Hello Friend, and Welcome!
School has started for some and is about to start for others, which means that the occasional summer storm clouds of “college talk” floating around have (or will) burst into torrential downpours.
The mythology you will hear
- Some prestigious university never admits anyone from your child’s school.
- The high school counselors care more about the high school’s reputation than your kid’s future.
- The counselors are bad because they couldn’t get (fill in name of the wielder of this information’s older kid) into his dream school.
- Your kid should absolutely write her essay about this or that because (fill in the name of the information wielder’s kid) got into (fill in the name of the college where your kid is applying) with a similar essay.
- Your kid should absolutely not write her essay about (fill in some specific topic) because so-and-so wrote about that, and so-and-so didn’t get in anywhere (though somehow, so-and-so is off at college somewhere).
You may think I’m exaggerating, but I’m not. I have heard these very same bits of anecdotal evidence and misguided advice bandied about this past week.
I have responses for all the hyperbole, of course.
Some prestigious university may admit no one from your child’s high school one year, yet five students another year because the nationwide (plus international) applicant pool from one year to the next can vary widely.
Your child’s high school counselor cares about your child’s success and is doing her best to accommodate your child’s needs, even though in some high schools that same counselor has hundreds of other students’ needs to attend to, and those needs are not only college admission-related. Please make an appointment to meet with the counselor when school starts if you have questions, concerns, or need advice. I’ve included agendas for productive, efficient counselor meetings in College Admissions Cracked.
About the advice you’ll hear from other parents and college students regarding essays…Those very confident advisors have no idea if it was the personal essay, a compelling teacher or counselor recommendation, a particular activity, or any other variable that tipped the legendary admission decision to a yes (or no). If your child hasn’t written an application essay yet, no worries. College Essay Confidence goes step-by-step through the entire essay-writing process, from idea generation to polish, using the painless and fun method I use privately with students.
Stress buster
If it’s anxiety that’s getting you down when the “college talk” grows deafening, read the blog or view the video of my interview with Something Inspirational. Or if you’re tired of hearing from me, click around the Something Inspirational website for some—well—inspiration.
I’ve repeatedly offered my contact page for questions and decompression, and some of you have taken me up on it! Please don’t hesitate to reach out; I’ll help if I can. I’ve got you, I will always be candid, and I’ll refrain from hyperbole (unless for humor’s sake, when I can’t help myself).
Warmly,
Jill
