St Salvator’s Hall, University of St Andrews (Fife, Scotland, UK) | Photo courtesy of May S. Ruiz / Hey SoCal
The road to college
In the San Gabriel Valley, parents go to great lengths to instill in their children good learning habits at a very young age. A majority of them enroll their kids in competitive high schools to ensure that they earn admission to some of the most prestigious universities in the country.
My only daughter attended an over-a-century-old K-12 independent school in Pasadena, an institution renowned for its rigorous academic and wide-ranging athletic programs. I was confident she would be well prepared for the challenges of university. However, the school administrators and faculty did not discuss the college admissions process until the spring of junior year. They felt that students should enjoy high school and campus life – there was plenty of time to work on college applications.
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It was when my daughter and I first met with her college counselor that we realized that while she was academically ready for college, she hadn’t been fully apprised of what admissions officers were looking for from applicants. And because she had to scramble to put together a resume that looked impressive, the next 18 months proved more stressful than if she had been preparing for college application since 9th grade.
Happily, it all turned out well for my daughter and she graduated from high school in the spring of 2014. She then went to the University of St Andrews in Scotland. About a quarter of the seniors in her class of 97 students matriculated to the Ivies and the rest of them attended the most selective universities in the United States.
For my family, the college admissions experience felt like getting sucked into a vortex. But I learned that we weren’t alone – many parents felt lost and powerless to assist their children through the process. And so, in January of 2015, I launched this monthly college search guide to help parents and their children navigate the complicated admissions process. And because education is very important to me, I also began writing about schools in the area. Through the years, I have met and interviewed many schoolmasters, parents, and students who shared their experience and opinions on issues that affect them.
Writing this admissions process series has been a fulfilling endeavor for the past eight years. It is therefore with a certain degree of sadness that I’m letting you know that this will be my last college search guide. If your child is a senior who’s eagerly looking forward to graduation and going to university in the fall, I hope that this monthly guide has helped them (and you) get to the next stage of their educational journey. Thank you for the privilege!
FRESHMAN
This is the final call for 9th graders who need to improve their grades! The GPA is the most important component of your children’s college application. If their marks are not adequate for college acceptance requirements, they need to confer with their college counselor to arrange for remedial summer classes.
Your children should have already registered for internships and planned their summer volunteer work. Admissions officers look for students who have demonstrated sustained community involvement. It isn’t the quantity but the quality of activities that’s important – they want to gauge the depth of students’ intellectual and ethical engagement to a given cause.
The summer after their freshman year is the time for your children to find activities that truly speak to their interest and passion. Let them choose one that really resonates with them which they should carry through their four years in high school.
It’s also a great time for your children to read books. Encourage them to explore various genres and different authors. At the very least, reading will help them expand their vocabulary and expose them to different writing styles. This will come in handy when they write their personal statement and supplementary essays for their college application.
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SOPHOMORE
Sophomore year is when your children have fully transitioned into high school. They are comfortable about how this phase fits into the whole secondary school experience. They have taken the practice PSAT as a preparation for junior year when the results determine their eligibility for the National Merit Scholarship. They have also taken some AP tests, if they took an AP course.
Hopefully, your children have also done well in their studies, have maintained good grades this entire year, and have prepared for final exams. Admissions officers expect grades that are consistent, and, if their freshman marks weren’t that great, their sophomore grades should at least show improvement over last year’s.
Make sure your children have lined up their summer activities. They will probably have more choices than they had the summer of freshman year when there were safety protocols in place, but they should try for something related to what they did last summer. Admissions officers want to see commitment to a particular interest.
JUNIOR
Make sure your children have registered to take all the required standardized tests for college admissions. While these are not required by the Cal State and UC systems, they are still part of the application for some and, if your children are applying through early action or early decision to these schools, they need to take the SAT or ACT this summer.
Your children’s final grades are extremely important! Eleventh grade is the last complete year that college admissions officers will see on the application and they expect grades that are either consistent with, or better than, the first two years’.
SENIOR
The high school graduation is a rite-of-passage that signifies a teenager’s first step into adulthood. Take the time to mark this occasion with a celebration!
If your children are still sweating it on the waitlist of their first-choice college, they need to ensure their final grades are terrific! They should keep up with all their schoolwork and send the college admissions officers any updates on awards and honors they receive. They should ask their college counselor if an additional letter of recommendation might be helpful. Keeping in touch with the admissions office reinforces their interest in attending the school if accepted.
They should have put a deposit on their second-choice school to guarantee them a place for the incoming class in the fall. Although, if they come off the waitlist on their first choice, they will lose this deposit.
Be there for your children to support them whatever the outcome of their college application; it has been an important learning experience. In the end, though, what matters is not where they had been accepted. The college they attend will not guarantee success in the real world; it’s how they use their education that determines how well they do in life.
While the pandemic isn’t in the rearview mirror just yet – with news of the Omicron subvariant BA.2 cases spreading fast in L.A. – the overall feeling is that we might soon see the end of it. Most public schools districts in Southern California have lifted masking mandates; several independent and private schools have followed suit, exception for a few circumstances that they are posting on their websites or electronic newsletters.
And now we’re two weeks into spring! That means most students are looking forward to Easter/spring break and getting some much needed rest from the rigors of high school work. It’s a great opportunity to take a short out-of-town trip, especially if you’ve been putting off traveling because of safety concerns. Getting away from our regular daily routine helps us recalibrate and rejuvenate. But if traveling isn’t an option, be sure to enjoy the mild spring weather. Happy spring!
FRESHMAN
The school year is winding down. Your ninth graders should be on track on all their academic grades and putting extra effort into getting the best grades they could muster. They should also line up summer activities – enrichment programs, summer camps, volunteer work, or part-time jobs.
All these – grades, arts, athletics, community work, employment – from 9th through 12th grade, will be recorded on the transcript that your children’s high schools will send to the colleges to which they apply.
SOPHOMORE
Not all universities have dropped standardized tests as a requirement for college application. Make sure your children have registered for all the tests they have to take in May or June (possible AP tests for 10th graders are math, chemistry, history and foreign language; deadlines are April and May for tests in May and June).
They need to plan their summer activities. If they are taking an art elective, or are interested in a particular art field, they should consider a summer program in that course to put on their resumé.
JUNIOR
This is the last complete academic year admissions officers will see when your children apply to colleges. They want to see grades that are improving from year to year, so the 11th grade final marks should be the highest on the report cards. If your children have gone on virtual college campus tours they should also know the academic requirements of the colleges to which they are thinking of applying. They need to look at where they are grades-wise to figure out if the school on their list is a realistic goal. The spring break is also an opportune time to go on campus visits (see March College Search Guide for tips on making the most of them). Admissions officers are on hand to do interviews and students are on campus so you can talk with them.
Make sure your children have registered for the SAT, ACT (www.act.org), SAT Subject Tests, AP especially if they are thinking of applying through early action or early decision.
They should have all their summer activities lined up – enrichment programs, summer camps, volunteer work or part-time jobs. Remind your children to continue the pursuits they started in freshman year as admissions officers look for sustained interest, which is a reflection of what they are truly passionate about.
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SENIOR
Some universities have sent out their decision letters in mid- or late-March, or mid-April if they applied to the Ivies. If your children are lucky enough to be accepted to all the schools to which they applied, they deserve a big congratulations! You can all exhale now!
This is the part where your children get to choose the school they really want to attend. During the application process, your children were hoping the colleges to which they applied accept them. Now the colleges that accepted your children would like your kids to choose them! In this rank-obsessed world of American universities, the schools encourage all students to apply to them (they actively recruit students they would never even admit because the more applications they receive and the more rejections they send out, the higher they’re ranked. Additionally, it’s a huge financial boost; the most sought-after colleges and universities get several thousand applications which earn them millions of dollars.). The tables are turned because once your children get the schools’ acceptance letter, these schools would like to ensure your kids actually attend their college. This is the yield: the higher their yield, the higher their ranking.
If your children are applying for financial aid or scholarships, now is the time to compare schools’ financial aid or scholarship offers. If a particular school really wants your children, you might have the opportunity to ask for a better package than what it originally extended.
If your children have been waitlisted to a school they are determined to get into, they need to respond quickly to let the admissions officers know that they are very interested. Your children should send a follow-up letter to express that the school is their top choice and that they will definitely enroll if accepted.
Demonstrated interest is all the more critical at this juncture as your children want to ascertain the admissions officers keep them in mind. Encourage your children to work with their high school’s counselor to make sure they send the transcript for the first semester, and any updates on awards and honors received after they sent their application. Your children need to keep in constant touch with the admissions officers.
The admissions office requires a decision from accepted students on May 1. Make sure your children accept the offer of their second choice school where they have been admitted, and pay the required deposit. If your children are later accepted to the school to which they were waitlisted and accept that offer, they will lose the deposit on the other school. But it’s their guarantee that they will be attending a college in the fall.
Two years into the pandemic, infection cases are finally decreasing; but death rates remain high. On February 15, several states, counties, and cities around the country eased or ended indoor mask mandates; last week, the L.A. Unified School District dropped the outdoor mask requirement. There’s speculation that California schools will no longer be requiring their students to wear masks on campus sometime this month.
However, some counties in California – where infection cases still cause worry – are still imposing it. Many private schools and privately-owned establishments are also choosing to go their own way, practicing safety measures they deem necessary to ensure their employees’ and the public’s health and well-being. And, as usual, the seemingly arbitrary rules are creating dissent. But wherever your beliefs lie on this ongoing debate, I hope you are doing your utmost to keep safe and healthy.
If your children are attending in-person classes full-time, you must be so relieved after more than a year of having to home-school them. As we all know, though, the long-term remote learning resulted in unprecedented learning loss and widened the achievement gap. Students are playing catch-up on their schoolwork.
Fortunately, there are several tutoring services available if they require help. Find one which offers options that fit your children’s specific need and your family’s budget. A company called Mundo Academy provides excellent tutoring services in the Pasadena and San Gabriel Valley area. Likewise, some high school and college students have created free tutoring services and learning platforms to help children during the coronavirus pandemic. Two of these organizations include Sailors Learning and Wave Learning Festival.
Anxiety and depression have been on the rise among children and adults during the pandemic. Please don’t ignore your and your children’s mental health; reach out for assistance when you or your family members feel overwhelmed. The CDC has put together a resource kit for parents – divided by age group – to help ensure their children’s well-being. The site also has links to other resources that cover various concerns. Another CDC website is dedicated to helping parents manage stress during the coronavirus pandemic.
In spite of the pandemic, the University of California broke records for first-year applications for the second consecutive year, according to data it recently released. Additionally, this past admissions cycle drew the largest and most diverse pool of applicants. While this is great news, it also means that it has become even more competitive to get in. And, as more colleges and universities join in scrapping standardized tests, your children need to be prepared to face ever greater challenges.
Photo by Sofatutor for Unsplash
FRESHMAN:
Your children should have all their grades on track. They need to concentrate on maintaining good study habits now to be better equipped to handle the rigors of the workload in the coming years. If they haven’t been reading much, they should seriously consider taking up reading as a hobby during spring break to help them increase their vocabulary – it will come in handy when they write all the supplemental essays many universities require.
It’s also a good time for your children to consult their class dean regarding summer activities – academic enrichment programs, volunteer work, or part-time employment. College admissions officers are looking for students who explored their passions while getting good grades.
Admissions officers will not expect your children to have extra-curricular activities during the coronavirus pandemic. However, they will be interested to know how students spent their time outside of remote learning. Encourage your children to find volunteer work and community service activities.
SOPHOMORE:
Tenth graders who are taking AP courses need to register for the AP exams administered in May. While there is a slew of small independent tutoring schools offering courses to prepare for the AP tests, some children do not need to take on this additional burden on their already busy schedules. Your children have enough on their plate with the intensive homework associated with an advanced placement course. That said, your kids would still have to show competence on the AP exams as all scores are submitted to the College Board; all the colleges to which your children apply will see the AP scores.
JUNIOR:
Spring break is usually the time when juniors visit various campuses. Many schools organize tours for their students and college counselors provide a prepared college visit checklist with a page or several pages allotted for each college or university. They can also write their overall impressions which they can consult when they create their college list.
If in-person tours aren’t available at the college or university you want to visit, make sure you and your children do a virtual tour or a webinar. Many universities offer a live virtual tour where someone takes you around the campus on FaceTime or Zoom. There’s usually an admissions officer on hand to answer questions. And, as in pre-pandemic years, you and your children need to make an appointment to attend the tour.
Even when tours are conducted virtually, you can still ask some of the questions you normally would during an in-person visit. Here are a few examples: What is the advising system for freshmen? Are there opportunities for independent/study abroad? Is there guaranteed housing for four years? What are the dining options? What safety measures and precautions are offered by the school during the pandemic?
Especially during the pandemic, it’s advisable to arrange to speak with a current student about campus life. Here are some questions to ask: Do students stay on campus or do they leave on weekends? Are students practicing healthy campus lifestyles, like limiting parties? Even before the pandemic, these parties led to excessive drinking and wild behavior; these gatherings could be super spreaders of the current coronavirus variant.
One major concern for parents and children should be security on campus (Can outsiders gain access to the library, the fitness center or student union? Are there video cameras around the school periphery?). Of course, the most serious threat to students’ well-being may actually be within the confines of the institution. This topic has become part of the national conversation and some universities are addressing the topic upfront. I, personally, would want to know if officials have safeguards in place to prevent such crime from occurring. Do administrators disclose information about it or do they hide and blur the facts? What consequences does the school impose on perpetrators?
Photo by Priscilla du Preez for Unsplash
SENIOR:
You and your children should research all scholarships and grants available to them. Many colleges offer merit scholarships to applicants with excellent academic records to motivate them to matriculate. The package usually includes the full cost of tuition and fees and may also cover room and board.
Universities also extend need-based grants to applicants who demonstrate a financial hardship. These reduce the cost of a college education and do not need to be repaid. Your children should complete the Federal Application for Federal Student Aid. Other schools may also require a college-specific financial aid application.
As I expounded on last month, some colleges will be sending out decision letters sometime in March or April. Your children should keep their wits about them as they await word from the colleges they applied to.
After the marathon they finished, your children may be quite restless and anxious to know if they have been accepted to their school of choice. Remind them to use this quiet time productively by keeping their focus on academics and their grades. They should still engage in other worthwhile activities like arts.
Tell your children that they may be getting letters of rejection from some schools. While you might be more disappointed than your son or daughter, avoid showing it as that sends the wrong message. Not being accepted to their first choice isn’t the end of the world. In fact, while it may not seem like it at first, that rejection usually turns out to be a blessing in disguise – in most cases, they end up in the school that is the right fit for them.
Schools and teachers are overwhelmed just as much as students and their parents. Fortunately, there are several tutoring services available if you and your children require help with school work. Find one which offers options that fit your children’s specific need and your family’s budget. A company called Mundo Academy provides excellent tutoring services in the Pasadena and San Gabriel Valley area. Likewise, some high school and college students have created free tutoring services and learning platforms to help children during the coronavirus pandemic. Two of these organizations include Sailors Learning and Wave Learning Festival.
If you’re exhausted, as most of us are at this time, please reach out for assistance. The CDC has put together a resource kit for parents, divided by age group, to help them ensure their children’s well-being. The site also has links to other resources that cover various concerns. Another CDC website is dedicated to helping parents manage stress during the coronavirus pandemic.
Your children are well into the second semester of 9th grade and are now fully engaged in the academic life at their school. With grades as the only benchmark for an applicant’s merit for acceptance, the student’s GPA is the single most important component of their college application. If their first semester marks need improvement, now is the time to turn things around.
Admissions officers will be interested to know what extra-curricular activities your children managed to accomplish during the pandemic – whether they were on campus or remote learning. Encourage your children to find virtual volunteer work or earn online certificates to put on their resumé. Hopefully, this time next year we’ll have some normalcy in our lives and students can take up some of the activities they have put on hold.
SOPHOMORE
Your children need to really understand and learn the courses they’re taking so that the final grades on their transcript are the best they could earn. The schools they will be applying to will only see the grades in their three years in high school. If their first semester grades weren’t stellar, they need to improve this semester. They need to meet with their grade class dean to make sure their grades and courses are on the right track for graduation. While the SAT and ACT will not be required by many universities, AP scores are still being used as a gauge of college readiness and your children should register for the tests (www.collegeboard.com; www.act.org).
JUNIOR
I cannot emphasize this enough – junior year is the last complete year that college admissions officers will be looking at when your children send their application. They need to maintain their good grades and the pursuits that replaced their extra-curricular activities. If they had good study habits back in 9th grade and have established a routine, they shouldn’t be feeling overwhelmed right now.
For most students, meeting frequently with their school counselors isn’t always a possibility. In some high schools where there are as many as 400 seniors to four full-time counselors, a junior may not even get any face-to-face time with a counselor. This puts the onus on your children to be very resourceful, take the initiative in gathering their research material, and plan their course of action as they embark on the college application process. This was a pre-pandemic fact that has become all the more glaring with Covid. Seek the services of an independent counselor if you need help.
Meanwhile, as the parent of a junior, you should also make sure your child is on track – has taken all the courses the high school requires for graduation and is taking all the courses to complete the UC and Cal State requirements.
You and your children should do a virtual college tour and consider doing an actual campus visit either during the spring break or in the summer. They might also want to make a phone call or have a Zoom chat with a current student to learn more about the school. More often than not, current college students and alums are happy to talk about their alma mater.
| Photo courtesy of Eliott Reyna for Unsplash
SENIOR
Your children should not take for granted that they are all done with schoolwork because they have sent in their college application. Don’t let them succumb to ‘senioritis’ – they still have to submit their final transcript. Unlike last school year when teachers cut students a lot of slack because of the pandemic, they are more strict now that everyone has settled to the ‘new normal.’ Universities can rescind their acceptance if admissions officers see a drastic drop in the student’s grades. In fact, a single lower mark can trigger some questions. Moreover, third-quarter grades are critical in case they are waitlisted. And, in the unfortunate event they realize the school they were accepted to isn’t the right fit for them, senior-year grades will be crucial if they decide to apply for a transfer.
Additionally, seniors need to be mindful of their social activities. Schools are tech-savvy – they check social media profiles of students they have accepted and can rescind that offer if they find unacceptable behavior. Your children should be mindful of what may end up online.
If your children have received new awards or commendations, or have accomplished something significant since they sent in their college application, they should email this important update to the admissions officer or the area representative of the school they applied to.
The months following the end of the college application process are usually as anxiety-ridden for seniors as well as parents. While everyone has breathed a sigh of relief that the mad rush is over, the waiting period is just as nerve-wracking. In the next few weeks, some college decisions will be trickling in.
Remind your children to be careful how they share their good news as their friends might be getting some bad news at the same time. If they have been accepted to their ‘safety school’ but aren’t planning on attending it, they should resist the urge to boast about it as it might be someone else’s ‘dream school.’
Most of all, your children need to be patient – the answer will eventually arrive and nothing can hurry it up. Colleges notify at different times and in different ways. They shouldn’t read into the timing of the decision letters; their friends getting good news early doesn’t necessarily mean a bad outcome for them.
Originally published on 5 January 2022 on Hey SoCal
University of Georgia | Courtesy Photo
The road to college
Happy New Year!
We’re all still reeling from the impact of this pandemic which has touched every aspect of our life – from the economy to education, to our mental and physical well-being, among others. And now we welcome 2022 with the omicron variant, which seems to be less severe but more infectious. Before they even had a chance to take a breather, hospitals and health care workers are once again caring for those infected.
Anticipating a surge in Covid infections after the winter holiday, some schools are reinstating safety protocols. The L.A. Times published a Christmas story by staff writer Melissa Gomez about USC’s announcement that classes will be held remotely during the first week of this semester. She further reported that students and staff will be required to show proof of booster shots as soon as they are eligible.
There’s a heartening update about college admissions, though. On December 29, L.A. Times staff writer Teresa Watanabe reported that California is bucking the prevailing norm of privileged students with excellent GPAs and outstanding resumés. During this admissions cycle, unentitled kids are California’s new generation of star applicants.
And with that refreshing bit of news, let’s get on with the college guide.
FRESHMAN
Typically, the beginning of the year marks the halfway point in the school year. First semester grades will soon be released if they had not been sent out yet. If your 9th graders’ marks are not great, they would need to use the second semester to better them as it’s the end-of-year grades that show on the transcript. Some universities – including the UC and Cal State systems – have dropped their SAT requirements, so a student’s GPA is the single most influential component of the college application. Admissions officers only have your children’s GPA to gauge their college readiness and success.
SOPHOMORE
This is your student’s second year, and by this time they should have fully transitioned into high school. They need to put extra effort into weak subjects and solidify their grades this semester.
| Photo courtesy of Andrew Neel/Unsplash
JUNIOR
The second semester of junior year is significant as it is the beginning of the college application process. Students should have already started doing their research about the colleges and could start doing virtual tours ahead of a spring or summer campus visit. Some useful websites include campustours.com; CollegeProwler.com; SmartCollegeVisit.com and YOUniversity.com.
While I’m tempted to say “Tell your kids to breathe a sigh of relief, the hard part is over,” the truth is, the waiting part induces just as much anxiety as applying to colleges. And, oftentimes, it’s worse because neither you nor your children have control over it. Just be there for your kids to remind them that they have done a great job and they should let the admissions professionals do theirs.
The months from January through March can still be a time for your children to do something to help their cause. Mid-January is when high schools get their first semester grades finalized. If your student’s mid-year report is particularly spectacular, this could be a very good development especially if they are applying to a highly selective college. When your children’s high school sends the grades, have your children follow up with an email to the area representative telling them about their hard work and interest in that college.
If your children have been deferred at a college when they applied through early action or early decision, it is advisable for them to send in an additional teacher recommendation, but only if this supports their application. Likewise, if your student has received notable honors or made any significant achievement, they should let the admissions officers know by email.
Having done all these, you and your children will now just have to wait patiently for the process to play itself out.
Originally published on 3 December 2021 on Hey SoCal
Dartmouth College | Courtesy Photo
The road to college
Just as we thought we were finally seeing a decrease in COVID-19 infection rates, comes the news that a highly transmissible coronavirus variant – Omicron – is causing great anxiety all over the world. Several countries, including the United States, are restricting travel to and from southern Africa. It has put a new wrinkle on people’s plans to travel during the holidays to be with relatives and friends they haven’t seen in almost two years.
We have yet to find out if this will affect schools as students have finally returned on campus two months ago and are adjusting to a new normal. The coronavirus pandemic changed the way learning is delivered not only for elementary and high schools but for colleges and universities as well.
College admissions also adapted to the circumstances when SAT, ACT, and AP tests got canceled because of the pandemic. It foretold the beginning of the end to standardized testing.
However, it wasn’t due to COVID-19 that the 10-campus UC and 23-campus Cal State systems went test-optional. It was because they were convinced that performance on the SAT and ACT is so strongly influenced by family income, parents’ education, and race that using them for high stakes admissions decisions is wrong.
On November 18th, Teresa Watanabe of the L.A. Times reported that the University of California is dropping standardized tests altogether after faculty could not find an alternative exam. In her follow-up article on the 23rd, she quoted FairTest, the National Center for Fair and Open Testing, in stating that the UC and Cal State systems “would join more than 1,000 other colleges that have gone testing-optional, with 47 more schools joining in the last 12 months, double the number over last year.”
As I wrote last year in this monthly guide, this means the only components of students’ applications are the personal essay and their GPA. And as I have constantly preached to students, and parents who are helping and guiding them through the process, high schoolers should make sure they are getting good grades in all their subjects. The student’s GPA is now the singular, most important component of their college application. It reflects not merely what they’ve learned in the classroom but is an indicator of how well prepared they are to tackle the rigors of college and a predictor of their success when they get in.
Their personal essay is the other piece that has taken on a greater significance. Admissions officers have to get to know your child through their personal statements and determine if they will be the right fit for the incoming class they are trying to build and if they will make a meaningful contribution to the school’s student body. It’s a rather daunting task to accomplish with 500 words. While a college counselor can guide and help your child craft a better essay, make sure it’s in their own voice – admissions officers can easily tell if it sounds contrived and unnatural.
Photo by Green Chameleon for UnSplash
Another development affecting college admissions is Amherst ending its legacy admissions preference, as reported by Matt Feeney on the New Yorker also on November 23rd. And, as he pointed out, other colleges and universities may soon follow suit.
While both those announcements seem to even out the playing field and make college admissions more equitable, they also translate to ever more students applying for spots that didn’t increase in number. That proved to be the case last admissions cycle when Ivy schools, led by Harvard at 42%, saw a rise in college applications.
Meanwhile, SmartAsset, a company that offers financial advice, released its seventh annual study on the colleges that give students the best return on their investments. It listed California at number 5 with the following colleges and universities:
Rank
School
City
Avg. Scholarships and Grants
Avg. Starting Salary
College Tuition*
Student Living Costs
Student Retention Rate
College Education Value Index
1
California Institute of Technology
Pasadena, CA
$41,062
$87,600
$52,362
$19,722
98%
89.80
2
Stanford University
Stanford, CA
$49,255
$81,800
$51,354
$20,233
99%
87.00
3
Harvey Mudd College
Claremont, CA
$36,443
$91,400
$56,620
$20,327
97%
86.85
4
University of California-Berkeley
Berkeley, CA
$19,369
$72,600
$14,184
$23,882
97%
65.13
5
University of California-San Diego
La Jolla, CA
$17,958
$65,000
$14,167
$18,671
93%
65.01
6
California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo
San Luis Obispo, CA
$6,768
$66,400
$9,816
$18,486
94%
62.51
7
University of California-Los Angeles
Los Angeles, CA
$19,300
$62,600
$13,226
$21,394
97%
57.22
8
University of California-Davis
Davis, CA
$17,958
$62,700
$14,402
$20,775
92%
54.97
9
University of Southern California
Los Angeles, CA
$39,516
$66,100
$56,225
$18,600
96%
54.74
10
University of California-Irvine
Irvine, CA
$18,216
$61,100
$13,700
$20,561
94%
54.69
FRESHMAN
What a relief it must be for your 9th grader – he or she has survived the first semester of high school. While your children’s thoughts may be all about the Christmas holiday, this would be a good time to evaluate their progress. Remind them that while first semester grades don’t show on the final transcript, these are barometers of their academic strengths and weaknesses. Encourage them to use the winter break to plan how to improve where needed and how to build on their successes going into the second semester.
SOPHOMORE
Now is the time to look at their interests to determine what college course they might be suited for. Based on their aptitude and grades, they will have to start planning on their course options for 11th grade. They can also start researching which colleges offer the course they might want to pursue.
Photo by Annie Spratt for Unsplash
JUNIOR
This is an all-important year for your 11th grader and it is one of the busiest of their high school career. Your children should be able to successfully balance their academic, extra-curricular, and athletic activities. Hopefully, college counselors have met with you and your children and have given you an overview of the college application process. Your children (and you) should already have been to at least one College Fair and have met with a few admissions officers either in person or via Zoom.
SENIOR
While kids all around are excited about the Christmas holidays, your high school senior is sweating over his or her personal essay or feverishly writing all the supplemental essays colleges require with their application for the regular decision or the second early decision (ED II) round.
This is a crucial time for seniors. They need as much encouragement as elbow room to get their applications ready for sending. Your children should be in constant communication with the school counselor to ensure that all transcripts, teacher recommendations, and supplemental material are sent to all the colleges to which they are applying. They should be on top of application deadlines for all the schools – they’re not all the same – to which they plan to apply.
If your 12th grader applied through Early Action (EA) or Early Decision (ED), he or she must also be nervously waiting to hear from the college. And I’m sure your child would be ecstatic to receive an acceptance letter from his or her first choice. An ED means your child is legally bound to matriculate to that university, and his or her college search is over. Whew! If your child is accepted to a school through EA, he or she can either accept that offer or still go on to apply to other schools.
Accepting an EA offer relieves your children of pressure so they can enjoy the Christmas holidays, but it doesn’t give them leverage if they are qualified for scholarships. The best scenario is to apply and get accepted to several colleges so your children can get to pick the best financial offer or scholarship.
If your children are fortunate enough to have heard from their school and have been offered admission, it would be mindful of them not to brag about their acceptance. Some of his or her classmates may have applied to the same school and are hoping for admission. The university to which your child was accepted might be his or her classmate’s first choice. It would be very hurtful to then boast that he or she has been accepted but is not planning on attending that college.
On the other hand, if your children have been deferred on the EA or ED round, there are some things they can do to enhance their chances during the regular round. They can send any updates on any significant changes since they sent their application – a letter from a counselor about their first semester work or a letter from a senior teacher. They can also send in their first semester grades, especially if they have received some As in the meantime.
Your children can also write a strong letter of interest and intent – all colleges and universities are concerned about their yield. If they are assured that your child will matriculate if accepted, they will look at him or her in a more favorable light (that is, if your child fits the profile they are looking for). This is one reason most colleges have instituted the ED II – they are assured that the applicant will matriculate if accepted. At the same time, it’s disheartening for applicants who aren’t applying for ED II as they would be far fewer slots available making the regular round more competitive than it already is.
Provide encouragement to your children if they have been deferred – the school isn’t rejecting them, they have just been put in the pool for the regular round. Remember that these admissions officers have thousands of applications to read. They wouldn’t want to go through your children’s application again if they weren’t interested in the first place, they would have just outright rejected them.
Your children should research all available scholarships, and start completing the FAFSA.
Originally published on 2 November 2021 on Hey SoCal
| Courtesy Photo
The road to college
Students are back on campus for in-person learning and many parents are finding out that their children are behind on most of their courses. Tutoring companies, which were in high demand during remote learning, continue to see students struggling to keep up with coursework – as if the college admissions process weren’t stressful enough. If you think a tutoring service will help, find one that offers options to fit your student’s specific need and your family’s budget. A company called Mundo Academy provides excellent tutoring services in the Pasadena and San Gabriel Valley area.
If you’re overwhelmed, as most of us are at this time, please reach out for assistance. The CDC has put together a resource kit for parents, divided by age group, to help them ensure their children’s well-being. The site also has links to other resources that cover various concerns. Another CDC page is dedicated to helping parents manage stress during the coronavirus pandemic.
FRESHMAN
I hope your children are settling into high school, focusing on their studies, and using all available resources to accomplish all the work required and succeed in each course. The goal is not just to pass, however, but to make the best grade they are capable of getting.
Ideally, they should be up-to-speed in all their classes, but if there’s anything about the course they can’t grasp, they need to seek assistance. Teachers are usually available after school to meet with students to explain a lesson they can’t understand, so they have to ask right away or they will fall behind all the more as the school year progresses.
Several universities have eliminated standardized test results from their decision-making process. That means your children’s GPA has become the single most important component of the academic picture they present to the universities to which they will apply. It will show how well they did in high school and how prepared they are to go to college.
If your children are athletic and particularly good at one sport, encourage them to join their school’s division sports. Athletic excellence can be used as a hook to get into college; some universities offer lucrative athletic scholarships. They should ask their coach to help them determine the NCAA requirements.
They should have identified other extra-curricular activities they want to participate in, whether they’re in the arts or school clubs. An important thing for them to bear in mind is to make sure they continue that interest throughout high school – admission officers want to see depth of involvement.
SOPHOMORE
Most universities look at 10th grade as a fundamental year in high school. Your children should have already made a smooth transition from their middle school life and are enthusiastically exploring their various interests and are applying these towards extra-curricular work. They should be actively participating in sports, or arts, their school newspaper, or their yearbook.
The class deans should be working with your children in evaluating their class performance and workload to make sure they are on track and are making the grade. Together with their class dean, your children should be preparing for standardized testing and junior year course options.
Additionally, your children can start looking at various colleges offering the course they might consider taking.
Photo by sofatutor on Unsplash
JUNIOR
This is an important year for your children. They need to be in constant communication with their counselor to ensure they are on track for graduation and college admission.
Encourage your children to focus on getting good grades – this is the last complete school year marks the college admissions officers will see when your children send in their application. Their GPA is the most reliable and significant predictor of how well they are ready for college work.
Several high schools in the area have held virtual college fairs and you and your children should have met the representatives of the various colleges to which they might consider applying. Your children should be researching these schools’ requirements and keeping track of the universities which offer the courses they are interested in pursuing.
SENIORS
Your children should have already sent out their application early this month if they were trying for Early Action (EA) or Early Decision (ED). They should notify the universities of any honors they received since mailing their application; they have to make sure their school sends out a recent transcript, and all their standardized test results have been forwarded.
If the university they are applying to is offering an alumni virtual interview, I would advise your children to plan ahead because the report will become part of their admission file. While it will most probably be held via Zoom, they have to comport themselves as if it was an in-person interview. They should dress conservatively and comfortably – no tank tops and no bare midriffs; make eye contact and listen well; be positive – stress their strengths and explain their weaknesses, but don’t dwell on the negative and don’t complain; answer all the questions – if they’re confused, ask for clarification; keep the conversation going; be prepared to ask thoughtful questions of their interviewer; try not to lead the conversation into a ‘trouble’ area – if they don’t know much about current events, don’t direct the conversation there; be honest; send a thank you note.
Most universities will mail out their acceptance letters in mid-December. As your children await word from the college, they might want to keep writing all the supplemental essays required by the universities to which they will apply for the regular decision round. Admission to their EA school isn’t binding so they can still apply to other colleges, thus not limiting their options. However, an acceptance to their ED school is binding and they are required to matriculate if admitted.
In the meantime, you children should make sure they are doing well academically. Some universities require the first semester grades, or the first quarter grades if they’re applying for EA/ED. In fact, your children shouldn’t let up on academics because a college can still rescind their offer of acceptance if a student’s grades have fallen below acceptable level.
Likewise, make sure your children are continuing to participate in athletics and extra-curricular activities. These sometimes help them relieve the stress of the college application process.
As hectic as it is with the semester drawing to a close, take the time to celebrate this Thanksgiving. Almost two years since the pandemic upended our lives, about 58% of our population is vaccinated and the infection rate is slowing. We have much to be thankful for.
Originally published on 1 October 2021 on Hey SoCal
Harvard University | Courtesy Photo
The road to college
The road to college involves four years of complicated planning and complex scheduling. High school students are extremely busy – homework, extra-curricular activities in art and sports, campus clubs, all compete for their time. As if all that weren’t difficult enough, they have to make sure they get excellent marks in their courses and on the standardized tests. Their GPAs and SAT/ACT scores have to impress college admissions officers to really consider their application. If standardized test scores are no longer required by the schools to which your children are applying, their GPA is all the more crucial – it becomes the single, most important component of their transcript.
I know several parents who enroll their kids in SAT prep courses as early as ninth grade and some independent counselors recommend that students sit for the SAT in 10th grade. However, I feel that taking the SAT this early isn’t necessarily the best course of action – students still have so much to learn and aren’t really ready for this test. Unless there are extenuating circumstances (if the SAT is a requirement for an advanced math course, for instance) that necessitate them to take it, I would suggest waiting a bit. I would recommend taking the SAT and ACT the summer before senior year. By then your children have accumulated as much knowledge as high school covered.
In the past 18 months tutoring service became a booming enterprise (and I don’t mean those offering test prep, which is a multi-billion dollar industry) for students who had difficulty during remote learning. While your children are now back on campus for in-person classes, they may be behind on some subjects so a tutor might still prove helpful. Find one that offers options to fit your student’s specific need and your family’s budget. A company called Mundo Academy provides excellent tutoring services in the Pasadena and San Gabriel Valley area.
FRESHMAN
Encourage your children to keep their focus on their schoolwork. By this time, they should have figured out what extra-curricular activities they are interested in pursuing and what sports they want to participate in. Give them guidance as they navigate this new phase in their school life, and support the choices they make.
SOPHOMORE
Depending on your children’s course choices and load, there could be standardized testing required of them. Your children should be taking AP exams following completion of the course while the knowledge they gained in class is still fresh in their minds. The best preparation for the exams is for your children to make sure they understand the subject matter and do well in all tests the teachers give in class. If there is something they don’t understand, they should right away speak to the teacher to ask for clarification or, possibly, find a tutor for additional help. The results of these standardized exams are required by some colleges.
JUNIOR
Your children should be aware that junior year is the last complete year of high school performance that college admissions officers will see. They have to put more effort at doing well and getting good marks.
They should register for and take the PSAT, which is also the qualifying exams for the National Merit Scholarship. It is also a good time for your children to meet with their school counselor to make sure they are taking all the courses they need to graduate and apply to college.
Your children should also be keeping up with their extra-curricular and sports activities. College admissions officers look at several components as they try to assemble an incoming class made up of the best candidates to add to their student body.
Several high schools in the area hold college fairs on campus. This is an excellent chance for you to see what the different colleges and universities are offering. Students get to meet and speak to admissions officers – usually the same people who would be reviewing your children’s application, reading the essay, and sitting around the table – who would be making their case for your children during the all-important decision-making rounds. Make sure you and your children attend these college fairs.
SENIOR
Your children should now be in the process of completing the common app, and finalizing their essay topic or personal statement. Unless recommendations can be sent to the universities online, your children should have provided the teachers who are writing their letters of recommendation with stamped envelopes.
Depending on what course your children are applying for, they may be required to send supplementary material (auditions or portfolios) with their application and they need to get those ready. Audition tapes for arts performance, for instance, can be uploaded on YouTube for easy access. Your children should check the website of the college or university to which they are applying about supplement material requirements. Your children’s school counselors are also a great resource as they are always in contact with college admissions officers.
Be on top of application deadlines; most schools offering Early Action or early Decision have to receive your children’s application by the 1st of November.
Your responsibilities as parents are limited to offering encouragement, guidance, and moral support as your children go through this stressful time. But while you need to let your children manage this process, you should also express your concerns and expectations. Communicate with your child, the counselors, and the teachers when you have inquiries.
Be there for your children but learn when to get out of their way. Never try to communicate with the college admission officers as it is the surest way to sabotage your children’s chances for admission. Do not be overzealous about getting your children accepted to their dream university; there is a school out there that’s the right place for them. The counselors at your children’s school and the admissions officers at the colleges, or universities to which your children are applying, are actually the experts at finding the best fits. And while this may sound hollow at this time when you’re in the thick of college admissions, this is actually a wonderful learning opportunity for your children. Give them the chance to succeed on their own.
Originally published on 1 September 2021 on Hey SoCal
Duke University | Courtesy Photo
The road to college
Amidst the ongoing debate about the constitutionality of requiring every eligible student to be vaccinated or agree to weekly COVID-19 testing (Pasadena Unified School District was one of the first districts whose board approved the mandate), all schools in the San Gabriel Valley are now open for in-person classes.
With the troubling surge in infection cases from the Delta variant, it should be a welcome relief for administrators, teachers, parents, and other vaccinated students. The move could help bring some normalcy to our children’s school life. These students would like to resume the kind of learning that virtual classes could not replicate.
Before I launch into the college guide, let me first touch on a topic that oftentimes causes family discord. School counselors tell their students to follow their passion when it comes to deciding what to pursue in college. That makes a lot of sense because people generally learn better when they’re studying something they are interested in. However, we also hear about research that finds STEM degrees are the most valuable, with the liberal arts the least valuable, to employers. Parents, anxious about their children’s earning potential, career future, and over-all financial stability, then discourage their children from taking liberal arts in college and push their children into the STEM field.
Employers, on the other hand, emphasize that they’re looking for applicants with excellent communication skills even when the job isn’t STEM-related. The conflicting information is enough to make anyone’s head spin. The one thing researchers and career advisors agree on is that earning a college degree will pay off in the long run. So whether your children are looking to get an engineering degree or are more interested in the humanities, the important thing is for you to support your children’s choice and help them be ready for college.
And that brings us to the College Guide. School administrators and counselors preach to their students that the college application process doesn’t start until the spring of their junior year and, therefore, they should just have fun and enjoy high school. While I agree that they won’t be applying until their senior year, the admissions process really begins on the first day of ninth grade. The components of their application is a compilation of their activities and accomplishments during their four years in high school. Hence, I advocate that your children start planning early on. Doing so makes a world of difference in their college search outcome.
FRESHMAN
Instill in your children good time management and organizational skills early on. High school is so much busier than what they’ve been through yet. These skills will help them have a happy, productive, and successful four-year experience.
If your children didn’t develop good study habits in lower and middle school, they need to buckle up and be serious about academics. Encourage them to immerse themselves in the culture of their high school and get involved in various extra-curricular activities that support their interests, and which they can carry on into the next three years.
Your children should find the time to meet with their school’s counselor to map out a four-year curriculum that meets all the requirements for graduating and going into college. Most colleges or universities require: four years of English; four years of mathematics; four years of science with advanced work in at least one of the three disciplines — biology, chemistry, physics; four years of a world language; three years of history, including American and European.
They should take the most challenging courses they can handle. If their high school offers Advanced Placement (AP) subjects in ninth grade and your children decide to take the course, they have to be ready to take the exams after they complete it. Colleges usually only recognize 4s and 5s to show competency. Highly selective institutions also expect As on AP courses on students’ transcripts.
I cannot emphasize enough that your children’s GPA is the single, most important component of their transcript. With several universities, like the UC and Cal State systems, dropping the SAT, students’ grades could very well be the determining factor for college-readiness.
SOPHOMORE
By this time, your children should be fully transitioned into high school. They should be picking up where they left off — taking AP courses, working on extra-curricular activities they identified in their freshman year, etc.
Practice exams for standardized tests are given in your children’s sophomore year so make sure they are registered for the PSAT (capacity is limited because of COVID-19 concerns so check to ascertain testing dates and that sites are open). Taking these tests will help them identify their weaknesses and study for them. Several companies and organizations offer test preparation courses (ACT: www.act.org; PSAT: www.collegeboard.com; Educational Testing Service: www.ets.org; Kaplan: www.kaplan.com; National Association for College Admission Counseling: www.nacacnet.org; The Princeton Review: www.princetonreview.com).
It may seem too early to do this, but your children can start looking at colleges that offer courses in their fields of interest. Or they can begin considering all possible options, if they haven’t determined what they are thinking of taking in college.
JUNIOR
This is a very hectic, even stressful, time in your children’s high school life. It is also the last complete year that college admissions officers will see your students’ grades and accomplishments. It is a critical year for them; they need to put the effort to show admission officers that they are capable of doing the work and are qualified for admission to the school to which they will be applying. If your children are thinking of applying to universities through early action/decision, their junior year grades and work will be all the more significant.
Aside from the rigors of school and extra-curricular activities, there are standardized tests to take. Your children should be taking the Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (PSAT/NMSQT) early next month. I would like to remind parents not to put extra pressure on their children as they get ready for the standardize exams — they are stressed enough as it is, and a higher-than-average SAT score does not guarantee admission to their dream university.
Normally, colleges and universities would be holding College Fairs on various high school campuses around this time. Your children’s school should update you if either in-person or virtual fairs will be held.
SENIOR
It is going to be a marathon for your children! If your children are applying for early action/decision, they should have taken all the standardized exams required by the university during their summer after junior year.
Make it a point to attend your children’s ‘Back to School Night’ – counselors will probably be giving parents information about the college applications that will be starting in earnest.
The organizational skills that I have been talking about since your children entered ninth grade will be put to the test during their senior year. Encourage your children to create a calendar with standardized testing dates, counselor meeting schedules, and application deadlines.
Your children should have a binder with separate sections for each college or university and a log of what needs to be accomplished for each, like: required standardized tests (SAT or ACT, SAT II grades; AP test scores, etc.); writing supplement; how many letters of recommendation they require; application fee; application deadlines..
Ideally, you and your children have visited the colleges (even if you did it virtually) they are thinking of applying to. One of the first things they have to do is finalize the list of colleges and universities to which they will send applications. Eight was the norm when my daughter was applying, but students now are sending in 12 or more applications. This new normal, though, has only added to the competitiveness of the process. I would suggest limiting it to12 because applying to more schools doesn’t make a university with a 4% admission rate a more reachable goal.
They should be ready to write their personal statement. If teacher recommendations are being sent to the schools instead of emailed, your children should also have provided stamped envelopes to the teachers.
If you are applying for financial aid, be aware that the Free Application for Federal Student Aid FAFSA submission date starts on October 1st to align with the college admissions schedule.
Research all scholarships available. Some online sites include: CollegeXpress; Fastweb; and Scholarships.com. Many schools use Naviance, which also provides students information about scholarships and assistance on how to apply.
It goes without saying that as busy as your children are when they go through the college application process, they should also get the best grades they are capable of. The colleges to which they are applying will require their first quarter grades if they’re looking to gain admission through early action or early decision.
One factor that makes the college admissions process really stressful for parents is the feeling of not knowing what’s happening. School counselors generally only have time to meet exclusively with students, so parents feel shut out. However, there are books you can read to help demystify this process. A book I would recommend is called “Getting In! the Zinch Guide to College Admissions and Financial Aid in the Digital Age” by Steve Cohen, Anne Dwane, Paulo de Oliveira, and Michael Muska.
The professional guidance and insight the authors of this book provide will give you the ability to help your children navigate this complicated process. Use the book constructively; do not make it another source of stress for yourself and your children.
A book by Frank Bruni called “Where You Go Is Not Who You’ll Be” is a great read for both parents and students who are in the middle of college applications. It will help keep your expectations realistic and relieve your children of the pressure to get into the most selective universities.
Originally published on 26 August 2021 on Hey SoCal
As soon as school opens every fall, 12th graders everywhere in the United States go through a rite-of-passage called college admissions. High school seniors look forward to it with both excitement and dread. It is, after all, the culmination of years of hard work that they hope earn them admission to a university high on their list. For them to find out that some children of the rich and famous undeservedly got into a college, as the bribing scandal revealed three years ago, is infuriating at the very least.
This deceitful behavior, however, isn’t exclusive to celebrities. An Intelligent.com survey conducted this past spring showed that one out of four parents cheated to get their child into college. The admissions process is complicated enough without parents’ involvement.
We asked college expert Beata Williams, an independent admissions consultant coaching students through the admissions process who had previous experience as an admissions counselor at Columbia University and at New York University, how counselors can discourage parents from taking matters into their hands.
“In my opinion, a healthy level of parental involvement in the college admissions process is beneficial to students,” Williams states. “However, students benefit the most if they are laying their own groundwork towards their college paths. Reinforcing the importance of the students’ engagement and keeping admissions conversations centered on the student and their profile (which includes student accomplishments) tends to be a successful strategy for keeping the process focused.”
Endowing universities has been a common practice among the elites but it has never gotten negative publicity. As benevolent as it seems, it still points to ways the privileged few could go around the admissions process. However, Williams says it is very unlikely that universities will discontinue accepting donations that benefit their endowments in the near future. Neither is she surprised that average parents like us are cheating to get their child into college. “Human nature does not discriminate amongst socioeconomic classes,” she declares.
The survey found that parents with high incomes ($125,000 or more annually) and those with low incomes ($49,000 or less annually) were the ones who cheated, while those who were considered ‘middle class’ ($50,000 to $124,000) didn’t. Does that mean they had nothing to lose or they had more confidence in their child’s ability? But what did that say about those who chose to cheat?
Williams opines, “I am not a trained psychologist but there is an Attribution Theory of psychology that – if I loosely interpret it – explains that high achievers relate success and failure to their efforts and abilities and they have a strong desire to reach their goals. Low achievers relate their success and failure to luck and the difficulty of the task assigned. I believe the answer to your question could very well be related to this theory.”
Kids are the ones losing when their parents try to manage their college application as Williams explains, “The college application process is a huge growth opportunity for a young adult. As stressful as it is, it provides a platform for them to gain strategy and decision making skills. When parents manage the process for their kids, they actually deprive them of a growth opportunity.
“College admissions is highly competitive and very stressful for students and parents. A book I wish parents and students who are currently in the admissions process would read and take to heart is ‘Where You Go is not Who You’ll Be’ by Frank Bruni. Perhaps it would reduce the admissions madness.”
Beata Williams, left, working with a student | Courtesy photo / Intelligent.com
Nowhere is the admissions process more anxiety-ridden than in Pasadena and surrounding cities. High school students here are so accomplished – they take as many as six advanced placement (AP) subjects in one school year, play varsity sports, vie in the most prestigious dance or music competitions the world over, enter science and engineering contests for scholarships, and establish nonprofits for a cause they want to advance, while excelling on every standardized test, and getting an unweighted GPA of 4.0 – that all of them are qualified to be admitted to the most selective universities. The competition is fierce because every student has to stand out among other overachievers.
At Arcadia High School (AHS), which has consistently ranked in the top 1% of high schools in the United States and has been named a Gold Medal School by U.S. News & World Report, students and parents know how daunting college admissions is, yet have a healthy approach to it.
Angela Dillman, AHS principal, and Amanda Fitts, college counselor, talk to us about the Intelligent.com survey findings.
Asked if it’s shocking that parents would cheat to get their child into college, Fitts replies, “I wish the number was lower but, honestly, I’m not shocked because of the tremendous pressure students and parents feel surrounding this process. This is especially true in communities where the pressure is intense to get into ‘name’ colleges and not just to get into college. I put a lot of blame on publications like the U.S. News & World Report that rank colleges based on data which aren’t that valuable in terms of students finding the right fit. I will say, though, that parents who donate huge sums of money to colleges is, unfortunately, not new. And we can’t really say that it’s cheating because it’s a practice that’s out in the open. But it’s also rare – we’re talking about millions of dollars. But hiring other students or even adults to take the test is quite upsetting.”
Dillman comments, “I couldn’t speak for any single family from Arcadia, but I think our families really value and trust the application process. Our students work very, very hard to make themselves the best candidate they can be on paper. I couldn’t be sure that our families didn’t cheat but my impression of our families is that they want to do things the right way and they support their students to be legitimately competitive. I know that when the college admissions scandal came out, our students were horrified because they’ve been working so hard and their reaction told me everything I needed to know that our community isn’t participating in something like this.”
“It’s a disservice to those students whose parents are cheating because the message the student is getting is that they aren’t capable of doing this on their own and these students carry those values with them throughout their life,” adds Fits. “Furthermore, they will go to school not on their own merit and where they don’t meet the criteria for success just to satisfy their parents. It’s harmful and unfair to deserving students who could have had that spot. Besides, parents who cheat cast a negative reflection on the high school the student is coming from.”
The stress for most students and families comes from unrealistic expectations and focusing on the wrong things when they look for a school. Fitts agrees with that assessment, saying, “I find that to be true every year and this isn’t the first school I’ve worked at. Sometimes it’s not that expectations are too high, it’s not understanding how the college admissions process works. Some students could be a fantastic fit for a highly selective school but because their acceptance rates are a certain number and they are building a class based on their priority as an institution, it’s out of the student’s control who’s selected. There are components they can control but there are some they can’t.”
Angie Dillman (right) and Amanda Fitts (left) | Photo by Shari Rudolph / Arcadia High School
Dillman expands, “We firmly believe that there’s a school for very single student. We want to break the mold of getting into a school with name recognition. We have just met with so many successful professionals who came to speak to our students who didn’t necessarily go to a top-ranked college but went to the school that was the right fit. Their ambition and their ability helped them excel in their careers and their life. And that’s what we want for our students; it’s what our parents and our students want for themselves.”
“We hear about all the pressures in college application but, overall, this should be a rewarding and fun process,” Fitts pronounces. “It is a time of self-discovery – identifying their interests and values – and then matching those to a school that will satisfy the criteria they’re looking for. It’s all about finding schools that are the right fit for a variety of reasons – financially, academically, socially, geographically.
“Students and parents need to just feel confident in knowing that if they do their research, read the college website, and find the schools that will be a good fit, they’re going to have a great experience and apply to the schools where they’re going to be accepted. And they’ll have amazing choices. The hardest thing at the end of the process, will be to decide which school they want to attend. Many students think there’s only one school that’s right for them, but there really are many schools that are the right fit for them.”
Polytechnic School in Pasadena (Poly) is nationally renowned for its rigorous academic, robust athletic, and wide-ranging art programs. With its small class sizes – the senior class usually has only a hundred or fewer students – each one gets personal attention from teachers. While college counselors meet with parents occasionally and when warranted, the department has been known to emphasize to parents of the graduating class that the college application session is between the student and the counselor.
Kyle Torres, who attended Poly from ninth to 12th grade, graduated this year and will be going to Pomona College in the fall. He and his mother, Victoria, graciously agree to share their college admissions experience and to comment on the Intelligent.com survey findings.
According to Victoria, she and her husband weren’t entirely in the dark about college admissions. She says, “We heard about it from friends and families that have gone through the process. We didn’t work with an independent counselor, though. Poly’s counselor discussed the process with us early in Kyle’s junior year and we met with him about four or five times throughout the process.”
“We were not too involved in the application and writing of the essays; Kyle worked with his college counselor on these things,” continues Victoria. “But he did discuss with us the schools that he wanted to apply to. He mainly wanted to stay pretty local – in California. He wasn’t sure what he wanted to study in college but wanted to be in a small intimate setting where he is able to explore his options. Neither my husband nor I had any sway in his school selection. In the end, it was about choosing a school that would be a good fit for him.”
Victoria expounds, “Overall, the college admissions experience was stressful. However, Kyle’s college counselor helped a lot by making time to work with him. I remember Kyle was working with him the entire summer before senior year on the common app and the personal statement. This made it a little easier. Kyle was always telling us good things about his college counselor and how he always made time for him.”
“It was a very interesting year, especially with the COVID pandemic,” Victoria comments. “Many kids that we thought would get into their top choice schools did not. Whereas others that got into top schools were very surprised that they got in.”
Asked if she’s upset that some parents cheated to get their child into college, Victoria unequivocally states, “Yes, because it’s really not fair to the kids that work so hard.”
Kyle Torres receiving his high school diploma | Courtesy Photo / Victoria Torres
Echoing his mother’s feelings, Kyle says, “Knowing how unpredictable and stressful the college process already is, it is quite distressful to hear that some people have an unfair advantage; it almost invalidates the hard work of students who don’t have the same privileges.”
Kyle worked hard to earn admission to Pomona College. Throughout high school, he took several demanding courses. Because Poly doesn’t offer AP courses in ninth grade, he took his first AP subject in chemistry in sophomore year, then took the bulk of his AP courses in junior and senior year.
Besides taking challenging academic subjects, Kyle participated in Poly’s vibrant campus life. He says, “I was involved in extra-curriculars ranging from the jazz ensemble to our community engagement program. As an alto saxophone player, I was a part of the jazz ensemble for all four years at Poly and had a uniquely different experience each year. I also represented my school as a student ambassador, giving tours of campus to prospective students and participating in events to promote our school. Lastly, I was a member of our Student Community Engagement Program, which aimed to get students involved in our community as well as incorporate service learning into our curriculum.
“Each summer in high school, I tried to learn something new and do something that might inform my future career interests,” Kyle says further. “For example, in the summer before sophomore year, I was interested in potentially pursuing pharmacy in college, and I was fortunate enough to intern at a local pharmacy. At the pharmacy, I got first-hand experience into how a pharmacy operates and what pharmacists encounter on a daily basis. Although I no longer want to become a pharmacist, this experience taught me much about what goes on behind the scenes at a pharmacy and, if nothing else, allowed me to shift my focus on other interests I may have had.”
Kyle recounts his experience, “I navigated the admissions process with Poly’s college counselors who were extremely helpful and supportive throughout. My college counselor first reached out to me early junior year, and, since that first meeting, I was always able to schedule meetings about whatever questions I had pertaining to college admissions.
“I thought I had an idea of what I wanted to study in college, but that changed nearly every year in high school. Currently, as an incoming freshman in college, I have an idea of potential majors that I would like to explore, but even still, I don’t yet know which of these majors interest me most.”
Adds Kyle, “I applied to 10 schools in total. Because of the unique circumstances due to COVID surrounding the college admissions process, many of the most important ways of researching a college – like visiting campus in person – weren’t available. I had to find other means, such as attending online information sessions, taking virtual tours, and contacting admissions officers for any questions. Although none of these options provide the same glimpse into campus life that in-person tours do, they were the next most helpful option and were extremely useful in my college decision-making process.”
“I did ask for my parents’ input in my choice of colleges. However, although I took into account their opinions, the decision of where to attend college was ultimately mine, and I’m grateful for my parents’ understanding of that,” Kyle points out.
“On the whole, my college application experience was stressful and time consuming, but ultimately gratifying,” concludes Kyle. “When I first started drafting my personal statement and supplemental essays, I couldn’t help but feel overwhelmed. It seemed as if I would never finish all of these essays in time. However, after I started breaking them up into chunks and focusing on them one at a time, I was able to answer each question thoughtfully and even enjoy the process as time went on. Throughout this process, I learned quite a bit about myself, as many of the essay prompts forced me to think deeply about myself and my values, making the process enlightening and rewarding in the end.”
Kyle’s experience demonstrates how formative the college admissions process could be. It is a foretaste of how adults handle circumstances that test their determination and try their spirit. These young adults will confront greater challenges and face bigger disappointments in college and beyond. It is important for them to learn how to be resilient for them to flourish when they go out into the world.
Editor’s Note: Last month, The Huntington Library, Art Museum, and Botanical Gardens announced that “The Blue Boy” will be returning to England 100 years after it left – a move that shocked art experts who believe travel could damage the 250-year-old canvas. We in the San Gabriel Valley are very protective of it as it’s been at The Huntington since it opened in 1928. You can read more on this move here. We invite you to send us an email and tell us, in 100 words or fewer, your thoughts about it and share your experience looking at this magnificent work of art. Send your email to: MayRChu56@gmail com. Unless you request otherwise, we will include your name when we publish our informal poll.
A San Gabriel Valley Inquirer 