In the highly-competitive world of college admissions, Union offers a calming voice.
The admissions angst seems to be everywhere.
- The Atlantic Monthly, in five articles about college admissions, says, “Admissions is a battlefield in a
brutal competition for prestige.” - The Chronicle of Higher Education headlines a cover story about independent financial aid advisors as “Cashing In on Admissions Anxiety.”
- A seniors-only program at Darien (Conn.) High School referred to the “crazed and confused” college application process.
Amid all the noise and stress, Union's admissions
representatives are having great success using what might seem to be an old-fashioned technique-they
listen. Or, as one Massachusetts mother said after she and her daughter visited campus, “It seems to me that you go the extra mile in trying to really find out who your applicants are. You are doing something that
feels very right.”
To Dan Lundquist, who has led the College's Admissions Office for a dozen years, that kind of praise is gratifying-but not altogether unexpected. “We're on the front lines every day, so we all see how this process can go from thoughtful to frantic. Of course, we recognize that our primary job is to get a good class, but we also want to help parents and students make the search experience as positive as possible by trying to offer the kind of advice that they will find useful and helpful.”
If that advice could be summarized in two words, it might be, “Calm down.”
“The college search process ought to be a positive, educational experience in itself, not just something to be 'survived,' ” Lundquist says. “Students have a remarkable range of options in front of them at this stage of their lives, and it's a shame when the excitement of college becomes anxiety.”
While Lundquist admits that there is no sure-fire way to eliminate anxiety, he says that proper planning, combined with a realistic and appropriate attitude, can go a long way toward minimizing anxiety.
His attitude is one that permeates the admissions staff as they go about the year-round job of creating a well-rounded class of 560 students out of an initial inquiry pool of nearly 34,000.
Kate Elliott, who joined the admissions staff two years ago after graduating from St. Lawrence, says she began with the idea of working with students, but now does a good deal of counseling and talking with parents. “Initially, I was surprised at the level of involvement and ownership taken by parents,” she says. “There's a feeling that this is a highly competitive, 'high stakes' process, with a lot of money riding on it. And that is exacerbated by all the media attention and other factors, such as independent professional counselors who guide families through the process.”
Her view is echoed by many secondary school counselors. One counselor, in a report to his trustees, used such phrases as “hype and hysteria” and “volatile and wacky” to describe the current college admissions scene. A counselor from Colorado wrote, after Lundquist appeared at his school, “The more students hear the voice of sanity from colleges, the less they feel the anxiety of admissions and can enjoy the journey. I applaud Union's approach.”
Lundquist says the admissions anxiety begins with good intentions.
“Parents have a big appreciation for education, which is wonderful,” he says. “But then things can get crazy. It's sort of like the stereotypical Little League parent at the college level. We try to calm them down, but it can be like trying to speak a foreign language in America-there's not a lot of supporting culture.
“There is a lot, in fact, telling them to stay in high gear.”
If there is a single piece of advice that can make the college search process more enjoyable, it is to start the process by asking, “What is a realistic pool?” Most counselors recommend that a student have four colleges that look likely, one or two that would be stretch, and one or two that look like sure bets.
“That rule of thumb has been around for decades because it's based on experience and realism,” Lundquist says. “It's still a great rule to keep in mind. And the simple fact remains-most students have a remarkably wide range of options, and at the point where lofty ambition and reality intersect comes the next step after high school.”
What they're saying
Unions Admissions Office continues to strongly recommend on-campus interviews, recognizing that the campus and the people here are the College's best sales force.
The office routinely surveys
visitors and reports that eighty percent of the secondary school students who visit campus say they are much more likely to apply after they have visited-and only one to three percent say they are less likely to apply.
Here are some comments,
collected anonymously, from some recent visitors:
- When the mother of one potential applicant was asked about her visit to an open house, she complimented the “warm and fuzzy” feeling of the College. No other college seemed to care about the parents the way Union did, she said-so much so that her husband wanted to enroll himself.
- “I have a friend at Union, and since visiting for the first time I've pretty much fallen in love with the school. I love the campus itself and the community, and I am so glad I had the opportunity to meet a lot of the people and sit in on two classes…. It seems like a place I would like to call home.”
- “There seems to be a good library and a million good places to quietly study. The only thing that surprised me was I saw some scattered graffiti in some of the dorm halls. Other than that I thought my visit was great!”
- “I loved the classrooms, the caring faculty, the campus, and most of all, the fact that my major (engineering) suits me in all ways. I visited some labs and engineering classes, and I like what I saw.”
- “I thought the campus was one of the most beautiful I've seen. I especially loved the garden and the nice open quad. The one freshman dorm that I saw looked very appealing and comfortable. The tour guide was very enthusiastic and the other students I spoke with in the admissions building were all really friendly and helpful.”
- “Although this was not my first visit to Union, I left with
a secure and confident feeling about the college. The interview was very informative and also helped me to relax.
I can't wait to visit the
campus again.” - “My visit to Union was wonderful. It was very refreshing how honest everyone was about their experiences at Union, unlike at many of the other schools I've visited.”
- “I found your summer Open House to be very welcoming. The various faculty members and students I met during the two days I was there were friendly, interesting, and
open to discussion.” - “My interview went well and the campus looked beautiful even though it was raining. I could really picture myself succeeding in an environment like Union's.”
Every bit helps
In the competitive world of admissions, little actions can have big consequences. Here's an example:
To: Admissions Office
From: Ann Anderson, associate professor of mechanical engineering
I don't know anything about the academic background of this prospective student, but I must say I was impressed when I met him. He and his father were wandering around Science and Engineering, and he saw me in the aerogel lab. He came in and introduced himself and asked a few questions. I was suitably impressed, so I gave him the full-blown tour. I am happy to hear that he appreciated my efforts and is applying early decision.
To: Professor Ann Anderson
From: Noah Wizer-Vecchi
I doubt you still remember me, but I visited Union and
you were kind enough to show my father and me around the engineering building. I just wanted to thank you again for your kindness. I also wanted to let you know that thanks to your
personal tour, I realized that Union's style of combining engineering with a liberal arts environment is the sort of education that will benefit me most. I am going to apply for early decision to Union because I liked it so much. Thanks again.
Affecting the
“black box”
The admissions cycle at Union begins with some 34,000 secondary school
students who have inquired about the College and ends, months later, when 560 of them arrive for orientation as first-year students.
Those initial 34,000 students have heard about the College in a variety of ways. In one recent year, for example, 3,173 inquiries were the result of contact with high school guidance counselors, 581 were the result of contact with alumni, and nearly 8,000 were self-initiates-that is, they already had heard about Union and wanted more information.
As the year goes on, that initial inquiry pool becomes an applicant pool of a little more than 4,000, from which 1,700 are accepted. It is that step between application and acceptance (or rejection) that seems to be the most mysterious to students and their parents.
Dan Lundquist, the College's vice president for admissions and financial aid, notes that some admissions watchers use the term “black box” to describe the process. “It seems as though applications go into this black box, something happens inside the box, and decisions come out the other side,” he says.
Lundquist has written frequently about the “black box,” saying that understanding how the process works can help students and their parents have a more successful and less stressful experience with the college search process.
The most obvious thing to understand is the need for academic success in secondary school. “Union is not different from other highly-selective colleges in paying a good deal of attention to academic achievement, potential, and dedication,” he says. “Clearly, academics matter, so the message to students is to take demanding courses and do well over your time in school.”
Most of the candidates for a college like Union meet the requirements on the academic yardstick, so factors that pale in comparison to academics- the so-called “tip factors”-can become decisive. Those factors include work and extracurricular activities, the application essay, and recommendations from teachers and counselors. It is here, he says, where students can have a great impact on the cycle.
“The goal of the admissions officer at a selective college is to get an understanding of what makes an individual candidate tick, what actually differentiates him or her from the rest of the pool,” he says. “The most successful candidates will use the application forms to showcase their backgrounds, their ambitions, their style, and their values. And they'll do that in their own voice, whether it's serious, sober, wry, or irreverent.”
An admissions dean's promise:
“Follow this advice and I guarantee you'll
get into the best college.”
Dan Lundquist has worked in selective college admissions for more than twenty-five years, at large Ivy League universities and small liberal arts colleges. Every year he offers the following advice to students (and their parents) in the hope that they will have a more successful-and less stressful-college search:
It's important that you take the lead in thinking critically to get down to a short list of colleges. A student who's been spoon-fed is the one who's going to be disappointed when he or she discovers that other people's interests and values drove the college search.
Be realistic when developing a college list. Assess your interests, values, skills, and aspirations. And gather information about the colleges themselves: the range and diversity of our higher education system is wonderful, so never assume there are any universal policies, strengths, or preferences. Or that what is right for someone else will fit for you. Decide for yourself.
For most students there isn't one perfect college. In fact, against the backdrop of so many fine options-there are more than 3,000 colleges in the United States-you probably have the talent and flexibility to succeed at a number of colleges. Please feel buoyed by the variety of options you have, rather than oppressed by competition and process.
Applicants should redefine “best college” to “right college for me.” Concentrate on finding the right accessible college first, so you can say, “If this is the only college that accepts me, I'll be delighted to attend.”
Apply Early Decision only if it is true love, not to “get it over with” or game the system.
Even the “super candidates” should apply to less-selective schools. The most competitive colleges turn away thousands of stellar candidates every year because they do not have room to admit them all. Fair? no; reality, yes. (“If you are smart enough to go to MIT, then you are-or better be-smart enough to apply somewhere else too!”)
Don't be overwhelmed by all that you have to do senior year. The “worst case” scenario of getting organized and staying ahead of deadlines is that you will find you have more room to maneuver and you may feel a bit saner.
Note to students: You control two-thirds of the process: you choose where to apply and then where to attend. Colleges only make admission decisions.
Since most applicants to competitive colleges are admissible on the basis of grades and SATs, it is important to understand that most offers of admission are based on the applicants' personal presentation-their special talents, their background, their ambitions, and their ability to clearly and persuasively discuss the academic and personal match between them and a particular college.
Remember that the goal of the admissions officer is to get an understanding of what makes an individual candidate tick. An application presented in one's natural voice and style-be it serious, sober, wry, or humorous-helps accomplish that goal much better than an application that has been tailored to fit the perceived confines of an application form. Use the form as your forum!
Don't forget the “heart factor” when choosing your college. Objective criteria such as a
cademic programs, size, location, and cost are important, but your choice also needs to make you feel, “This is home.”
Finally, please remember that your college education begins with the search process, and please keep it in perspective: though a serious process, you needn't be deadly serious about finding the right college!