One of the many things I love about my job is the fact that I don't live in a high-stress environment, and in the world of college admissions, not every high school college counselor can say that. Yes, my students get overwhelmed by the process, and yes, some of their parents do too. Of course they want their daughters to get into the best college they can - and they'd love a big scholarship to go along with it - but by and large, they understand the competitive nature of college admissions, and they understand the concept of "a good fit." So while name recognition is important to some, I think their openness to new ideas is partly why our college list is so diverse and interesting. Our families are looking for the best place for their daughters and a good financial fit, no matter the "name" of the school.
Consequently, the issue of reporting disciplinary violations in this article from the LA Times has never ruffled too many feathers here either. First of all, GPS has a very strong honor code, and I believe, in fact I know, that most of our students take it very seriously. "A girl's honor," as the Blue Book says, "is a girl's most valuable possession," and my girls get that. Second, our students (again for the most part) own up to their mistakes. I've had several girls write letters to college admissions offices explaining their transgressions, and they write eloquently about what they've learned from their lapses in judgment. This makes it easy for us to write letters in support of their candidacy, and I can honestly say I don't believe their admission of guilt has ever cost one of them a college acceptance.
I don't live in a utopia; I do live in a world of teenage girls, and they make mistakes. I believe colleges understand that, and if students are honest about those mistakes, if they learn from them, I think most colleges will understand. And if a school is not forgiving of a teenage girl, then perhaps it wasn't the right fit for her in the first place.
No comments:
Post a Comment