Yes, folks, it is that time of the year when everyone interested in attending college pants in expectation of the next set of Rankings – US News, Wall Street Journal World Ranking etc… There are just too many to keep track of to make any sense of what it all means.

I have talked about this before, but I want to dive a bit into another area. At this time of the year, as a college counselor for a school, my email inbox is filled with updates from colleges. This is the time of the year when universities want to alert counselors to updated information, changes in academic offering, news and highlights for the coming year. One in particular interested me, and it was from the Harvard Crimson.

The title of the email was Meet the Class of 2021, this year’s Freshman class. The point of the link, actually, was the demographic breakdown of the incoming class which listed everything from ethnicity and athletics to First Generation Income (First Generation applies to students who are the first in the family to ever attend university).

Here are some interesting facts. The largest population admitted were white at 52.1 percent. The second largest: Asian at 23.8 percent (this is never broken down into International Asian, just Asian.) 51 percent were women and 46.6 were men, with the other percentage identified as other. Almost 40 percent of students come from New England. And 39.6 percent of those had a relative who attended Harvard. Approximately 61 percent were anticipated to earn $30,000 to $70,000 in starting salary. About 30 percent, up to $70,000 as a starting salary. Athletes who were recruited came in at 10 percent. About 80 percent come from families that earn $500,000 or more annually. And finally, 29.3 percent had some family who previously attended Harvard. There is a lot more data but it was all very interesting.

What is significant is that a combined, potentially, 40 percent of admitted students were athletes, legacy or both. That is a whopping number! We already knew that, but to actually see it is striking. The next thing is, it is obviously better to be white, and perhaps female, and of course rich. So there is no wonder why Harvard has an elitist image.

While I am pleased to see the transparency of the data and the way it was presented, it all leaves some questions. Why is there such a large proportion coming from New England? What is the international breakdown? What percentage comes from various countries?

I’ll be honest, I am not a data guy at all, but I found this all very intriguing, especially anticipated income. One issue that is quickly dispelled is that graduating from Harvard is going to make you an instant millionaire. Knowing that Harvard is pushing social responsibility rather than financial status is a bit fascinating. A big clap here for being more mindful of social responsibility.

I have digressed quite a bit from the topic but it actually comes to fruition here. As I mentioned in my last post about my daughter wanting a college environment akin to her current school in Malaysia, seeking a school where she would fit and be comfortable with her peers, why would rank play a role? None of these qualities are truly represented in ranking profiles. These are things to seek out either in research and in visiting schools.

It is clear that some schools want to keep their status, while others are breaking out to truly represent the globalization of education in the US. But if you want to attend a school that is predominately white New England and rich, awesome. If not, seek out those schools that have wider diversity – social, economic, regional, etc… which is truly representative of the world in which we live.

Photo: pinimg.com

Over the years I have done a lot of advising but as we move in to this year, I have the opportunity to take on a new perspective. This year, my daughter Madison, will graduate from high school. Added to the fact that she is now a Senior, she also lives in Malaysia. We’ve been talking about college for a long time; she is obviously interested in what her dad does and what I think.

Working with someone from afar is a bit of challenge, yet over the years, I have worked successfully with students in the US, Abu Dhabi and other places. Trying to talk to one’s daughter is a whole new ball game and so is the college application process. It has challenged my perspective, but not in a bad way.

This summer we spent two weeks, basically driving from Boston to San Francisco. We had an agenda and we had a time limit. We needed to be in certain places at certain times. Basically, we needed to get from point A to point B within a time frame. That was my big regret; not being able to take our time as we went through parts of the US I had never seen and it was the same with my daughter. We missed a lot of what makes different places tick. To eat the food, see the sights – Elvis Presley’s Graceland or the music of Memphis. We did see a lot of the country and some great schools.

Now that the introduction is in place I need to get to the heart of the story. My daughter is a great kid, an average student with lots of interesting stories. Getting her to tell those stories is another thing. I learned a lot about my kid this summer. Spending 10 hours in a car zooming from one destination to another brings out some characteristics that one knows, but also gets to experience.

She has always been shy and reserved. That became clear, how much like me she was, even though I already knew that. But going around to visit schools, walking on campuses, talking to student guides and admission representatives brings a whole new light to being a parent and a completely different perspective as a college counselor.

The schools we visited typically don’t fall on student’s lists. After visiting I cannot not really imagine why. They were all unique, fantastic educational institutions, where students are not only fully engaged in their education but inspired by faculty and other students. Schools like Emmanuel in Boston, Salve Regina in Rhode Island, Drew University in New Jersey, Allegheny and Washington & Jefferson in Pennsylvania, College of Charleston in South Carolina, University of Redlands and University of San Francisco all left an indelible impression on us both.

What was interesting were the takeaways my daughter had after each visit. She was looking for schools with good proportion of international students (she is American, but has barely lived there). She wanted slightly bigger class sizes, thinking she learns better in that environment. She liked the freedom to choose whether she would major or minor, not schools that told which areas she could or could not study. (One school we visited required students to major and minor but they could not be in the same academic area). She also changed ideas about majors three times over the course of two weeks. We started with Biology; she changed to International Relations and ended with Communications. A year ago it was Pre-Veterinarian and she only wanted California. Now it was places with four seasons.

To say the least, I came away even more convinced that visiting schools changes kids – it changed both of us. I saw it right before my eyes. I also came away more convinced that rank is the worst thing in helping a student choose schools. Yes, I know I said my daughter was an average student, but she studies in an excellent school and is earning the requisite education there. What impressed me most over those two weeks was the quality of education each of these institutions provided and the creative energy of the students at each of those schools. True, each school is not highly ranked but wow – one has to see it to believe it.

Seeing and experiencing schools through a parent’s eyes is different. I wish I could force all my students to go visit schools with their parents; to go unbridled by ranking and rumor to truly experience what schools offer. Students at each of these schools and hundreds of others are game-changers. They are going to be amazing, but we need to be open to understand the variety and form that schools educate in. Only then can we help encourage our children to seek, experience and delve into a future of their own making.

Photo: bestcolleges.com

I hope everyone had a great, great summer full of adventure and relaxation! That is what summer should be all about. But perhaps you attended a summer school or camp or travelled and saw some amazing places. Whatever it is that you did do store those memories and perhaps write down some important details about what you learned and experienced.

As the school year is starting here is some advice:

Grade 12 – You’re SENIORS!!! Woo Hoo!!! You have a lot to do this semester and it is very important that you get organized. Plan ahead, make a schedule, get your head in the right place. There is no time to ease into this school year. You must jump in with both feet eager to make this the best year, your final year, in high school.
• College Applications
• Testing – ACT, SAT, TOEFL, IELTS
• ESSAYS – lots of them
• Grades – please remember that Grades are far, far more important than test scores (even though they are important)
• You are now at the top of the heap, the students all other students look up. This is a time to step into that maturity everyone expects!
That’s just a few things you need to focus on besides all the other things – clubs, activities, sports and some time to just chill.

Grade 11 – Probably the most important grade in High School! This year is, in some ways the last set of grades universities will see and make a decision on. So, just like the advice above for Seniors, you too must focus on making this the best year. It is a time to really focus on making those grades the best they can be.
• Remember that even though college applications are still a year away, you need to think about what you want out of a your next step. Loads of colleges will be coming through Beijing either to your school or to a central location. GO!!!!
•The college representatives who come to your school are most likely the ones who will be reading your application. GO!!!!
• Even if you have never heard of the school, do some research so you know ahead of time if it is worthwhile. Don’t discount it because you have never heard of the school or it is not “ranked”. That’s just silly and not good or rational thinking.
• Testing – take the PSAT in October, if your school offers it. Especially if you are a US Citizen – you may qualify for National Merit Scholarships. But you have to take the PSAT.
• Take the SAT in December or the ACT in February. If you are not sure which test to take – do both and see which one you prefer. Then focus on that one test for the rest of your testing. There is no advantage in taking both all the time.

Grade 10 – Yes, University is miles away, but school is very important. Get involved in sports and clubs. Start a club; try to take on some leadership opportunities. Don’t just follow the crowd; look at ways you can stand out.
• Take the PSAT, if your school offers it. This is the first time you can PRACTICE for the SAT with a real live test that has similar questions and format to a real SAT (no writing section though).
• There is NO reason to take an SAT or ACT in Grade 10 or Grade 9 for that matter.

Grade 9 – For those of you who are Freshman – welcome to High School! Life as you knew it just changed. Things are going to get a bit harder. You will need to start your high school career off with the best possible grades.
• Many colleges and universities look at Grade 9 grades. So, yes, Grade 9 COUNTS! Even if a school does not look at Grade 9 results they can figure out how you did in Grade 9 by the rigor of the courses you take in Grade 10.

Oh, one last thing – Remember that you start the year in your classes with an A. Your job is to keep it at an A. So, welcome back. Work hard and play hard but keep focused on the goal. Have a great start to the year!

photo: sharpschool.com