fairfax and Arlington counties. Anecdotally, I found UVA to be a little more predictable in their decision-making than they were over the last two years, which was a welcome surprise! VT was just completely unpredictable.

Last but not least, JMU's decisions came out about a month ago, and their increases were perhaps the most significant of all. Their 2022 EA numbers (for the HS Class of 2023 - it can get tricky because JMU releases in December while the other two release in the new year) were up 30% from the previous year and up 83% from two years ago. INSANE! Despite those enormous increases, I did find JMU to be pretty predictable for our applicants.

Bottom line? Even though we had pretty good luck with predictability this year, none of these schools are safeties anymore. Make sure to plan accordingly - if you want a Virginia public safety, you need to explore other options. We have so many great schools, so try to keep an open mind and check some of the others out.