I can’t begin to express how I miss my students, especially as we count the remaining days of this academic year on just two hands. I miss having them come into my office, to talk, to make some tea, to hug the emotional support shark on the couch. I get a lump in my throat every time I “hang up” the little red phone icon on a Google Meet. Every day I also wonder what college counseling will look like in the months and years to come. Certainly, the questions I will ask families to consider will evolve. Many of those questions are encapsulated in “What Is College Without the Campus?” a May 11 article in New York Magazine’s Intelligencer that considers "how the Covid-19 pandemic will reshape higher education — and not just this fall." The article above also points out that the “softer” elements of college admissions applications will matter more than ever. Personal and supplemental essays will “tip scales” perhaps more than ever, as will letters of recommendation and thoughtful pursuit of personal passions (pursuits that are often just as well pursued at home in quiet as anywhere else). Juniors who have been talking to seniors have heard repeatedly one piece of sage advice: start your applications and especially those personal supplemental essays over the summer. Along with lists of colleges to investigate, juniors will receive the College Search Summer Syllabus 2020 The Covid-19 Edition. Many juniors have had their standardized test dates cancelled, and are understandably wondering, “Will I have a chance to sit for the exams at all?” Compass Education Group recently published a useful infographic that shows an updated timeline that I hope juniors will put to immediate use: Always finish on a high note. . . I want to share a video that encapsulates the tremendous achievements of the Class of 2020 in their college searches. This tiny yet mighty class approached the college journey with a wonderful mix of intentionality, integrity, and compassion that I wish for all students as they make plans past high school. If you ask any of them why they chose to apply to the colleges they did, they will tell you specifically about what they were looking for and how the schools on their lists met those criteria. In contrast, when a student says, “I heard it was a good school,” that is always a great sign that it’s time to get to work and figure out why exactly it might (or might not) be great for you. Best of all, the members of the Class of 2020 read each others’ essays and resumes and nudged each other toward the finish lines of various deadlines. And my goodness, they spoiled me as their college counselor. Huge congratulations to all of you.
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Stacia CampbellDirector of College Counseling for Roycemore School in Evanston, IL. Archives
May 2020
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