By presidential proclamation, November is College Application month. Don’t we know it! While seniors were working hard on Regular Decision applications, I was gathering more information for you, sometimes on the campuses themselves.
Touring Colleges: The Adventures Continue
So where I have been since Wisconsin? New England, of course! Since my last post, I have stopped at:
Fairfield. This quaint campus is close to the shops and shoreline of Southern Connecticut. Plans are in the works for expansion of the business school and recreational facilities.
Stags rule at Fairfield.
Wesleyan. This classic liberal arts university embraces the intellectually curious.
Harvard. Who can resist the history of Harvard Square and Harvard Yard? There is a unique vibe in Cambridge.
Brown. Even in a downpour, the Brown campus and surrounding area sparkled. I attended my advisor’s class and (of course) participated.
Lafayette. The college known for its connected alums boasts a classic Mid Atlantic-style campus.
Can’t Take the Tour? Try Snapchat!
According to Campus Technology, many campuses are making tours available on Snapchat. Each week in November, users can tour selected colleges, which vary each week. To take a tour, follow @GetSchooledSnap. Individuals can ask questions through the Get Schooled website or Snapchat.
Speaking of social media, an article in U.S. News reminded us of its value in researching colleges. Author Brian Witte recommends using Twitter and LinkedIn to find out about professors and their courses and checking Instagram along with Reddit and YouTube to learn more about programs and events.
What are we learning? Social media is more than a trend in the college process! I am grateful to Noodle Pros for the chance to write about it in forbes.com. Our article continues to get around. (I found it on the homepage of an Atlanta college counseling firm!)
An Interesting (Gap Year) Program
This week, I had a call with a rep from United Mint Campus, which describes itself as “higher education built for life.” UMC is a small and very unique program provider based in Vitoria, Spain. Students work on “real-world” projects, are immersed in Spanish, and travel. Some attend as a gap year, while others use the opportunity as an internship. UMC sounds like it has a viable business model for its new global program.
Mastering the Interview: It’s Never Over!
Now that my Friday class at Hudson has finished, I’m seeing more in the media about college interviews. In “Ex-Harvard Interviewer Shares the Questions She Typically Asked in the Interview,” we find those same questions Hudson seniors practiced in class: favorite ways to spend downtime, recent reading, and goals for college. The author, a former Harvard interviewer, also looked for intellectually curious students who could make conversation and explain how they were able bounce back from negative experiences.
Alumni interviews are a common way elite colleges get to know more about applicants, though they usually don’t weigh too heavily in decision-making. But interviewing is a life skill, and seniors should come prepared to do their best. If your student has an interview and is anxious, please have him or her get in touch with me.
Rutgers: Still Time (But Not Much)
December 1: Merit, Priority Financial Aid and Honors
December 15: All others
There’s even a video to help.
Pop-Up Courses on College Campuses? Get Real!
Real life, that is. According to Inside Higher Ed, institutions of higher learning are offering short courses on current topics, some for credit. Bennington College is cited as an example because of its recent presidential election pop-up course. The article points out that these courses are intense and offer students the opportunity to explore subjects they may not otherwise select.
Look through Bennington’s website and read about its Plan and Field Work Term. The Plan is an academic program developed by each student with a faculty mentor. We learn that in the Winter term, every student spends seven weeks on jobs, internships, or entrepreneurial ventures. Students have “a deep understanding of what they want to do” by the time they graduate. I’ll have to go to Vermont this winter!
Who wouldn’t want to pop up at Bennington?
Thanksgiving is almost here, a sure sign that College Application Month is nearly over. I am so very thankful for my students and all that they teach me. Have a wonderful holiday!