College Counselor Corner

In order to be successful in today’s workplace, not only do you need the knowledge to understand what you need to do at your job, but you also need the soft skills that allow you to work in teams, communicate effectively, respond well to failure, etc. If you asked someone who hires for their company, they may say that these soft skills are even more important than rote knowledge of how to do something. You can only learn these skills, however, by putting yourself in situations or circumstances where you need to use them. This is why internships are SO IMPORTANT! I have written two other posts titled, “The Value of a High School Internship” and “Gen Z X Factors” that also speak to the importance of these soft skills.

Sophomores and Juniors are required to complete 20 internship hours (Sophomore Externship) and 40 hours (Junior Practicum) respectively. As we “educate students who will serve God and impact the world through Biblical thought and action” at DCCS, it’s important that students “go into the world” through these internship experiences.

Keep in mind, as adults we need to continue getting better at these soft skills. However, we grew up in a generation without cell phones and constant communication so we were able (or had) to learn these skills sooner. High school (and college) students today need to seek out opportunities a bit more today, especially after the COVID pandemic, in order to learn these soft skills. While you can learn these skills to a certain extent in a traditional classroom setting, you won’t truly grow in each of these soft skills unless you are in situations that are new and challenge you, with people you may not be familiar with, in settings that are different and being asked to complete tasks that are difficult. Based on a poll that I had staff/administrators at DC take, below are the most important soft skills to learn and grow in as you get older. There were many others that didn’t make the cut but are also important. For the sake of this post becoming too long, I needed to keep it at ten.

1. Communication– I can write another entire blog post on communication. In my mind, the most important communication skills a high school student can improve in are asking good questions, have a good tone of voice, friendliness, listening, clarity and respect. I was at a wedding this past weekend and my 90-year old grandmother, who wanted to know why we didn’t have bread at our table yet, said, “only the squeaky wheel gets the oil” after she asked for bread. When you deal with people, you just can’t ask Google for an answer, you have to ask them. The more you ask, the more you’ll know and the more opportunities you will have.
2. Teamwork– The ability to work in a friendly and peaceful manner with fellow employees in all kids of situations and with empathy. It requires a sense of maturity, which allows the individual to think above misunderstands that arise. Lastly, in involves helping other members of your team achieve a common goal quickly and effectively.
3. Adaptability/Flexibility– In the 21st century companies need to make rapid changes to remain competitive. So they need workers who can also shift gears or change direction as needed. In today’s tech-driven and rapidly evolving business environment, employees need to be able to handle many different tasks and demonstrate a willingness to take on responsibilities that might lay outside their area of expertise.
4. Problem Solving– Glitches, bumps in the road, and stumbling blocks are all part of a job and represent learning opportunities. The ability to use your knowledge to find answers to pressing problems and come up with workable solutions will demonstrate that you can handle (or excel) at your job. Discussing mistakes and what you learned from them is also important to growing in this area.
5. Conflict Resolution– In the past, when there weren’t cell phones, we used to go outside and play with our friends all day because that was the only way to interact with them. We couldn’t FaceTime, text, etc. When you interact with people face to face you are going disagree. I know when I had disagreements, sometimes it ended up in yelling, fights and maybe leaving wherever we were and went home. However, we had to resolve our differences, apologize or just move on knowing we were being dumb because we wanted to keep playing and interacting. Today, kids and teens can hide behind a device if they get mad or disagree with someone. They don’t talk to someone they are angry at or disagree with face to face to resolve their differences. How to talk through your disagreements with someone, apologizing, compromising and learning to “agree to disagree” in a respectful manner, are skills in short supply these days.
6. Work Ethic– Employers are looking for employees that take initiative, are reliable, and can do the job right the first time. They expect you to be responsible and do the job you’re getting paid to do, which includes being punctual when you arrive at work, meeting deadlines, and making sure your work is error-free. Also, going the extra mile shows that you’re committed to performing your work with excellence.
7. Self-Motivation– Having a positive attitude and the initiative to work well without someone having to look over your shoulder all the time is a vital soft skill for any employee. This demonstrates reliability and commitment, but also independence and self-sufficiency. If your boss has to constantly find ways to motivate you, which means they are probably taking time away from more important things they have to do, you won’t be around much longer.
8. Self-Control– This is the only soft skill on the list that is also one of the fruits of the spirit (Galatians 5:22-23). So self-control is even more important because it requires us to hold our tongue when we know our words may be harmful, listening instead of speaking, not taking something or thinking we can get away with something because we convinced ourselves it’s okay for some reason or another and having wisdom on what to say if we know our words won’t help the situation. These are such critical skills to learn not only for when you are at the workplace, but trying to shine the light of Jesus to those you work with.
9. Confidence– This is your belief or trust in something. In the workplace, it can be the belief you have in yourself to carry out your job and the belief you have in your own abilities. Having this skill means you know what you can do well and what you’re ultimately capable of. However, it’s also being confident that you know what you are weaker at or not as skilled in and when to ask for help or possibly teaming up with someone who can provide a great balance to complete a task.
10. Time Management– Employers in every industry look for employees that make optimal use of the time available to them on the job. Saving time saves each organization money and increases revenue. Effective time management requires one to analyze their workload, assign priorities and focus on the most productive tasks. It also includes the ability to work under pressure, as well as within tight deadlines. You also must have an attitude which allows you to take on new tasks.

As most students approach 15-16 years old, they come to a crossroads in their life when the decisions they make begin to impact their future circumstances more. I definitely don’t want to discount decisions they make before this age but typically, when they’re younger (lets say between ages 10-14) or younger, parents still have a good amount of influence in their lives and they aren’t making many of the “larger” decisions themselves. In my experience, having been a counselor for almost 20 years now and as a parent (I have a 16 year old), it’s natural for a 15-16 year old to want to make more decisions on their own and it’s healthy for the parent(s) to allow them to. I’m not talking about large financial decisions that parents should obviously make because they are the ones paying, or decisions/rules that are made within the home because teens still live under their parents roof. I am talking about decisions involving their peers, more autonomy to take care of their responsibilities in school, what sports/activities they will play, getting and having a job, paying for things and in this case, how they approach the college planning and application process.

In Jeff Selingo’s new book, “Who Gets In and Why: A Year Inside College Admissions”, Jeff makes a distinction between “drivers” and “passengers” in the college admissions process. Honestly, these labels can be applicable to many other situations in life as well. Whichever a student determines they will be will most definitely determine the opportunities and options they have in the future. Jeff defines both the “driver” and the “passenger” in the college planning and application process below.

“When teenagers and their families embark on the college search, they are largely empty vessels waiting to be filled with information. Over time, they separate into two worlds and follow different calendars as they hunt for a college. One group starts early as voracious consumers of information, reading guidebooks or regularly talking to counselors or others who can help them. They are what I call “drivers”. The other world is occupied by “passengers” along for the ride. Some students are “passengers” by choice – myopic teenagers propelled by parents and counselors. Others might have the motivation to be “drivers” but they lack access to good advice either at school or at home.

For the remainder of this post, I am going to dig deeper into what I think defines both the “driver” and “passenger” roles in the college planning and application process. Before I begin, let me clarify something Jeff Selingo says in the quote above. If you are reading this post, have consistent access to internet, attend a school that has Naviance, SCOIR, etc. and a college counselor that you can meet with and receive information from, you would be a “passenger” by choice.

I would like to start with the “PASSENGERS” in the college planning and application process and then move on to the characteristics of “DRIVERS”.

Characteristics of “Passengers”:

Doesn’t show initiative– These students need to be told to get things done. They are prodded by teachers, parents or even peers consistently because in order for them to do something, someone needs to make them at some point in time. They don’t plan ahead or in most cases, think ahead. They’re only concerned with what is happening right now and they may only do things they want to do.

Lack of communication– These students will not initiate conversation with others beyond their closest peers. They wait for someone to communicate with them before engaging in a conversation. These conversations are typically short because the student has not built up enough communication skills to carry on a lengthy conversation with someone they don’t typically or want to communicate with.

Doesn’t read new information– Like I said earlier, if you have consistent access to internet, attend a school that has a counselor who you can meet with and get information from, you have no excuse to not be a continual learner about the college admissions process. If you attend Delaware County Christian School, you really have no excuse because all students in the Upper School have access to SCOIR, consistently receive information and links to important information from me, and I have you in class as a junior. If for some reason, however, you ignore this information, continue to “put off” the college planning process and then decide the summer before your senior year that you do care where you will apply to college, you may not understand or know what you need to in order to make the “wisest” decision(s) moving forward.

Lack of enthusiasm– This is a decision you make yourself on how you respond to situations in your life moving forward. Let’s say I’m an employer and you are applying to work at my company. I’ve interviewed six people for the position. Four of the applicants communicated well, asked good questions and seemed excited to work at my company and two didn’t seem that excited or enthusiastic. Right off the bat, these two that didn’t would be eliminated for consideration. Now, both of these applicants may say, “that’s not true!”, they did really think the job was a good fit and were excited for the opportunity. They may make the excuse though that “that’s just not their personality”, they aren’t “overly enthusiastic people”. The reality is though, the college admissions and corporate world don’t care. Your body language, tone of voice, mannerisms and excitement shown when meeting or talking with college admissions counselors or future bosses is very important. So these are skills that some may need to learn how to do.

Doesn’t ask questions– Not only does asking questions help you get the information you want to know, but it shows initiative to others, exhibits more enthusiasm for a subject you want to know about and tells someone you are genuinely interested. Man! You are “hitting three birds with one stone”! If you don’t ask questions, take the opposite of everything I just said above that ask yourself, “is this the impression I want to leave with someone”?

Characteristics of “Drivers”:

“Self-Starters”– This means that these students do not need someone else constantly reminding them to get things done or make them do things. Typically, this would be your parents but it can also be your teachers, coaches, boss or even your peers. In the college planning and application process this could mean that a student searches for colleges online, signs up to attend a virtual (or in-person) college visit, emails a college admissions counselor, completes the tasks a counselor gives them, completes an application, writes an essay(s) and even meets with their college counselor ON THEIR OWN and not without someone making them do it.

Asks good questions– See above note next to “Doesn’t ask questions”. There is never a dumb question and if you are told there is, forget about it and move on and don’t let anyone prevent you from asking more questions. I had a DC alum in my office this past fall telling me that she asked a question in one of her college classes. The professor “blew her off” and acted like it was a dumb question. After class, a lady came up to her and said, “I think the question you asked was a good one”. The DC alum ended up interning with this lady eventually. A colleague of mine at a previous school I worked with, who you had to go through to get things you may have wanted, told me some of the best (and most simple) advice in my career. She said, “you should always ask because the worst answer you can get is “no”, but if you never ask, I would never know what you were thinking in the first place”. I was able to get a few things I didn’t think I could because I asked and I didn’t realize the money was there for me to get it. AMAZING! Asking college admission counselors questions is one of the best ways for you to show you are interested in a school.

Is a Continual Learner– To be someone who wants to make the wisest decisions possible that will impact their future, they need to be educated about what they are deciding on. When you buy a car or house, is it wise just to take a quick look and say, “I’m sold, we’re buying it now”. NO! You need to do your research…know how old it is, what are the issues with it, how much will it cost to repair, how much money do you actually have and is it wise to spend all of it, and much more. The same goes with finding a right fit college. Outside of buying a house it will most likely be the most expensive decision you make. Do you understand financial aid and the scholarships they offer. How much is tuition and room and board? What are your parents willing to contribute and how much are you contributing to your college education? Can you get a larger scholarship at another college? Are you willing to go further from home and what are the benefits and downsides of that decision? Do they have the major I would like to pursue and what does that specific program look like? There is so much more but all of this information can be understood if you listen to those that share this information with you, take the time to learn and ask questions.

Responds Well to Adversity– There are different types of adversity. There is adversity one faces that are very difficult and traumatic experiences in their lives that can take time to overcome. There is also adversity that happens to all of us when we’re given a bad grade, have difficulty in a relationship with a friend, are told “no” to something we wanted, get in a car accident (no injuries), or lose something of value. I am referring to the latter. A “driver” is going to be disappointed, frustrated or even angry for a brief time after they face this type of adversity but then they pick themselves up, dust themselves off and keep pressing on to take advantage of the next opportunity. They won’t let a time of adversity impact many other areas of their life or set them back for months without making significant progress. How you respond to adversity will be reflected in your teacher recommendation letters, essays, interviews and college applications. This is also a quality future employers want to see in applicants.

Communicate well– When a “driver” communicates, they do so with enthusiasm and excitement in their voice. I’m not saying you have to sound like a hyena, just that it sounds like you care what you are talking about. I know students who talk to me about what they like to do or want to do, but their delivery in the way they talk to me doesn’t exhibit that at all because their voice is monotone, quiet, their face has no expression, their slumped over in their chair (if we are sitting down) and they barely make eye contact. If you have any or all of these characteristics when you speak to someone, now is a great time to pay attention and improve on them. Also, when it comes to emails, I enjoy students who write a greeting (Hi/Dear/Hello/Good Morning), a well written body of the email without grammatical or spelling errors and a complimentary closing (Thanks!/Have a good night/Sincerely). This is the same for college admission counselors. They can gather a lot about the maturity, interest, preparedness of an application by the way they communicate with them.

Starts Earlier– A “driver” isn’t going to wait until the last minute to get something done. They plan ahead and understand that the sooner they get something done, the more freedom it provides them later to make adjustments, choose a new option, take advantage of more opportunities they weren’t aware of initially or they can make a decision earlier and not be as stressed later. They shouldn’t just make a quick decision to be done though. They need to give themselves the appropriate amount of time to make the best decision they can.

In conclusion, I hope after reading this post it should be abundantly clear that if you want to take advantage of the opportunities afforded to you, make the wisest decision possible on where to apply to college because these schools are a good fit for you physically, spiritually, emotionally and financially and then make the best decision on where to attend college, you need to be a “driver” in the the college planning and application process. Most importantly, we need to be “drivers” in our personal relationship with Jesus Christ because He ultimately holds our future in His hands and determines our path.

There was a daytime soap opera that was on TV when I was growing up called “As the World Turns” (for those adults interested…it aired from 1954-2010). I never watched it but I liked the title of the show. Periodically. throughout my life, when there was adversity occurring in the world or in my life, I would say, “As the ____ turns” based on the title of this soap opera.

Having now been a college counselor since 2001, I have seen a number of trends in college admissions come and go. What are a few that I can remember? The Common Application, The old SAT and new SAT, Naviance and SCOIR, new application deadlines (ED, EA, etc.), test-optional (before COVID) are just a few.

However, we are in a very unique time right now in the world of college admissions. Things are changing rapidly. They were already changing slowly before the pandemic but COVID has made colleges re-evaluate their policies, numbers and programs a lot faster than they anticipated. This is leading to college admission offices having to make changes sooner and decisions they didn’t think they would have to make for years if at all.

Below are a number of changes that are occurring in college admissions that you need to be aware of if you are going to apply to colleges in the future as wisely as possible. I am going to refer to articles that I think give you the proper perspective on each topic.

1. Test-Optional Admissions (How Important is the SAT/ACT?)

The emphasis on testing is declining at most colleges because the pandemic gave them the opportunity to finally publicize how much test scores actually factored into the admission decision in the past. I had one admissions counselor at a pretty competitive college tell me, “we approach test scores like a first date, it’s a great way to make a first impression, but the reason you are going to want a “relationship” beyond the first date, is because of more significant factors like personality, character, sense of humor, maturity, etc. We are going to make our decision for admission based on grades, course rigor, extracurricular and community involvement and what our needs are to build a diverse class, not on test scores.”

Here are changes that the College Board just made a couple weeks ago and I anticipate changes to the ACT in the near future as well. Click here to understand how these changes may impact the future of the College Board.

https://www.dailyprincetonian.com/article/2021/02/standardized-tests-princeton-college-admissions-ivy-league-sat-act

https://www.insidehighered.com/admissions/article/2021/02/01/colleges-went-test-optional-one-year-are-now-extending-time

2. Behind the 2020-2021 Admission Numbers

The most competitive admission colleges are experiencing big spikes in their application numbers while other colleges are experiencing a decline in applications. Colleges in the south are receiving more applications than those colleges in the north. The reason for this is due to test-optional admissions and confidence (or lack thereof) of colleges being open for on-campus instruction in the fall. The reality is that the next few years will be unique as far as admission numbers go because of the pandemic . The changes in the numbers from what they traditionally would be will continue in the future because the way college admissions will likely not go back to the way it was before the pandemic.

https://www.insidehighered.com/admissions/article/2021/02/01/full-story-admissions-isnt-just-what-youve-been-reading

https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/education/harvard-uva-sat-act-requirement-college-applications/2021/01/29/90566562-6176-11eb-9430-e7c77b5b0297_story.html

https://www.insidehighered.com/admissions/article/2020/11/16/college-applications-are-decreasing

3. Scholarships and Financial Aid (FAFSA is changing)

There are big changes being made to the FAFSA starting with the 2023-2024 FAFSA. The biggest being that the EFC (Expected Family Contribution), which is the number you would receive back after completing the FAFSA identifying how much the government thinks you can pay for that year, is going away. This impacts seniors in the class of 2023 and beyond. It’s also important to know how high school grades are going to continue to earn seniors more merit scholarships in the future.

https://www.forbes.com/sites/markkantrowitz/2021/01/11/fafsa-simplification-changes-which-parent-must-file-the-fafsa/?sh=5cd112f223d7

https://www.marketwatch.com/story/this-is-the-strategy-high-school-seniors-and-their-parents-should-adopt-with-college-applications-2020-10-06?utm_campaign=Next%3A%20The%20Future%20of%20Higher%20Education&utm_medium=email&utm_source=Revue%20newsletter

https://www.thecollegesolution.com/new-fafsa-changes-winners-and-losers/

https://www.nytimes.com/2021/01/23/business/financial-aid-college-merit-aid.html

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/12/30/your-money/fafsa-expected-family-contribution.html?

4. Importance of the Bachelor’s Degree, Dual Enrollment & Internships

This was a big topic and a lot of discussion and changes were happening before the pandemic. However, once again, the pandemic has accelerated how the bachelor’s degree is viewed and how much people pay for a bachelor’s degree these days. This has emphasized the importance of dual enrollment and internships because there continues to be a disconnect on what skills the workforce/companies would like to see in college graduates and how colleges are preparing their students for today’s workforce. Please read this outstanding recent article regarding this shift called “Good Jobs in Bad Times”.

https://www.chronicle.com/article/the-great-divide

https://www.usnews.com/education/best-colleges/articles/how-to-earn-college-credit-through-dual-enrollment

5. Demonstrated Interest Is a Critical Component

Because of the unique impact that the pandemic has had on college admission offices all over the country and the pressure college admission offices will continue to have placed on them to enroll a “full” freshman class at their colleges, demonstrated interest is going to continue to be an important factor. More seniors in high school are applying to more and more colleges each year. This is making college admission counselors be more intentional in determining who really wants to come to their school and who may be just “bluffing”.

http://collegecounselorcorner.com/2020/01/30/why-is-demonstrated-interest-important-in-college-admissions/

https://www.usnews.com/education/best-colleges/articles/2018-05-21/what-demonstrated-interest-means-in-college-admissions?src=usn_tw

This week a number of seniors will receive decisions from colleges that they applied to under the ED (Early Decision) and EA (Early Action) deadlines. Some seniors have already received decisions from colleges they applied to under rolling admission deadlines. Getting accepted to a college is exciting and should be celebrated! Nevertheless, there is still much work to be done after receiving an acceptance decision to make sure that the college you were accepted to is going to be the “best fit” school for you to attend. Below are important steps to take in order to choose the “best fit” school.

Take (another) visit. If it’s a college you are seriously considering attending, take another on campus visit if you have already visited in the past before you were accepted. A senior will approach the college visit differently after they have been accepted than they would if they were not yet accepted. They begin mentally putting themselves in specific situations, dorms, buildings, etc. as well as really paying attending to their major accommodations and classes. I understand that many of this year’s seniors, due to COVID, may not have visited many of the colleges they applied and were accepted to. I wouldn’t attend a college that you haven’t visited in person. This is advice I give each year but understand that this year may be the first that it just may not be possible to visit before you decide to attend. However, if it is possible, even if you have to wear a mask and cannot go into buildings, I would definitely make a campus visit.

Understand Merit Scholarship(s) You Have Received- Typically, when you receive your acceptance letter, you should also receive any merit-based scholarship money you have been awarded. For many colleges, you won’t know this amount until you receive your acceptance letter because they do not make public the exact amount you should receive (based on your grades and scores) on their website. Some colleges do make you aware of the amount you should receive (based on your grades and scores) so the amount of merit scholarship money in your acceptance letter shouldn’t be a surprise. I would not consider this a final offer. The amount of merit-based scholarship money you receive can’t go down but it can go up. Colleges are businesses, sometimes these initial merit-based scholarships amounts given are lower in the beginning BECAUSE:

1. Most don’t ask how they may receive additional merit-aid and follow through with attempting to earn more.
2. You may have been given a certain amount based on where you are positioned currently within the students that have been accepted. This position may change based on the students accepted in the regular decision pool.
3. You may get additional merit-based aid if you are patient and see if the college meets their yield (students that enroll compared with how many that were accepted).
4. Their overall applicant numbers are down for the year and they need to go back to certain accepted students and offer more merit aid to entice them to come.

Understand Need-Based Aid You Have Received- In order to receive any need-based aid you must complete the FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid). Parents can begin filling out the FAFSA on October 1st of their child’s senior year. Click here to read an article on busting five FAFSA myths and instructions on how to complete it. There are around 400 colleges that also require the CSS Profile. Click here to see a list of these schools and here to access the application. Also, once you submit the FAFSA you will receive an email from PHEAA asking you to complete some information in order to see if you are eligible for a PA State Grant. Remember, grants are free money that you don’t have to pay back. Loans are money that you have to pay back eventually. Based on your EFC (Expected Family Contribution) that the colleges receives, you may get additional need-based grant money from the college as well.

Financial Aid Award Letter- From every college you are accepted to, you should receive a Financial Aid Award Letter. What do these letter’s look like? Click here for a few samples. Each award letter should show the full COA (Cost of Attendance), Financial Aid Summary (Merit-based scholarships, Need-Based Aid awarded and loan options) and then the amount you are responsible to pay. Two great resources you should use once you get your first financial aid award letter are:

1. TuitionFit– Allows you to compare your financial aid offers to other students who also were accepted to the same schools you were to determine if you may be eligible for additional financial aid.
2. CFPB Calculator– The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau has an outstanding tool that will allow you to plug in the information you receive on your financial aid award letter, along with additional financial information to give you an accurate number of what you will be expected to pay for college. This tool can also be used before you receive specific numbers in order to determine how much you may need to receive in merit-based aid in order to attend a certain college.

Will it pay to be patient? YES! YES! YES! Now, I’m not saying that for certain schools that are highly competitive to get accepted at, if you wait to make a decision, you will receive more money. These schools are typically 100% meet need schools anyway so you will know pretty quickly after they receive all of your financial information, what need-based aid they are offering you. Also, you will have a harder time getting additional aid from in-state public universities because they tend to keep their cost low already for in-state students. Here is post from a couple years ago about negotiating your financial aid award offer. One addition I would like to make is not to use the word “negotiate” with colleges. You don’t want to put them on the defensive. Simply let them know that you are waiting until you hear from every college you applied to, weighing each financial aid offer and you hope to make a decision when you know which school will be the best fit. Also, let a college know if they are your top choice or even in your top three schools you are considering at that time. Always ask a college you have been accepted to if there is any additional opportunities to receive more need-based or merit-based aid.

Make the “wise”, not the “popular” decision- One important piece of advice I give all juniors and seniors I counsel is to make sure you have a number of options when you are deciding on where you will eventually attend college. Nobody I know starts looking for a new house, sees the first one they like and puts an offer on it right away. They look at the market, get recommendations on a number of houses, visit a number of them and then make an offer on the one that they think is the best return on their investment (ROI). Then they even may negotiate the price more with the owners of the home to see if they can bring the price down even more. You should also do this when you buy a car. It’s not just about the best fit academically, socially, spiritually, etc., but also the best fit FINANCIALLY. If a senior wanted to go to a college that was $10,000 or more a year than another college they were accepted to, they better be able to convince me that there is something at that college that is worth the $10,000 or more investment. Typically, what the senior is trying to do is convince themselves that the name of the school and the reputation they think it has is worth the $10,000 or more a year investment. This is rarely the case!

As I tell my students often…paying for college is similar to when you are on an airplane headed to the same location, but most people on that plane paid a different price. You want to be one of those that paid the lowest price. You can also use the analogy of being in the same lecture hall at the college you decided to attend. You are all learning the same material but you all paid a different price to be there. Hopefully, you will be one that paid the least amount of money to be there.

Now that we are past the November 1st ED (Early Decision) and EA (Early Action) deadlines, I have time to write a new post! This is an original post from a presentation I gave to my 11th grade students a few weeks ago for the first time in my 19 year career. I feel like I am stepping out on a limb but I am passionate about working alongside this generation helping them understand what will be expected of them not only when they apply to college but also while they are in college and beyond.

I have read a number of books in the last couple years about this current generation, Gen Z (also called iGen). You can view these books in the slide presentation. Since I work day in and day out with students in this generation, I have seen how they respond in certain situations, how they interact, how/if they get involved, how stressed they are and how they are always in front of a screen. After you view the presentation, I speak to each point below on the slide that says “What Do Colleges Look For In An Applicant- The X Factors”

Below are the factors that I think are most important for current high school students (doesn’t hurt to work on them earlier if you can) to understand and improve in before they graduate from high school. If they do, they’re grades will naturally improve, they will have joy in the work they do and improve in their compassion and concern for others. Let me also say that even as adults we need to keep working on these things. Additionally, as believers in Jesus Christ, we should be always working on some of these things as well to bring glory to Him.

Communication Skills- Eye contact, good posture, listening before speaking, saying something clearly and loud enough are all important. Because today’s teens are primarily communicating on their devices today, they don’t get enough practice to improve these skills. Putting them in positions to do the things below will naturally help them improve their communication skills. One skill that today’s teens don’t do enough of, that I have seen a decline in over the years, is asking good questions. Whether they are afraid of what people will think of them or they don’t want to come across that they don’t know something, the practice of asking good questions is so important as they take more rigorous classes and apply to college in the near future.

Ability to Interact With Others Face to Face- This just doesn’t happen enough today because of technology, and COVID-19 hasn’t helped. I think today’s teens actually like to interact face-to-face but they need to do it more at times they are not in their comfort zone because this helps them solve conflict face-to-face and interact with people that are not like them, which they will need to do in the future. It’s always been said that teens would not say some of the things they text someone or comment on social media, if they had to say it to their face. The more they can do this, the better they are prepared for today’s workforce in general.

Networking- This is not something that starts happening after you graduate from college and look for a job. This should happen when a teen is in high school. If they attend presentations, get jobs, volunteer and serve, they are networking with adults that can provide them with future opportunities or these adults can recommend them to others that they know. The earlier a teen establishes a great reputation with adults because they are trustworthy and work hard, they are developing a network that allows them to have future opportunities.

Driving- From what I’ve read and I agree, that this is an important step in a teens life that provides responsibility and develops maturity. Also, if they are not driving as early as possible, they are hindering their opportunities to do the next three things on this list.

Community Service/Serving Those Less Fortunate- First and foremost, this is a responsibility we have as believers in Jesus Christ. Second, the more teens do this the more it will help them grow in communication skills and interacting face to face with individuals. Lastly, the more students do this, it gets them out of their “bubble” or comfort zone and helps them develop compassion and empathy for others that is so crucial for them to have in the future.

Work (Having a job outside the home)- Having a teen work outside the home where they are earning money is very important to their future emotional, mental and physical well being. For them to understand how to be a steward of their finances, having to pay for certain things they weren’t before, working with others that are different than them, serving customers in some capacity and having to complete tasks that they may not be excited about but need to do well, are all amazing growth opportunities that will allow them to mature quicker.

Depending Less on Parents- Sorry parents, but one important aspect to your teen’s growth is for them do be more independent in their decision making, communicating with adults themselves and contributing financially to things that they are responsible for. If you as a parent keep doing the above things for them, this will have consequences later in life for them when they have to do these things whether they want to or not. The earlier they can do these things, in my experience, it will increase their communication skills, have them work through adversity, teach them proper stewardship and allow them to own their decisions which is very important for them to experience before they apply to college.

Growing in (Leadership) Responsibility- I put “Leadership” in parenthesis because not every teen will have natural leadership ability, but every teen should continue to take on additional responsibility, challenging themselves and getting outside their comfort zone more and more as they get older. For teens that have natural leadership ability, they need to put themselves in more situations where they can foster this leadership ability. Everyone will need to lead in some capacity in the future. This can be done at school but definitely outside of school. This also doesn’t mean that they need to be President of something. This could mean being the captain on a sports team, having a leadership role in an extracurricular activity they participate in, leading in some capacity at their church or taking on more responsibility at their job outside of school.

Taking Risks- When students think about taking risks, they think of what they see on TV, putting yourself in situations in which your health is at risk. This is not what I am referring to. Taking a risk in a more general sense is doing something in which you don’t know what the outcome will be. You can prepare and do everything possible to do well at something but ultimately, the result is unknown because of a few reasons. First, it may depend on how others around you also performed. Second, the people determining the outcome want something specific and you don’t fit what they want. Finally, it could be that you created or built something and you just need to see what went wrong and how to fix it to get it right. Teens today do more to avoid risky situations than face them head on. If they did experience more of these situations, they’re growth would be tremendous.

Failing, Learning and Improving (Don’t Play it Safe)- Today’s Gen X (or iGen) teens are the most safe generation. Which isn’t a bad thing, but it also slows their maturation process. One telling stat from the book iGen by Jean Twenge is that 18 year olds today are at a same maturity level than 15 year olds were 10-15 years ago. I think a big reason this is the case is because of today’s teens are not doing a number of the things above. Today’s “world” is 20 times safer today than it was 10-15 years ago. You would think that would be the other way around from all we hear in the news but it’s because we hear everything coming across the news and on social media so quickly after something happens, that we think it’s less safe today. I’m a parent as well and I want to make sure my children are protected. It takes more effort for me to let them go without supervision sometimes, but that is what I have to do.

It’s at this time each year that US News and World Report releases its updated “Best Colleges” rankings. It’s also at this time of year, us professionals in the college counseling world cringe because we know how many students and parents view these rankings. First, I want to point out that there are benefits to evaluating and understanding rankings. I am not saying that rankings are bad or wrong. US News and World Report uses a number of metrics to determine where a college ranks in their list and I am sure they are doing this accurately. As the consumer, someone who will be applying to colleges this fall or in the future, I strongly recommend viewing these rankings with skepticism and here are a number of reasons why.

1. There is a lot of “gaming” that goes on to stay on top of the rankings.

Let me give you a couple examples. If one of the key metrics is admission rate and the lower it is the better, colleges will find ways to get more students to apply so that they can deny more students. Even when they have the opportunity to control how many applicants they get, they do their best to get more applicants so they can get their admission rate down. If another key metric is graduate indebtedness, students and parents may say, “look at this school whose graduates come out with such little debt even though the tuition is $60,000”. A lot of the colleges at the top of the rankings, however, will give a lot of need based grants and scholarships to low income students and many other students that attend the top colleges come from high income families who are paying the entire bill. There are not many middle income students who decide to take $80,000-$120,000 in school loans because those students most likely received a lot of merit based scholarship money at another “good” college. I could give an explanation like this for other metrics as well.

2. Rankings give the false impression that there is a pecking order of colleges.

If you read through any college rankings and form an opinion that you should apply to one college over another because of a higher or lower ranking, than you are ignoring the real reason you should apply to a college to begin with, because it’s a good fit for YOU. Deciding to apply to a college just because it’s ranked higher frustrates us who work in the college admission world because a student is not at all considering that college for any of the right reasons (academics, size, location, major interest, extracurricular opportunities, Christian/secular, etc.). What these rankings also do is give the impression that there are only 50 “good” or “best” colleges when there are actually hundreds of really great schools in the United States.

3. Rankings encourage students and parents to ignore financial fit

Seniors should not only apply to colleges that are a great fit for them based on the factors mentioned above, but they should also apply to colleges that are a good “financial fit” for them. For the reason I stated in #1 above, one who reads these rankings may think that “I won’t have much debt when I get out so these colleges are also affordable”. However, the colleges that are at the top of the rankings are typically the most expensive in the country. The can choose to charge more because they know students and parents will pay more to attend their school. They then convince themselves to pay more because they think attending this higher ranked school will provide more job opportunities after they graduate. While I am not saying that there can be networking opportunities at a higher ranked school and there are companies out there that may pay attention to where a student went to college, this is not the majority and way more students in this country attend colleges that are ranked #50 or lower than those who do. Seniors should be applying to colleges in which they know they will get merit based scholarships and many colleges at the top of the rankings do not award merit scholarships.

I want to end by saying that attending a college that is ranked at or near the top of US News and World Report Best Colleges rankings is not a negative. If you think that one of these colleges is a great fit for you after evaluating all aspects of the college and what it experience it will provide you, by all means, apply and I hope you have great success. The colleges at the top of the rankings definitely provide great academic experiences and amazing opportunities. The unfortunate thing, though, is that many apply to these highly ranked colleges thinking that they have to in order to be “successful”. This is completely not true and just leads to frustration and undue stress in the college application process. If you need a start to see that there are hundreds of great colleges out there, get Princeton Reviews “The Best 386 Colleges” book.

Other resources that you should read and listen to on this topic are:

15 Reasons To Ignore US News and World Report Rankings

Do College Rankings Really Reveal The Best Colleges?

Inside the Methodology of College Rankings (Part 1)

Inside the Methodology of College Rankings (Part 2)

The History of College Rankings

I understand that we are in a unique time in our history as we manage and attempt to defeat COVID-19. For seniors, this will be a different and sometimes frustrating year, but there is also opportunity. I know it is good to look back to the past and learn from what has happened. The purpose of this post however, is to help seniors understand the many factors in the college application process that are unique to this coming college application cycle and how to approach them to make sure you are in the best position to be accepted to the colleges you apply to. Below are the factors that I think can be overlooked, but may have a large impact on college admission decisions for 2020-2021.

1. Demonstrated Interest– The idea of demonstrated interest is not new to college admissions. It means that colleges are paying attention in different ways and even tracking how much a student exhibits interest in their college by various communications, attending events, visiting the college or even by when they apply. There are many different ways to show interest in a college. Some are in your control and others may not be (where you live, parents income level, etc.). More colleges were gauging and tracking demonstrated interest way before this pandemic began but I think this pandemic and the hardships it has created or caused will make more colleges pay closer attention to demonstrated interest. So seniors (not your parents), should be making sure they attend a virtual tour and information session the college(s) offer that they have to register for. They should also be communicating with the college admissions counselor at each college they are applying to, who will be reading their application. As college budgets have tightened, admission offices should be paying a lot closer attention to accepting students who have shown they want to attend the their college. Do not have the only communication a college receives be your application alone.
2. SAT/ACT Test Optional- There are over 1,450+ colleges that are test optional for the 20-21 application cycle. What this means is that if you are applying to a college and your test scores are at the low end or below their published mid-50% SAT or ACT range score, you SHOULD NOT submit your score(s). If your scores are at the middle of the mid-50% range or higher, then you SHOULD submit your score(s). There are two things though that I am pointing out to my seniors that are important to understand about test-optional.
   1. Typically (you will need to check with each college you are choosing to not submit scores to), colleges give you one chance to decide whether you are applying test optional or you are choosing to submit scores. They do not let you flip back and forth because you received a new score that is higher and you want to submit it now or the score you received is lower and you don’t. Make sure you know what each college’s test-optional policies are before you decide whether to pursue either option.
   2. A college may be test optional for admission purposes, but may still require you to submit a test score for scholarship consideration. Seniors, if you need to submit a test score for merit scholarship consideration at a college, you should have time to do this but pay attention to any deadlines a college needs your scores by to be considered. Some colleges have a tiered merit scholarship policy where if you have a certain GPA and test scores you get a certain amount of money. Don’t miss out on receiving a significant merit based scholarship because you decided not to take the SAT or ACT test. You can still take the test(s) for these tiered scholarships until the end of the school year. Keep in mind, some colleges who are test optional this year may not ask for test scores for merit scholarship consideration. Please check with each school you are applying for to find out their policy.
3. Take You Time Making a Decision- For many reasons, this admissions cycle for almost every college will be a challenging one and they are making every effort to make sure they “recruit” and encourage students to apply to their school. It’s completely up to you seniors as far as when you commit to attend a college. There isn’t a wrong or bad time, but I would encourage seniors this year to be patient. If there is the chance to get more merit-based aid by being patient, going back to a college and making sure they know you are seriously considering attending their school but you have other colleges you were accepted at that you are considering, they may reach back out with some more scholarship money. I know they may have tighter budgets than in the past, but they only way they can get more money is to get more students so they will do what they can to get you to commit if they really want you to attend their school. If you have already committed to attend their school and sent in your deposit, there isn’t much leverage any more for you to ask or inquire for more merit based scholarship money.
4. Apply to a few more schools– To piggyback on my last point in #3, I see. more colleges this year waiving application fees to try and get more students to apply. They know that this may lead to more students applying who may not be all that interested at first but if they can get your application, they can now do their due diligence to get you excited about their school. I typically do not encourage seniors to apply to more colleges, but this year, when I think colleges are paying even more attention to their yield and still trying to attract seniors to their school in the virtual world, applying to a few more colleges only gives seniors the opportunity to see what merit scholarship money they can get at another college. Also, you can possibly use it as leverage if that school doesn’t all of a sudden move up your list of colleges that you want to attend because you received a larger scholarship than you expected from them.

So take advantage of what you can moving forward seniors. Despite the unique circumstances we are in, this can be an exciting senior year that you can look back on and say that because you took advantage of what you could, you are now in a much better position for success in the future.

Congratulations sophomores! You just completed your second year of high school. You are literally half way done (through the end of 12th grade) and figuratively 2/3rd of the way done (colleges guarantee they review your grades for admission through 11th grade). Your junior year will be a very important year when it comes to preparing to apply to college. How prepared you will be for your senior year and for applying to colleges will be determined by how focused, diligent and disciplined you are in your junior year. Can you do things this summer, however, to prepare, position yourself more positively, grow and mature in ways that will benefit you in the college application process and beyond? Yes! Below are some tips I want to give you that I think are important for you to take advantage of this summer.

1. Stay involved– Up to this point in your high school career you have hopefully been involved in certain activities, volunteered for various organizations, attended certain camps and had various jobs. Continue to do these things if you enjoy them (or need to) and if possible, grow in leadership and responsibility as you get older.
2. Keep Reading (and Speaking)– This is easy for some and not for others. These two disciplines, however, will benefit you greatly in the college application process as you take the SAT/ACT within the school year and begin to speak with college admission representatives more when you tour colleges, these representatives visit our school and you have college admission, job and scholarship interviews in the near future. If you can put yourself in situations/circumstances where you have to speak in a group setting, speak in front of a group of people or even interview, these opportunities will only prepare you for future opportunities.
3. YOU communicate with adults…not your parents– Some of you may have been doing this the majority of the time already and that’s great! If you need to ask a question, follow up with or call off/end something, YOU need to be the one to make this communication, NOT MOM AND DAD. Why do I emphasize this? I am going speak from personal experience. As a college counselor, I need to speak into the maturity and growth of my students when I write them a letter of recommendation that is sent to the colleges they apply to. I have to write a letter for 90% of the senior class. Which seniors stand out to me? The ones that I have had communication with, answered questions for, been able to have conversations with from time to time. If I never talk to you, and just talk to your parents through the college application process, how will I know anything about you except what is on your resume? I appreciate and respect your parents…I really do, but I enjoy hearing from you! AND I know college admission counselors think the same thing.
4. Take a college class online– Many colleges offer high school students the opportunity to take a general education class online for up to 80% off of the actual cost that you would pay if you were to take the class as a freshman in college. If you did not do this the summer after your sophomore year, don’t worry, you can definitely do this after your junior year and senior year. If given the opportunity, why would you not head to college with a few online courses under your belt, at a fraction of the cost, having earned credits that you don’t need to take anymore at the college you attend. Please click here to view the blog post that I talk about earning college credit while in high school.
5. Continue to serve– As believers in Jesus Christ, we are called to serve others and utilize the talents, gifts and abilities God has blessed us with to bless others. This needs to be our first motivation to serve. Is serving others going to also help you stand out in the college admissions process, yes. Serve in capacities that you enjoy and would like to grow in responsibility. Serve those less fortunate than you. Serving will grow you in many ways emotionally, psychologically, physically and most importantly, spiritually. It will also encourage you to develop and grow relationships that will last a lifetime.
6. Get a job– Working, while earning some money, will allow you to grow and mature in many ways. You will meet new people, do tasks that you don’t necessarily enjoy but have to do well, work under a supervisor that you may or may not get along with but need to, serve/communicate with customers that can be difficult at times, learn tasks that you never knew how to do before and work longer hours for the first time. These are all tasks/responsibilities that encourage a GROWTH MINDSET which is so crucial for you to have as you get older, go through the college application process and apply for future jobs in college and beyond.
7. Begin preparing for SAT/ACT– I would like to emphasize that it is still early for you to take the SAT/ACT. I recommend that juniors take their first SAT and ACT in December, February or March of their junior year and take whichever test they do better on in May or June. It’s my understanding, from years of viewing scores, that students do better on the SAT/ACT the more class time they get under their belt and the older they are. I would also like to say, however, that you are the one registering to take the test and you can take it as early and as many times as you would like. There is nothing wrong with taking it early and some sophomores, who have been on the highest track in both math and English for their 9th and 10th grade years, and performed very well academically, can take it at the end of their sophomore year and do well. This is great! What you are doing is moving up the timetable of when you will be done taking the these tests. When should you begin preparing for these tests? This is up to you. I recommend doing some prep on your own to get familiar with each test before you take it the first time. When you know which test you did better on (see chart), then you can spend some money (or not because they are free resources you can utilize to prep) on a specific course that will prepare you for this test. I recommend taking a course through Revolution Prep who we partner with at DC. Please click here for our DC dedicated Revolution Prep webpage with future courses being offered and services they provide.
8. Take the most rigorous courses possible– More and more emphasis is being put on course rigor by college admission counselors today, especially if they are test optional and you end up not submitting test scores when applying to a college. This doesn’t mean that you should take every AP class even if you think you’ll get a C. Colleges still want to see A’s and then B’s. If you are capable of getting an A or B in a more rigorous class, you should take that class. Also keep in mind, if you are unable to take a class because of a schedule conflict. This will not disadvantage you in any way because I can explain this to the college and they do not count against you anything that was out of your control.

Lastly, I would like to say that your junior year will be a very important year for you to prepare and position yourself well for your senior year and the college application process. You will have Career Stewardship class with me. If you thoroughly complete the assignments you are given and participate in class and in the other opportunities that are provided for you, you will most definitely be ready and prepared for the college application process at the start of your senior year.