Happy Thanksgiving!
I am feeling especially grateful as I gather with my family this holiday. It is an honor when parents allow me to shepherd their children through this process and I am so appreciative for the opportunity to work with each and every one of my students. I thought this would be a good opportunity to talk about things that we can be grateful for in college admissions.
#1-Higher Education in America-”The American system of higher education is a real treasure”. This quote comes from non other than Mr. Ted Fiske, the author of the famous Fiske Guide. I wrote more in detail about this here. We are fortunate to have a rainbow of options in this country.
#2-Admissions Officers-I am constantly listening to presentations from college admissions officers and I am always struck by how deeply they care about the students in their applicant pool and how inherently kind they are.
#3-Test Optional Movement-Since the pandemic there have been many headlines about schools that will revert to requiring test scores from their applicants. But there are still a majority of schools that will take an application without an ACT or SAT. If you have strong scores that enhance your profile, that is awesome. But if testing is not going as you hoped, there is still a way forward.
#4-Parents-I heard an admissions officer say that college planning deals with two of the most important things for parents, their children and their money. I am always moved by the devotion of each and every parent that I work with.
#5-High School Students-Teenagers are fun and funny. I laugh out loud regularly during my meetings. We can all be grateful for the adolescents in our lives.
I hope you have a wonderful holiday weekend.