The Pilgrim College Guidance Blog
News, trends, insights, and the occasional self-indulgent fluff piece
Photo credit: Jen Jordan Photography
College Admission Terms That Annoy Me
Pretty direct, huh? Well, I had been working on some post-November 1 reflections, but then November came and went. One of my takeaways was to discuss trends that I wish weren’t actually trending and I realized there were some recurring themes that were mostly centered around semantics. There are certain admissions terms that I would prefer to eliminate from our vocabulary. They are typically used by applicants or people not directly involved with admissions. Perhaps they are just words, but considering that I never hear AO’s saying most of these terms, there are lessons that can be learned when we use the proper or alternative terminology.
What To Do If You Are Waitlisted
I was originally planning on writing a broader reflection of this application year, but I decided I needed more time to think about it, not to mention research. It seems like every year, colleges have to update their “most competitive year ever” announcements and I do have some thoughts about this, but maybe now isn’t the time. Instead, I will focus on something a little more pressing for many students–the waitlist process. The unfortunate reality is that the waitlist is standard practice for most colleges now. It leaves students in a difficult position, but there are a few things you can do in response.
Demonstrated Interest in a Post-COVID Landscape
I have to admit I had some hesitations about this post. I hesitated using the term “post-COVID” given everything that’s been in the news recently. This upcoming application season should still be considered a COVID application year in terms of policies anyway. My other hesitation was addressing demonstrated interest to begin with. The topic is covered well enough online, though the idea can still be a little misleading, as if it’s solely a strategic endeavor that students must master in order to gain a competitive advantage. But given that campus tours (a very direct way to demonstrate interest) are starting up again as the Washington Post recently reported, I figured it was better to address the topic head on.