Pop Quiz: What’s the goal of applying to college?
a.) To brag about the list of fancy schools you applied to
b.) To add stress to your life…just because
c.) To actually attend college (hopefully one you enjoy being at)
d.) There’s a goal?
If you answered ‘c, To actually attend college’, you’re on the right track.
But with all the hype around name-brand colleges and the chaos of changing SAT and ACT requirements, it can be difficult for students (and their families) to stay focused on the goals that actually matter: pursuing your passions, finding your people and stepping into your adult life.
And in today’s shifting college admissions landscape, misplaced focus on an impressive, flashy list rather than on the end goal of actually attending college is resulting in an alarming number of stories about phenomenal students with almost no “yeses” at the end of their college application process.
Our best advice to avoid that problem is pretty simple: remember that the application process is simply a means to an end, a way to get to where you belong, not an end-goal in and of itself.
Well that, and to join us this Thursday, March 9 at 6 pm PST for Making a List, Checking it Twice: The College List, where we’ll be joined by Amy Abrams, long-time admissions expert and Director of College Counseling at Wildwood School to dig into the do’s and don’ts of list-building. We’ll cover:
- The importance of the college list
- Designing a successful list
- Elements of fit to consider
- How to best utilize your college counselor
At Colledge, over years of studying the admissions landscape and working with students, we’ve developed a process that helps students articulate their deeper needs before diving into research, so they can find their best right-fit schools and honestly evaluate their admissibility.
So if you’re supporting a young person on their path towards college, help them stay curious – about what colleges are out there, and about themselves. Encourage questions like:
- When am I happiest?
- What would I fight for?
- Which of my teachers have been most effective for me, and why?
- What do I need in my environment to thrive?
Asking these kinds of questions can help teens and their families tune out the noise of what everybody else thinks, use their time meaningfully and zero in on what “fit” means for them.
At Colledge, we believe that each individual student deserves to be seen and valued for exactly who they are in every moment along their path to their future. That starts with their college list. So join us on Thursday, and, as always, if you have specific questions about your child’s process, connect with us.
