Lakeside School

This summer, I attended the annual Clambake Institute in Rhode Island, a small conference of 150 admissions leaders and secondary school counselors who gather to discuss trends in college admissions. Media isn’t permitted, and participants are prohibited from posting conference-related content on social media to encourage attendees to speak candidly about the challenges they’re facing.

Throughout the event, there was a constant lamenting of the younger generation’s tendency to chase credentials — leadership titles, awards, non-profit status for organizations they started, etc. One admissions dean described this as a “missed opportunity for me to hear the student’s voice.” (In fact, Lakeside’s Associate Director of College Counseling Frances Nan wrote about this exact missed opportunity last fall). Another commented that most of the awards and titles don’t make the impression that students intend because they’re usually from local or regional organizations — or even from within the student’s school community — and lack meaning outside of that immediate context.

“I want to know what makes the student tick,” a third admissions dean said. “The students who are able to convey what makes them tick are the applicants who stand out.”

These sentiments were ubiquitous among conference attendees representing schools big and small, extremely selective and moderately selective, from across the country. Admissions leaders from Bates, Colorado College, Dartmouth, Princeton, Syracuse, University of Chicago, University of Pennsylvania, and Washington University in St. Louis (among many others) all affirmed this trend among their applicants.

I left the Institute resoundingly confident that our students need to prioritize their voices — not their credentials — in their applications. This will necessitate a shift in mindset among large segments of our students and parents and guardians. We need to retrain our students — our twelfth graders as much as our fifth graders — to search for meaning in what they do, and not in titles, awards, and recognitions.

So where do we start?

For the second year in a row, the college counseling office has reframed its 12th-grade video tutorials and workshops on completing the Common Application (a platform accepted by most U.S. colleges), emphasizing using the space in the activity grid — the section of the application where applicants list as many as 10 co-curricular activities — to reflect on their commitments. Additionally, beginning in September, the college counseling office’s staff is increasing. Operations Manager Marcia Chaddock will become full-time (students who have taken Summer at Lakeside classes might know Chaddock from her prior part-time role as Summer School Operations Manager). A former school counselor and teacher with a master’s degree in secondary school counseling, Chaddock will visit 9th- and 10th-grade advisories a few times this spring, where she’ll engage students in reflection exercises around their interests and activities.

Yet the college counseling office can’t make this cultural shift alone: parents and guardians will be critical partners. As students choose activities, parents and guardians should encourage them to pursue their interests and curiosities rather than what might “look good” on college applications. Additionally, when talking with their students, parents and guardians should consider, from time to time, asking their students reflective questions about their activities. For example:

• What do you enjoy about this activity?  Why? Put simply, why is it “fun?”
• What have you learned? 
• How have you grown as a collaborator or team player?
• How have you impacted others through the activity? How have others impacted you?
• In what ways does the activity align with your own values? With your family’s values? With Lakeside’s values?

In the various editions of Inside Lakeside this year, the college counseling team will share insights from college admissions officers about how students have successfully conveyed meaning behind their activities, and strategies for parents and guardians to navigate this cultural shift. Together, I’m confident that we will not only continue to position our students as strong college applicants, but that we will also help them become young adults who find meaning and joy in their everyday endeavors.

Ari Worthman is Lakeside’s director of college counseling. Reach him and other members of the team at info@lakesideschool.site.