Making the Most of Your Campus Visit

Most of us understand the importance of the campus visit.  It should absolutely factor in to your decision of where to spend four very critical years of your life, as you should feel comfortable and in your element on your chosen campus.  I'm certainly not saying that frisbee playing on the lawn and amazing dining hall food should take precedence over academic programs, extra-curricular offerings, and employment outcomes. After all, you are attending college to get an education! What I am saying is that with several thousand colleges and universities to choose from, many schools will check the right academic and educational boxes. You have your own unique fingerprint, and you should find a school that complements it.  Studies (and common sense) tell us that we tend to perform better when we are happy in our environment. 

So, what should you really be looking for on a college visit?  What questions should you be asking, and how should you best prepare?  Here are some general guidelines that my students find helpful.

1. If possible, try and visit colleges when they are in session.  While summer visits are popular and practical for busy students and their families, there really is no substitute for seeing a campus teeming with students.  What is the energy like?  How do the students congregate and interact?  Can you see yourself in that environment?  For this reason, I recommend that families make good use of their fall and spring breaks to visit campuses.

2. Do your homework before you get there!  Utilize the resources at your fingertips and scour the school's website. Learn what you can about the curricular offerings, campus life, study abroad options, and anything else that matters to you.  As you're doing your research, jot down your questions.  You might get the chance to ask them later!

3. Observe "visit etiquette".  Start by being on time and dressing appropriately.  You are certainly not expected to show up in a suit and tie, but wear something clean and casual, yet professional. When in your information session or on your tour, avoid being on your cell phone or chatting with others to excess. Act - and BE - interested in what the admissions representatives and tour guides have to say. When asking questions, don't interrupt others or monopolize the conversation.  Being respectful of your peers is not only nice, it's a sign of professionalism.  

4. When asking questions, avoid ones the answers to which are patently obvious had you done the slightest bit of research. Examples of this could include? "how many students go here?" or "does this university have an engineering school?"  Instead, aim for thoughtful questions that could actually have an impact on your final decision of where to attend.  Examples of these types of questions could include: "what types of services does the university offer to help students get internships?" 

5. Have a meal in a school dining hall or food court.  I recommend this not merely to taste the food, but to see how students interact with one another casually. Campus tour guides and admissions representatives are charged with presenting the university in the best possible light - that's their job! It's nice to observe things when the "cameras aren't rolling" as it were.

6. Nothing can give you a better feeling of what it will be like to take classes at a particular school than to actually sit in on a class. If you have the chance, by all means do so! 

7. If you have time, consider dropping by the school's career center.  Internships, experiential learning opportunities, and jobs will probably compose a vital part of your undergraduate experience, and will certainly be relevant to your post-graduation plans.  Seeing what the career center has to offer is a great way to get a taste of what is in store and what resources are available to you.

8. Consider spending the night on campus if you have a friend willing to host you.  This way you can get a firsthand look at the social life.  Of course, remember to obey the rules and stay out of trouble during your visit!

9. If you interacted with an admissions officer, make sure to send a thank you email to him or her within 24 hours.

10. Finally, if you are considering applying to a school early decision, try and visit a second time if at all possible.  Early decision is a big commitment and you want to be sure before making it!

Law Applications Are Up!

For anyone considering law school, please read the article below about the uptick in law school applications.  This is great news for law schools, and for legal education in general, as the legal market (and, consequently, law schools) were hit hard by the last recession.  Seeing this increase certainly indicates that people have restored faith in the ROI of a law degree, and in their employment prospects.  As the article points out, however, this optimism should be considered in conjunction with data from the National Association of Law Placement (NALP). Jim Leipold, NALP's Executive Director, cautions that a huge spike in the number of law students could potentially result in job shortages when those students actually graduate.  Of course, we don't know what will happen at this point, but it's a valid point.

Also of note is that the Law School Admissions Council (LSAC) will increase the number of annual LSAT test administrations from six to ten by 2020.  It was only in the current year that LSAC raised the number of annual administrations from four to six.  The LSAT will also become computerized in 2019.  While LSAC says that the increased number of tests is in response to increased demand, my personal opinion is that it could be driven by the entrance of the GRE into the law school admissions arena. As of July 2018, 23 law schools now accept the GRE for admission and the number is growing all the time.  The LSAT is no longer the only game in town.

Finally, not only is the size of the applicant pool increasing, so is the quality.  The article discusses the different score bands, so I won't rehash them here, but these numbers indicate that competition is steep.  That's why it is more important than ever to work with a qualified admissions professional who knows the law school admissions landscape.  Having worked on thousands of these applications, I'm here to help in any way I can!

https://www.law.com/2018/07/30/number-of-law-school-applicants-surges-especially-among-high-scorers/?slreturn=20180701145735

The Importance of Experiential Learning and Community Service Work

Regardless of where you want to attend college and what you'd like to study, you should seriously consider getting involved in some community service work - both in high school and  then in college as well!  I'm not talking about the type of community service work you do to satisfy a requirement or to pad your resume.  I'm talking about finding something that matters to you and then devoting your time and talent to it.  Many of us get sucked into the performance trap of doing the right things for the wrong reasons.  To avoid this, spend some time really thinking about the different causes that matter to you and figure out the why ..... why do they matter? Be intentional. Once you've done that, find an organization to work with either formally or informally and commit to it in a substantive way.  It doesn't have to be a massive time commitment, but it should be sincere and it should be consistent.

In addition to the obvious benefits of helping a worthy cause and feeling a sense of personal satisfaction, you'll gain transferable skills that will work to your advantage in the application cycle and in job interviews.  I often tell students that volunteer work is essentially the same as an unpaid internship - you can learn so much from it!  Experiential learning teaches you things like how to manage competing obligations, how to deal with diverse populations, how to work on a team and meet deadlines, and how to problem-solve in the real world.  Colleges and employers look for these qualities in applicants! And who knows ... perhaps this experience will help sow the seeds for that application essay or even inform what you'd like to do in your future.  You never know.

In our world, there's no shortage of worthy causes.  Try and resist the urge to follow what your friends are doing or what you think will "look good" and instead devote yourself to something that matters to you.  The payback is worth it!  If you need help figuring out what you'd like to do or where to find opportunities, I can help with that.  Please don't be shy about reaching out.

Finally, when you get to college, remember to take advantage of experiential learning opportunities there. Education is not confined to the four walls of a classroom, and these experiences will enrich you academically and personally.  They will also better prepare you for internships, jobs, and/or graduate school.

One example of an amazing experiential learning opportunity is the Georgetown University Prison and Justice Initiative (https://prisonsandjustice.georgetown.edu/get-involved).  While this particular cause may not speak directly to you, it's but one of so many opportunities available at colleges and universities all over the country!

New ACT/SAT CONCORDANCE TABLES

According to ArborBridge Test Prep, some major takeaways in the new ACT/SAT concordance tables are as follows:

High-Level Scores (ACT 25–36 / SAT 1230–1600): New concordance moved in favor of ACT. For the majority of scores in this range, the ACT score that concords to a given SAT score rose by a point.

Middle-Level Scores (ACT 22–24 / SAT 1030–1220): Concordance did NOT change

Lower-Level Scores (ACT 11–21 / SAT 590–1020): New concordance moved in favor of SAT. For the majority of scores in this range, the ACT score that concords to a given SAT score dropped a point or two.

While certainly not the only determining factor, these changes are something to consider as we work together to decide which test a student should take.

For more information about this, please feel free to reach out to me!

Smartphones and Generation Z

Generation Z is generally considered to be those born between 1995 (or 96) and 2012. Generation Z is applying to - and attending - college as we speak!  Many of us might notice that anxiety and depression seem to have hit an all-time high among young people. Indeed, we probably know, and might even have, a child who is struggling with some form of anxiety or depression.  The reasons for the increase in these symptoms are multi-faceted and complex, to be certain, and I am not a psychologist.  Yet, one culprit might be in your hand right now: the smartphone!

For anyone who has, works with, or otherwise cares about these young folks, I invite you to read the following article published in The Atlantic:  https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2017/09/has-the-smartphone-destroyed-a-generation/534198/

As the parent of two "Gen-Zers" myself, and an educational consultant working with this population, I don't purport to know the solution to this dilemma. I do know, however, that I have personally witnessed much of what this article addresses. I also know that young people should be aware that their smartphones might be contributing to their feelings of unhappiness and anxiety. In fact, this article just became "required reading" for both of my daughters!