May 5, 2018
Greetings from College Counseling! The past week was a momentous one for the class of 2018. The deposit deadline of May 1 saw each member of the class committing to the school where she will spend the next four years. Though getting off a waitlist may yet change a mind or two, the seniors' spirits are deservedly high as we celebrate this milestone.
Seniors
If you have not done so already, please remember to write thank-you notes to the teachers who provided letters of recommendation for you. Their work was essential in getting you into college. See the how-to guide posted below if you feel uncertain about exactly what to say.
Juniors
Your English teachers should be introducing the college application essay as your final writing assignment of the year in their classes. Please follow their guidance to the letter, from brainstorming possible responses for each of the Common App prompts to drafting the essay. Once they have given you their feedback on your draft, begin revising. Our intention is that you enter your senior year with a polished essay that can serve as the foundation for the rest of the writing samples your college applications will require. A completely stress-free college application experience is hard to achieve, but starting your senior year with at least one essay that is ready to go will definitely relieve some pressure.
Meanwhile, now that ACT scores for the last round of testing have been released, please see Ms. Van Wagenen to discuss your own scores and to get help deciding whether or not to take the test again. In some cases, doing so may be a prudent choice, but in others, it may be unnecessary.
Discover Swarthmore Program
Swarthmore College is now soliciting nominations for their Discover Swarthmore (DS) program, which provides an all-expenses-paid visit to one of the very best liberal arts colleges in the country. The goal of DS is to give participants a taste of the college experience, including the opportunity to meet other prospective students, learn from faculty members, eat in their dining hall, and spend a few nights in their residence halls with student hosts. In principle, DS is open to all rising high school seniors, but the selection committee prioritizes applications from students with characteristics like the following:
- Traditionally underrepresented groups (African-American, Hispanic/Latino/a, Native and Indigenous American, and Asian-American)
- First generation in their family to attend college
- Low-income students (Pell-eligible, free/reduced lunch, etc.), and students who might not otherwise be able to afford a trip to campus
- Rural and small town students
- Undocumented and DACA-eligible students
Please see Ms. Van Wagenen if you are interested in Swarthmore and feel you may be competitive for this program.
Financial Aid for International Students
If you are an international student, you probably understand already that there are certain limits on your eligibility for financial aid at American colleges. Nonetheless, there are options out there that you should be aware of. A good place to start is the spreadsheet released annually by our NACAC colleagues Jeff Levy and Jennie Kent that lists nearly 400 institutions and provides the following information:
- Name of institution
- Number of full-time undergrads enrolled
- Number of degree-seeking international students enrolled
- Percentage of international students to all undergraduates
- Whether the school offers need-based aid, merit aid, both, or no aid to international students
- Percentage of international students receiving aid
- Average aid award
- Data source (in most cases the institution's 2016-17 Common Data Set, which is very reliable)
Dealing with Nerves in High-Stakes Testing
If you get anxious in when you go to take the SAT or the ACT, consider yourself normal, and remember that some stress can actually be motivational and improve your focus. If you sense, however, that the anxiety you feel in high-stakes testing goes beyond that, consider trying "anxious reappraisal," a technique explained by Daniel Pink in this short video and echoed by Stanford psychologist Kelly McGonigal in her TED talk, "How to make stress your friend."
Anatomy of a Thank-You Note
As our friend Kevin McMullin over at Collegewise observes, a simple "Thanks so much!" offered in passing is inadequate if you owe a genuine debt of gratitude to someone who really helped you out. For a handy guide to getting your thank-you notes done right, see here.
Notable Books: How to Raise an Adult
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