Because of the increasing number of applicants, more and more colleges are starting to tap their network of alumni to conduct prospective student interviews in place of on-campus interviews. As an alumni interviewer for my undergraduate alma mater — Dartmouth College — for many years now, I want to provide you with a first-hand peek into the process. This post gives you a full list of alumni interview questions. 

I’ll start by saying that every college prepares its interviewers slightly differently. Some give loose guidelines about how to approach the discussion with the student while others provide far greater specificity in what the interviewer is supposed to do and ask. 

Further, depending on the location in which you are interviewed, the volunteer alumni interviewers may have more or less training in how to successfully interview candidate for admission. 

In all cases, however, the goal of the interview is to humanize the application process. Understanding what makes a student unique can be very difficult to glean from the black and white pages of an application. The interview can shed light on how a student thinks and interacts thereby presenting the real, whole person, not just words on a page. 

Need more info on how to prepare for the alumni interview? Click here. 

How does the interviewer get to understand the whole person during the interview? By asking lots of questions, of course! Interviewers may try to explore many different aspects of the student’s world from academics to extracurriculars to personal life to future plans to level of interest in the college. 

So, what kind of alumni interview questions can students expect when they sit across the table from me? Here are some examples: 

Alumni Interview Questions About Academics/High School Experience 

• Tell me what courses you’ve taken and if you have a favorite or least favorite one. If you do, why is it your favorite/least favorite subject? 

• What do you think are the strengths/weaknesses of your high school? 

• If you had to go back and do your high school experience all over again, what would you change and why? 

• Do you have a favorite teacher? If so, why is he/she your favorite?  What makes the teacher good? 

• Have you encountered a particular academic challenge during your years in high school? If so, what was it and how did you handle it? 

• Is there something that you will always remember from your high school experience? 

• If you could create your own course in high school, what would it be and why is it of interest to you? 

• Tell me about a particularly “hot” issue that has arisen in your high school and your thoughts on it. 

• If your teachers were to describe you to me, what words would they use? 

• Can you discuss a project or paper that you were particularly proud of during your high school career? 

• What are you doing to challenge yourself either in school or out of school? 

• Name a book you’ve read recently outside of school. Did you like it/dislike it? (Note: this is one of the most common alumni interview questions). 

Extracurriculars and Interests 

• What are your most notable interests and hobbies, and how are you pursuing them? 

• What activities are you involved in at school? Which are the most important to you? 

• What have you personally gotten out of your involvement in your activities? 

• Do you have what you would consider to be any particularly unique interests? 

• Are there any accomplishments that you are particularly proud of with respect to your activities? 

• How have you spent your summers while in high school? 

Alumni Interview Questions About Personal Life 

• How would you describe your hometown? 

• Tell me about your family. 

• What words would your friends use to describe you? 

• What is your most embarrassing moment? 

• Tell me what 3 books I’d have to read to get a better sense of who you are. 

• Talk about an ethical dilemma that you’ve faced and how you’ve handled it. (Note: This is one of those alumni interview questions that also can appear as an essay question on the application). 

• If you had one year and unlimited funds, what would you do? 

• How do you want people to remember you? 

• If you had a weekend with absolutely nothing scheduled, how would you spend your time? 

• What’s your opinion on (a current event)? 

• What would you change about yourself? 

• Do you have a “bucket list”? What are some things about it? 

• Do you have a hero/heroine? If so, who and why do you hold him/her in such high esteem? 

College/Future Plans 

• How would you contribute to life on a college campus? 

• What are you looking forward to most about college? 

• Do you have an idea about what you would like to major in? 

• What would you like to do after college? 

Alumni Interview Questions About School Interest 

• If you were standing in front of the admissions committee, what would you tell them to convince them to admit you? What makes you unique? 

• Describe the kind of college environment you are looking for. 

• Why are you interested in my school? 

• Why do you think that my school is a good fit for you? 

• What have I not told you that you want to know about the school? (a.k.a. What questions do you have for me?) 

While you can’t anticipate every question that an interviewer might ask, the questions above give you a good sampling of areas that your interviewer might explore. Spending some time pondering these alumni interview questions can go a long way to preparing yourself before you have your interview. 

Andrea Aronson 

College Admissions Advisor, Westfield NJ 

Ready to get started with the college admissions process?

The team at Great College Advice has deep experience in guiding students along the road from high school college. We provide individually tailored, one-on-one advising to help students achieve their college dreams. If you’d like more information about our services, contact us for a free consultation. Or just pick up the phone and call us at 720.279.7577.  We’d be happy to chat with you.

Since 2007, the expert team of college admissions consultants at Great College Advice has provided comprehensive guidance to thousands of students from across the United States and over 45 countries across the world. Great College Advice has offices in Colorado, New Jersey, Chicago, North Carolina and Massachusetts.   

In addition to our one-on-one counseling, Great College Advice extends its support through one of the most active and resource-rich Facebook Groups for college-bound students and their families: College Admissions Experts. With nearly 100,000 members—students, parents, and experienced counselors—this vibrant forum offers peer support and expert advice like no other. 

The post What to Expect in Your College Alumni Interview first appeared on College Admission Counseling.

Check out this short video about how to choose a college major.

Should You Study Business in the Ivy League–Or Anywhere Else?

If your goal is to go to Wall Street and spend for first few years post-undergrad working for one of the bulge bracket investment banks, then, yes, studying business in the Ivy League makes a lot of sense. The Ivy League is where these banks recruit from. There are so many alumni network connections you will make as you start down the internship and job search process. There will also be multiple opportunities in areas like finance to work for hedge funds, private equity, and large multinational corporations. 

But will it be your ticket to riches and success? Possibly if this is all you care about rather than work/life balance. But there are no certainties here. A business major–by itself–will not make you more money than that philosophy major across the dormitory hall from you. Similarly, going to an Ivy League school will not necessarily make you more money than if you went to a liberal arts college or a state school. Average salaries published by colleges and third party sites are not indicative of your potential success. They should not determine your interests and they definitely do not reflect your aptitudes or abilities.

As you decide what to major in, think about what keeps you engaged, what interests, you, and where your abilities are the strongest. Also remember that no matter what field you go into in today’s economy, you will be “in business.” At some point, you’ll probably have to learn some of the fundamentals of business. Maybe you’ll learn them in college. Maybe you’ll even learn them in the Ivy League. Or somewhere else.

But to put it in Yoda speak, “learn you will.”

Need help with the college admissions process?

If you need assistance in the college admissions process, please contact us for a complimentary consultation. At Great College Advice, we provide personalized college consulting focused on helping make the process of preparing, selecting, and applying to college more successful, less stressful, and more fun.

Since 2007, the expert team of college admissions consultants at Great College Advice has provided comprehensive guidance to thousands of students from across the United States and over 45 countries across the world. Great College Advice has offices in Colorado, New Jersey, Chicago, North Carolina and Massachusetts.

In addition to our one-on-one counseling, Great College Advice extends its support through one of the most active and resource-rich Facebook Groups for college-bound students and their families: College Admissions Experts. With nearly 100,000 members—students, parents, and experienced counselors—this vibrant forum offers peer support and expert advice like no other.

So, studying business in the Ivy League is your dream? If you want to major in business at an Ivy League university, you may need to broaden your horizons as only Penn and Cornell offer undergraduate degrees in business.

First, a Bit of History

The Ivy League universities are among the oldest in the country. Five of the eight are among the 10 oldest universities in the country:

• Harvard – 1636
• Yale – 1702
• Penn – 1740
• Princeton – 1746
• Columbia – 1754

Brown and Dartmouth were founded a little bit later (in 1746 and 1769, respectively). Cornell is the outlier: it was started in 1846–almost a century and a half after Harvard. As we shall see, this is part of the reason that Cornell looks so very, very different from the other schools with which it plays football.

And that’s the key here: the “Ivy League” is a relatively recent creation. Eight schools got together and created a sports league. So the “league” in Ivy League has nothing to do with academics whatsoever. Like so much in America’s university system, sports is sort of the tail that wags the dog.

The Liberal Arts Focus of the Ivy League

The traditional curricular focus of all the Ivy League schools harkens back to the traditional academic subjects that people like John Adams and Benjamin Franklin studied: philosophy, law, and theology. At the time, of course, “science” was more or less an outgrowth of philosophy, or the inquiry into knowledge. The same was true of mathematics: it was all sort of rolled into the study of the current state of mankind’s knowledge of the world.

So, it wasn’t until the 19th century that Europeans and Americans began thinking of teaching university courses that were directly relevant to both agriculture (where most Americans were employed at the time) and to the advances of the Industrial Age (and the rise of engineering as a discipline). Cornell, for example, still has a solid agricultural program, as well as a veterinary school. A large part of Cornell’s mission was (and still is, to an extent) to improve the agricultural yield of our farmers. (This was true of all the so-called “land grant” universities).

A Professional Focus is Relatively New for the Ivy League

So it wasn’t until much later that universities began teaching subjects directly related to the economic development of the country and to the professional development of individuals. Prior to this, education at Ivy League schools was limited to the economic and political elites. Then, the subjects taught were considered most relevant to being an “educated person.” Graduates of the Ivies might very well go on to take their place (by birthright, mostly) in the upper-class establishment of American society.

Business: Today’s Educational Imperative?

Fast forward to today. The educational priorities of the American public have shifted. There are a lot of reasons for the shift.

• College has become so expensive–especially at selective institutions–that families are more conscious of the “return on investment or ROI”: what will be the short and long-term economic payoff of earning this degree?
• A continuing national philosophy that is best expressed by the words of Calvin Coolidge: “The business of America is business.”
• Majors like history, English, and philosophy are now considered “useless” by most Americans. In other words, even elites are looking askance at the idea that these disciplines can train the mind, improve one’s ability to think analytically and to tap into a knowledge of history and culture as a way to guide humanity forward.
• Americans have an increasing skepticism about knowledge and elitism in general (even though the majority of our presidents and many of our political leaders are graduates of Ivy League institutions).

Today, the most popular and common major in American universities is business. Over half of Americans graduate with a business degree of some sort.

Can You Study Business in the Ivy League?

6 of the 8 Ivies do not offer undergraduate majors in business – Dartmouth, Brown, Harvard, Yale, Princeton, and Columbia. However, Penn (Wharton) and Cornell offer undergraduate degrees in business. Of course, some of these do offer MBAs (Harvard, Yale, Dartmouth, Columbia, Penn (Wharton) and Cornell). 

Study Business in the Ivy League at the University of Pennsylvania

The Wharton School of Business at Penn offers degrees in business. Interested students submit an application direction to Wharton. While there are some joint programs that link liberal arts majors with business, there is not a lot of intellectual or curricular cross-over between Penn’s College of Arts and Sciences and the Wharton School.

Along with that, it’s also important to note that Penn also has a School of Nursing and a School of Engineering and Applied Sciences.

The Wharton School Concentrations

• Accounting
• AI for Business
• Behavioral Economics
• Business Economics and Public Policy
• Business Analytics
• Entrepreneurship & Innovation
• Environmental Management and Policy
• Finance
• Health Care Management and Policy
• Leading Across Differences
• Legal Studies and Business Ethics
• Management 
• Marketing
• Marketing and Communication
• Operations, Information, and Decisions
• Marketing and Operations Management
• Real Estate
• Retailing
• Statistics

Each concentration above requires only four courses, so it’s easy to switch around or pursue more than one. Clearly, Penn has a wide range of business offerings, which makes it even more attractive to students who want to get study business in the Ivy League.

Study business in the Ivy League at Cornell

Cornell is the other school at which you can study business in the Ivy League. Cornell now has the SC Johnson College of Business, which is a unification of two other programs at Cornell – The Dyson School and the Nolan School of Hotel Administration.

The Dyson School

The first program is the Charles H. Dyson School of Applied Economics and Management, which offers (naturally enough) a BS in Applied Economics and Management. Despite its history and anomalous institutional structure, the curriculum at Dyson mirrors more or less what one would find at any college of business for undergrad. The core requirements are supplemented by at least one concentration.

• Accounting
• Applied Economics and Management
• Business Analytics
• Entrepreneurship
• Finance
• Food Business Management
• International Markets and Development
• Marketing
• Strategy  
• Sustainable Business and Economic Policy

The other alternative for studying business at Cornell is to zero in on a particular business–one in which Cornell has particular strength: hotel administration. Cornell’s School of Hotel Administration offers a BS in Hotel Administration. 

Studying Business in the Ivy League: Some Alternatives

If you decide not to attend either Penn’s Wharton School or Cornell’s Johnson School, then how else might you study business in the Ivy League? Here are some ideas.

Study economics

Perhaps the best alternative–academically speaking–if you want to study something somewhat related to business, then you could take up the “dismal science” of economics. In fact, a larger and larger proportion of Ivy League students are studying economics these days. 

Join business-oriented clubs and societies

Most of the Ivy League colleges have a variety of business-oriented activities on campus, from incubators for entrepreneurs to investment and finance clubs, to marketing and communications. Look for these on the student activities pages of the college’s website.

Become a leader in any club or association

Becoming a business leader is about exercising leadership in a particular context. But leadership is something one can learn in a variety of contexts. So don’t pass up an opportunity to develop that leadership in any way you can. Whether you lead groups of students in sports, the arts, community service, religious organizations, or any other sort of club or association, you will be cultivating the sort of skills and habits that can make you a leader in the business world. And most clubs will need certain kinds of abilities, including accounting and management. So if you are particularly excited about those activities, step up and lead!

Check out this short video about how to choose a college major.

Should You Study Business in the Ivy League–Or Anywhere Else?

If your goal is to go to Wall Street and spend for first few years post-undergrad working for one of the bulge bracket investment banks, then, yes, studying business in the Ivy League makes a lot of sense. The Ivy League is where these banks recruit from. There are so many alumni network connections you will make as you start down the internship and job search process. There will also be multiple opportunities in areas like finance to work for hedge funds, private equity, and large multinational corporations. 

But will it be your ticket to riches and success? Possibly if this is all you care about rather than work/life balance. But there are no certainties here. A business major–by itself–will not make you more money than that philosophy major across the dormitory hall from you. Similarly, going to an Ivy League school will not necessarily make you more money than if you went to a liberal arts college or a state school. Average salaries published by colleges and third party sites are not indicative of your potential success. They should not determine your interests and they definitely do not reflect your aptitudes or abilities.

As you decide what to major in, think about what keeps you engaged, what interests, you, and where your abilities are the strongest. Also remember that no matter what field you go into in today’s economy, you will be “in business.” At some point, you’ll probably have to learn some of the fundamentals of business. Maybe you’ll learn them in college. Maybe you’ll even learn them in the Ivy League. Or somewhere else.

But to put it in Yoda speak, “learn you will.”

Need help with the college admissions process?

If you need assistance in the college admissions process, please contact us for a complimentary consultation. At Great College Advice, we provide personalized college consulting focused on helping make the process of preparing, selecting, and applying to college more successful, less stressful, and more fun.

Since 2007, the expert team of college admissions consultants at Great College Advice has provided comprehensive guidance to thousands of students from across the United States and over 45 countries across the world. Great College Advice has offices in Colorado, New Jersey, Chicago, North Carolina and Massachusetts.

In addition to our one-on-one counseling, Great College Advice extends its support through one of the most active and resource-rich Facebook Groups for college-bound students and their families: College Admissions Experts. With nearly 100,000 members—students, parents, and experienced counselors—this vibrant forum offers peer support and expert advice like no other.

The post Studying Business in the Ivy League first appeared on College Admission Counseling.

The Great College Advice College Consulting Approach is Unique

Our mission at Great College Advice is to provide students and families the highest standard of assistance in the college admissions process. We carefully customize each student’s program to match the student’s needs, abilities, and aspirations. We provide the tools and guidance for students to make their own decisions about what is important to them as they navigate the college admissions process. Our counselors then help students discover the school that is the best fit for them. We guide students as they complete their applications, write their essays, and present themselves in the best light throughout the admissions process.

How We Define Success in the College Admissions Process

At Great College Advice we define college admissions success in a variety of ways. But the most important measure of our success is the happiness and satisfaction of our students and families. Results are important, however, and we are pleased that over the past three years, 97% of our students have been accepted to one of their top three college choices. We are also proud that our students aiming for the most selective colleges and universities win acceptance. Our Ivy League success rates are 3 to 10 times greater with our help than the general acceptance rates.

See our testimonials to hear how our students and parents feel about Great College Advice.

However, our real goal is to deliver a transformative college planning process with long term effects. We are never more gratified than when our students and families share with us how much they have learned through the process—about higher education, about the world, and about themselves. It’s not just about college admissions success. It’s preparation for life-long success.

Best of luck to our students as they make their way to campus next month – congratulations on everything you’ve accomplished! We know you will succeed in the next chapter of your educational journey.

Feeling overwhelmed with the college admissions process?   

The team at Great College Advice has years of experience working with thousands of students as they navigate the college admissions process.  We can help you prepare, select, and apply to colleges to give you the best chance of being accepted to your top choices. Please contact us to schedule your no-cost, no-obligation meeting so we can learn more about you and discuss how we can help make the college admissions process more successful and less stressful.

GCA Class of 2025 College Acceptances

Although not an exhaustive list, here are some of the colleges and universities our students were accepted this year, from the Ivy League to selective liberal arts colleges to public flagships and everything in between: 

The post Great College Advice 2025 College Acceptances first appeared on College Admission Counseling.

The college application process gets more complicated and more stressful every year, especially for ambitious, Ivy-bound students. With such a high-stakes, complex decision looming, it’s no wonder more and more families are turning to independent college counselors for guidance through the process. But even that is not as simple as it seems! If your student is high-achieving and aiming for the top, do you find the best college counselor for Ivy League schools?

While there are many independent college counselors out there, the scope and quality of the services they offer vary widely. Especially if you’re looking for the best college counselor of Ivy League schools, it’s important to know what you’re looking for and do your research carefully. Here are some factors to consider when trying to find the best college counselor for Ivy League schools.

Consider the counselor’s experience with Ivy League and other top schools

Many independent college counselors have worked in the admissions offices of Ivy League and other top schools. Counselors who have been “on the other side” have invaluable insight into how the inner workings of the admissions processes at these rarified institutions. They can help you understand just what goes on in admissions offices.

There are many other types of experience an independent counselor might bring to the table: many attended top colleges and universities and may have worked at those institutions in capacities other than admissions. Some may have been professors, deans, or even vice presidents!

Some independent college counselors, like the team at Great College Advice, have been working with students and families for fifteen or twenty years. With so many admissions seasons under their belt, you can bet that these counselors have seen it all and will know how to guide your family through the process in the smoothest, least stressful, and most successful way possible.

Ask about the counselor’s record of admissions success, especially with Ivy League and other top schools

Working with a college counselor is about more than the admissions outcomes: it’s about the admissions process. Working with an independent college counselor can give your student the opportunity to engage in deep introspection about who they are and what they want at a critical inflection point in their development. It can also make the college application process less stressful and less conflict-prone for the whole family.

That being said, the primary reason you’re going through this process is for the result! You want to maximize your student’s college options and put them on the path to choosing the right one. So it’s important to understand what kind of admissions success the counselor you’re considering has had.

Don’t be afraid to ask what percentage of the students they’ve worked with over the years have been accepted at Ivy League and other top colleges. But don’t be blinded by brand name: be sure to also ask what percent of that counselor’s students have been accepted at their personal top choices.

To find the best college counselor for Ivy League schools, ask about the type of scope of services the counselor offers

The application process for some colleges is more complicated than for others. For example, some colleges may only require a student’s transcript and nothing else. At the other end of the spectrum, some colleges may require five or more essays, an interview, and a video submission. Given the wide variety of admissions requirements, it’s not surprising that independent college counselors offer a wide variety of services.

Ivy League and other top colleges are almost always the schools with the most involved application processes. For that reason, if your student is Ivy-bound, it’s important to ensure that the counselor you’re considering offers a robust suite of services. At the minimum, you’ll want to look for a counselor who offers help making and evaluating a college list and brainstorming and editing the essays your student will have to write. Beyond that, many counselors also help students explore different major options and think through how to maximize their time in high school in order to best support a competitive college application.

Make sure to factor in the cost of the services

The cost of working with an independent college counselor can vary widely, depending on numerous factors. Like many service-based businesses, independent college counselors may not post their prices on their website, so be sure to reach out and ask what they charge.

Ivy League and other top colleges and universities tend to have more extensive application requirements, so an independent college counselor may charge more to support applications to Ivy League schools. Keep in mind that college counseling can be expensive, but your child’s education is one of the biggest financial investments you are likely to ever make. If you feel like professional guidance would be helpful, don’t hesitate to seek that support.

Personality is very important when choosing a college counselor!

Especially for high-achieving students, the college application process can be rigorous, and your student will be working with their college counselor quite intensively. It’s important to find someone your child will connect with. You want someone who will keep your student accountable to deadlines and moving through the process but who will help make your student feel comfortable enough to open up and write personal essays.

When choosing a college counselor, be sure to ask for a meeting between your student and the counselor. The only way to know if someone is a good fit is for them to meet your student!

How to find the best college counselor for Ivy League schools

This is a big decision, and it’s important to take your time! Ask your personal network for referrals, read reviews, and ask the counselor you’re considering for references. Be sure to consider a counselor’s experience, educational background, services, track record, price, and personality. With these factors in mind, you’ll be well on your way to finding the best college counselor for Ivy League and other top colleges and universities.

Need more help on your college application to the Ivy League, Little Ivies, Public Ivies or other selective universities? We have helped hundreds of kids just like you find the school of their dreams while learning so much more about themselves in the process! Fill out this form to schedule a free consultation with Great College Advice.

Editor’s Note: This post was originally published in July 2023 and has been updated for accuracy and comprehensiveness.

The post How to Choose the Best College Counselor for Ivy League Schools first appeared on College Admission Counseling.

Sometimes students will also sit in on a class or two, in hopes of getting a feel for what the educational experience will be like. Only a few, however, consider direct contact with professors during the visit.

Why would a visit with a professor be important on a campus visit?

Explore majors

Many students are still trying to learn about different majors as part of the larger decision about what college to attend. What better way to learn about an unfamiliar major than to talk to an expert? A professor in the department can give a first-hand account of what one is supposed to learn in that department.

Most professors are accustomed to “selling” their discipline to undergraduates, and most are willing to take the time to talk with prospective students and efficiently introduce them to the department. To give a concrete example of this, a student of mine was trying to decide whether she was more suited for a business and marketing degree, or whether she was more interested in psychology.

She had taken some introductory courses in both in high school, and she liked both. But she didn’t quite understand what the difference would be in terms of the courses she would be required to take. The format of those courses, and the career implications of both disciplines. So when she recently toured three campuses, she talked to two professors on each campus–one in marketing and one in psychology.

Upon her return, she had developed a very clear idea that while she wanted to take a few more courses in psychology, she was absolutely sure that she would be a marketing major in college. This self-awareness came through well-organized discussions with experts. Not only will her applications be stronger for having made this effort, but she is more certain of her academic path in college.

Establish contact with someone who shares your academic passions

If a student has a particular interest in (for example) the history of the Cold War and believes that he would like to focus on that period while pursuing a history major, it makes sense to learn more about the individuals in the history department who share that passion. And there is no better way to learn about that professor as a person than by sitting down in his office for a few minutes. By establishing rapport as an applicant, it will be easier to build on that rapport once you matriculate.

Gather information that will help on your application

Admissions officers all want to know why you have chosen to apply to their college. If you have taken the initiative to meet with a professor, and you can clearly articulate what makes a particular department stand out, or that you want to pursue advanced study with a particular professor (of Cold War history, for example). Then you can make a strong case for why you are academically suited to this school. Meeting a professor demonstrates that you are doing your homework and that you are really considering the academic fit between your interests and college offerings.

How do you prepare your questions to ask professors on a college tour?

If you decide to include a visit with a professor during your campus visits, you need to be prepared. Not only do you need to think about what sort of questions to ask, but you need to think about the practicalities of asking to meet with a professor in the first place.

It’s really not so hard to connect with professors. In many cases, they are really hoping to teach students who are genuinely interested in the academic subjects to which they have devoted their lives. They want to meet you.

Of course, this is less true at the most highly selective colleges. They are inundated with requests by applicants to meet with them. And don’t be too surprised of professors at these competitive schools refuse to meet with you. They just don’t have the time or interest.

But at schools that may be just a bit less competitive, professors are eager to help recruit bright-eyed and bushy-tailed students who want to learn the subject that they teach.

So how should you go about asking professors for a meeting while on a college tour?

Tips for contacting professors on a college tour

Identify the appropriate professor

For some purposes, you may want to start with the department chair. If you are hoping to talk to a specific person (because you share their academic interests), then go right to that faculty member. You can find full lists of faculty in every department on a college or university website. Make sure you find their bios, their teaching responsibilities, and perhaps even links to the courses they teach. Do your homework before you initiate contact. Remember: faculty members are teachers, and they like students who do their homework.

Start with an email

Explain briefly who you are, when you will be on campus, and why you want to meet with the professor. Address the professor formally, and respectfully (i.e., not, “Hey, professor!”). Set the tone by demonstrating that you are serious. The note does not have to be dull, but it has to be formal. Sign your name at the bottom and give your email and phone number. Also, your parents should not do this for you. The email must come from you. Professors have even less patience for parents than admissions officers.

Establish your goals or agenda for the meeting

Are you trying to learn more about a couple of different majors? Do you want to learn about research opportunities in a particular field or sub-field? Do you want to understand more about this professor’s research and teaching interests? How well your particular interests can be supported in the department?

Did you read about a particular program or curriculum element that interests you, about which you want to learn more? Don’t just say “I’d really like to meet you.” Tell the recipient of your email why you want to meet. Refer to specifics in the course catalog, the professor’s publications, or the departmental website.

Follow through

If the professor recommends that you contact someone else, thank her for the guidance, and then immediately turn around and follow that advice. I repeat: do not forget to say “thank you.” If the professor does agree to meet you, make sure to write down the appointment (and tell your parent or whoever is accompanying you on the campus visit), and then call and/or email the professor the day before to confirm the appointment.

Be prepared with questions to ask professors on a college tour

Come to the interview with three or four pertinent, relevant questions that relate to your agenda. Remember, this is not an admissions interview. You have asked for this appointment to gather information. So make sure you know what your questions are. Come with a pad of paper and a pencil, and be ready to take a few notes. Since you are asking for advice, be prepared to receive it. Furthermore, your notes may come in handy when you have to write that essay, “Why I want to go to College X.” You can make some specific references to things your new professor friend taught you.

Don’t be afraid

Just because someone has the letter “Ph.D.” after his name does not make him particularly scary. Professors are people, too, and they actually like it when students take an interest in them and their work. Most have chosen this profession because they enjoy students and genuinely enjoy dispensing advice. So if a professor agrees to meet with you, it’s because he wants to, and because he takes his job seriously.

Don’t invite your parents

As you explore a campus–and the people who inhabit it–you need to act independently. Professors expect you to act like an adult. Nothing will make you seem more juvenile than having Mom and Dad in tow. Of course, Mom and Dad may like to hear what the professor has to say. But this is your journey of discovery.

This relationship is one that you need to build yourself–adult to adult. So gently remind your parents that you are perfectly capable of handling this meeting alone and that you will meet them at the front door of the building in thirty minutes. While some parents may be a bit miffed not to be invited to this meeting secretly They’ll be impressed by your demonstration of your maturity and independence.

Need Some Help in Developing Questions to Ask Professors on a College Tour?

The expert college admissions counselors at Great College Advice can help guide you in coming up with your own list of questions to ask professors on a college tour. It’s not easy to think through what it is you want from your college application. It can be even more daunting to think about sitting down with a professor in his office to ask about your academic interests.

If you feel like you need some professional guidance, give us a call or contact us.  We’d be happy to talk to you about how we can help you map your college journey.

Great College Advice

The post Questions to Ask Professors on a College Tour first appeared on College Admission Counseling.

Sadly, there is very little research to indicate how much you could expect to earn after gaining a degree from this, that, or the other college. We do have statistics reports of averages. This one at Payscale.com is an example. But an average is not a prediction of what your son or daughter will make upon graduation. About half the kids make more than that. And half make less. Which will be your child? Above or below the average?

Even with salary averages by college, educational ROI would not be predictive for an individual student. An average is an average, after all, and how could we predict that Susie would earn above the average and that Sam would earn below that average? (Unless, of course, Susie were from Lake Wobegon…where all the children are above average…).

Plus there are kids at cheaper schools that make way more than the averages for those expensive private schools. Who made the better bet: the kid who paid less for college, or the one who paid more?

The fact is that aggregate data is unhelpful in providing clear guidance to individual high school graduates. Would you buy a Harvard degree if you were destined to earn below the salary average for that institution? What crystal ball will tell us where we will end up five, ten, or twenty-five years after graduation?

The reason for the dearth of the sort of solid research for which we all pine is that it cannot be done. Solid, scientific, and predictive research requires double-blind experiments with variables that can be controlled. When it comes to educational ROI, such controlled experiments would be impossible.

Why? Because human beings are darned complex, and too many uncontrollable variables enter the equation. What are the variables that have an impact on one’s financial success in life (other than the name of the university on one’s diploma)?

Let’s start a list.

• Educational background prior to entering college (e.g., Philips Exeter vs PS 142)
• Socio-economic status prior to entering college (e.g., New England blueblood vs. first-generation Sudanese)
• Grades earned in college (e.g., a studious 3.5 GPA or a slacker 2.4
• Major in college (e.g., engineering vs. education)
• Location a person chooses to live in after college (e.g., Santa Barbara vs. Omaha)
• The type of profession one seeks (e.g., teacher vs. neurosurgeon)
• Other skills a student develops beyond the major (e.g., the philosophy major who also studies organic chemistry)
• Jobs or internships the student might have had during college (e.g., dishing ice cream on Cape Cod vs. doing an accounting gig with PriceWaterhouseCoopers)
• Absence or presence of well-connected family members (e.g., a mom who CEO of Acme Technology and raised gobs of dough for a presidential campaign vs. a dad who drives a cab in Brooklyn)

Get the picture? Controlling for all these variables so that we could develop a scientific study that gave us meaningful comparisons to help us predict educational ROI for a particular student is virtually impossible. No aspiring academic with an understanding of research methodology would take this on.

But the biggest problem is that we can never compare a single kid who had two lives one in which he went to a high-priced college and one in which he went to a community college and later transferred to the state school.

Or the student who majored in business in his first life and then majored in English in his second.

Or the student who earned good grades in his first life, and then floated by with a C-average in his second.

Now, if we could clone people and set the clones off in two different directions that would be really cool. And conclusive. We could see which genetically identical person earned the most after having attended this school or the other. As long as those genetically identical individuals had lived identical lives in the same household to the age of 18 (if, however, the clones were “separated at birth,” we’d see our research devolve into the nature vs. nurture morass).

The fact is, folks, that we all want to be able to scientifically tote up the numbers to come up with a predictive return on our educational investment.

Can’t be done.

So we’re left with a silly, vapid argument between those who say “spend the money” and those who say “save your money.” Both are right.  Both are wrong. The argument gets us nowhere.

Fundamental principles we can consider in making the decision

Still, might there be some fundamental principles we can consider in making the decision about whether to spend tons of money on a college education? Let’s see if we can’t come up with some.

1.  How big an investment is the price tag, relative to current family income? Some can easily afford a quarter of a million dollars for an education. Some cannot. So if you have the money, it’s worth it. If you don’t have it, it’s not worth it. (Remember Aesop’s fable of the “Fox and the Grapes”?). Hmmm…this is not a very satisfying fundamental principle. Next!

2.  Will you have to go into debt to finance this expensive degree? The bigger the debt burden, the less likely the return on the investment will cancel out that debt. Then again, it depends on what you end up doing after that degree. If you’re a brain surgeon or a successful venture capitalist, then who cares? You’ll be able to pay off that debt in the blink of an eye. But if you become a teacher or an unsuccessful venture capitalist, then clearly the investment wasn’t worth it. But notice: you can’t know whether the investment was worth it until AFTER you have a successful–or unsuccessful career! This is getting frustrating, isn’t it?

3.  Speaking of which, your professional aspirations do play a role. If you plan to be a kindergarten teacher or an orchestral musician, then spending a quarter of a million bucks for an education isn’t worth it. However, if you want to be a brain surgeon, you have no choice but to go to college…and then go into debt for medical school. But here’s a contrarian thought: do you have to go to college to be a successful business executive?

Not necessarily, of course (we all know the story of Bill Gates, for whom Harvard “wasn’t worth it”). To go a step further, do you really have to go to college at all to make a lot of money? I have a cousin who went to school to learn how to do auto body work. He can now buy and sell me several times over, sends his kids to elite private schools, drives a brand new Mercedes, and has a vacation home in Vermont. Where did I go wrong….?

4.  Savvy shoppers for educational services should do some price comparisons. But the fact is that very few students pay the actual tuition sticker price. You see, because of the way financial aid (both merit-based and need-based) is allocated, each individual pays a different price for that education–especially at the colleges with heavy price tags.

So here again we have another variable for which we much provide some scientific control in our research: we need to compare students who paid full price or students who received a full scholarship. Or half a scholarship. Or something. (Oh my:  not another variable for which we need a control!)

5.  There are aspects of education that do not boil down to dollars and cents. For some, education is not merely about preparing for a profession. For some, it’s also about intellectual inquiry–pushing your capacities to the limit. There is a spiritual element to education that transcends a “market price.” This is all well and good: but it certainly doesn’t get us any closer to calculating our educational ROI. To do a calculation, we need numbers, and these folks who find an intrinsic value in education just aren’t numbers people.

The fact is that the argument as to whether or not an expensive private education is “worth it” simply cannot be won. The argument isn’t really an argument: it all boils down to one’s personal values and preferences.

Can people who go to state universities have satisfying, successful careers?

You bet. Can Ivy League graduates end up earning less than $40k per year for the past 25 years? You bet (I have a Dartmouth friend who is a respected ornithologist who lives in the Amazon, has discovered many new species, and has never made more than $40k in a year: was his Ivy League investment “worth it”?).

Advice on the worth of an expensive private college education

So in the absence of research, we need a crystal ball. Or we need good, solid, personalized advice from someone who can help a family identify their priorities. Perhaps a professional guidance counselor who can help a student explore his or her academic strengths and weaknesses.

Who can discuss “educational philosophy” with a family to find out whether the educational priority is on “getting a job” or on “leading the examined life.” What it all amounts to is “different strokes for different folks.” My job is not to win an argument. My job is to figure out which stroke you’re swimming and help keep you moving in your chosen direction.

Great College Advice

The post Is An Expensive Private College Education Worth the Money? first appeared on College Admission Counseling.

• Pay attention to each student’s needs
• Alleviate stress for both student and parent
• Give the student a competitive edge
• Eliminate the confusion
• Save money

Personalized Attention

College selection and application is a very time-consuming process. Counseling—of all types—requires time and energy from a professional. But school guidance counselors are overworked and have less time than perhaps they once did to give personalized college counseling.

The National Association for College Admissions Counseling (NACAC) recommends that a college counselor work with no more than about one hundred students per year. However, a study by the National Association for College Admissions Counseling (NACAC) measured the degree to which school counselors are overworked.

• Nationwide, the average college counselor in a public high school serves 315 students. In Colorado. The public school student-to- counselor ratio is 553:1.
• The student-to-college-counselor ratio is higher in large schools: nationally, in schools of more than 2000 students, the ratio is 654:1. Colorado has 18 high schools of this size–all along the Front Range.

Choosing a college is not something that is easily left to computer programs and mathematical algorithms. The admissions process, while seemingly quite simple on its face. Can necessitate different strategies and tactics for each individual student. As public schools continue to reduce the number of guidance counselors. Parents are turning to private counselors to ensure that their children get the direction they need and deserve.

Alleviate Stress

Choosing a college can be stressful for a variety of reasons. First, parents, who have been nurturing their children since the day they were born, have a hard time delegating this important decision to their children. Second, students are not always equipped to make this first great life decision: most students have not made their own educational decisions or chosen their schools. They may not possess the self-knowledge to make this decision, and may need to work through a process to develop a strong set of criteria on which to base this decision.

To make matters worse, the junior and senior years of high school can be very difficult for students. They have many competing priorities to balance: improving their grades, deepening their extracurricular commitments, and preparing for those annoying SAT and ACT tests (and don’t forget the difficulty of maintaining a social life!). For these reasons—and many others—the college selection and application process becomes a vortex of anxiety for everyone.

An experienced college consultant can help reassure nervous parents. Guide students through a process of self-discovery, and ensure that all the administrative pieces are managed with efficiency and accuracy. The transition from high school to college should be an exciting time in a young person’s life, full of anticipation and promise, and a professional college counselor can maintain the focus on the excitement—and not the stress.

Competitive Edge

College admissions today seems much more competitive than ever before. More and more students are applying to college, and each student is applying to more colleges. Acceptance rates at selective colleges continue to decline. So how can college-bound students give themselves a competitive edge?

As noted above, high school guidance counselors are overburdened. So more and more families are turning to private consultants to help select the right colleges and guide the student through the admissions process. According to the Independent Educational Consultants Association (IECA). An estimated 22% of freshmen at private, four-year colleges have used some kind of consulting services in the admission process.

Private day and boarding schools have more robust college counseling programs than do public schools. The student to counselor ratio at a private school may be as low as 50:1, compared to the national average of 315:1. Obviously, some students are getting more help than others.

Good guidance in selecting the right schools and in completing the application can make the difference between acceptance and rejection. We can help your son or daughter develop an appropriate college selection and admissions strategy to give them the best possible chance of reaching their educational goals.

Eliminate The Confusion

One of the great benefits of the Internet age is that students and parents have much more access to enormous amounts of information. With literally thousands of websites devoted to college selection and admission, parents and students can learn more about college admission than ever before.

But knowledge is not bliss: the overwhelming quantity of information that does little to clarify our vision and answer our individual questions. Which information is useful and Which sources can I trust? Which information applies to my child’s particular situation? The huge expansion of available information has created a new burden of having to sift through zillions of bits and bytes for useful tidbits.

An experienced college consultant can help do the sifting for you. By focusing primarily on your student, the counselor can pull the information that is directly relevant to the student’s situation. And because a good counselor also knows colleges well, he can select colleges that closely match the student’s needs, abilities, and ambitions.

Save You Money

In today’s economy, almost all parents are looking for a bargain in higher education. The biggest sources of financial aid and scholarship money in the United States are the colleges and universities themselves. Colleges award better financial aid and scholarship packages to the students that best match their institutional values and priorities. Thus for the price-sensitive family, it is crucial that the student select colleges that are a perfect fit. Not only for the student, but for the college.

While we can never guarantee a particular outcome, we have a strong record of helping families reduce the overall cost of a college education by carefully selecting the right colleges to which to apply. Even families that do not expect any financial aid often find that working with us can save them tens of thousands of dollars in tuition bills.

So while hiring an educational consultant may seem like a hefty cost. Many families are surprised at how much money they can save by hiring an experienced college consultant.

Read five more reasons to hire a college consultant.

Mark Montgomery
Educational Consultant

The post Why Hire An Educational Consultant? first appeared on College Admission Counseling.

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After a grueling four years, I was finally able to limp to the finish line and put a cap on my four year high school career. The college admissions process had come to a close months before and the coursework had subsided, but I was still feeling bogged down. I was burnt out- schoolwork became a dread and I was feeling rundown. The thought of another four years of education created feelings of anxiety, not excitement. It was at this point I started considering taking a year off, a “gap year” as it has come to be called.

My gap year provided me a time to decompress and refocus for the upcoming years of study. During the year I kept myself busy. I worked as a line cook in a Mexican restaurant. As well as a laborer at a landscaping company, and an intern at the Massachusetts State House. All of these experiences offered unique experiences. And subsequently lessons- lessons I would not have been afforded had I not taken a gap year. On top of being able to decompress, I was able to make money as well as boost my resume.

While gap years have risen in popularity, I still believe some people are against the practice. I admit I had some trepidation about taking a year off. Which derived from the unwillingness of me to “waste” a year of my life. I believed that by putting my academic career on hold would somehow put me behind my peers. In retrospect, I can honestly say I couldn’t have been more wrong. I entered college with a hunger to learn and appreciate my surroundings. Taking a step back also provides you with an opportunity to take an honest look at the future. And appreciate the opportunities set out before you. During my time off, I was able to learn the do’s and don’ts of gap years:

DO:

• Take the odd job. I learned valuable lessons while working outside of my comfort zone. I was able to learn a lot about myself by being in situations outside of my comfort zone. These have allowed me to navigate my college career with enhanced wisdom- a luxury afforded by my gap year.
• Relax. The social and physical toll of a demanding high school career is large. Don’t be afraid to take a day to watch Netflix, and do a whole lot of nothing. You earned it, and if you’re like me, you need it.

DON’T:

Get complacent, especially at the start. When I decided to finally take the gap year, I got complacent at the beginning, figuring “I’m taking a WHOLE YEAR off, I have some time to think about what I want to do.” However, the next time I thought about it, it was already January, and I had closed myself off to a variety of opportunities- -especially in relation to travelling.

 
Colin Smith
BA Candidate in Sociology and Economics
Harvard College Class of 2015
  
 

The post Harvard Student Thankful For Gap Year Experience first appeared on College Admission Counseling.

As a college admissions consultant, I am just going to have to disagree that somehow kids today are “better” than we were.  This is not true.  We were all pretty amazing in our own right.  Sure, back in the fall of 1980, we were all more amazed by the incredible people around us than we were in ourselves.  Many of us crossed the Green every day, looked up at Baker Tower, and wondered how the heck we were so fortunate to be chosen to attend Dartmouth.

The Requirements

Today’s kids are certainly much more busy than we were.  The “requirements” for admission have seemingly gone up.  And in a sense this is because there is a perceived need to be all things to all people in order to get admitted.  But in my experience, the kids who are admitted are not superhuman.  They have focus.  They have some drive and energy.  And as a result of that focus, they have accomplished some pretty cool stuff.

And we, ourselves, accomplished more in high school than we give ourselves credit for–on the field, in the classroom, on the stage, in our communities.  Yes, today’s kids applying for college are a talented bunch. But so were we.
One last thing:  our message to kids today should not be that they should be superhuman.  Rather, we should teach them to focus on contributions and achievements in the things that matter to them. 

7 Reasons Most People Are Rejected From the Ivy League

We should not reinforce the message (that is well-established urban legend in high schools today) that kids must break their necks to do thousands of hours of service, win the state championship, write-and then star in–the school play, AND win the Intel science award.  Any one of those things, by itself, will be plenty–and if coupled with good grades/scores and good recommendations–will be enough to get accepted to a highly competitive college or university.

By reinforcing this idea that “busy is better,” we are actually driving our young people into the ground.  I work with many who never sleep, who worry incessantly, who are just, plain unhappy in high school.  Why?  Because they believe this myth:  that only the superhuman get into places like Dartmouth.  So they try to attain this mythical ideal such that they lose their focus, spread themselves too thin, and ultimately fail in their bid for the top schools.

Two things do remain true

First, it’s not easy to get into places like Dartmouth.  Second, Dartmouth people, by and large, have figured out what’s important to them.  Each of us has talent, skill, drive, and commitment.  The nice thing is that we all have different sets of those things.  And we had those things back in the spring of 1980 when we received our acceptance letters–just as a new crop of lucky kids has them in equal measure.

So my message 

Recognize that getting into Dartmouth today is essentially no different than it was in our day.  A few things have changed about the admissions process itself. But today’s young people are no more or less capable than those of yesteryear.

Educational Consultant

The post Is It Really More Difficult To Get Into the Ivy League Now Than It Used to Be? first appeared on College Admission Counseling.

Each year, MIT produces a video to let applicants know when admissions letters will be delivered. The videos are released on March 14 (3/14… also known as Pi Day), and this year’s features someone that comic book fans will recognize.

Riri Williams is a 15 year old super-genius from Chicago who gets into MIT while most of her peers are still in high school. She recently took over for Tony Stark in the comics; her superhero identity is Ironheart, and the suit is built largely out of scraps she found around the school. MIT clearly loved the idea, as this year’s admissions video features Riri working on the suit, followed by Ironheart helping deliver MIT’s famous admissions tubes.

So, has anyone gotten a visit from a superhero lately? If not, get in contact with us for some great college advice! We can help you plan your college journey so you can get into MIT and have Riri–and other everyday superheroes–as your classmates and friends.

Great College Advice
Educational Consultant and Admissions Expert

The post MIT Admissions and Superheroes first appeared on College Admission Counseling.