Notes from the Holy Innocents' Deans and Directors Panel

Last Thursday, we were fortunate to welcome enrollment managers from four universities to Holy Innocents'.  Our panel of experts gracefully shared their wisdom and expertise, as well as a bit of humor - a good reminder that the college research and application process has plenty of room for lighter moments.  Many thanks to the students and families who attended.  For those who couldn't make it (or for those who want to revisit what was said), below are notes I took during the program.  Because they are fairly detailed, I'll start with the closing statements which did a nice job of capturing some of the big themes.  Think of them as the cliff notes.   

Our Panel

• Lee Ann Backlund, Dean of Admission and Financial Aid at Sewanee: The University of the South. 

• Rick Clark, Director of Undergraduate Admission at Georgia Tech. 

• Barbara Hall.  Currently consulting at Arcadia University, formerly served as Director of Financial Aid and Career Services at Sewanee, Associate VP for Enrollment Services at Georgia Tech, and Associate Provost for Enrollment Management at New York University.  

• Byron Lewis, Associate Dean of Admission at Southern Methodist University.  

Parting Wisdom

• Plan ahead for the investment of college; have tough conversations early; thoroughly research.  Finaid.org is a very helpful website. 

• Students - take ownership of this process.  You have a say in what classes you pick, how hard you study, and where you apply.  Maintain a sense of humor, manage stress, and don't forget to enjoy your senior year.  

• Stay open to what's out there; allow for your interests to adapt and change as you grow.  Make the most of college when you get there.  

• Remember how much your parents care about you and want for you to succeed; don't let the application process tarnish that awareness.  

• You are not a fundamentally better person because of any college that admits you.  You are not a fundamentally worse person because of any college that doesn't admit you.  

Complete Questions and Responses

When should students begin the college search, and how should they build a list?
Start thinking about college early and prepare to build a list of schools to consider in your junior year.  Keep an open mind initially and don't be afraid to look at places outside of your comfort zone.  Remember that starting your college list starts with learning about yourself.

Liberal arts college vs. research university...
Larger research universities may offer more resources and have relatively limited requirements outside a student's major, meaning academic experiences can vary.  Liberal arts colleges tend to require a broader curriculum outside of a student's major, with an emphasis on preparing critical thinkers and well-rounded learners.  Research universities may offer more in the way of research or hands-on experience.  Liberal arts colleges tend to boast smaller classes and more personalized attention from professors. 

What are the benefits of a women's college?
 At a college solely made up of women, it is women who hold all leadership roles on campus.  That presents an opportunity for young women to become vocal, active members of their community.  Academically, more women persist to earn degrees in the STEM fields at women's colleges than mixed gender schools.

How does regional diversity affect admission decisions? 
Some state institutions are subject to legislative limitations on the number of out-of-state students they can admit.  At especially popular schools, this can make out-of-state admission more difficult.  Most colleges, private and public alike, are interested in creating campus diversity by bringing together people of different backgrounds, experiences, cultures, etc.  Geographic diversity is considered in this, and at some schools a student from Georgia might offer a different, valuable perspective.

How is a group of applications from the same high school considered?
Applications are evaluated individually.  School groups are then later reviewed as a whole to make sure decisions make sense within the group.  There are no quotas or limits on admits from specific high schools.

How important is it to know what you want to study before you apply?
It is not terribly important to know exactly what you want to study.  From time of application to the time they enroll, 1 in 4 GA Tech students will already change their mind, without having even taken a college class.  40% switch after freshman year.  And that's OK.  Have an idea of the types of things you might want to study and find schools that will accommodate your various interests.  Remember that just because you're good at something doesn't mean you have to major in it.

Do essays really matter?
Yes.  And essay writing is a good time for parents to step aside.  It's the student's voice the college wants to hear.  Remember to answer the question; simple can be OK; authenticity is important; stick to your strengths.  If you're funny, it's OK to be funny (if you're not, don't try).  You can take a bit of a risk to sound like yourself.

Do extracurriculars and summer activities matter? 
Yes, but there is no magical collection of activities that adds up to an admit.  Depth is more important than being a "serial club-joiner."  Find the things you like, and do them at the highest and most committed level you can.  Not everyone will be well-rounded; it's ok to be angular. 

What is demonstrated interest?  How much contact is too much?  
Some schools, especially selective schools, try to look for enrollment predictors (of the kids they've admitted, how many are likely to actually enroll?).  Have you visited campus, attended a visit at your high school, been to a local reception?  Those things can sometimes break the tie between you and a similarly qualified student who has demonstrated little or no interest.  Just don't be a stalker!  No daily emails.  If you have questions about whether or not a particular school will value demonstrated interest, ask your college counselor. 

What is the importance of a rigorous high school curriculum?
You compete against what your school offers and are reviewed only in the context of your school. What have you done vs. what was available to you?  Push yourself, especially in the classes you are good at or enjoy.  For most colleges, a B in the AP or honors class is preferred over an A- in the standard level class.

What is the parents' role in the application process? 
Talk to your kids about boundaries - cost, distance, etc.  Once those boundaries have been set, let your child drive the decision about where to actually enroll.  Let kids soak in their visits and form their own opinions and reactions.  Try to set aside your preconceived notions about schools; places change.  Set aside time to talk about college.  Don't make it the subject of conversation every moment you have with your kids.



 

Fish, Ponds, and Malcolm Gladwell

Our college counseling survey asks juniors a question about how they prefer to find themselves in relation to their peers: would they rather be a big fish in a small pond or a small fish in a big pond?  Some prefer the perceived anonymity of a big pond; others thrive when leading the school (literally, but also figuratively if we're sticking with the fish analogy).  A few outside-the-box students have responded that they like the idea of being a medium-sized fish in a medium pond.  That's not really what we asked, but OK - fair enough.  At a basic level, I think our question is trying to parse out the size of a student population our student seeks in their college experience.  And I think that's usually how it's interpreted and answered. 

But there's something else it could imply.  Namely, how do you wish to see yourself in relation to your peers, based on ability?  What happens when you interpret the question as asking if you'd rather be struggling at the bottom of an intellectually elite class or dominating (intellectually speaking) in a less competitive class?  Taken this way, I wonder if our students would rethink their answers.  Would you rather be at the bottom of your class at Harvard, or at the top of your class at a less elite school?  Does it matter?  Malcolm Gladwell thinks it might.

In short, Gladwell argues that how students see themselves in reference to their immediate peers trumps the more universal truths about their abilities.  A struggling student at Harvard, for example, may see herself as inept though in reality she is enormously capable compared to all other college students.  But since her self-perception is tied not to that universal comparison but instead only to how she stacks up against her Harvard peers, she may not persevere through a particular Harvard class or major wherein she feels inadequate.  Gladwell doesn't mention this (and I digress), but I wonder if this is even more prevalent among students at the most selective, elite colleges.  Think of the shock of being told you were the best, the brightest, the most brilliant all your life and then struggling through college classes, seemingly outmatched by other bests, brightests, and most brilliants.  You might back out of those classes or stay away from entire majors, as Gladwell suggests is happening, specifically in the STEM fields.  Want to set yourself up for success?  Find a place where you can be one of the brightest students relative to your peers, suggests Gladwell.  Rather than attend the most selective school to which you are admitted, attend one where you'll be among the top students in your field of interest.  This makes you more likely to succeed within that field.  Basically, go where you can be one of the big fish. 

It's an interesting idea: set yourself up to be highly successful in what you want to study, and ignore the perceived prestige of a place.  I think it makes sense in the short term.  If you want to study engineering, you're probably better off going somewhere you're likely to actually complete the engineering curriculum.  And that seems more likely when you're the big fish in the small pond; when you can outshine most of your peers.  But in the long run, if employers and grad schools still place value on the perceived prestige of a place, might one be rewarded for persisting as a mediocre or below average student at the more prestigious school?  Most colleges don't rank their graduating classes, much less report who their top students are to prospective employers.  How does the hiring manager at a graduate's first job tell whether she was the big fish in the small pond?  Might that student still be passed up for one whose resume boasts a fancier-named pond?

I think for Gladwell's advice to be really valuable, there would need to be a way to somehow indicate to the people who will be evaluating you for placement in a job or grad school that you were the big fish, and that your big-fish status should outweigh your school's name.  And perhaps honor societies and named scholarships can accomplish this.  Or maybe it's ok advice to attend the most prestigious school where you can actually persist through your academic field of interest and earn the degree.  After all, it doesn't do you any good to fail out of your STEM major at Harvard.  But maybe scraping by at a prestigious school is at least as good as dominating at a lesser-known place - at least until employers and grad schools find a way to determine how big of a fish you were.  Or maybe, no matter how informed we are, most people will always find it very difficult to ignore the prestige of an institution, even if it would be in their rational best interest to do so.  After all, Gladwell himself couldn't resist the allure of Google.