Summer Reading

These books may not be your typical beach read, but if you're looking for a few good educational books, I suggest you start with these three.

1.  Where You Go Is Not Who You'll Be by Frank Bruni
2.  Untangled: Guiding Teenage Girls Through the Seven Transitions Into Adulthood by Lisa Damour
3.  There Is Life After College by Jeffrey J. Selingo

Don't fly through them; rather, let the ideas sink in and take root.

College Interviews

Before she headed into summer, a junior stopped by the other day to ask me about an upcoming college interview.  I think I covered most of the typical questions, but this article from Fastweb Scholarships, (if you're not following them on Twitter @PayingForSchool, you might want to start), lists not only the questions but also the rationale for asking and a suggested approach to each one.

Obviously you don't want to come off as having canned responses, but preparing and practicing ahead of time is a great idea.  You will become more comfortable talking about yourself and your goals, but it will also give you time to actually think about the most meaningful and insightful things you want to say.

Even if you don't have an interview scheduled soon, thoughtfully considering how you would answer the questions can help you when you're completing your application, and of course, it might be helpful for summer job interviews.

The Class of 2016

One of the GPS traditions I love the most is the posting of the Where O' Where's, otherwise known as the list of colleges that our seniors will attend. For some reason, once that list goes up, it suddenly seems real to the girls and to us.  Next fall the Class of 2016 will head off to some familiar schools like Tennessee, Georgia, Rhodes, Sewanee and Georgia Tech, but some of them will continue their education farther away, places like Santa Clara, Tulsa, and Evergreen State.

I read once that something strange happens to a graduating class as they are pulled in many different directions: friends move on and memories fade. But I've never found that to be true for GPS girls. For most, the friendships they have formed here last them a lifetime.  Our girls keep up these long-distance relationships and long after they graduate and start the next chapter of their lives, they remember Mr. Wells' rant in senior English, the AP Euro exam question about Dutch shipping, or the time they played "kick the shoe," and their shoes got stuck on the scoreboard.

Truth be told, I'm a little envious.  The Class of 2016 has received an amazing education (I really do believe I would have been a good math student had I attended GPS), and they will forever be connected by the friendships and they have formed and the experiences they have had.

It's an impressive group, the Class of '16.  I cannot wait to see what happens next.

A Kinder, Gentler College Admissions Process

You may or may not have heard about "Turning the Tide," a report published by the Harvard Graduate School of Education.  Basically it says what we all know: the college admissions process has jumped the shark (my description, not theirs).  Some students are driving themselves to the brink with way too many AP classes and a list of activities that would put most of us in a hospital.  Enter "Turning the Tide." It recommends that students limit their APs and put more energy into meaningful contributions to others.  The report concludes that admissions offices should be encouraging young people "to become more generous and humane in ways that benefit not only society but students themselves."

On the surface it sounds wonderful!  But this opinion piece - The Myth of Kinder, Gentler College Admissions -  says it's just not going to happen.   I have to admit that I'm also skeptical.  I'd like to believe that AP courses won't be so important in the future, but I still have my doubts.  One thing is clear: the system needs to change.  It remains to be seen however, whether or not "Turning the Tide" will start a movement.

Don't be an idiot.

Acceptance letters in hand - and in some cases, decisions made - seniors have a tendency to think that the college process if finished.  They can now let their hair down, relax, chill...whatever they call it, they start taking everything a little less seriously.

Don't do it.

Don't be an idiot, as our friends in the Georgia Tech Admissions office explain in their blog.  If you must celebrate the end of your senior year by doing something risky or just plain stupid, don't post it on facebook, instagram, snapchat or twitter.  By all means don't do something so bad that your college counselor is compelled to report it to a college.  And keep studying.  They can - and will - rescind your admission is it gets too bad.  I've seen it happen to a GPS girl (and still have the letter to prove it), so don't let it happen to you.

Be smart. Make smart decisions.  We want to make sure you actually get to the college you have decided to call home.

Crystal Green Memorial Scholarship

Sponsored by Blood Assurance, the Crystal Green Memorial Scholarship is designed to give students a chance to receive a $1,500 scholarship towards their college tuition for the 2016-2017 school year. Financial need is a major consideration, as one of the primary goals of this scholarship is to help students who might not otherwise be able to make it without this assistance. 

In an effort to provide as much opportunity as possible to your students, Blood Assurance is extending the application deadline this year.   All applications must now be postmarked or submitted online by Friday, April 15.

Please follow this link for the application and more information.

Purgatory aka the Waitlist

What is it about humans?  Why do we always want what we cannot have? Or in the case of the college wait list, why do we focus on the school that waitlisted us rather than on the colleges that accepted us?

My colleague and I have been discussing this very issue today.  We have a few students who have been admitted to some top-notch schools, yet they are singularly focused on the schools that have "offered" them a spot on their waiting lists, as if that is some sort of prize.  "Congratulations, Mary. We can't admit you, but we're not denying you either.  Just hang in there, and we will let you know something in late May or early June." In the meantime, Mary has to put down a deposit somewhere else and then lose that money should the school change its mind.

I understand why colleges have to have a waiting list, but for students, it's an uncomfortable place to be.  Personally I would rather my girls move forward with other plans.  There are colleges that wanted them enough to say YES the first time, so why waste their time on schools that couldn't quite make up their minds?

So here's my advice: instead of pining away for a school that has you in waitlist purgatory, take one of those other schools up on its offer.  Put your energy into making a home for yourself at that school and don't look back.

Sometimes Plan B is where you were meant to be all along.