Behind the doors of the Admissions Office

The admissions office is the gatekeeper, but it is also the college’s marketing department. The Dean of Admissions is, in effect, head of public relations.

“My boy was being solicited, as surely and shamelessly as a sailor come to port,” Andrew Ferguson writes in his well researched and often hilarious book Crazy U about college mailings clogging his mailbox.

College brochures and websites are carefully crafted to entice students and their families. In addition to online and print marketing, college admissions officers travel around the country visiting high schools and college fairs. The result of these promotion efforts is often that a much larger number of students apply than the colleges can accommodate. (The ease of the common app also contributes to the deluge).

A motivation for soliciting lots of applicants is college rankings, a driving force behind the college business. The more selective a college appears, the higher the ranking potential. Many colleges play games - according to a Wall Street Journal reporter, 25% fudge the numbers they submit to the US News & World Report.

Studies, however, show little correlation between attending a high ranking college and future income. Among 1,300+ millionaires surveyed the average SAT score was 1190/1600, and attending a top ranked college ranked a lowly 23 as reason for riches (The Millionaire Mind by Thomas J Stanley).

When visiting colleges, I have been encountering alumni in their 20s working at the admissions office of their alma mater. Being a college admissions officer is stressful, relatively low paid and requires a lot of traveling so people tend to move on after a few years. 

My impression is that once Churchill students find a suitable school, they tend to become admitted and do well. Years of solid academic instruction, LD awareness and self-advocacy training have prepared them for success in life after Churchill.

Sources:

Crazy U by Andrew Ferguson, chapter 2 & p.106-130

Cool Colleges by Donald Asher

Julian Cohen-Serrins studies psychology at Dickinson College

In 2011, Julian Cohen-Serrins and Jesse Medalia Strauss produced four short videos for Churchill. Julian is a junior at Dickinson College studying in Copenhagen, Denmark this semester.

Julian Cohen-Serrins visiting Austria during his junior year abroad.

Like so many others, Julian struggled in school before entering  Churchill in 2005 as a high school freshman. His middle-school years were stressful and he developed a fear of teachers. 
"Instead of asking me what I was thinking or learning more about my learning disabilities they just made me feel worse," he writes in an email from Copenhagen.  He felt as if no one understood him.
At Churchill, however, Julian quickly learned to trust his teachers and realize that his learning disability was not going to hold him back from anything he wanted to do.  He is planning to graduate from Dickinson with a major in Psychology and a minor in Political Science and to attend graduate school to obtain Psy D. in Clinical Psychology. The long term goal is to either have a large private practice or run a clinic.

How did Churchill prepare you for college?
Churchill prepared me for college in a several vital ways. First, Churchill educated me on my learning disability, something that played a large role in developing my identity and my academic life. Without understanding my learning disability from both an outsider perspective and a personal psychological perspective I would be at a loss. This is especially important when communicating with peers and professors about how to best accommodate my needs so I can produce my best work.

Second, Churchill prepared me for college by teaching me to think critically. Throughout every class I was encouraged and rewarded for critical thinking. While many non-Churchill students are excellent at taking standardized tests, thinking critically is a more valuable skill in college and life.

What is your fondest Churchill memory?

The trip to Yosemite National Park was the perfect culmination of my Churchill experience. While we were learning about the wonderful wilderness around us there was such a strong sense of comradely that no matter what happened we were always going to enjoy each other and be close. I will never forget that trip and everyone involved who gave me one of the best experiences of my life.

How did you determine if a college would be a good match? How did you make your final decision?

The primary factors I was looking for were small class sizes, a liberal ideology or tradition, close teacher relationships and a college not too far from home. I decided on Dickinson College mostly due to it satisfying my criteria combined with Dickinson’s prestigious reputation and the school's emphasis on studying abroad.

What accommodations and support services do you have at Dickinson?

I get my own laptop, double time on all tests and my own private room to take tests with a proctor. The only real support service I use regularly is the writing center. I use this resource for literally every paper I write. Another resource I have used is a language tutor for my German classes.

Highlights at college so far? Attending a college that offers amazingly interesting classes taught by even better professors and running and being the president of a student liaison program called the Public Safety Advisory Board. This board consists of a group of students who promote a stronger working relationship and better representation between the Department of Public Safety and the student body.

What made you decide to make the videos about LD for Churchill?

Jesse and I had such a positive and life transforming experience at Churchill that we both want to give back in any way we can. While Jesse and I have worked together since meeting at Churchill on Film-making and especially making documentaries, this project was by far the most meaningful because of our Churchill experience. Throughout the production of the videos we both felt that we needed to try and show what a remarkable school Churchill is, but at the same time Jesse and I are just two people. What really made the films successful were the overwhelmingly positive and insightful words of those we interviewed.

Advice to current Churchill HS students and their families embarking on the transition process to life after Churchill?

Remember that although learning disabilities may have caused academic difficulties for a long time, with the help of Churchill, those difficulties can and will be lessened. Churchill students simply know more about how they learn than other students and because of that they are better prepared to advocate and adjust to the academic environment.

Yet, more importantly, people with learning disabilities also tend to have amazing abilities and in college and life that’s what will count, that’s what will stand out and that’s what will sow the seeds of future success.