Right now, many high school seniors are anxiously waiting to hear back from colleges they applied to, which can be nerve-wracking for students and their parents.
A Brookline-based admissions expert is breaking down how families can navigate this tricky time period and what to do if they don’t get accepted into the college of their dreams.
College is a place students are going to call home for four years but finding that home can be filled with anxiety and uncertainty.
“It can be very stressful for families,” said Dr. Rachel Rubin, the CEO and Founder of Spark Admissions.
“They’re constantly wondering what else could I have done? What can I be doing right now? What if schools don’t want me? What if no one wants me?” said Dr. Rubin.
Dr. Rachel Rubin tries to help calm those thoughts through her college admissions consulting firm, Spark Admissions. She works with students as early as 8th grade to help guide and prepare them for the college admissions process.
“So, we work with students on kind of developing their narrative, figuring out their passion, and then building a profile that really aligns with them in an authentic way,” said Dr. Rubin.
This year, Spark Admissions has already helped 80% of its families get accepted into colleges through early decision or early action. Dr. Rubin says good test scores still matter—-but now schools are looking for what differentiates a student from the rest.
“Ten, 20, 30 years ago, schools really wanted a well-rounded student,” said Dr. Rubin.
“That’s not the case anymore. Now they want a well-rounded student body, but they would prefer to have students that have very specific individual interests so that grouped together, they’re bringing kind of like the best of all worlds to the university.”
That’s why she says it’s important to build an authentic resume about yourself. But if you get waitlisted or deferred—don’t take it personally.
“It’s a natural instinct to feel like as a student you’re being evaluated, you’re sharing all of your accomplishments, you’re showing your heart and soul in the essay, and yet the school might defer you because in the early round they’re prioritizing,” said Connor Beatty, the Chief Consulting Officer at Spark Admissions.
“Making sure they have enough applicants of every different academic interest area or they’re recruited athletes.”
Connor Beatty works directly with consultants and families. He says students shouldn’t compare themselves with others and over analyze any one decision.
Instead, to help your chances, he says you can write a waitlist letter to show your continued interest, keep up your grades to update colleges on your performance, and even visit the schools you are really interested in. But there is a fine line.
“A lot of colleges actually politely say, please don’t send us additional materials beyond the specific things you can do to update your application,” said Beatty.
Spark Admissions has found families are starting to look less at the name, and more about how the large financial investment will help their student land a job once they graduate.
“We’re trying to help students and families think about what their ultimate goals are beyond just the name brand of the school and how we can help them make those decisions about where to enroll based on their options and their long-term goals,” said Beatty.
And after all those applications, acceptances or denials—Dr. Rubin says it always seems to work out.
“Sometimes you might be disappointed that you’re not accepted to an individual school, and it could turn out to be the best thing in the world for you,” said Dr. Rubin.
Dr. Rubin has noticed a trend of students in the Boston area choosing colleges in the South, partly because of the weather, but also because of the unpredictable international student enrollment and federal funding. She’s also seeing students gravitating toward big public state schools.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.
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