Colleges That Change Lives Reply to Turning the Tide

By Brittany MaschalMar 04, 2016

 

Love this note from the Colleges That Change Lives newsletter (you can subscribe here) from Maria Furtado, Executive Director of CTCL, on the Turning the Tide initiative.

The Turning the Tide initiative has lots of people in higher education and high schools talking about helping students maximize their high school experience – in all kinds of ways, not just with a plethora of AP classes. This is a good thing.
Ironically, however, the roughly 90 schools that have signed onto the Tide-initiative include some of the most selective (and perhaps stress-inducing) schools in the nation. As has been the case with college rankings, when the focus is on such a narrow band of schools (in this case, approximately 3 percent of the not-for-profit colleges and universities), it’s easy to lose sight of the reality that there are, and always have been, many wonderful opportunities for students at the majority of U.S. colleges and universities.
So, here’s another idea: Let’s encourage students to consider the “other” 2500+ colleges – large and small, urban and rural, public and private – that are inclusive, rather than selective in their admission policies. 
Colleges That Change Lives has long encouraged students to consider their high school years as a valid life experience, not just a stepping stone to college. CTCL schools review applications with an eye towards admission and admit students who have spent their high school years living an authentic experience – taking courses that challenged and intrigued them intellectually, while also balancing a schedule that includes time for family, friends, activities, and even sleep. This focus recognizes that students who do what they genuinely enjoy are happier and that, by learning to balance their strengths and weaknesses, students are more prepared not just for college but for life.
Turning the Tide merely repeats what CTCL has advocated for years: Colleges should recognize the value students bring to campus, rather than requiring a “more is always better” mentality for applications. CTCL (and schools like them) are pleased to have everyone on the same page now.
Well said!
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Princeton Review: Why You Need a College Counselor

By Brittany MaschalMar 02, 2016

According to the Princeton Review, a college counselor should be a strategy consultant, coach, and cheerleader all rolled into one. I couldn’t agree more! Here are a few of their thoughts on why you need a college counselor and how your counselor fits into your overall application timeline.

Lower your college stress

Applications are stressful. 73% of respondents to the 2015 College Hopes & Worries survey gauged their stress levels as “high” or “very high.”  Knowing that there are college experts in your corner can make all the difference. At The Princeton Review, our college counselors are available face-to-face whenever you have a question (or just need some encouragement).

Make a wish list

Talking with a college counselor about your dreams and goals can help you figure out what you really want out of college. Does your best-fit college run a popular co-operative education program? Are you looking for a politically active student body? Conversations with your counselor about what’s important to you in terms of academics, campus culture, and financial aid will help guide your overall college search.

Find and compare colleges

There are hundreds of colleges out there, and the right school for your unique personality and goals may be an Ivy League or it might be a school you haven’t heard of (yet!). College counselors are pros at helping you research schools and then narrowing your list to the colleges you should focus on.

Help you rise to the top

In a competitive applicant pool, a stellar college application is about more than just grades and SAT/ACT scores. Your college counselor will help you position the rest of your application to tell the story of who you are through your essays, extracurricular activities, and letters of recommendation. Counselors know which essay topics are overdone, how to make good use of supplementary materials, and how to explain an uncharacteristic bad grade to admissions committees.

Choose the right school for you

Your college counselors will help you craft your list of dream, match, and safety schools and craft the right application strategy for your college wishlist. And when those acceptances roll in, your counselors help you compare programs and financial aid packages so that you make the right decision for you.

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The End of Average

By Brittany MaschalFeb 29, 2016

 

Todd Rose teaches educational neuroscience at the Harvard Graduate School of Education. He’s also the co-founder of The Center for Individual Opportunity, a new organization devoted to “the science of the individual and its implications for education, the workforce, and society.” And, a new book on my to-read list, The End Of Average: How We Succeed in a World That Values Sameness. 

What’s unique about Todd is his past: he dropped out of high school with D- grades, and at 21, he was trying to support a wife and two sons on welfare and minimum wage jobs. Not your typical path to Harvard, right?

In the book, he argues that absolutely no one is precisely average—and that’s a big problem.

“We’ve come to embrace a way of thinking about ourselves as people that was intentionally designed to ignore all individuality and force everything in reference to an average person.”

Offices of admission, in particular, make life-changing decisions based on averages, which is a horrible way to try to understand an individual. Read more in his interview with NPR here, as well as the book review from the New York Times here.

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Brown alumni interview gone wrong…

By Brittany MaschalFeb 26, 2016

From the Brown Herald:

A YouTube video in which high school senior Matt Sarafa claims that his Brown alumni interviewer used racist and homophobic language during his interview has gone viral. Sarafa said that during his alumni interview in Southern California, the alum told him Brown was “not very accepting of your kind,” implying that Brown students would discriminate against him because he is gay. Sarafa said that Leora Johnson ’01, assistant director of alumni interviewing and admission, told him in a phone call that the alum had admitted to using homophobic and racist language but that there wasn’t enough evidence to remove him as an interviewer. Sarafa withdrew his application to the Class of 2020 following his experience.

Not a good move Brown!

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Student-Counselor Ratios Only Getting Worse

By Brittany MaschalFeb 22, 2016

 

The National Center for Education Statistics has released the latest student-to-school-counselor ratio data, showing the nationwide average student-to-school-counselor ratio increasing to 491-to-1, from 482-to-1 the previous year. Only three states, Wyoming, New Hampshire, and Vermont have an average student to counselor ratio falling within the recommended 250 to 1 by the American School Counselor Association. Three. Three states. Given the uproar over the findings, the National Association for College Admissions Counseling (NACAC) took an even deeper dive into the data, which I will provide below.

NACAC has compiled a by-state document containing student-to-counselor ratios for each state and school district in the United States. Within this document, states are in alphabetical order in the tabs at the bottom. Within each state, school districts are listed in alphabetical order.

Student-to-Counselor Ratios, by district

The information comes from the Common Core of Data at the National Center for Education Statistics within the U.S. Department of Education.

NOTE:
The following states did not report district-level data to the Department of Education:

  • Alabama
  • Kentucky
  • Maine
  • Michigan
  • New Jersey
  • New York
  • Texas
  • Washington, DC

Many states reported partial data, enabling us to calculate ratios for only some school districts within those states. NACAC is working to fill in those gaps. In the meantime, access NACAC’s Student-to-Counselor Ratios by state.

We need more funding for counselors. No art, no music, no gym, no counselors. It is just no good.

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Regarding the “New” SAT

By Brittany MaschalFeb 18, 2016

Thank you, Bob Schaeffer, for pointing out what may not be obvious to the masses: The “new” SAT, and let’s not forget the ACT, will remain a weak predictor of undergraduate success. High school grades will continue to provide more accurate forecasts of college graduation.

Read his letter in The Opinion Pages here.

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Local Event: Concussions, What You Need to Know

By Brittany MaschalFeb 18, 2016

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As a longstanding member of the Junior League (nearing Sustainer status!!!), I am excited to spread the word about my DIAD group’s next event: Concussions, What You Need to Know.

Our concussion talk will feature a multi-disciplinary group of brain injury experts curated by The Brain Trust. The panel will include medical experts from Dartmouth Medical School, an education professional from Maguire Associates, Inc., and a past president of the Brain Injury Association of Maryland.

Why is it so important to enlighten the public? According to the Centers for Disease Control, each year, emergency departments in the United States treat an estimated 173,285 sports, recreation-related traumatic brain injuries (TBIs), among children and adolescents from birth to 19 years (CDC 2014).

The panel of experts will provide essential best practices to prevent serious long-term consequences and return individuals to normalcy as quickly as possible after a concussion. They will review early interventions, the role of personnel in educational settings, and how individuals can help students suffering from a head injury.

The JLG’s supporting partners for this event are the Old Greenwich-Riverside Community Center, the YMCA of Greenwich, the YWCA of Greenwich, and the Boys & Girls Club of Greenwich.

Guests can register for this event by clicking here.

Interested in learning more about or possibly joining the Junior League of Greenwich? Read more here or email/message me!

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Why College Is Not Home (And Should Not Be)

By Brittany MaschalFeb 08, 2016

 

The following is from a recent article about a situation this past fall at Yale that had crept back into the news and is still as mind-blowing as it was when they reported on it back in December.

Erika Christakis used (keyword here) to teach a course at Yale titled “The Concept of the Problem Child,” a discussion of child development and socialization in a historical and modern context. It was so popular she had planned extra sessions this semester to accommodate the hundreds of interested students. Then she sent and email subject line: “Dressing Yourselves” to students in the residence hall where she and her husband serve as masters. In it, she criticized a detailed memo from administrators advising sensitivity in their choice of Halloween costumes and activities. The essential point in the email was that the university’s memo infantilized the students. The term, in developmental psychology, refers to a parenting approach that uses a level of assistance and control more appropriate for much younger children; ultimately, such behavior can hinder capacities to develop independence and resilience.

Sounds logical, at least, it does to me. But what happens next is mind-boggling: An open letter denounced her views as degrading to marginalized people and garnered nearly a thousand signatures at the University, and a video of students confronting and verbally assaulting her husband went viral. What’s more, and worse, is that she will no longer be teaching at Yale.

This is just one reason kids today lack decision-making skills and resilience; this is why they are unable to accept, understand, or work through failure or setbacks; this is a problem.

“Instead of promoting the idea of college as a transition from the shelter of the family to adult autonomy and responsibility, universities like Yale have given in to the implicit notion that they should provide the equivalent of the home environment….To prepare for increased autonomy and responsibility, college needs to be a time of exploration and experimentation. This process entails “trying on” new ways of thinking about oneself both intellectually and personally, which is possible only if a certain degree of freedom is allowed. While we should provide “safe spaces” within colleges for marginalized groups, we must also make it safe for all community members to express opinions and challenge majority views. Intellectual growth and flexibility are fostered by rigorous debate and questioning.”

Get a grip, Yale, and everybody else who does not see how damaging this is. Read more here, here and here if this makes you as livid as it makes me.

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Nerd Alert: Word Facts from Grammarly

By Brittany MaschalFeb 04, 2016

English is currently the nearest thing we have to a global language; it’s the official language of seventy-nine countries and territories. English not only acts as a lingua franca, a common language that unites people, but also offers some quirky vocabulary, such as whipper-tooties, which are “silly scruples about doing anything,” and shivviness, or “the uncomfortable feeling of new underwear.” Did you know that English is spoken by all international airline pilots? Or that no word in English rhymes with month, orange, silver, or purple? There’s a lot to learn about English and its origins, so let’s take a look at five fascinating English word and language facts.

1.  The word alphabet comes from the first two letters of the Greek alphabet: alpha and beta. The Ancient Greek word ἀλφάβητος (alphabētos) came from the Phoenician aleph (“ox”) and beth (“house”), which are pictograms of those objects.

2.  “The quick brown fox jumps over a lazy dog” uses every letter of the alphabet. You may see typefaces displayed using this sentence, because it allows you to see what each letter looks like.

3.  E is the most common letter in English. For every eight letters written, E is one of them. Despite this, Ernest Vincent Wright completed managed to write a 50,000-word novel titled Gadsby entirely without the letter E. This type of writing is known as a lipogram, a long written piece in which a letter or group of letters is avoided.

4.  The word “spam” refers to junk mail, partly because of a Monty Python skit from the early 1970s. A couple asks a waitress what’s being served and she replies, “Well we have eggs and Spam, eggs, bacon, and Spam, eggs, sausage, bacon, and Spam, eggs, Spam, sausage, Spam, Spam, bacon, Spam, eggs and Spam, Spam, spinach and Spam.” A hacker in the 1980s then thought of the skit’s repetition of the word “spam” while he was contemplating the mindless repetition of email messages in his inbox. He began using “to spam” to mean repeatedly receiving emails and it caught on.

5.  The word battologize means “to repeat a word excessively.” It comes from the Greek battologeo, which is an eponym after a stutterer named Battos. Originally, it meant “to stutter,” but later came to mean “repeat mindlessly.” This word was then used in English as battologize, meaning “a needless and tiresome repetition in speaking and writing.”

Check the Grammarly blog again next week for five more fascinating English language and word facts.

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