It pains me to see families make college choices based on misinformation, like choosing what they can afford base on the advertised prices of colleges (instead of what a family would actually pay) or squandering great high school achievements by not using the application to tell the story that makes a student most compelling to colleges.
Now with PossibilityU there’s a way for every family to afford the expert support that will help them make the right choices, and find and get into the right college for them. It’s been my experience over and over that at the right college students are more successful, happier, and get more financial aid.
If you want to know more, please check out PossibilityU.com. Or let me know if you have any questions about whether or not PossibilityU is right for your family.
Mark Montgomery
Educational Consultant and
Chief Advisor, PossibilityU
 
 

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Like its competitors, Duke does not rank students on its waiting list. Instead, decisions about who will rise to the top are often a function of what the admissions office perceives as deficiencies in the next freshman class. There might be, for example, a surplus of aspiring engineers and not enough potential English majors, or too few students from Florida. Or there might be an unexpected shortage of oboe players.

While Mr. Guttentag encourages students on the waiting list to send him a one-page letter — or a video of 60 seconds or less — letting him know how strongly they wish to attend, and why, they can do little to improve their chances.

“The student can’t know, ‘Gee, did all the violinists decide to turn us down?’ ” he said. “They can’t affect this very much at this point.”

You see, as with so much else with the college admissions process, a student’s individual chances of admission have much less to do with their academic performance, their scores on the SAT or ACT, or even how good a leader or oboe player you might be.
Your chances have more to do with whether the college NEEDS an oboe player this year. Of course, if you are the best oboe player in the applicant pool this year, you stand a better chance than the kid who switched over from clarinet as a junior and still squawks when he plays.  But if Duke accepted 14 oboe players last year, well, I’m sorry:   you may be better than all those 14 others, but we just don’t need you.
When my students end up on the waiting list, here’s what I do.
First I tell them that the college doesn’t know what it will be missing. Each applicant that I send toward a particular school fits that school well, I believe.  But sometimes it just doesn’t work out: too many oboes.  I urge the student not towards sour grapes, but toward embracing the disappointment–and then moving on.
Second, if the school is truly one of the student’s top choices, then I advise the student to stay on the waiting list, and then write a letter to admissions updating their resume and highlighting any new accomplishments that were not in the original application.
Third, I help the student understand that to come off the waiting list is really Plan B, and that we have to turn to Plan A–which is to figure out which of the student’s other choices are the best option to pursue.  This is where I spend the bulk of my energy as a counselor.  While the student has been excited and hopeful about this college that rejected her, she does have other excellent options and my role is to help her get equally excited and hopeful about her other options. (And frankly, if I’ve done my job right from the start, a student is excited and hopeful about all the possible options on her list–and is not absolutely crushed when her first choice school rejects her.  But I admit it doesn’t always work that way, unfortunately.)
To build this excitement, I encourage the family to visit one or more of the colleges that have sent acceptance letters.  I help the student do a bit more research about the colleges that have said yes, including contacting current students, professors.
And the colleges help me out in this, because the colleges that have accepted her actually do want her.  They need a great oboe player this year, and they  have decided that she is the one. So they are going to pull out the stops to ensure that she enrolls.  Colleges know that it feels good to be wanted, and admissions offices across the country have become darned good at showing the love to students they accept.  (For example, one of my student received a package in the mail containing personalized business cards with his name on it from a college, including his new email address.  Even though this school was not his first choice, my student looked at them and felt like he already belonged!  These college marketing folks are geniuses!).
The key from the beginning of this process to the very end is to focus on developing a strong list of schools, each of which the student desires, each of which meet the student’s educational, social, and personal criteria, each of which would provide her with excellent opportunities.  They we make the strongest case on the applications that these schools match the student.  Then we hope and pray that the schools agree that the fit is snug.
And if the college–for reasons of its own budgetary and enrollment management–puts the student on the wait list, we just turn to the next opportunity where the fit is just as good and the outcome just as happy.
Mark Montgomery
Educational Consultant

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There are several different interview formats out there as well. Some schools offer a traditional, one-on-one conversation with an admissions officer, student who works in the admissions office or with an Alumnus of the college or university. You should be professional no matter which person you interview with. Just because you interview with a student does not mean you should let your guard down and be unprofessional. You may have the opportunity to meet with an Alumnus in your area if you are unable to visit the college campus at a time when interviews are offered.

This is a great opportunity to talk to someone who attended the college and find out how being a student there has benefited them later in life. Another interview style that colleges use is with a panel (sometimes composed of a professor, school administrator, alumnus, admissions officer or student). This type of interview can be overwhelming, but it is a great opportunity for you to gain perspective about the college from several different people.

Some schools require you to participate in a group interview. During group interviews, evaluators are trying to determine your ability to work with others and what role you typically play in a group setting. While these types of interviews are somewhat harder to prepare for. It is a great opportunity to show some of your talents! No matter what type of interview you participate in. It is important to keep in mind that this is an significant piece of your college application.

Here are a few things to consider when interviewing with a college:

Time is important:

Make sure you schedule an appointment for your interview. Do not assume you will be able to get a time slot the day you happen to be on campus. Most schools will not conduct interviews on weekends either. Also, be on time. Everyone understands that things happen and you may be late for your interview. If this is the case, be sure to call the office and let them know. Finally, the interviewers schedule may be tight, so make sure you say what you feel is the most important thing for them to know about you in the beginning of the interview.

Do your research:

If you do interview with a school, make sure it is one that you are really interested in. Ask well research questions about specific programs or activities offered at the school. Remember this is also the time for you to find out if the school is a good fit for you. The interviewer will also ask you why you are interested in a school or a specific program at the school. Make sure you have thought about your answer ahead of time!

Be professional:

You don’t have to wear a suit for your interview, but make sure your appearance is appropriate. Most interviewers understand that you are touring college campuses before or after your interview. So most are not expecting high heels and three piece suits. You should however, not be wearing your sweatpants or short shorts. Also, make sure you are not wearing too much perfume or cologne. Strong smells can be really over powering and a distraction for the interviewer. Finally, make sure that you cell phone is off or leave it in the lobby with your parents. Even having your phone on vibrate can be a negative distraction.

Watch your language:

You are not having a conversation with your friends, so watch how much slang you use and no profanity! If you are a person that uses the word “like” every other word, then practice having conversations without it!

Ask yourself some questions:

The interviewer will ask you questions such as, “How would you describe yourself?” “How would your teachers describe you?” “What is your favorite subject?” “What are you interested in studying in college?” Make sure you have some good answers.

Write a thank you note:

This shows the interviewer that you appreciated him or her taking time out of his or her day to interview you. You want the note to be grammatically correct and remember- it will probably end up in your admission file and resurface at the time your file is reviewed.

Katherine Price
Former Interviewer

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Great College Advice

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A while back, I explained that I started up a conversation about education in the 21st century with a Twitter friend, Alex Berger. The conversation began because we had both listened to a piece on NPR’s Talk of the Nation, in which guests debated the value of particular college majors.

Alex wrote me an extended email in which he gave his views about higher education and selecting a major and pursuing a career. It seems to me that more professors–like the one interviewed for the NPR story–should be talking to young people like Alex.

So here is Alex presenting his views.

My Journey in Choosing a College Major

Let me start by introducing my general background. I’m a graduate of Arizona State University (ASU) class of ’07 with a degree from the Barrett Honors College and the Hugh Downs School of Human Communication. For additional info – feel free to check out my about me page at https://virtualwayfarer.com or https://alex-berger.net. That said, I started an internship in my sophomore year of college with Colliers International, which turned into a part time (20hr/wk) job during the school year and full time (40/wk) position during the summer. After 3 years with the company I left several months after graduating, traveled for 3 months, then began with my current company – a mid-market mergers and acquisitions firm.

The first thing about the Talk of the Nation interview I couldn’t stand was the basic advice. It was the same garbage they’ve been feeding students for years. Look at what’s big now and pick a major that will service that demand. Which is about as good advice as the people that suggested investing heavily in the stock market when it was at 14,000 points.

We live in a time in which the economy is turning over. The industrial era is winding down and a digital era has begun. Things are transitioning and the workforce is turning over in a way that hasn’t been seen for decades. If people think it’s a unique climate now, wait until the Digital Natives start entering the work force.  Millennials and the shock they’ve brought with them will be a light breeze compared to the impending tornado.

Another portion of the interview that rubbed me the wrong way was the disdain for liberal arts degrees. I confess I’m a liberal arts person – but then again so is the world. Guys like the gentleman in the interview keep pushing students towards statistical degrees. Which is great…if you don’t understand technology. Computers do math better. They’re more accurate, smarter, and driven by a binary language. Look at what the PC did to the accounting industry. People on the other hand are not linear.

Now, don’t get me wrong – there’s always going to be a place for engineers, doctors and the like – but this sort of professional education is not the holy career grail it’s made out to be. Especially when American industry is re-tooling. From talking to other professionals – I’ve found that the response is generally the same. Are you preparing to be a doctor? An engineer? A biochemist? A financial analyst/accountant? If yes, your degree matters. If no – your degree serves a different purpose – but it doesn’t matter nearly as much as is suggested.

The era of one degree, one career is dead – and it’s a shame that educational dialogue and counseling hasn’t realized this.

So here’s the best advice I got in college:

I started out at Arizona State as a business major, focusing on international business/marketing/management. However, by my sophomore year I realized I hated the program. I’m a liberal arts person and come from a family of educators, not a bunch of statisticians. However, I felt trapped because I’d been led to believe that I HAD to have a Business degree.

I believed that I’d get an internship junior year, then transition into a grunt position within the company. Put in a few years, pay my dues, then move up and make a career out of things. So, there I was about to begin my junior year in a program that wasn’t preparing me for the slice of the professional world I wanted, but I was stubbornly slugging it out because I thought I had to.

As luck had it, the company I was working for had a tailgating event before an ASU football game. Most of us never left the tent, keg and wine set up in the parking lot at Sun Devil Stadium. After a while I found myself chatting with one of our clients. He asked me the series of questions you’d no doubt ask an incoming junior.

“What’s your major?” he asked.

“Business,” I replied, “but I’m debating changing programs so – I don’t know”.

“Well then, what do you want to do?”

I only had a shrug, nervous fidget and “I don’t know” to share.

After a few more similar questions, the gentleman waved his hand and said , “Don’t worry about it.  Here’s what you need to do – find something you enjoy and pick that for your major. Put in your time and get your degree. That’s all we care about.”

At first, I was resistant – the advice was all well and good, but I had a career to launch. This was my future. I couldn’t blow it and tens of thousands of dollars on a wasted degree. So, I pushed back.

To which he responded “College is one of the hardest things you’ll ever do”.

I scoffed and responded – College was a lot of things…but difficult? Hardly. Show up to class, doze off, raise your hand, respond to a question, tune back out – and get distracted by pretty girls. Monotonous? Full of brief moments of absolute panic? Sure. But difficult? Hardly.

He waved a hand, and said, “No no no. You’re going about it all wrong. College is difficult,” he continued, “because for 3 to 5 years you have to balance everything. Your finances, your personal life, your love life, your social life, work, people you hate, classes you don’t care for, etc. And above all you have to stick with it. You have to perform and complete the task you committed to when you started college.”

It was then that he shared with me that as an employer and successful business owner he didn’t care what degree I had. He did, however, care that I had one.  Because that diploma demonstrated that for four years I’d set to a task, balanced everything, and overcome one of the most monumental undertakings I’d ever faced. After all, he said, if he hired me he would have to re-train me, anyhow. So what was far more important to him was the proof I could complete the tasks he put in front me if I wanted to.

It was only then that it clicked and I realized how poor the advice and party line I’d been fed really was.

I followed his advice. I switched to communication, completed my honors degree, and I now work in an industry, business, and position that most finance majors would kill for. Why? Because I pursued what mattered – people, experience, resume and competence.

At the end of the day, higher education lays a groundwork and teaches you how to learn. The workplace takes that ability to learn, and trains you to be useful by fulfilling a set of roles or tasks. Only after college does the real training begin.

Alex Berger

Mark Montgomery
Educational Consultant

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Here’s a bit of what I learned.

1. As the Provost said, Menlo is not a small college, it’s a tiny college.  With each entering class made up of about 125 students, the total campus population is just under 600.  The campus is pleasantly verdant and compact, and classes take place in only two buildings, one of which is dedicated solely to business courses.
2. The focus at Menlo is on business.  Most students are majoring in some flavor of business administration, though some pursue degrees in psychology or other liberal arts disciplines.
3. Most Menlo students hail from California, with a smattering of students from other Western states.  Fifteen percent of students come from abroad, with most of those coming from Hong Kong and China.
4. Menlo is a teaching college, where each faculty member is expected to teach four courses per semester.  While some faculty complain about the work load, the Provost gently reminds them that with the tiny size of the College and the small size of classes, most instructors teacher fewer than 50 students per semester. Thus faculty members are able to build close connections with faculty—because such relationships would be unavoidable.
5. Menlo has only 30 full time faculty, and is trying to expand that number to 50. The Board of Trustees has given the Provost the directive to pay competitive salaries to attract and retain top faculty.  In addition, because of Menlo’s location in Silicon Valley, the College has access to an excellent pool of experienced and qualified adjunct instructors to teach in its business programs.  Twenty-one faculty members actually live on campus (and all faculty and staff may eat in the campus dining hall free of charge all year long!).
6. Menlo’s location also gives students the opportunity to pursue part-time jobs, internships, and summer employment in the high-tech industry of Silicon Valley.
7. Despite its tiny size, Menlo competes in NCAA Division III sports, and 40% of the students participate in varsity athletics.
8. Historically, Menlo has had a strong set of services for students with learning differences. While the College is happy to serve students with a wide variety of learning styles, it is refocusing itself and has made the decision not to be a school that specializes in serving the needs of students with learning differences.
9. Menlo’s President and current leadership team seems to have a strong, unified vision of how to transform this small college into a focused, ambitious little place—like the choo-choo train in the story, The Little Engine That Could.

I was pleased to finally visit Menlo.  I had met Bob Wilms, Menlo’s amiable and able director of admission, on several occasions.  While Bob is a great representative in extolling the virtues of Menlo, there is no substitute for walking the campus and meeting the people that form the core of the College.

College Consultant

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