The Pilgrim College Guidance Blog
News, trends, insights, and the occasional self-indulgent fluff piece
Photo credit: Jen Jordan Photography
Bold Predictions for the Future of College Admissions
I play fantasy baseball religiously. I enjoy the stats and being able to play fake GM with no real-life consequences. We’re well into the baseball season now, but I’ve always enjoyed the time before the season where people get to share their “bold predictions.” Most of these are super unrealistic, and that’s by design. It’s just fun to think about. That was the inspiration for this post. It’s been a while and I’m probably not going to be writing as often as I used to moving forward (it’s rec letter writing season already). However, I still get intrigued by what is happening (and not happening) in my field. So here are my bold predictions for the future of college admissions.
What Goes in a Counselor Letter of Recommendation?
As I’ve been getting to know my juniors, I’m already in recommendation writing mode. In fact, I’m in letter writing mode all the time. Every time I notice something notable or hear a memorable story or even a brief snippet, I like to write it down for future reference. Maybe it’ll make the letter, maybe not, but everything contributes to the whole picture I see when I think about each individual student. But what actually goes in a counselor letter of recommendation? Content will always vary, but here’s an overview of what is typically presented to admissions.
The Difference Between College Counseling and College Consulting
Well, I did mention that there would be the occasional “self-indulgent fluff piece…” If this is the first blog post you’ve read on this site, I would probably recommend reading a different one. You’ve been warned. But it’s been a while since I’ve written anything and I did want to address this topic since I just finished my first semester at my new school. It’s been eye-opening how many families hire outside counselors even though they have a dedicated and experienced college counselor (not guidance counselor) at their disposal. In the past, I was annoyed at how many families hired out, but after consulting for a few years and now being back in the independent school world while finishing up with my current clients, it doesn’t bother me as much. I’ll share some insight into the difference between my work in both roles. I suppose my audience for this post is families who are part of independent schools who are considering hiring out.