Counselor Edition: Learnings From The 2023-24 College Applications Season
Insights from High School College Counselors
The 2023-24 College Applications Season is almost in the books.
It is a good time to step back and reflect for the benefit of the next set of high school seniors and parents.
And who better to help us than the College Counselors who guided the current graduating seniors through the college process.
Overall, the trends that carried over from last year:
Early Applications growth;
Increase in the Volume of Applications; and
The Popular Majors stayed the same.
I talked to High School College Counselors about the 2023-24 College Applications Season.
From this Podcast episode, filled with insightful and reflective conversations, I have curated snippets and organized them in the following buckets:
FAFSA Impact
Selective Colleges is Growing
About Majors
Standardized Testing
Fashioning Balanced College Lists, and
Advice for Rising Seniors.
1.FAFSA Impact
Colleen Koppes of Dowling Catholic High School, Iowa says that the FAFSA was the biggest hurdle and, probably, frustration for her students:
From the FAFSA delay of the rollout, to
Students trying to log in and getting authenticated, and approved.
Colleen says that even today (in late May), she has had meetings with seniors that are still trying to see their FAFSA submission summary, or comparing their financial aid packages.
2.Selective Colleges are Growing
More colleges are becoming more selective across the country - a lot of them are flagship Public Universities.
Sandra Foy of Seattle Prep School has noticed a trend for the last few years that some of the schools that she would have put in the Selective School category
For example, schools that would take kids with a 3.5 or above GPA have become more selective.
So with a couple of those schools this year, she we saw that even kids with a 3.9 GPA did not get in.
She thinks it's a consequence of downward pressure on colleges but also, some a result of location too - for example schools in California are getting tougher and tougher to get into some of those schools.
"We look forward to using College Application Workbooks with our juniors and seniors this spring and summer. We especially like the integration of real life experiences through podcasts for each college type outlined in the workbook!"
Paula Dennis, Counselor Jenks High School, OK.
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3.About Majors
Tom Stepkoski of Westhill High School, Connecticut says that their most popular majors continue to be in the STEM fields - where a huge population of students goes into engineering, followed by the business programs, and not so much in the humanities.
But the one humanities area he is seeing a lot of students applying to, is Psychology!
Shveta Bagade, Private Counselor in the Silicon Valley, CA observes that students are getting creative.
Students realize that computer science is very competitive, so they are approaching it in a different manner.
A student interested in Computer Science, and also interested in business, may think of applying for Business Analytics.
So they might apply as a Business Major and do a Minor in something related to Computer Science.
4.Standardized Testing
Students continued taking Standardized Tests even when a college was Test Optional, to apply for Scholarships and Course placements.
Jodi Foxx of Charlotte Christian School is telling her rising seniors that one cannot count on Colleges that have been Test Optional to remain Test Optional. So they should make sure that they are taking the SAT or the ACT.
This is especially true in her state (North Carolina) since the UNC system has not yet announced their decision about whether they will remain test optional or not in the 2025!
In general, students struggled with the decision on whether or not to send their Standardized Test scores to Test Optional colleges.
5. Fashioning Balanced College Lists
With more Public colleges getting Selective, and the resulting unpredictability, Bill Hancock of Cranbrook Kingswood Upper School is working with their families to develop balanced college lists.
This year, applications for one or two of the public schools that are usually in the Target or Likely range were up 30%!
That has an impact on admissions rates.
So, it's important to have balanced lists that have not only Reaches, but Targets and Likely.
When looking at the “Likelies”, Bill suggests that students look for scholarship opportunities, and Honors programs.
6.Advice for Rising Seniors
Here is what Sean Kennedy of Ravenscroft School in North Carolina advises his rising seniors:
Take advantage of the opportunity to maximize the summer,
As a time to Reflect on themselves, and then
To turn that into brainstorming opportunities to talk over to convert that into Essay Topics, and
Start to enter some of their information in the Common Application that will roll over on August 1.
In other words, start working on your applications early!
Listen to the Complete Podcast on Looking Back with College Counselors on the 2023-24 College Application Season. (27-Minute Listen).
Finally, a Big Thank You to all the College Counselors Featured in the Podcast:
Sean Kennedy of Ravenscroft High School
Bill Hancock of Cranbrook Kingswood Upper School
Colleen Koppes of Dowling Catholic High School
Jodi Foxx of Charlotte Christian School
Sandra Foy of Seattle Preparatory School
Tom Stepkoski of Westhill High School, and
Shveta Bagade, Private Counselor.
All the Best!
Thank You to All for your support with the Podcast and this Newsletter, and to all My Guests who have been generous with their time and counsel on my podcasts.
Have a Wonderful June & Enjoy your Summer!
Venkat
Venkat, with a rising junior, I find your insights very helpful as I'm about to embark on the college application process for the first time as a father with two more children to come after this one. I am excited for my daughter to experience it all, but also realize how much more complex and nuanced the journey will be since I went through it 35 years ago!