Who's Thankful About Submitting?

In for the wait - and thankful for a break!

It's a new week in so many ways! For those of you with seniors, you know that comment refers mostly to Early Decision (Round One) being . . .  over! Applying to college is a life-skills process for the students, and in some ways even they now appreciate the experience and are feeling good about getting through their submissions to date.

🥧 🥧 🥧 🥧

AI and Essays: What Research Tells Us

Speaking of apps, I read lots of essays. Recently, Inside Higher Ed gave us Cornell's take on AI and essays, which boils down to this: those "written by AI are generic and easy to spot." When Cornell researchers supplied the large language models with "specific characteristics of the essay writer," they found that "made the essays sound even more robotic," as "the AI would force keywords about the author's identity into the essay." The Cornell researcher interviewed explained that, while ChatGPT helped with giving struggling writers feedback, it didn't do the job of delivering the applicant's qualities.

Discuss how your passion for learning is shaping your academic journey, and what areas of study or majors excite you and why. Your response should convey how your interests align with the College, and how you would take advantage of the opportunities and curriculum in Arts and Sciences. -Cornell Admissions, for Arts and Sciences apps

🍗🍗🍗🍗

Student Wellness? The Concern is Evergreen.

At Dartmouth, undergrads care about their peers - so much so that they're creating a student-centered wellness app. As reported in Inside Higher Ed, it's fittingly called Evergreen, and it "focuses only on health topics, including exercise, diet, time management and sleep." A professor and project lead notes that "Evergreen will notice if a student who normally visits the fitness center hasn’t done so or encourage a student to leave the library after studying for six hours." Students will use the mobile app, complete with chatbot, supplying data about their lifestyle at Dartmouth, information that will not be shared with Big Green administrators. Trials launch in the beginning of the next academic year.

"There is a Quaker saying: Let your life speak. Describe the environment in which you were raised and the impact it has had on the person you are today." -Dartmouth Admissions

🥧 🥧 🥧 🥧

More Than Just Touchdown Passes

Who doesn't love a great quarterback story? Take that of Fernando Mendoza, who turned down Yale for Cal, where he had a full ride, then left Cal for Indiana. He's now their starting QB and a Heisman candidate. As described in the Wall Street Journal, Mendoza is obviously a powerhouse on and off the gridiron. The now-Hoosier is a longtime investor, reader and intern who left the West Coast for the Midwest because his brother was at IU (not to mention the NIL benefits he receives). Mendoza, who has a 73 percent pass completion, will have an MBA at the end of his IU Kelley journey. What will be worth more: NIL, MBA or NFL?

🍗🍗🍗🍗

Major Selection in the AI Era

It's raised in every meeting: the choice of major. And before candidates come to me, who knows how often the topic comes up at home. In this AI era, according to the Wall Street Journal, "Many [parents] don’t know how to advise teens on what to study in college—or whether to even go."

The WSJ mentions some of the issues previously addressed in this blog, including the viability of computer science as a major given the rate of change and the rush to major in business. Fortunately, some interviewed for the article underscore the importance of graduating with an ability to think critically; for  students, that might take the form of a (second) liberal-arts major. As a parent interviewed for the article states: "Look, AI is coming, and it’s good to have skills that AI can’t easily replace." This counselor agrees!

🥧 🥧 🥧 🥧

Another Big Name Reverts to Testing

At Princeton, testing will be required, though for Fall 2028 and beyond. It's no shock, as all its Ivy peers except Columbia have gone back to SATs and ACTs. But what was behind the decision? According to Inside Higher Ed, Princeton stated that students reporting scores just did better once on campus.

"What lessons you have learned in life thus far? What will your classmates learn from you? In short, how has your lived experience shaped you? " -Princeton Admissions

As mentioned in the article, only seven percent of colleges are test-mandatory. However, students are wise to at least attempt testing. The tests are shorter than ever, mostly digital (the ACT is in transition) and, with few exceptions such as Georgetown, a student's testing history doesn't have to be reported.

🍗🍗🍗🍗

A Different Kind of Campus

Back in 2017, I took a Southern college trip, stopping at several campuses, including UVA, Duke, Wake Forest, Elon and Davidson. But I just had to check out High Point University, which I had heard was Disney-like.

What a campus!  It reminded me of a high-end, new housing development: vertical banners, greeters dressed up, fountains everywhere, music piped in, a trading floor simulation and young ladies in bikinis by the pool! Would it succeed? High Point wasn't on most of my students' college lists at that time.

So I was curious what the Wall Street Journal had to say about HPU. According to the article, the university still isn't that selective; the admit rate is 68 percent. To pay for campus upgrades (and to create buzz?), it targets those with an ability to pay. States High Point's president Nido Qubein: "I better have a few who are the businesspeople the Journal covers who are making megabucks, who are going to pay me a lot of money to send their kids here." (The article quotes Qubein as stating that "half of Wall Street sends their kids to this school.") Those who want to pay up for dorms can do so; according to the HPU site, there are seven tiers of housing!

What will HPU do with a $100 mm library, now under construction? Will they become more selective? I remain uncertain about this business model, not to mention their out-of-the-way location.

🥧 🥧 🥧 🥧

There's Always Room for a Mentor

In this month of gratitude, we are always thankful for those who have guided our careers. At Gettysburg College, reports Inside Higher Ed, alumni are answering the call. Students are paired with a Gettysburg grad, which helps them "build a professional network before they leave college and hopefully eases the transition into life after graduation," according to an official.  

On the Gettysburg site, we learn that "students will have the option of adding an alumni mentor to their Personal Advising Team" at the end of their sophomore year. There's also a platform that sets students up with "Micro Mentoring, career networking, posting jobs and internship opportunities, and so much more." 

Gettysburg alums are showing their gratitude.

🍗🍗🍗🍗

Every November, I am thankful for my incredible students and parents; all of you teach me so much. If you find yourself with questions about college and career, reach out.