The National Association for College Admission Counseling (NACAC) is a tremendous resource for everyone working in the college counseling field, and their annual conference provides much insight into current trends in college admission. This year's gathering in Boston was no exception! While it there was truly an *abundance* of all kinds of information available, her are my top 3 major take aways from the 2017 NACAC conference:

1. Mental Health is becoming a significant concern on campuses across the nation. More students are reporting depression, anxiety, and other mental health issues with every passing year, and counselors on college campuses, as well as in high schools, are focusing their energy on providing the best support possible for their students.  Two organizations, The National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) and The Jed Foundation, have partnered to address how best to support students as they make the transition from high school to college, specifically looking at ways to help students with mental health issues. They have created a special guide called Starting the Conversation, and you can download a free copy here: www.nami.org/collegeguide


2. Students need to be their own advocates when it comes to the college admission process. This year's keynote speaker, Dr. Shaun R. Harper, spoke on the racism that pervades the college admission process, giving stark examples of several African-American male high school students who were discouraged from applying to prestigious universities when, in fact, they were ideal candidates for these institutions. These students succeeded because they were pro-active in the admission process, demonstrating that every student HAS to believe in his/her right to attend their "best fit" school. Watch Dr. Harper's entire speech here: www.youtube.com/watch?v=zcUkalvq0LA
   
   
3. There is A TON of information out there on applying to colleges -  so much information that it can be overwhelming even for professional counselors! For example, the Exhibit Hall alone (pictured above), where college-related vendors gathered to talk about their services and products, looked like a full football stadium. Because of this great volume of data and advice on college admission, no family should go it alone. Students and their parents should reach out to their school's guidance department for as much support in the process as possible. If more assistance is needed, strongly consider hiring an independent college consultant to help guide your family through the complex process. Check out my Resources web page to find some helpful websites and books to get you started on owning the college application process: www.apluscollegeconsult.com/resources.html
   

It all began when I tried to find a place to park.

This year’s annual conference for the National Association for College Admission Counseling (NACAC) was happening at the Boston Convention and Exposition Center (BCEC), and I had searched the web for days in advance, trying to figure out where I was supposed to leave my car while attending this event. I had known about NACAC since I worked in the Admission Office at Olin College in the early 2000s, but I had never attended one of their events before. Moreover, this was going to be my first professional conference as an independent college consultant, and I was both excited and nervous. Armed with my freshly-printed business cards, I woke up extra-early Thursday morning to make sure that I didn’t miss a minute of the day’s events.

However, in order to participate fully in the conference, I first needed to find a place to park. Being more confused than ever after my web research attempts, I decided just to drive to the BCEC and to see what happens. To my surprise, there was ample street parking around the BCEC (probably because I was there so early!), so I just pulled into a spot, dropped some quarters into the meter, and made a mental note to move my car after the 2-hour limit expired. One challenge down.

Next, I had to find my way into the BCEC. Sounds simple, right? One would think so, but I ended up walking up and down the street, finding myself blocked by jersey barriers, fences, and locked doors. The particularly cruel part was that I could see through the glass windows of the adjacent Westin hotel, and watched helplessly as people with NACAC name tags milled about the hallways with their papers and coffee cups in hand. After finally finding a door that opened, I stood at the bottom of an escalator somewhere in the Westin with no idea where to go.

At that very moment, I saw someone I recognized - a former colleague from Olin! Emily “Pete” Petersell from the Admission Office was walking towards me, and offered a very friendly greeting! It turned out that she was heading to the Registration desk before the beginning of her morning meeting, and we agreed to find it together. After one flight of escalators, we bumped into another friendly face, Emily’s co-worker Susan Hartley Brisson. Susan and I had worked together on the Admission Committee several years ago, when I was a voting faculty member. We made lunch plans together, and Pete and I continued to Registration. Meeting those two wonderful women made my morning anxiety subside - in a *huge* sea of strangers (who all seemed to know each other!), I had found two allies who wished me well.

The rest of my day was full of more confusion  - I swear, I must have walked for miles in circles around the inside of the BCEC! - and more effort trying to figure out how things worked at this event. Everything was puzzling to me, from deciphering the different educational sessions and their locations to reading the floor map of the exhibition hall full of vendors. Nothing was easy, everything felt frustrating.

And then it hit me: I was (re)living my first few weeks as an undergraduate! You may laugh, but the parallels are definitely there: I was entering a whole new world in a completely foreign environment to me, where I practically knew no one and had no idea how things worked. I was “the freshman” all over again, wandering around with a confused look on my face, trying to figure out where my assigned classrooms were located and how I was supposed to find something that was “on reserve” at the main library. Just like being a first year student, it was exciting, overwhelming, frustrating, exhilarating, and everything in between - all at once.

So, why am I relating my “freshman” experience with you? Because being immersed into this intense, new physical and mental space reminded me of the importance of empathy when working with adolescents and young adults. For folks who have been out of the “student” role for a while, it’s far too easy to forget the stress involved in the transition from “high school senior” to “college first year.” High school seniors may be excited about the prospect of applying to all of these amazing colleges and universities, but they are also worried about whether or not they will fit in and find new friends, whether they’ll choose classes that they like, whether they will graduate with enormous debt, and about whether or not they will pick the best school for them to attend. Meanwhile, first year undergraduates all over the country are only now beginning to feel a little more comfortable in their own skin, after weeks of a fun, confusing, and stressful orientation in their brand new worlds (plus, the euphoria of that first year should begin to wear off approximately next week, once those first graded assignments are returned and reality hits - higher education is hard, work has to get done, and the party is over!).

In short, change is tough, even when it’s a positive change, and it’s paramount for the adults in a student’s life to be supportive, encouraging, and understanding of this. It’s our job as teachers, counselors, and guides to remind our students that beginnings are always the hardest, no matter your age. And, just as I survived my latest “beginning” in the world of NACAC and had a very productive second day at the conference, so, too, will our high school seniors survive the college admission process and that transition to life in higher education. One might even figure out where to park next time one is in Boston!

Welcome to A+ College Consulting's blog! I'm Maruta, your guide in all things related to the college admission process. I hope that you enjoy reading my thoughts, opinions, and advice on applying to colleges and universities, and that you find my ideas helpful.

Plan on checking back regularly for new posts on a variety of topics that I care about, such as tips on how to keep your stress levels down during the application process, why I think the corporatization of higher education is detrimental to students, new trends in college admission, and best practices when it comes to writing that all important college application essay. I'm excited to share my knowledge and experiences in college admissions and academia with you, and I encourage you to leave comments.

Before I sign off for this entry, a quick teaser for the next blog post: this week, from September 14th-September 16th, Boston will be taken over by swarms of high school guidance counselors and college admission officers from all over the country to participate in this year's annual NACAC conference (NACAC stands for the National Association of College Admission Counselors, by the way). I'm thrilled to be attending, and I plan on posting about my experiences during this 3-day intense experience. In the meantime, if you'd like to learn more about NACAC and what they do, check out their website: www.nacacnet.org/ .