College Panel Night at Staples

On Thursday May 24, the guidance department brought admissions officers from 10 different colleges to the auditorium to talk to juniors and their parents about the college process. Each admissions officer talked about a different aspect of applying to college and at the end, questions were answered in the group.

A main point that was stressed by all the officers was that the college process should not be as scary as many people make it out to be. “We want to remind students that the people reading their applications are real, living, people,” said Patricia Wei, from Yale University.

The specific topics that were covered by the admissions officers ranged from essay writing, to interviews, to transcripts, to athletic recruiting. Much of the advice that the juniors were given was to showcase themselves in their applications and to show interest in the schools they are applying to.

One member of the admission process at Gettysburg College, Ian Harkness, talked a lot about finding the right school. He made it clear that applying to college is not all about the name, as many people think. “You want to find a place that you will be happy in for four years,” he said. “You need to find a home.”

While each person has a different experience with the college process, Elaine Schwartz, the director of guidance, said that the purpose of this night was to inform families and help reduce stress.

Students left that night with the knowledge that college admission is not a formula. “Admission is not about school statistics, it is not about just scores, just GPA, just extracurricular activities,” said David Borus, Dean of Admission and Financial Aid at Vassar College. “We evaluate applications holistically and accept who we think will succeed at our school.”