STUDENT-CENTERED SOLUTIONS FOR COLLEGE PLANNING

Getting into a “good” college is a big deal these days—so big that many families are investing thousands of dollars into a range of credentialing experiences for their students with the expectation that somewhere, somehow, there is a competitive “edge” to be exploited in the admission process.

Chief among these investments is the engagement of private consultants—folks who offer fee-based assistance to families outside of the high school environment. Such assistance can come in the form of private tutoring, test preparation, reflective self-assessment, college list development, essay editing, dedicated “advocacy” in the admission process, and planning support for students with special needs. It’s a long list and there are some incredibly gifted people who provide high-quality services. There are also a lot of imposters so “buyer beware!”

I’d like to offer a few observations and suggestions in the event you are considering the involvement of a private counselor.

1. Don’t overlook the fact that a lot of high schools, public and private, feature highly trained college access professionals and offer an abundant supply of college planning resources. Explore them first. They’re already part of the educational environment of which your student is a member and they will be integral to the presentation of his credentials.
2. Manage expectations. It is more important that you help your student find and get into colleges that are good fits for her than it is to try and “shoe-horn” her into a place that will satisfy your social urges, but not her educational needs.
3. Despite their pedigrees or prior work experiences, private counselors don’t get students into college. They can help students calibrate the process and prepare effectively to compete for admission, but it is the student who must carry the day in the admission process.
4. Engage private counselors for the right reasons. Ask yourself why you want or—more importantly—need the help. Is the college counseling available through your student’s school truly deficient? Does your student have specific needs that need to be addressed? Or do you simply want the peace of mind of having access to an expert who can interpret the process for you as you move forward? Many consultants are experts about specific areas such as learning differences or family relocations or financial planning. Make sure you know what you need.
5. Make sure the student is regarded as the lead client. To the parents, that means, “pay the bill and then stand back.” I see far too many situations in which the parents are engaged with the consultant as though the student isn’t even present!
6. Get referrals and ask for references. If you are considering a consultant who lives near you, make sure your student meets with that person before “signing on.” Ask to see evidence that s/he is well educated (former admission officer, college advisor, Certified Educational Planner, etc.) about the college admission process and has been actively engaged in professional development activity over the last 2-3 years. Look for honesty, sincerity (don’t buy what you don’t need!), accessibility and compatibility with your student. This exercise won’t work if your student isn’t buying into the concept or the person delivering it.
7. Consider cost and the projected time commitment. You shouldn’t have to pay more than 20% of the cost of one year at the colleges your student is considering for qualified assistance (you can often get what you need for less). And working with a consultant should not detract from your student’s ability to do the things that are important to her/him.
8. Finally, be wary of individuals who make guarantees. Consultants do not get kids into college! They should not manage the process nor should they write essays or complete applications for them. Students must take ownership of the process and the required tasks.

On the other hand, good consultants can help young people find the most appropriate colleges and they can provide assistance in gaining perspective on how a student might best present him/herself in the admission process. Make sure the consultation is student-centered and you won’t go wrong!

In my February 23 blog, “Senior Year Course Selections that Make a Difference,” I wrote about the importance of making appropriate course selections for the Senior year. The basic message was this: “Take courses that present reasonable challenges for you academically, do well in them and choose colleges that value you for your efforts.”

The following are questions I have received since that might speak to issues you are confronting.

Question #1: “If I know that I don’t want to pursue sciences in college, would it be okay to drop science (probably AP Physics)? I have gotten B+’s in science so far but I have to work real hard in those classes to get the grade.”

Answer: The answer depends on two things: the course you plan to take in place of the science course you are dropping, and the colleges to which you want to apply. As a rule, it is best to replace a dropped course with another that would provide the same level of challenge. Generally speaking, dropping AP Physics for a survey course in government or economics won’t reflect well on you.

That said admission officers at highly selective schools are watching to see what you do when you think the pressure is “off”—when you don’ think you have to push yourself any longer. They’re looking for the slightest reasons to turn students down. Dropping the science course without adding a suitable replacement gives them a reason to say “no.” Less selective schools, on the other hand, are not likely to view your course selection as critically.

Question #2: “How do colleges feel about online courses?”

Answer: Admission officers are accustomed to seeing a range of academic experiences as the range of educational opportunities available to students continues to grow beyond the traditional classroom. This is true not only of online courses but dual degree coursework and college courses offered (for college credit) on high school campuses.

Documentation is important, as you want to eliminate the guesswork that is otherwise bound to emerge in evaluating your credentials. If you plan to submit grades achieved in a “non-traditional” high school classroom setting, make sure your application includes a description of the course, a syllabus (if possible) and information about the accreditation of the school or program from which you received the grade.

Question #3: “I am taking AP Calculus AB as a Junior and our school doesn’t offer any higher level math classes. What should I do next year?”

Answer: If you like and do well in math, you might explore advanced coursework at local colleges. This is especially true if you are considering math/science/engineering academic tracks in college, as you will need to demonstrate proficiency at the highest levels possible in math when you apply for admission. In that case, proceeding without math next year will be problematic.

If math is not central to your future academic directions, then you may have more latitude within your school’s curriculum. For example, statistics is a highly utilitarian course and an Honors or AP Stats class could prove to be very useful regardless of your intended major.

The selectivity of the colleges under consideration comes into play when it comes to substituting courses. If you are considering more selective schools, it is better to replace rigor in one discipline with similar rigor in another.

Question #4: “My problem is that AP Spanish conflicts with orchestra next year. I have played the cello forever and am first chair. I hate to give it up. Will it hurt me if I drop Spanish to stick with orchestra?”

Answer: Believe it or not, this is a fairly common dilemma for students who are accomplished in the performing arts. In most cases, dropping a high level academic course to continue involvement with orchestra (in this case) will not hurt your competitiveness IF you explain the situation in your application (in an interview or note attached to your application). You might also explore the potential to take the AP Spanish class online or at a local college. Regardless, you need to make sure college advisor corroborates your explanation.

Question #5: “My daughter is planning to take three APs and two honors courses next year. I’m concerned that it might be too much with all of her other activities and the stress of the application process on top of it. Should I encourage her to switch from AP English Literature to an honors course instead?”

Answer: Remember my earlier advice: It’s important to step up academically. While the senior year should be fun and memorable, there is every reason to believe it should be challenging as well. At many colleges, especially those that can be very selective, admission officers are watching to see how talented students respond to the challenge. My advice is to let her follow her instincts. If she believes she can handle the challenge, she should go for it!

Final note to students: Each of these questions, as well as others like them, might also be directed to the persons on the admission staffs at schools of interest to you. Those persons can be key resources as you look for information and/or guidance in anticipation of the application process. Articulate your question in a brief email and see what happens. If you receive a thoughtful response you will have gained the information you need and you will have begun a conversation—and a relationship—with someone who will likely review your application at some point.

Many high school seniors are entering one of the most critical phases of the college admission process—and they don’t even know it! This is the time of the year when admission officers watch to see what students do when it would seem the spotlight is no longer on them. They want to see how you respond down the “stretch run” of the senior year.

Consider the mile race, as it is an apt metaphor for your high school experience. To complete the race, you must circle the track four times just as you must finish four years of high school in order to graduate. Winning the race—or finishing high school with distinction—requires you to endure the grueling pace of the last lap—and still have what it takes to sprint when the race is on the line.

Let’s suppose, then, that your race has gone exceedingly well through the first three laps. You jumped out to an early lead and have maintained a strong pace. And now, as you push ahead into the last lap you are by yourself at the head of the pack. You can’t even see the competition! This is a critical stage of the race because you begin to ask yourself, “Do I really need to work that hard? I have this race won. Why not save myself for the next race and spare the inevitable agony that otherwise comes with a sprint to the finish?”

The question you really need to ask yourself, though, is: “What have I won?” The answer is simple. “You haven’t won a thing!” You may have a “feel-good” feeling about where you are in the competition, but the race isn’t over. Moreover, changing your approach during the last lap could prove costly as other runners are bound to be pushing hard to catch up.

The same is true of your high school experience where each year is like a lap of the race. Each year has been important academically as you prepared to step up and meet the challenge of the year that follows. Having done well through your Junior Year may have left you feeling good about your prospects of graduating and getting into the colleges of your choice. Now, as the “finish line” draws near, you need to ask yourself, “What have I really accomplished at this point? How many colleges have accepted me?”

The Senior Year is the all-important “last lap” of your high school experience—and all of it counts! If your objective is to not only graduate, but to get into colleges that are selecting from among hundreds if not thousands of compelling candidates, you need to be attentive to how you finish the “race.”

Even now, in early March of your Senior Year, the outcome of the race has yet to be determined. In fact, admission officers at highly selective institutions are waiting and watching to see what you do academically when you don’t think you have to do anything. They want to see who among the competitive applicants will sprint—or stumble—when the race is on the line. And many of them will wait until the end of March to make their final decisions.

So, stay focused academically. Continue to get the most out of your high school experience—even when it would seem that doing nothing is a viable option. Give admission officers every reason to be excited about you as you sprint to the finish!

As high school Juniors engage in course selections for the Senior year, they invariably come to a question that sounds like this: “Is it better for me to take a course where I know I can get an “A” or should I take a harder course and risk getting a lower grade?” The answer is threefold:

1. Step up to courses that present reasonable challenges to you academically. You know better than anyone your capacity to get work done. Find ways to push that capacity.
2. Do as well as you can—not “good enough”—in those courses and, then,
3. Look for colleges that will value you for what you have achieved and for the trajectory of your performance curve.

Let’s take a look at the question from the perspective of the admission committee and what colleges want to see from you academically. Generally speaking, the harder it is to get into a college the greater is the likelihood that its admission officers will be checking to see if you are continuing to stretch yourself academically. Because they are choosing from among thousands of well-qualified candidates, they can afford to use the strength of an academic program as a competitive credential or “filter” in deciding whom to admit.

Here’s another way to think about it. If highly selective colleges know that they are setting the competitive “bar” at a certain level in their own classrooms, they will be looking at your record to find evidence that you are prepared to meet that “bar.” What confidence do you give them in your ability to do so if you have chosen to compete at a comfortably lower level in high school?

That doesn’t mean you should register for every high level course you can get into. Rather, you need to know your capacity to tackle challenges and make a conscious effort to move to the next logical level of rigor for you in each academic discipline. Don’t over-reach your capacity! The key is to focus on colleges that will value you for your experience in those courses.

Regardless, wherever you go to college you are likely to find academic expectations that exceed any you encountered in high school. If you have continued to step up academically through each year of high school, the step into the college classroom will be one for which you are prepared. On the other hand, if the academic challenge you give yourself in your Senior year of high school is not that different from the one you experienced as a Junior, then the step up to college will be much more awkward, if not painful.

The bottom line: Do what makes sense for you. Take stock of where you are on your learning path, set your college sites reasonably and build a strong foundation through your coursework in high school that will propel you into a successful experience in college.

Subscribe to Best College Fit™ to access the February 1 webcast, “Course Selections: What Do Your Choices Say About You?” in the BCF Webcast archives.

In Part I of this article, I introduced Lisa, a young woman who is in the midst of the application process. She has high aspirations that led her to apply to six highly selective colleges, including one as an Early Action (EA) candidate. She became concerned, however, when her EA application was deferred and it was at that point she approached me with questions about the process. (See “The Anatomy of An Admission Decision” (Part I).

As my conversation with Lisa continued, it wasn’t long before she and her parents began to see the logic of the decision-making process at the schools to which she was applying. They could now rationalize the EA decision. More importantly, the despair that had hovered over the start of the conversation had given way to an excited sense of possibility as Lisa began to develop a new “To Do” list.

Even at this time of the year, she realized it is not too late to get on the radar screens of the schools to which she had applied. Specifically, she decided to address the misperception that her interest in a given school was random and, instead, convey to the schools a combination of intentionality, commitment and talent that would set her apart from the rest of the competition.
Lisa made immediate plans to visit the campuses of the “high priority” schools on her list and attempt to introduce herself to the person(s) responsible for recruiting in her region. She will make sure they have her most recent grades as well as documentation of a couple of honors that have come her way since she submitted her applications. She also took heart in the possibility that she could still contact the coaches at some of the smaller colleges on her list and make sure they got the videos of her athletic performance.

I admire Lisa for her response to the situation. Rather than hanging her head and feeling defeated about her college future, she is taking steps to affect the outcomes. Realizing that applying to college is a process and not an event, she is asserting herself. In doing so, she will eliminate the randomness that might be associated with her applications.

Will this new-found self-advocacy assure Lisa admission to her favorite schools? Not necessarily. It will, however, give her the chance she deserves. At the very least, the schools on her list now have reason to pause in considering her possible contributions to the communities they are building. Now, they will have a better idea of what they get should they admit Lisa—and they’ll have more confidence that hers is a serious interest that could result in her enrollment if accepted. Finally, if they value her for what she has to offer, they will be more likely to invest in her with financial aid and/or scholarships.

Consider the possibilities as they exist for you. When you apply for admission, take charge of the process. Seize the opportunity to build relationships with decision-makers (admission officers) at the schools that are important to you and be sure to tell your story. Give the admission officers every reason to want to include you in the communities they are building as they admit their entering classes!