College Admissions SCANDAL!!

It’s not often that my line of work is in the news to the extent that it has been this past week. There’s the occasional high school senior success story, think piece on whether the SAT and ACT are still reasonable data points for the college admissions process, or list of five test prep tips. But celebrity, FBI, bribery, indictment… those are not words that are often paired with “SAT,” "ACT," or “College Admissions.” 
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The day the news of the college admissions scandal broke, I shared the following on Twitter:

There is a difference between empowering students and enabling them. "Empowering" teaches students the skills, mindsets, and strategies to succeed through their own efforts. I consistently try to use my position as a coach, guide, and mentor to empower students.

— Erika Oppenheimer (@erika_opp) March 13, 2019

I am grateful for the students and families with whom I work, and I have so much respect for their commitment to growth. I will also continue to find ways to empower students more broadly.

— Erika Oppenheimer (@erika_opp) March 13, 2019

Today's news about families who acted illegally within the college admissions process has brought up a lot of feelings and raised many important conversations, and I hope we can hold space for each other's voices as we grapple with challenging issues ❤️

— Erika Oppenheimer (@erika_opp) March 13, 2019

​​​In addition to what I tweeted last week, I have a few other thoughts in the wake of the news stories.

While the actions that spurred the news cycle were extreme (and illegal), you’re probably hearing of other, legal ways in which the college admissions process is unfair—or, at least, not entirely merit based.

The truth is, the college admissions system sometimes isn’t merit based. There are many common practices, such as legacy admissions, that work in some applicants’ favor. There are other practices, such as large donations, that work in a few applicants’ favor. 

That said, most applicants and admitted students are just like you. They are ethical, well-intentioned teens who are doing their best to navigate a challenging process. They are facing the uncertainty of not knowing where they’ll get in. They are putting forth effort with the hope of that effort paying off.

Your goal in the college admissions process is to show up as your best self throughout and put forth your best effort. If you are a good applicant, and you apply to a good selection of schools, you will likely get into a good college. 

Putting forth your best effort involves many factors, including:
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​​Finding and using quality guidance: This includes free guidance (such as online articles, borrowed library books, or a supportive high school counselor), low-cost guidance (such as high quality books), and, possibly, “investment” guidance (such as working with a tutor, coach, or private college consultant).

Showing up to school with curiosity and dedication to learn: This goes without saying, but let’s be clear: Your grades and teacher recommendations are based on your school work, and universally​ colleges care about your GPA.
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Preparing for the SAT and ACT: Unless you know your goal is to get into a test-optional school, I believe you owe it to yourself to prepare for the SAT or ACT, just as you would study for any major exam in high school. The day after the college scandal hit the news, I emailed a progress report to the parent of one of my students, sharing that after only six sessions, the student's SAT score had improved 200 points. That kind of change is evidence that you can study for these tests and see impressive score growth. There's no need to cheat the system when you believe in yourself and your work ethic.

Engaging in extracurriculars: It doesn’t matter what your extracurriculars are so long as they are fun, creative, productive uses of your time. You can be an athlete or an actor. Organize a ping-pong club or a charity fashion show. You can do an internship in a medical research lab or get involved with a local political campaign. Find something or a few things that interest you and explore them in your time away from school and schoolwork.

Self-reflecting and researching: Every quality guide on the college admissions process will tell you that in order to approach the process well, you need to do a fair amount of introspection. Remember that before the colleges select an admitted freshman class from among their applicants, applicants select which schools to which they will apply. You—not the colleges—are actually the first and last decision-maker in your college admissions process. You decide where you will apply, and once you’ve found out where you’ve been offered a place, you will decide where you want to attend.

Given that you aren’t applying to every possible college or university, you want to do your best to figure out what qualities are important to you in a school. “Ivy League” or ranking among the U.S. News and World Report's "Top 20" (for example) gives you limited information about a school. Attending Cornell is a VERY different experience from attending Dartmouth, which is different from attending Brown. Attending Carleton College in Northfield, MN is very different from attending NYU, which is very different from attending Georgetown.

It’s okay if you aren’t entirely sure whether you prefer East or West Coast; small or medium class size; big city or small town. But the more clear you are about what qualities you appreciate about a school, the more you will be able to find schools at various levels of selectivity that offer similar benefits. Knowing why specifically you like a school will also come in handy when you are writing your essay and interviewing with admissions officers or alumni. 

Find out what’s important to you; find schools at various levels of selectivity that meet those needs. And remember: there are more good colleges that offer good educations than you can apply to, let alone attend.

More self-reflecting, and crafting thoughtful, clear, engaging essays: As someone who has written a whole book, let me tell you: only about one-eighth of the time I spent on my book was spent writing the first draft. After that, I edited, edited, edited. Consider what you want to write about with care, then write with abandon, then edit with precision. 

​​I said earlier that the college admissions process isn’t a perfect meritocracy, and it isn’t. But I do believe that in the macro, good students are almost always offered admission to at least one good school that they are excited to attend—particularly when students have done their research and kept an open mind about the many good options available to them at which they have a reasonable chance of admission. 

I didn’t have paid guidance when I was going through the college admissions process. I did all of the things I listed above, and I was admitted to some great schools, one of which I attended. But even though I didn't have a consultant or tutor helping me or a parent who attended the schools at which I was offered a place, I still had advantages, starting with the fact that I was raised by parents and supported by teachers who didn’t question my ambition, ability, or work ethic. It is this benefit that I do my best to pay forward to the students with whom I work.
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I believe in your ability to work hard and make the most of whatever resources and support are available to you.

So now that I’ve laid out a framework, I have an assignment for you: 

Make a list of all the resources that are available to you. These can be external resources, like “time to prep,” “a library card,” and “Khan Academy.” They can also be internal resources like “grit,” “patience,” “creativity,” and “curiosity.” Try coming up with twenty items for your list—I know that might sound like a long list, but I bet you could actually come up with more if you really sat with it. 

I’ll even give you a head start by reminding you of a few resources that I make available for free or less than $20:

• Free consultations: I offer free 30-minute consultations to any student preparing for the SAT or ACT
• One Month SAT & ACT Prep Plans: A free download when you sign up for my email list (unsubscribe at any time)
• Acing It! A Mindful Guide to Maximum Results on Your College Admissions Test: The first chapter is always available for free (alongside the One Month Prep Plans) when you sign up for email updates. The Kindle book is available for free to anyone with a Kindle Unlimited membership from Amazon or for purchase for $6.99; the print book is available for $15.95

Please feel free to be in touch to schedule a consultation and to refer other teens or parents of teens in your network to me and these offerings. We’re all in this together :)

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Other services I offer (these would fall under the "Investment Guidance" category of "Finding and using quality guidance" instruction listed above):
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• Test Prep Coaching Package: 
  Work with me for 12 sessions to get your SAT or ACT prep into top shape! Includes a review of what you need to know for the SAT or ACT using my Math and Grammar outlines, opportunities to take and review official SATs or ACTs, and opportunities to learn mindset and study habits that facilitate top performance.
• Mindset Coaching Package:
  Work with me for 10 sessions to learn mindset and study habits that will facilitate top performance on the SAT, ACT or other challenges. ​
• Test Prep Power Up: 
  Work with me for a single coaching session. Come with any questions you have about how to perform better on the SAT or ACT. Includes the opportunity to take and review an official SAT or ACT.

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​Acing It! A Mindful Guide to Maximum Results on Your College Admissions Test.​​​​​

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