In the past seven days, I celebrated my youngest daughter's birthday, my son's birthday, and my husband's birthday—all while dealing with the busiest week of the year for me.
One would think I would have planned my life a little better as an admissions professional. It's like an apocalypse. Why on earth did I let this happen?
Well, I can't change who I fell in love with years ago and when his birthday is. I didn't consider the timing of my son's arrival when I got pregnant—that's on me. And, my youngest daughter arrived six weeks early. So, here I am dealing with my annual apocalyptic week of chaos.
But in the chaos, I see clarity. Here are my key takeaways about what's going on in college admissions this week:
1. No matter what happens with the Department of Education and higher education funding, I truly believe students' undergraduate, federal financial aid will be secure.
2. Rumor has it that Georgetown will begin using the Common App in the next admissions cycle.
I have to assume Georgetown's longstanding Dean of Admissions, Charles Deacon, is retiring after 53 years and that's why this is finally happening. All I can say right now is that there is a reason for presidential term limits.
3. I have several students who were deferred from their "early" choice and just found out this week that they were waitlisted by the same college.
This is unethical for colleges to do and they know this. Any college that strings a student along for the better part of an entire school year should be fined and disciplined. This is one of the many shady moves that colleges do with no consequence. This has to stop.
4. Tomorrow is Ivy Day.
Everyone braces themselves for it, including me. Having one day when all eight Ivy League colleges release admissions decisions fuels the egos of institutions rather than fueling confidence in our students. There has to be a better approach than this. I would argue to break up the monopoly of eight colleges. They don't need to band together for everything, especially denying about 95% of their applicant pool at the exact same time.
5. And if one more college reinstates standardized tests in the coming week, I hope we then realize how important test scores are to almost every college in the country.
Anyone who thinks students get a fair shake with lower scores or no scores is in the midst of their own apocalypse.
READ MORE: What Does the Term "School Group" Mean in College Admissions?
This is one of those week's when my husband tells me I lost my filter because of everything on my plate. Ha! Isn't he partially to blame for this?
Seriously, though, I appreciate the gift wrapping, cake ordering, cupcake deliveries to my kids' school, and celebratory meals in a week like this. I also appreciate the fact that I don't work for the colleges anymore. I work for all of you. I will never stop celebrating my family; I will never stop celebrating you.
The admissions process needs to change. It needs to be the opposite of an apocalypse. I looked it up. It's called a miracle. Let's hope for one.
