Thanks to Susana MacLean of MacLean College Counseling and Tim Lear, Director of College Counseling at The Pingry School for their expert advice and counsel on April 21 during our Zoom #8 Event: College in the Covid Landscape, Getting a Head Start for 8-10 Grade Parents.  Susana led us through a presentation focused on three key components of preparation:

–> Academics

–> Extracurriculars

–> Character

Click on http://bit.ly/CWCZ8CollegePlanningRecap to watch the video from our event.  Click below for Susana’s PDF presentation.

Presentation- Getting A Head Start_ Preparing for College Admissions in 8th, 9th, and 10th Grades

As we review our applicants this year and assess our ability to provide meaningful support to these young women, we ask you to consider a donation to the College Woman’s Club.  Here’s a link to our donation page. https://bit.ly/3eoG324

Thank you for your continued support of the College Woman’s Club of Westfield.  We hope to see you at another CWC event.  

Anne Wargo, President 2020-2021

PS: Here are some notes from our chat that may be useful: 

Advice for kids to “make yourself useful.” I would add, “Say please and thank you, and SMILE.” Gratitude is underrated, hard to fake, and highly desirable (by parents AND admissions officers).  Colleges have begun measuring character and kindness and curiosity, in the same way that they measure and quantify academic potential.

Because finding hidden gems is one of the best parts of my job, here are some slightly off-the-beaten path schools that have really impressed me: Colorado College, Davidson, Univ of Washington, Carleton, Rice, Georgia Tech, St. Andrews, McGill, Dickinson, UChicago (well, this isn’t that hidden a gem)…Furman has a great environmental sustainability program…

https://blog.prepscholar.com/pre-college-summer-programs-for-high-school-students

Columbia offers course for 8th and 9th graders (online)

Not for summer programs, but great resources for information regarding the admissions process: 

Colleges Worth Your Money: A Guide to What America’s Top Schools Can Do for You by Andrew Belasco & Dave Bergman   

Rick Clark’s The Truth About College Admissions

Jeff Selingo’s Who Gets In And Why

The Price You Pay for College by Ron Lieber

Here’s a great video by the CEO of Patreon re how soon “Creator” will be a job as popular as teacher and doctor and lawyer. https://youtu.be/xeDBSwVneyw