Isler College Consulting
In the largest study in US history (2014 Gallup-Purdue Index Report), only 3 out of every 100 college graduates described their college experience as lifelong and altering. Researchers were able to cull 6 factors that made the difference in whether graduates felt that their college years had provided what is described as the “magic” that they carried with them long after graduation. Brandon Busteed, the lead educational researcher at Gallup when this research was completed stated that “These 6 factors doubled a graduates’ odds of being engaged in work and thriving in their overall well-being throughout their life”.
“The Big 6” fall into two categories: Relationship rich and work-integrated experiences.
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I had at least one professor who made me excited about learning.
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My professors cared about me as a person.
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I had a mentor who encouraged me to pursue my goals and dreams.
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I worked on a project that took a semester or more to complete.
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I had an internship or job that allowed me to apply what I was learning in the classroom.
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I was extremely active in extracurricular activities and organizations.
The title of President or Vice President suggests leadership but admission offices are far more sophisticated when it comes to understanding what the term means in your college application. I encourage applicants to consider the question: What does leadership really look like?
What are the characteristics and responsibilities that leaders demonstrate regardless of designated roles? Think about the organizations that you have invested yourself. Were you a “leader” in title or perhaps in a different, and meaningful fashion? What role(s) did you serve that moved the organization forward? What did you actually do? How did you mobilize other people to action? What ideas did you bring to the group? Did you raise funds? If so for whom and how much? What role did you play in meetings?
Leaders can answer these questions, including those students who lead without the title. Tell your story by showing your character and letting your leadership traits and experience carry your application.
1. How do you learn best? Do you like being at the top of your class or do you really want the intellectual push of others challenging you? Do you prefer collaborative environments or competitive ones? Can you manage a lecture with 500 students or do you prefer the interaction and intimacy of 25 in your classes?
2. Is cost a factor? Should your list have colleges that offer you merit money (free money that does not need to be repaid) or not? Do you know what the government says your family can afford? There are ways to find out and build an excellent list once you have some answers.
3. Are you looking to reinvent yourself? Do you want to start over without the baggage of high school, or are you feeling like heading to a college with students you already know? Do you prefer being anonymous, getting to know a small group of people, or meeting new students often?
4. What has been the most meaningful educational recognition you have received? Was it doing well on a test? Being recognized for writing a great paper? Creating your own project? A certain science experiment where the outcome was completely different than you anticipated? In other words, what excites you about learning?
5. How do you want to interact with others? Is it at football games, in various clubs, or class outings? Do you see yourself being part of a sorority or fraternity or getting as far away from Greek life as possible? What is your thing? Who are your people?
With these and many more probing questions we can begin building your college list recognizing that it will be refined multiple times as our conversation and research evolve.
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In the largest study in US history (2014 Gallup-Purdue Index Report), only 3 out of every 100 college graduates described their college experience as lifelong and altering. Researchers were able to cull 6 factors that made the difference in whether graduates felt that their college years had provided what is described as the “magic” that they carried with them long after graduation. Brandon Busteed, the lead educational researcher at Gallup when this research was completed stated that “These 6 factors doubled a graduates’ odds of being engaged in work and thriving in their overall well-being throughout their life”.
“The Big 6” fall into two categories: Relationship rich and work-integrated experiences.
-
I had at least one professor who made me excited about learning.
-
My professors cared about me as a person.
-
I had a mentor who encouraged me to pursue my goals and dreams.
-
I worked on a project that took a semester or more to complete.
-
I had an internship or job that allowed me to apply what I was learning in the classroom.
-
I was extremely active in extracurricular activities and organizations.
The title of President or Vice President suggests leadership but admission offices are far more sophisticated when it comes to understanding what the term means in your college application. I encourage applicants to consider the question: What does leadership really look like?
What are the characteristics and responsibilities that leaders demonstrate regardless of designated roles? Think about the organizations that you have invested yourself. Were you a “leader” in title or perhaps in a different, and meaningful fashion? What role(s) did you serve that moved the organization forward? What did you actually do? How did you mobilize other people to action? What ideas did you bring to the group? Did you raise funds? If so for whom and how much? What role did you play in meetings?
Leaders can answer these questions, including those students who lead without the title. Tell your story by showing your character and letting your leadership traits and experience carry your application.
1. How do you learn best? Do you like being at the top of your class or do you really want the intellectual push of others challenging you? Do you prefer collaborative environments or competitive ones? Can you manage a lecture with 500 students or do you prefer the interaction and intimacy of 25 in your classes?
2. Is cost a factor? Should your list have colleges that offer you merit money (free money that does not need to be repaid) or not? Do you know what the government says your family can afford? There are ways to find out and build an excellent list once you have some answers.
3. Are you looking to reinvent yourself? Do you want to start over without the baggage of high school, or are you feeling like heading to a college with students you already know? Do you prefer being anonymous, getting to know a small group of people, or meeting new students often?
4. What has been the most meaningful educational recognition you have received? Was it doing well on a test? Being recognized for writing a great paper? Creating your own project? A certain science experiment where the outcome was completely different than you anticipated? In other words, what excites you about learning?
5. How do you want to interact with others? Is it at football games, in various clubs, or class outings? Do you see yourself being part of a sorority or fraternity or getting as far away from Greek life as possible? What is your thing? Who are your people?
With these and many more probing questions we can begin building your college list recognizing that it will be refined multiple times as our conversation and research evolve.
While I have always connected with a broad group of experts, the explosion of information in recent weeks has been overwhelming. So let me make some sense of it for you.
If you are in high school it is important to understand that college admission counselors understand that your life has been turned upside-down. They know you are trying to study from home with all of its distractions, that your sports and other activities have come to a crashing halt and that you may be feeling anxious since nothing is going the way you had anticipated. Let me reassure you that directors of admission are not concerned about whether your high school has decided to give you pass/fail grades this semester or not. And many colleges will not require the SAT or ACT for this year’s junior class. So what should you focus on right now besides staying healthy and social distancing?
Do the best you can this semester under the circumstances. The level of classes you are taking along with your grades will be weighted more heavily prior to and after the current semester. Therefore, in order to optimize your performance, juniors should try to get college applications largely completed before heading back to school.
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What will also become far more important during the current period of school closings for juniors (and 9th and 10th graders), is how you spent your time while quarantined at home. Showing initiative and self-motivation will be important to more selective colleges. And it seems all colleges give increasing weight to one’s character. Some examples of what you might do with your time include contacting your school or religious community to see how you can help, keeping your clubs and activities going through virtual meetings, starting a passion project at home (knitting, working on a car, gardening, painting rooms), taking a deep dive into some kind of research, helping keep those that may be isolated virtual company, online political volunteering, doing coding for nonprofits or other organizations, organizing a virtual performance, etc… Use your imagination and creativity!
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How can you learn about and show demonstrated interest in a college when you cannot visit? You can take a virtual tour and sign up for an information session on individual college websites. Do your research and email your college representative (found on most college websites) if you have questions that remain or resources you might like them to share.
The situation we find ourselves in is fluid and changing. Just like all of us, colleges are doing their best to figure out how to move forward.
Stay safe, stay healthy and stay tuned!
When I decided to transfer my training and skill set as a public high school guidance counselor to the private sector, the first step I took was researching professional organizations. I chose IECA (Independent Educational Consultants Association), because of the thorough vetting process they did on each and every candidate. Despite the fact that I had been leading students through the college process for many years, it took me three months just to gather the materials requested included numerous recommendations, a list of formal college visits within a specified period, graduate school transcripts, colleges where my students had been accepted and numerous other documents.
I never considered doing this work without a reputable professional organization behind me. I encourage every parent that is contemplating whether they might hire an independent college consultant (IEC) to carefully review the comments of Mark Sklarow, the CEO of IECA below.
The fundamental role of independent educational consultants is to help students explore college opportunities and find the right place for them to succeed academically and socially. IECs don’t get students admitted - they help students demonstrate why they deserve to be admitted to appropriately chosen schools. They help students find colleges they might not have otherwise heard of - often out of their region - and they help students put their best foot forward.
Here are 5 things families should consider when looking to hire an IEC:
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Does the IEC belong to a professional association such as IECA with established and rigorous standards for membership?
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Do not trust any offers of guaranteed admission to a school or a certain minimum dollar value in scholarships.
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Ensure that the IEC adheres to ethical guidelines for private counseling established by IECA.
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Find an IEC that visits college, school, and program campuses and meets with admissions representatives regularly in order to keep up with new trends, academic changes, and evolving campus cultures.
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Do they attend professional conferences or training workshops on a regular basis to keep up with regional and national trends and changes in the law?
The answer to this question depends on many factors, but one that is often inadvertently overlooked by high school students and their families is the curriculum. Do you know the difference between a CORE curriculum, DISTRIBUTION requirements, an OPEN curriculum or a college where students take only ONE COURSE AT A TIME? Do you understand all of the curricular choices available and what might be best, most interesting or educationally sound? Yes, environment, college major, distance from home, study abroad options, size, and diversity, among many other factors all inform college choice, but a solid understanding of the courses the student is required to take should not be overlooked.
Check out this recent blog by Jeff Schiffman, Director of Admission at Tulane University. I couldn't have said it better myself!
http://tuadmissionjeff.blogspot.com/2018/01/so-youre-using-independent-counselor.html
“Smart, nice, accomplished and aware”, are now the qualities that Dartmouth’s Tuck School of Business is looking for to fill their next class. This is a trend that over the past two years is taking hold in undergraduate admissions as well, and it’s about time.
We are finally moving in the direction where integrity, emotional intelligence, meaningful service and other important life qualities
are also playing a roll in the admissions process. This is not to say that grades, level of classes, test scores, and extracurriculars are exiting the determining criteria of college acceptance. But today character matters.
You may be a baby boomer or more likely a gen Xer but your high schoolers are iGens, the first generation to spend their entire adolescence with Smartphones. Follow Professor Jean Twenge of San Diego State University on YouTube or read her new book, iGen: Why Today’s Super Connected Kids Are Growing Up Less Rebellious, More Tolerant, Less Happy and Completely Unprepared For Adulthood. Dr. Twenge is a psychologist who studies generational differences and offers some advice for the alarming increase in anxiety and depression found in American teenagers since 2010.