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: March 6

BIGGEST COLLEGE-RELATED NEWS OF THE WEEK

COLORADO COLLEGE WITHDRAWS FROM ANNUAL RANKINGS

Colorado College made a groundbreaking decision last week! It became the first college since 1995 to withdraw from the U.S. News & World Report’s annual undergraduate rankings of best colleges. Representatives from the school claim that the annual report is based on a “flawed methodology” and doesn’t objectively measure the quality of education. Instead, according to Colorado College, the rankings favor schools with lower student debt. Although Colorado College will no longer submit data to the U.S. News & World Report, the publication will continue to rank the school based on publicly available data. Meanwhile, Colorado College officials say they are committed to studying the ramifications of this big decision and sharing that information with other schools.

COLUMBIA AND WILLIAM & MARY ARE REMAINING TEST- OPTIONAL…INDEFINITELY 

Columbia University and William & Mary College announced last week that they will remain test-optional indefinitely - Columbia being the first Ivy League school to do so. Since spring of 2020, over 1700 colleges and universities have gone test-optional in response to the pandemic. While some schools have begun to reinstate their testing requirements, others are extending their optional policies to allow for greater flexibility and freedom in how students showcase themselves in an application. Following these two announcements, more schools are expected to update their testing policies soon. We will continue to provide updates as information is released; in the meantime, remember that test-optional admissions and test-blind admissions are not one and the same. In a test-optional situation, the student with test scores typically still has a real advantage. I still really like my pool analogy from 2020!

THE FEDERAL RESERVE OF NY RELEASES DATA ON COLLEGE MAJORS AND INCOME POTENTIAL

The Federal Reserve of New York recently released its findings on college majors and earnings potential. Not surprising, the highest incomes are those in STEM-related fields, while social services and education are fixed at the bottom of the list. What is interesting about the data- and perhaps a bit surprising- is the comparisons of early career salaries and mid-career earnings growth. For example, all engineers have similar early-career salaries, but those who choose chemical engineering are likely to earn ten to twenty thousand more per year mid-career. Fascinating! Experts believe these numbers are quite useful for young adults, who can use the data to make informed decisions about the paths they’ll pursue within a particular field or interest. Along the same lines, I absolutely love these TikTok videos from Salary Transparent Street - check them out!

BEST ARTICLES OF THE WEEK

Your teen might have been trained in CPR, but are they certified in Mental Health First Aid? With the sharp increase of mental health problems in children and teens since the onset of the pandemic, schools are finding it difficult to fully support their student populations. There are so many students in need and not enough trained professionals to go around. To combat the problem, many schools are turning to Teen Mental Health First Aid. The program trains teenagers to recognize the symptoms of a mental health concern and respond appropriately. Topics cover those that are most pertinent to the age group, from anxiety and depression to eating disorders and addictions. Although the training certainly doesn’t replace professional support, Mental Health First Aid can help create a community-centered approach to wellness. 

To some, Robert Allen is known as a super yacht lawyer. To others, he’s a Facebook troll. However, Allen would like to be recognized as the mastermind behind Governor DeSantis’ conservative takeover of New College in Sarasota, Florida. An alumnus of New College, Allen allegedly helped Governor DeSantis recognize the potential of the school to be a “jewel of the South” and make sweeping changes to its board of trustees. According to alumni members of the New College community, Allen has been very vocal about his ties to DeSantis via social media and has even engaged in arguments with more liberal-leaning alumni on Facebook. Many are less concerned with Allen himself and more with what these changes could imply–that New College is a “testing ground for larger efforts by DeSantis on his road to the presidency.”

High salaries, great benefits, lots of vacation time- you might think these are the most important factors recent college graduates are looking for in a job. However, it turns out there’s something even more valuable to new twenty-something employees: stability! A recent report by Handshake- a career website catering to college students- indicated that Gen Z is craving security. Even though young adults have become experts at adapting to major changes (i.e. a global pandemic), they are ultimately looking for a secure environment in which they can invest themselves. The report also found that recent grads are still optimistic about job potential-even though many say a recession is ahead- and fully understand their worth. This generation is more informed than ever about earnings potential (the data is everywhere!), and they aren’t afraid to have honest conversations about salary. 

There are so many considerations that drive the college decision-making process, but for LGTBQ students, the choice often comes down to one big factor: rights. In response to recent legislation in several states, students in the LGTBQ community are rethinking their college plans. Families are prioritizing safety more than ever, as students worry about the potential for discrimination and hate crimes. And for many LGTBQ young adults, they are focusing just as heavily on the political implications of a school and state just as they are on academic programs and campus life. If you are interested in learning more about LGBTQ-friendly college campuses, check out Campus Pride and The Princeton Review.

OFFICE HAPPENINGS

We have been busy kicking into high gear now that Common App essay prompts have FINALLY been released for our Class of 2024 juniors! All of our students should have received an email from Shannon last week with instructions on next steps to begin.

Since these prompts are normally released in January, we typically encourage students to take their time in terms of scheduling meetings and deciding exactly when to start. However, this year’s delayed prompt release has left us with a much shorter window. If students want to stick to our typical “Finish by September” timeline, we recommend getting started on these Common App essays right away. Please email our admin team if you have any questions about the timeline!

In other news, there’s an exciting opportunity this month that Fairfax County Teens looking for a job won’t want to miss! The Fairfax County Teen Job Fair is a great chance to look for a summer job, network with local businesses and organizations, and/or attend career-building sessions to enhance your skills. The event is conveniently being held on three Saturdays in March: the 11th, 18th, and 25th. You can register for one of the dates here.