“Applying for college is not what it used to be. It is insanely more competitive these days and if you can afford the help of a professional, get it” according to parent quoted in an Atlantic article. College admissions has become a hyper-competitive and important part of a student’s educational journey. As colleges routinely receive thousands of applications and students are applying to more and more colleges each year, admissions has become a sophisticated and confusing process, especially for parents who are unfamiliar with the US educational system and just want the best for their children.
Our Push for ‘Passion,’ and Why It Harms Kids (NY Times)
At some point in the last 20 years the notion of passion, as applied to children and teenagers, has taken hold. By the time a child rounds the corner into high school, the conventional wisdom is that he needs to have a passion that is deep, easy to articulate, well documented and makes him stand out from the crowd. This is madness. Read more...
The New Faces of College Admissions (NY Times)
Colleges have long sought parents’ help with job placement and networking. But now many small and medium private colleges and some large public universities (West Virginia University, University of Pittsburgh) call on parents of enrolled students to volunteer with the admissions office. They promote the school at fairs, share their experiences on parent-to-parent panels, reach out to local parents and even conduct admissions interviews.