T’is the season…. for college admissions…

For our seniors--and their families, teachers, and college counselor--this time of the year can manifest as a smorgasbord of joy, disappointment, wonder, confusion, and very understandable impatience. I ask everyone to remember that, above all else, this is a season of the unknown. All of our students are college eligible and poised to have great success at their next school. Most of our seniors (and America’s seniors) just don’t know where that will be… yet.
​
For further reading…
To help with some of the tougher parts of college admissions, I am including here a couple of relevant articles that college counselors are sharing with each other at a viral rate right now:

• College Rejection Doesn’t Have to Mean Frustration, Huffington Post, February 12, 2015 (this article is viral among college counselors right now).
• Dealing with Deferral, Admissions Intel, January 7, 2017.  ​
• And another, hot off the press, Strategies for Dealing with Early Decision Deferrals, Forbes, by Willard Dix, a straight shooter with a gruff style but insider knowledge to spare.

The season is also full of joy.
Our seniors have enjoyed many wonderful early returns this fall!

Ten of our seniors have indeed heard positive news--from Grinnell, Emerson, Chapman, Kalamazoo, Knox, College of Wooster, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, University of Vermont, University of Maine (Honors College), University of Oregon (Honors College), and College of Charleston (Honors College), just to name a few. Two students have also earned “full rides” and altogether, these students have already garnered over $1.6 million in merit scholarships.

College Over Cookies - a conversation for the season
To help navigate the season’s challenges and understand “next steps,” we held a meeting today, College Over Cookies. Over shortbread and chocolate covered pretzels, we discussed what happens between submission and matriculation to a school, ways to handle referrals, to ED2 or not to ED2, and discussed concerns and questions that many students shared in common.

ACT Prep for SOPHOMORES and JUNIORS
We are currently taking reservations for sophomores and juniors interested in after-school ACT test prep to be held at Roycemore School this winter. At a very reasonable cost (much lower than most test prep classes), Steve Byer of Byer Consulting will lead an eight-session class leading up to the April ACT exam. Steve has a great record of helping past Roycemore students raise their scores. This class will run if we have an enrollment of at least five students. Please let me know if you’d like more information: [email protected].

Standardized Testing
ACT - the registration deadline for the February 10 ACT is January 12.

SAT - the registration deadline for the March 10, 2018 SAT is a ways off but signing up early helps get a test location close to home. Regular registration deadline: February 9.

Students in search of test prep resources can always come to me. I have tons of practice tests and printed guides in my office, and can direct you to great online resources as well.

---