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SENIOR PARENT/CAREGIVER NIGHT�FALL 2023

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Welcome and thank you for meeting with us virtually!��(Parents/Caregivers, please remind us if you do not see the red record light on!)

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OUR SIMPLE AGENDA

  • Please use the Q&A for questions, and we will address those after the presentation. We will have plenty of time for more questions and conversation!
  • Keeping the future planning process calm
  • Quick hits/reminders relating to what may be happening now with our kids and how you can help
  • Hot Topics: Supreme Court affirmative action decision, delayed launch of new FAFSA, and AI & college admissions
  • Your questions and concerns?
  • But first… a word from the WHS Scholarship Program Coordinator

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TIPS ON KEEPING THE PROCESS CALM

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  • We are very aware that the pandemic has made everything a bit more complicated for all. Still, try not to make the process bigger or scarier than it is.

  • Colleges are shifting and adapting each day and being flexible.

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  • There are lots of options and colleges out there; be open and flexible
    • Not everyone is ready for four-year schools
    • Gap years are always an option
    • Perhaps a break in education would be helpful
    • Not everyone is ready for school right away, or school at all
    • There are plenty of careers that are lucrative and wonderful and no college is required.

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  • We need to remind students that the admissions process is not a measure of their character, value, or self-worth.

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TIPS ON KEEPING THE PROCESS CALM

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  • Ideally the student should lead the process, and students are at different developmental places. We will meet them where they are (no matter how early or late).
  • Not everyone is ready to do an early application, and not everyone should be. Do not feel like your child is behind if they just want to apply regular or rolling – allows for more thorough research and thoughtful decisions.
  • Try shifting from Manager to Consultant
  • Less lecturing and more listening (and listening to understand, not respond)
  • Control your reactions - practice the pause
  • Cut yourself some slack, widen the definition of success, and focus on how to unconditionally love your child.

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TIPS ON KEEPING THE PROCESS CALM

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  • Keep an open mind and a healthy perspective, be realistic, and think for yourself.
  • Try not to compare your child’s process to others (and definitely don’t compare it to your own!). This process is personal, private, and much different than it used to be.
  • Allow time for unstructured, organic conversation (e.g. talking in the car, on a walk, doing yard work).
  • Try not to make it a daily conversation - set aside time for “college talk” once or twice a week and stick to it.
  • Try to avoid the “Cinderella Shoe School” mentality.
  • Dispelling the “Narrow Path” myth and deromanticizing the college admissions process.
  • Call us or meet with us – we are here to help!

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Dear Matt,

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On the night before you receive your first college response, we wanted to let you know that we could not be any prouder of you than we are today. Whether or not you get accepted does not determine how proud we are of everything you have accomplished and the wonderful person you have become. That will not change based on what admissions officers decide about your future. We will celebrate with joy wherever you get accepted - and the happier you are with those responses, the happier we will be. But your worth as a person, a student and our son is not diminished or influenced in the least by what these colleges have decided.

If it does not go your way, you’ll take a different route to get where you want. There is not a single college in this country that would not be lucky to have you, and you are capable of succeeding at any of them.

We love you as deep as the ocean, as high as the sky, all the way around the world and back again - and to wherever you are headed.

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Mom and Dad

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QUICK HITS – WHAT’S HAPPENING NOW

    • Students are reviewing Naviance, Big Future, CGN School and the Common Application in Senior Seminars and meeting with counselors individually.
      • Matching Naviance and Common App Accounts; waiving FERPA rights; learning how to request transcripts and teacher recommendations
      • CGN Live Event: Straight Talk with Admissions Leaders: 7:30 PM on Thursday, 9/28

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    • Students need to request transcripts and teacher letters at least a month in advance for the first request. After that, we can generally respond in a week or less.
      • Initial request covers counselor’s letter, Q1 grades, midyear averages, and final transcript (don’t be scared by college Q1 grade warnings!)
      • General vs Specific Teacher Letter Requests

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QUICK HITS – WHAT’S HAPPENING NOW

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    • Taking a final SAT/ACT and reporting through testing companies
      • Some schools allow self-reporting on Common App, others require official score reports through College Board and/or ACT
      • Score Choice and Superscoring
      • Methodize, Khan Academy
      • Test Optional Schools

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    • Beginning (or continuing) to think about options
      • 4 year school, 2 year school, A2B Program, gap year, internships, employment, military, post graduate year, etc.
      • Liberal Arts vs Pre-Professional, Public vs Private, Residential vs Commuter, Urban vs Suburban vs Rural, Declared vs Undeclared, Big vs Small, Nearby vs Far Away.

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QUICK HITS – WHAT’S HAPPENING NOW

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    • Brainstorming, beginning, or finishing essays and supplements
    • Building a balanced list (Reach/Match/Likely – understand the importance of likelies)
      • Focusing on the right Fit
    • Admission Plans
      • Early Action, Early Decision, Restrictive Early Action, Regular, Rolling, Priority
    • Visiting schools or programs (excused absence, but don’t rack up too many)
    • Attending College Rep Visits during school in the Counseling Office (List of visits in Naviance - pick up permission form at least 24 hours in advance)
    • In addition to in person events, there are still Virtual College Fairs, Virtual Visits/Programs, and Virtual Financial Aid Programs. Stay tuned to the ENews and Counseling Website.

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QUICK HITS – WHAT’S HAPPENING NOW

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    • Financial Aid
      • MEFA as a resource (MEFA.org), attend their virtual events
      • FAFSA (access open in December this year due to changes)
      • CSS Profile (deadlines can be early) CGN Event 10/5 @ 8 PM: A Practice Guide to the CSS Profile
      • Use Net Price Calculators for estimates
      • Forms need to be submitted yearly while attending college

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    • Scholarships:

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    • Parents/Caregivers: if you haven’t submitted the “parent/caregiver brag letter” to your child’s counselor yet, please do so as soon as possible!

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College Application Checklist

☐ Match Common App and Naviance Accounts

☐ Add Transcript and Teacher Letter Requests to Naviance (and Supplemental Letters)

☐ Finish Essay & Supplements

☐ Finalize and Balance College List (and other options)

☐ Finalize and Submit Common App and Questions Sections (and pay fees)

☐ Submit SAT/ACT Score (if applicable)

☐ Submit Financial Aid Forms (need to check each college’s requirements) & Apply for Scholarships

☐ Submit portfolio or additional items (if applicable)

☐ Create an account with each college to track application items (after submitting applications)

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* “Stop freaking out about me getting into college. I got this.” * “I can complete my work on my own.”

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* “Don’t project your dreams onto me!” * “You’re not going to college. I am.”

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* “We don’t always have the same views on a college and your dream or favorite college might be different than mine.”

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* “I’m overwhelmed - help me sort through things, but don’t make all the decisions for me!”

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* “You say you are supportive of my choices, but your actions don’t match your words and it’s causing a lot of stress.”

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* “I am doing my best managing school and the college process.” * “I feel very stressed.”

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* “Will you still be proud of me even if I don’t get into college, or am unable to pursue a passion once I get there?”

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* “I’m nervous I won’t get in anywhere.” * “I feel like I’m more prepared than you think I am.”

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* “I don’t want to play a certain sport this year, but I feel pressured to.” * “I don’t really know where I want to go yet.”

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* “Sometime I want to have a conversation with you guys that doesn’t turn into a conversation about college.”

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* “Thank you for everything but please stop sometimes.” * “I am stressed out, and I actually want to take a break.”

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* “Stop trying to write my essay.” * “Yelling does not help with relieving stress.”

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And on a More Positive Note…

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“Thank you for being so supportive. You’ve allowed me space to make this my decision. You’ve helped me set up the process and driven me to visit schools. You know what I need without me asking and you plan ahead and keep me sane. You know me better than anyone else on the face of the earth, and by just saying the simple words ‘I can see you here,’ you reassure me that I will belong, and there is a college for me out there somewhere. I appreciate all you’ve done and all you will do. Thank you for paying for my education and for investing so much time in me. I love you guys.”

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Looking Ahead: Winter-Spring Timeline

    • Investigate local scholarships (WHS Scholarship Foundation; other local scholarships) between January-March
    • April is Decision Month - review acceptances (most will come in by April 1st), plan visits to “accepted student days” and start to think about making your final choice (come see us - we’re happy to help you with the decision process!).
    • Review financial aid packages and consider value.
    • Consider Gap Year Programs or other post-HS options that may be good fits.
    • May 1st - National College “decision day” and deposit day - don’t forget to keep counselors posted about admissions decisions!
    • Next Step Seminars
    • Waitlisted? (letter of continued interest; Q3 report card)

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Hot Topics: New FAFSA

New tweaks to FAFSA (MEFA Article)

      • For the 2024-2025 school year, the FAFSA filing season will open in December, two months later than in previous years (get your forms in as soon as it opens)
      • New affordability calculator (now, the formula will pull federal tax information directly from the IRS)
      • End to the sibling discount
      • Simplified and more user friendly
      • More colleges can be added
      • EFC SAI (Student Aid Index)
      • SAR FSS (FAFSA Submission Summary)
      • Will raise the family income threshold, making more students eligible for federal need-based aid (more than half a million additional students will qualify for a Pell Grant, a type of aid available to low-income families)
      • Need to check with each college to see what their policies and deadlines are.
      • What you can do to prepare for the delayed FAFSA Launch

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Hot Topics: SC Affirmative Action Decision

Supreme Court Affirmative Action Decision (NBC Article) (NPR Article)

      • Some experts believe colleges will look more at the socioeconomic status of students, leading to more underserved students getting into colleges and universities.
      • Possible shift to “zip-code affirmative action”? - kids from neighborhoods with low levels of upward mobility (and adversity in those environments that is correlated with race).
      • “At the same time, as all parties agree, nothing in this opinion should be construed as prohibiting universities from considering an applicant’s discussion of how race affected his or her life, be it through discrimination, inspiration, or otherwise,” Roberts said in his opinion.
      • While the ruling focuses specifically on barring race as a factor in admissions, it doesn't limit institutions' outreach, engagement, retention, or completion strategies aimed at enrolling diverse student bodies
      • Some Colleges and Universities have revamped the supplemental essay portion of their application process to allow applicants to show how culture, experiences, and community have influenced their identities, world views, and ambitions.

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Hot Topics: AI and the Admissions Process

AI and the College Admissions Process

      • Personal Essay killer? Potential shift back to interviews/voice recordings/videos playing a larger role?
      • AI as a potential “playing field leveler”
      • Benefits of using AI in brainstorming or preliminary college list building processes (but NOT for essay writing!)
        • Lacks the ability to convey empathy, growth, and introspection personal to you.
        • AI writing trends toward cliché and vague, which could be red flags to college admission committees (and it won’t produce high-quality essays that selective colleges desire).
        • GPTZero - AI detector that could disqualify students from consideration.
      • AI is still so new - there’s SO much more to learn!

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Alternatives/Non-College Options

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New Resource: College Guidance Network

  • College Guidance Network or CGN School - Wonderful new resource for our department and for your child and family.
  • Live events with College Admissions Representatives and Experts
  • Videos “On Demand” on admissions, financial aid, careers, and more
  • New interactive interface: Customizable Road Map with checkpoints and curated future planning information (stay tuned for info about upcoming CGN Activation Night)
  • This is not a replacement for Naviance. This is an enhancement to our programming.

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Resources: What To Say (and Not to Say) To Your Senior

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TIME FOR YOUR YOUR QUESTIONS…

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  • How can we help?
  • No question is too simple…
  • If you need to leave, please know you can �call us, email us, and meet with us.
  • We are recording tonight and will post to the web soon.
  • Keep your eyes peeled for an email about the CGN Activation

night (early/mid-October)

  • Gap Year Solutions Presentation (Zoom) - November, 19th @ 6:30 PM
  • Please be alert to the E-news posts and your email
  • Thank you for your patience as life is quite busy for us these days!