College Counseling

January letter to parents of Juniors: introduction to college applications

Dear Parents:

While the admissions process is winding down for Seniors, the Juniors have just begun thinking about their plans beyond Putney. To encourage that, and inform them about the college application process, they have been scheduled into a mini-course called College Planning. A copy of our informal Guide, Putney College Guide, is online at http://www.putneyschool.org/directory/college/guidecontents.html and will be updated again for the class of 2008 this spring and summer.

As your child goes through the process, you are a major help, and not just for moral support. You can help students think about the kind of educational program and environment that should follow their Putney education, encourage test prep if needed, get to campuses, and eventually review applications. You may need to tread gently, and wait for your child to let you know what they need. For my part, I help students define their interests and find information about various types of postsecondary opportunities. I help students figure out what sorts of credentials they need to prepare for their application, and direct them to faculty members with expertise in those areas when appropriate (auditions, portfolios …). I help them sign up and get to standardized tests.

Standardized testing: a caveat. If you suspect that your child is "not good at" them, keep that thought to yourself. Most (if not all) students will need to submit scores, and if you tell them they probably won't succeed, they will probably fulfill your prophecy. The SAT in particular responds to practice, especially for students who haven't taken many standardized tests. There are several ways to prepare, with published practice tests, with a tutor, or with a course from a test prep company (many students have already signed up for one of the test prep options this spring.)

If your child has any sort of learning disability and would need to apply for accommodations on standardized testing, you will need to act promptly to get the psycho-educational testing to Karla Baldwin (Academic Dean), and to sign the accommodations request form. To be considered for accommodations, the testing must be on file with us and we must be providing the same accommodations that your child is requesting. The request must be made, on the form, at least seven weeks prior to the test date and is submitted by the College Office.

Next fall, the application process gets slightly more complex:

Students obtain and complete the application forms, write the essays, gather any supplemental materials, formally request College Counselor and teacher recommendations, transcript and score reports (this from the testing company) in a timely fashion, and meet the deadlines of each college.
I can answer questions about forms and I work with the English department to help with the personal essay. (What I can't do is make students apply!) I coordinate, and usually write, the Secondary School Report - a global statement about the student's interests and accomplishments - and send it to colleges at the student's request, with any required forms the student has given me, the transcript and a description of the Putney program. With almost 400 applications sent by any given class, I cannot read each one - but will answer questions as students have them.
Teachers will write recommendations in response to students' requests. (see Putney College Guide)
Parents can help students get and complete the application forms, visit colleges, provide the checks for application fees or arrange the use of a credit or debit card for online applications and paying the various fees for standardized testing (and sending the results to colleges), fill out financial aid forms if applicable … even provide envelopes and stamps for the teacher recommendations. I've enclosed the first pages of a chapter by Harvard's Sarah Myers McGinty on the parent's role, and an article from Independent Schools magazine.

In the fall, seniors are scheduled into a weekly group meeting with me to keep focused on these tasks and thus have a regular time scheduled into their Putney schedule for questions and problem solving. At this time, parents need to encourage their student (who is usually feeling uncertain about all this), keep them calm and focused.

Every year, the senior class survives this process, over-hyped as it is and complex as it seems. In fact, once the first application is complete, all of the others are relatively easy.

I'll be in touch later in June about suggestions for summer and fall plans. In the mean time, feel free to email me with questions at jdesmaisons@putneyschool.org or call (802) 387-6227. It remains a busy time with seniors, so it may take me a day or two to get back to you.

I look forward to getting to know your child and you during this process!

Sincerely,

Jennifer DesMaisons, College Counselor

***************************************************************************************

JANUARY- FEBRUARY:       Small-Group Sessions

Starting in January, juniors attend small-group information sessions where they receive information about beginning the college search, using books, the Internet, the various resources of the College Office and family and friends. Spring Break is a good time for you to initiate a conversation with your student about future plans and help him/her to explore thoughts (both general and specific) about "life after Putney." Students are invited to make appointments with me to discuss their search, by simply signing onto the schedule posted on my office door.

We also discuss the credentials that students will need to present as they apply to colleges, and their relative importance (which varies somewhat from one college to another): the transcript, standardized testing, portfolios, auditions - taped or live, essays, interviews. We will be talking about these credentials repeatedly as we go through the application process.

Individual Meetings: Each junior meets with Lucy and me to introduce them to their own Putney transcript, how it is read and how marking period grades can be used by each student to assess their progress and as a springboard to conversations with their teachers. Students are asked to verify the information on their transcripts, but some may choose not to see grades. If, as a family, you do not want to see grades, please let Lucy or me know in writing and the transcript we send you in late June will have no grades. I receive individual grades at the end of each marking period, so that each student may see how his/her academic progress is being recorded and whether or not s/he should speak with a teacher about their work; any parental questions, however, should be addressed to your student.

We register for the April 14 ACT (with writing) on paper and for the SAT, to be given on May 5. We discuss planning a sequence of standardized testing as it applies to different application situations. Students will also have registered with the College Board website and are encouraged to do so with Fastweb (www.fastweb.org) for financial aid information. In order to register for tests, send scores and apply to colleges online, students will need access to a credit or debit card; the tests are expensive - $41.50 for the SAT this year and $43 for the ACT with Writing. Some application fees are waived for online applications, some are not - but colleges increasingly prefer online submissions. The River Valley Credit Union in Putney village offers a limited debit card called the Totally Free Card, which may serve the purpose. They may be contacted at 802-387-5871, toll-free at 800-728-5871 or electronically through their website at http://www.rivercu.com/.

MARCH/SUMMER:      School Visits

Many students are using part of March vacation to visit schools. I suggest that for this break each student at least visit schools that are close by. The mission is simply to have your child see a school and, if possible, its students - both to build a base of information to draw on when we start discussing schools in more detail, and to get more skillful at extracting maximum information from a college visit. I will have given them articles on campus visits, which I hope will prove useful as families begin looking at college campuses.

Summer is also a great time for college visits, even though the college's students probably will not be on campus. It gives a feel for the school, and summer is an easier time to schedule an interview (some admissions offices do not interview until May). By summer, also, you should be working with a realistic list of schools. Fall of the senior year is a more difficult time to visit colleges, although students are allowed to miss two days of classes and commitments for that purpose; many families add those two days to the October mid-term break, which gives them a solid 3-5 days of visit time, depending on travel. But that is not really very much time. Whenever planning a visit, try to call the college as much in advance of the visit as possible to sign up for tours, information sessions and interviews.

APRIL/MAY:      More Meetings

With the benefit of grades and any parental insights you share with me, I will work with students to create a long list of schools which will be mailed home after I receive final grades and results from the May SAT (students also will receive a free copy of Harry Bauld's book On Writing the College Application Essay in this mailing). The idea is to whittle down the list between June and next November to approximately six schools (more for those students with substantial financial need). During these months, students should begin writing, calling or e-mailing colleges for admissions material and to get on their mailing lists - if, indeed, they have not already done so. For those students whose list includes, or might include, colleges which require SAT Subject Tests, we will register together for the June 2.

APRIL 14      ACT

All juniors are expected to take the ACT Assessment; each student will be given their information booklet, which includes a sample test. I strongly recommend that they take this practice test over March break to prepare for the real thing. Some students prefer this test, and do better on it than on the SAT; some colleges accept an ACT in lieu of required SAT I and the Subject Tests. SAT preparation is available on the Web at no charge, on www.number2.com. There are a number of books and computer programs that are available on Amazon.com and in bookstores. I recommend the College Board's The Official SAT Study Guide for the New SAT, which has 8 practice tests, combined with either a CD or a book with explanations of questions and answers for those 8 practice tests-available through www.SATSolutionsandStrategies.com.

APRIL 27-29:          Family Weekend

I will be available for short conferences throughout the weekend and strongly encourage parents to request one through your child's advisor.

MAY 5    SAT

All juniors are expected to take the SAT on Saturday, May 5. Students will have registered for this test before March break and will do this online, for which they will need access to a credit or debit card.

Between now and next winter, unless they prefer the format and the results of the ACT test, students should use at least three SAT test days -- May, October and November -- to take the SAT twice, and at least two Subject Tests. I recommend that students take the SAT in May and November and Subject Tests (if needed) in June and October. (An exception: the Subject Tests in Foreign Language with Listening, rather than just reading and writing, is given only in November and students must therefore take any second SAT test in October.) That leaves a December and a January test date should a student wish to take further testing. In terms of the Subject Tests, many schools require two or three. The College Board no longer allows students to withhold any scores until they see the results; all scores are included in the score report.

This spring, you and your son or daughter should develop a "master plan" of which standardized tests your student should take, and when. You can then register for them online. In my experience, students need special guidance with determining which subject tests to take. You also may help your student to think about when s/he might review material for the subject tests, which should improve performance. There is a collection of Real Subject Tests published by The College Board and widely available.

SUMMER

Students should:

Visit at least four schools (summer visits are very helpful, even though school is not in session. Time in the fall is extremely limited, but that time can be well used if students have narrowed down choices.)
Read Harry Bauld's book.
Sketch ideas for a college essay. ("College Weekend" in October is time dedicated to writing two personal essays, under the tutelage of the English department and with the help of the entire faculty; preliminary work can ensure a very productive weekend.)
Talk to acquaintances and friends who attend college.
Consider preparing for the SAT.

I encourage students to act early and apply Early Decision if they have a clear first-choice school and their credentials are already very strong, or Early Action at any college offering that option if - again - the transcript and scores are strong enough. Applying early can help both with getting accepted and in making senior year a more pleasant experience. But it means doing a lot of preliminary work in the summer. Some Resources for the College Search Process

PARENTS

College Admissions: A Crash Course for Panicked Parents by Rubenstone and Dalby (from Smith College)

The College Guide for Parents by Charles Shields (from the College Board)

A Parent's Guide to College Admissions by Marjorie Nieuwenhuis (United Nations International School)

COLLEGE SELECTION AND ADMISSIONS PROCESS

The College Admissions Mystique, by Bill Mayher (Noonday Press, 1998)

Colleges That Change Lives: 40 School You Should Know About Even If You're Not a Straight A Student, by Loren Pope (Penguin Books)

Ivy League Programs at State School Prices: The 55 Best Honors Programs at State Universities Nationwide, by Robert R. Sullivan (from ARCO)

Looking Beyond the Ivy League: Finding the College That's Right for You by Loren Pope (from College Placement Bureau)

The College Application Essay, by Sarah Myers McGinty (College Board, 2004)

Admission Matters, by Sally Springer and Marion Franck (Jossey-Bass, 2005)

Don't Miss Out! (the ambitious student's guide to financial aid) by Richard and Anna Leider (Octameron)

COLLEGE VISITS

Visiting College Campuses by Princeton Review

Campus Visits and College Interviewsby Zola Dincin Scheider (from the College Board)

GUIDES

Barron's Profile of American Colleges Barron's Educational Series, Inc.

The College Handbook The College Board

The Fiske Guide to Colleges by Edward B. Fiske

Insider's Guide to the Colleges (Yale daily News staff)

Peterson's Guide to Colleges Peterson's Guide

Princeton Review’s The Best 361 Colleges

Cool Colleges by Donald Asher

Making a Difference: Education for a Better World by Miriam Weinstein

Peterson's Colleges with Programs for Students with Learning Disabilities by Mangrum and Strichart

Peterson's Visual and Performing Arts Guide

ARCO's The Performing Arts Major's College Guide
Art Student's College Guide