Q&A with College Admissions Experts

Please note that this transcript was auto-generated. We apologize for any minor errors in spelling or grammar.

Julie Shields-Rutyna: [00:00:00] Welcome and good evening. My name is Julie Shields Rutina and I'm the Director of College Planning, Education and Training at MIFA and very happy you're joining us tonight for this webinar Q& A with college admissions experts. This is always a wonderful chance for students, families to hear from college admissions professionals who have lots to share and I know you'll enjoy this.

So let me just go through a few logistics. And let you know that I'm recording this. So if you have to leave, I'll be sending the slides, which are just a couple and the recording to you tomorrow. If you would like to have closed captioning, you can hit the live transcript button on your on your screen.

And as we're going along, if you have a [00:01:00] question. Um, Put it in the question and answer. And if we don't get to it throughout the presentation, then, um, then we'll try to get to it at the end. Briefly, um, if you don't know MIFA well, MIFA has been around since 1982, helping families plan, save, and pay for college.

And I hope that you will, uh, I know you'll enjoy this webinar, and I hope you will come back often to take advantage of all of the resources that MIFA has throughout, The college process, um, you know, when you're, you're starting with admissions, you'll, we have information about financial aid and paying the college bill and all of the resources are on our website, but we also have a podcast.

Uh, we have an email curriculum, we have blogs. So, um, pick and choose whatever, whatever is most helpful to you. And with that, I will, I'm excited to turn it over to our expert panel. [00:02:00] So let me just stop. Sharing my screen here. All right. And so I'm going to turn it over to our panel, but we have Jen Walker from Brandeis University and Ebony Clinton Brown from Northeastern University, Julie Loveless from WPI and Joe DiCarlo from Worcester State University.

And I'm going to ask them to tell you more about themselves and their institutions. So I am grateful and thank you for all of you for being here. So, Jen, I'll turn it over to you.

Jennifer Walker: Great. Thanks so much, Julie. Um, hi, everyone. So, uh, again, I'm Jen Walker. I'm the Dean of Admissions and Financial Aid at Brandeis University.

Um, I have been at the institution about 17 years, so, um, seeing lots of things change and lots of things stay the same. Brandeis University is a Tier 1 medium sized residential research university in Walpam, Massachusetts. We have about 3, [00:03:00] 600 undergrads. Uh, we are the only non sectarian Jewish founded institution in the U.

S. So Um, a lot of our founding values, uh, that are very much rooted in, um, the Jewish identity stay with us today. Those values include a reverence for learning, critical thinking, and a commitment to repairing the world. On campus, you'll see the reverence for learning and critical thinking very much evidenced in a super flexible curriculum allows for our students to easily pursue more than one major or minor.

And in fact, about 50 percent of our students do that. We have extraordinary opportunities on campus to pursue research or leadership positions. Um, so either in a lab with a faculty member, or maybe, um, for leadership positions, uh, heading out to a board with one of our student clubs. Students generally will complete two to three internships before they graduate, and about 40 percent of our [00:04:00] student body will choose to study abroad.

So they stay pretty busy. But if that is not enough, we also have 19 D Division III varsity sports, um, in addition to both club and intramural sports, and about 200 student clubs, more generally speaking, on campus that are open to everyone. Um, some of our most popular events and traditions are things like the 24 hour musical festival, the creative arts.

We have, um, a multicultural sort of dance performance called Culture X and Spring Fest. So at the end of the day, I think our students, um, generally like to do a lot of, um, dancing and eating when they are, uh, kicking back and relaxing. Brandeis University has three rounds of admission, um, regular decision and an early, early decision one and early decision two and, and we're going to talk a bit more about what that means in this, um, webinar.

And then I will just add that we also meet 100 percent of a calculated financial need for all of our admitted students so [00:05:00] we'd love to have you come out and visit us. Um, always happy to welcome you to campus, and I'm sure the same is true for my colleagues. Thanks so much for being with us.

Awesome. I

Ebony Clinton-Brown: think I'm up. Good evening, everyone. My name is Ebony Clinton Brown. I'm the Dean of Undergraduate Admissions at Northeastern University. Northeastern University founded in 1898. Currently, we have three undergraduate campuses. We have our Boston campus, which is probably what you're most familiar with, but also now have a campus, campus in Oakland, California, as well as London, England.

So three undergraduate campuses. Um, Northeastern is really known for our commitment to experiential education. Meaning all of our students across the disciplines have the opportunity to get hands on experience and whenever their academic area. So it really is a power like an experience driven education.

Co op is probably again what we're most well known for work with about 3000 different co op employers creating opportunities for our students to work directly in industry. We also have significant research [00:06:00] opportunities as a, as an R1 research university with global experiences with over 50 percent of our students participating in some global experience by the time they graduate and service.

So no matter what major you're in, all of our students by the time they graduate will have participated in at least one of those four pillars with many of our students. Touching all four pillars. Um, we also as a university, as a university meet 100 percent of demonstrated need, um, for students that are fully eligible.

We do that without loans. And so, um, lots of opportunities and lots of different experiences at Northeastern as well. Division one athletics program, um, and students, we offer about 600 different clubs and activities. So students that have always been really engaged and really involved in their schools and local communities tend to have be a really good fit for Northeastern.

Excited to be here today.

Julie Loveless: All right. Hi, I'm Julie Loveless from Worcester Polytechnic Institute. Our name tells you a lot about us. We are located in [00:07:00] Worcester, Massachusetts, and that word polytechnic means that most of the majors that we offer are within the science, technology, engineering, math, and business fields. Um, so we do offer humanities, but not that many of our students major in humanities were really known for those subjects.

STEM and business fields. Popular majors are things like computer science, robotics, engineering, mechanical engineering, biomedical engineering, uh, as well as life sciences and mathematics. Um, what you need to know about WPI is it's super experiential, um, very hands on. WPI is a leader in project based learning.

Um, so our students do really well. Do projects in almost every class that they take throughout their four years at the university. Uh, my favorite project is their junior year project. It's the students interactive qualifying project. Um, and that word interactive means that they work with [00:08:00] students from all different majors to complete that project.

But the reason it's my favorite is because every WPI student receives a global scholarship of up to 5, 000. To be able to do a project around the world. So they travel to another part of the world. They live there for seven weeks with a group of students and they solve a STEM focused problem that's unique to that community.

And by doing that, they become better global citizens. They become better problem solvers, uh, and they really just become better innovators, which is what we need in STEM. Um, so yeah, I'm going to wrap it up there. Uh, lots of fun. to talk about tonight. So I will turn it over to Joe.

Joseph DiCarlo: Good evening, everyone. My name is Joe DiCarlo.

I'm the Dean of, uh, Dean of Enrollment and Director of Admissions at Worcester State University. Uh, we are a medium sized public liberal arts and sciences, uh, university located in the city of Worcester. So actually not too far from Julie over at WPI. [00:09:00] Um, we have about 5, 000 students on our campus, uh, being a public regionally serving institution.

The majority of our students do come from the state of Massachusetts. Uh, although our undergraduate population is represented by a vote. 26 different states as well. Primarily, uh, you know, a big draw from from New England and the northeast. Um, we offer about 80 different majors and minors. A lot of our students are interested in studying business administration, biology, nursing, education, criminal justice, psychology, and so on.

Um, but again, we have, uh, offer, offer 80 different majors and minors. Something unique to Worcester State is our major plus program, which requires our students as part of their graduation requirements to complete two programs of study. Uh, so our students will either pursue two majors or a major and minor.

Uh, those are, those programs can be complementary to each other or they can be completely separate, which would allow our students to sort of pursue two areas of passion, uh, two areas of study that they have an interest in. Um, we're a full, 24 7 residential campus. We guarantee housing for four years. Our students are engaged with internships, [00:10:00] undergraduate research.

We have an, a robust honors program. Uh, we have a division three athletics program over 45 different clubs and organizations. Uh, it's a really nice combination, close knit community. Uh, for students that are looking for a medium sized institution, but that has a more smaller campus sized feel to it. Our campus is on about 58 acres, uh, located on the west side of the city of Worcester.

So it really only takes maybe 5 or 10 minutes to get from one side of campus to the next. But almost every building on our campus has either been, has either new construction or has been recently renovated. Uh, as well. So we definitely encourage families and students to come in, uh, and take a look, walk around our campus, uh, and see if Worcester State's a good fit for you.

Uh, looking forward to answering questions tonight and sharing some information on the college admissions process. Uh, and I will pass it back to Julie now.

Julie Shields-Rutyna: Thank you so much. So we receive a lot of questions about the front end of the process. You know, we encourage students to do a lot of research into different, different colleges, institutions, learning as much as they can, as people are tonight.[00:11:00]

But how does, how does a student then go from that to deciding where they're going to apply? And as we sometimes say, create a balanced list. So Jen, I'm going to ask you, To sort of talk through that process for people

Jennifer Walker: are so happy, happy to give it a try here. Um, So I think it's really exciting that we've got different types of universities with us and colleges on, on the webinar tonight.

Um, we're going to kind of talk a little bit about the different groups that are out there. So, um, I kind of started as I thought about this at the most broadest and then got into what we mean when we say a balanced list, which you may hear a lot of. Um. So, more broadly speaking, as you start to think about your college experience, you're thinking about things very generally.

So, what kind of location do you want? The size, the sports, clubs, activism, Greek life, um, and your area of academic interest. If you know it, which you really don't need to, many of our [00:12:00] schools have lots of students who are undecided when they start with us and figure that out over the course of their years with us.

Um, we're going to start sort of broadly thinking about that and also think about what you don't want because that's really important too. Um, and there'll be a lot of schools that meet your criteria. Um, I would put a plug in here, um, for the, the college board, which has a website, bigfuture. collegeboard.

com. I can drop that into, um, the, the chat, um, when I'm done here, but it has a nice search engine that can help students, um, Take some of those basics they've thought about, perhaps enjoying, and, um, help them find colleges. There's, you know, thousands of colleges in this country, and so certainly, you know a few of them off the top of your head, but there's so many out there that you could consider.

So once you have figured out, you know, the, what, Some of those colleges might be, um, [00:13:00] then you may hear this term building a balance list, which is what Julie has asked me to talk about here. And what we mean when we say a balance list is to find, um, schools with what I'll call a range of selectivity. So, for example, there are some schools that admit less than 10 percent of the students who apply.

So one in every 10 students gets in, which means they are not taking or denying a lot of students There's other schools that admit 90 percent of all the students that apply. So nine out of 10 students are getting in. And then there's everything in between and beyond. And when you make a list of colleges, you don't want every school to be in that 10 percent arena.

And I'm of course being extreme here, but when you're thinking about a balanced list. You want schools that are taking, um, sort of a varying level. Maybe there's one school that might be what folks sometimes refer to as a weak school or might be sort of aspirational, but you want to make sure you also have [00:14:00] schools in the mix.

that you feel fairly confident, um, they might match your abilities. And you can drill into, um, the specifics of what that criteria might look like on schools websites. Most schools are very candid about what a school, um, an academic profile might look like for the students that they admit. So something like GPA averages or whether they require testing and Even if they don't require it, what maybe a middle range of testing looks like for admitted students.

So that information is relatively easy to find. I think it's important to mention here as well is for me it is that selectivity schools that admit very few students that doesn't make us full of good school. The entirety of the college experience is very much what you make of it when you're there and when you're doing it, no matter where it is you choose to go.[00:15:00]

And, you know, another nice start to college for a lot of students is considering starting at a community college, which gets us sort of beyond making that balanced list, but thinking about, you know, if you're thinking about ways to lower the overall cost of college starting, um, at a community college can be a really nice entry point for a lot of students as well.

And then we are lucky enough, there's a wonderful program in Massachusetts called Mass Transfer, which also has It's easy to Google and has a lot of information online about it as well. Um, but I, my colleague Joe here on the call is, um, I would say among the group of us, um, the best able to talk about this.

And so I'm going to ask him to give you some details too. But before I do that, I would just emphasize a balance list is a list of schools that have seemed to have most of the things you think you want. You will figure out many [00:16:00] more of those items when you're in college, and you can change your mind about a lot of them, because as you heard with just the four of us, schools have just been So much to choose from once you're there.

And once you are there, it's all yours to take advantage of all of it. Um, and then looking at, you know, realistically, what your achievement has been on the high school side, and where that might align with an academic profile for, um, the students that schools generally admit. So from here, I'd love to show if you could just get go over like a few of what the details look like on the mass transfer.

I think it'd be really helpful. Thank you.

Joseph DiCarlo: Yeah, sure. Thanks, Jen. Happy to. Uh, so for those that might not be familiar with mass transfer, uh, this is a program that's, uh, a collaboration between, uh, the 15 Massachusetts State Community Colleges and then the nine state universities and Four of the UMass, uh, uh, campuses.

Um, and basically what it does is for students that started out at the community college, it gives them [00:17:00] a streamlined transfer option to move on from an associate's degree or from the community college level to a four year bachelor's degree granting state university. So students do have to be Massachusetts residents.

Uh, and they do have to be moving from a community college to, um, a four year. Massachusetts Public University, which could either be again, the UMass campuses or, uh, the nine state universities. Um, and sort of to easily explain this, it really is just all about creating a pathway that's efficient for students, uh, that's gonna save them time, save them money, and guarantee that the credits that they're taking at the community college level are gonna transfer.

And, uh, to their four year bachelor's degree program. So it's about efficiency. It's about time and it's about cost savings and depending upon how you perform at the community college level. Um, it would sort of help dictate how much of that cost savings you might you might see. Um, it guarantees. the transfer your credits.

It also streamlines the admission process based upon your GPA. So for instance, if you have a cumulative, um, GPA of a 2. 5 or [00:18:00] higher from a community college, you're guaranteed admission to any of the nine state universities, uh, or, or UMass campuses. Uh, so it has a lot of benefits. Uh, and I think it's a nice way to package things to streamline the process for students that are interested once they do complete their associate's degree and have an interest in moving on to a four year bachelor's degree program, that they have that option to ensure that they're going to be able to save money, save time, and really earn the credit, uh, the, uh, get the credit that they've, that they've, uh, so that they've worked so hard on.

Julie Shields-Rutyna: Thank you. I love knowing there are so many options and, and paths. So, Julie, maybe you can talk with us a little about Many different types of institutions and the admissions process can be different from. From school to school. So maybe you can talk about that a little bit.

Julie Loveless: Sure. Um, and it's, it's, um, funny in college admissions.

We say, like, the most common answer that we give students is it depends. Um, and so that is how I will preface this question. [00:19:00] But many of the questions that we're going to answer tonight. Um, I think that there are, um, a few common ways to, uh, to actually apply to university. Um, the most common is well named.

It's called the Common Application. Hundreds of universities around the United States. States use the common application, and so it is a simplified way for you to complete one application and be able to send it to a variety of schools. Um, similar in format is the coalition application, uh, which came on the scene a few years ago and has become popular for students.

It asks students for a little bit different information than the common application. Of course, it's going to ask for things like your name, your birth date. day, your email address, where you went to high school, but it's just a different way to showcase some of the things that you do outside of the classroom from the common application.

And then there's a lot of individual institutional applications. [00:20:00] Um, some universities maintain their own application that students can use to apply specifically to that institution. Or even to a group of institutions, like all of the University of California schools use, use one application that is the UC application.

So there are a lot of ways to apply to schools. If you're not sure, just visit the school's websites that you're thinking of, and they'll definitely highlight it there. But in addition to the actual application that you complete and you submit, um, there are different times to apply to university as well.

Um, so we already hinted at, and I think we're going to go into a little more detail later, uh, there are early decision programs, there are early action programs, there are restrictive early action programs, um, and there's regular decision application deadlines. So all of this is. kind of ways to [00:21:00] say that when you apply at different, um, through different programs, it's different ways to express your interest in your organization and your, um, kind of, preparedness to apply to the university.

Um, early decision is always going to be a binding application. If you apply to a school early decision, you can only choose one and it should be your favorite one. Um, and you, if you get accepted, you are kind of obligated to go to that institution. Uh, you sign a paper that says you will attend, your counselor signs it, your parents sign it.

Um, and it really is a way for you to signal to the university that they are your number one choice. Early action is not binding, and it just means that a student is ready to apply early, and they want to get their admissions decision early, and it's a great way to signal to universities that you're an organized, competitive student who has all of their Plans made in [00:22:00] advanced and can kind of manage their time well enough to get your application in early.

Um, and then regular decision would usually be, um, kind of the, the deadline for, uh, the final deadline round for a university. Um, But you will also find schools that offer a rolling decision deadline, and that means there is no official deadline. They will continue to review applications, um, until they've kind of filled up their class.

So there's a lot of different definitions. There's a lot of different deadlines. Um, it can be hard to juggle which universities offer which kind of, um, Uh, decision plans. So keeping yourself organized, um, is always a great way to stay on top of that in terms of what is the university looking for in terms of the type of application, the requirements, and when do you need to submit it.

Thank

Julie Shields-Rutyna: you. And so, Ebony, I'm going to ask [00:23:00] you, um, there was a specific question that we get all the time about early decision, early action, and that is, you know, is it going to help my chances? Of admission. So maybe you could talk a little bit about that. And then maybe just talk about anything else that you think might be different in how applications are processed at different types of institutions.

I'll give you, I'll even give you one more question we get often, which is if I apply, um, to an engineering program, but I'm not going to get into the engineering program. Can I get still get into Oh, The college in general or so there there's some so I gave you two specific ones and then anything else you can think of that might vary from from institution to institution.

Ebony Clinton-Brown: Yes. Let's start with the first question. What was the. Yeah.

Can you can you repeat repeat.

Julie Shields-Rutyna: Yes. [00:24:00] So, let's just continuing on with early action early decision is. Is there a benefit to the student for using one or both of those processes?

Ebony Clinton-Brown: Yeah. And I, you know, I think as students are kind of starting the admissions process, one of the first considerations is what admissions plan to take advantage of.

And Julie talked a little bit about early action, early decision, and that's a, that's a good question. I think I get an initial first question and one for students to consider. Um, you know, I think that they both can have their advantages, right? So early action, as Julie said, is that non binding opportunity where a student can submit multiple applications, early action, um, and, you know, they're going to submit those applications generally and.

October or November, and they're going to get a decision early, right? So they're going to submit to the college university, and they're going to get a decision probably in December or January. Um, that decision might be they've been admitted, that decision might be that they've been denied, [00:25:00] or that decision might be that they've actually been deferred to the regular decision pool.

I think one of the advantages about early action is that it allows you to It just kind of speeds up the process. We know that how long and how tiring this entire process can be. Right. So it's possible for a student to have submitted a series of early action applications and have a decision or a number of decisions by December and January, in many instances, they can wrap up their college search at that point.

Right. I think another advantage of early action is, is it gives you that information much earlier. But it's non binding. You still have till May 1st to kind of make that decision. And so that's just more information, excuse me, more time that you have to weigh a really important decision. Um, there is early decision, right?

Which is the binding option. And that's where, as Julie said, you sign that contract saying, if admitted, I will come. Um, as Julie said earlier, this is a really fantastic way to demonstrate your interest. You are telling that college, You know, you pick me and I will pick you. Right. And so there's [00:26:00] lots of talks.

Many people believe that there is an advantage in terms of, um, admit rate for students that apply early decision. Um, I will say though, one of the things about early decision is, is not only should that be a student's absolute first choice, but it should be a fit in all ways. It should be a financial fit.

It should be again, their top university. And one of the things that happens with early decisions is because you have that decision. And if admitted, you are therefore. Um, you know, kind of losing the opportunity to maybe compare financial aid offers, right? Or maybe, you know, a school that was maybe a close number two and you applied early action, you get in and maybe that school then becomes your number one choice.

That option is lost at that point. That early decision is your home. And so those are some things I think to consider. I think additionally, as students are kind of deciding. Should I apply early? Keep in mind though, too, that you, you don't have to, right? I think the early options are a really good opportunity and an option for students [00:27:00] that are ready.

Their essays are ready. Their transcripts are ready. They are, have been consistent. Um, because one of the things that happens when you apply early is we are seeing you again early on in the process. And in many instances, we won't even see the grades that you've gotten your senior year. So maybe if you are a student that Things that you would maybe present better with a little bit more time.

You would like college or the university to see those first semester grades and perhaps regular decision is a good option for you. So just lose. I think those are some considerations. Um, I think again, one of the great things with the early rounds is. If you get positive decisions, you have the opportunity to be finished that much early.

Um, if again, if you're ready to make that decision, um, but again, it also means that you need to be ready to make that commitment.

Julie Shields-Rutyna: That's great. And I'll make that second question easier. Um, if you can think about from institution to institution, um, do different [00:28:00] colleges do it differently as far as if a student applies into a very specific program, um, and isn't admitted to that program, can they still be admitted to the college?

And, um, yeah, I guess I'll leave it at that.

Ebony Clinton-Brown: Just that. That makes sense. So again, this is one of those, I think this is one of those questions where it's gonna depend, right? Right, right. Is going to be a lot of research and a lot of discovery, right? Because what is true at Northeastern is not necessarily true at Brandeis is not necessarily necessarily true at Worcester State.

And so it really depends, right? So I have, I am an institution that admits students directly into a specific major and specific college. You know, you indicate that choice and that choice can be undeclared. If you're not admitted into that specific major, there is no other opportunity to try, you know, a second choice major, but that is not necessarily the case at all institutions.

Julie Shields-Rutyna: Yeah, that's great. And I don't know if someone would like to pop in who does it a little bit differently and just mention. [00:29:00] I mean,

Joseph DiCarlo: the only thing that I like to add in the context of this topic is that students should absolutely apply into the attended program that they want to be admitted into.

There's really no way, sometimes students think, well, you know, for instance, at Worcester State, nursing is our most selective major, right? It's a direct entry only program. The only way that you can get into our nursing program is through the admissions process. You can't change your major into nursing at a later time.

You can't transfer into nursing. Uh, so sometimes students think, well, maybe if I, If I don't get into the nursing program, I'll go in under a different major and try and change into nursing at another time, because maybe that might increase my chances of getting admitted. Um, and for specifically for direct entry type programs, um, that's not really an option, right?

There's really no way to kind of back door your way into a program, especially if you're applying into, you know, Selective majors like architecture, pharmacy, engineering, you know, nursing programs, uh, things along things, things in those types of, um, categories. So you should absolutely just focus in on the types of program that you want to get into.

[00:30:00] Um, and in a lot of instances, again, to what Ebony said, it's going to depend. Um, on how the university works, but it's a good question to ask, especially, you know, because they could be direct entry programs. They could also be, you could be applying to schools that don't require you or don't want you to declare a major coming in.

They want you to take advantage of, um, you know, the opportunity to take a broad range of courses and kind of go through that academic exploration. So it definitely does vary. Um, but I think sometimes students get focused in on how can I increase my chances of getting in that they sometimes Um, you sort of cloud the process, um, when those types of opportunities to kind of come in through a backdoor, uh, don't, don't exist.

And so there's a little bit of risk there. And Julie,

Jennifer Walker: I would jump in and say, um, because for Brandeis, and I believe this is also true for WPI, When you apply to the institution and get admitted, you're, you're admitted and you can major in whatever you like, if all of our majors are sort of housed in the same school, if you will.

We're smaller [00:31:00] places than say like a Northeastern, which is a much larger university than we are. Um, but, you know, I'm struck by You can get every admission expert in every, you know, corner of the U. S. on a panel, and none of us can tell you all the nuance to every college out there. So, the, um, the It Depends is important to hear because we're giving you, um, I think really good general guidance.

But there always has to be an element of really researching each of the places you're looking because we, for better or worse, we all do things a little bit different. Um, and, you know, that's why they, we employ admission counselors. So we are all just one representative from our institutions. We all work with really terrific teams.

Teams of admission counselors are generally assigned to different regions of, um, the state. [00:32:00] So, you know, you, no matter what college you're looking at, you would be looking for the admission counselor at, you know, one of the UC schools that covers Massachusetts. And then that person would know your high school and be really happy to answer.

So we are going to be really good high level general here. And as you get further on in your process, there is a person at every college whose job is to answer all your specific questions. So use them.

Julie Loveless: And I will, we all have things to say on this one. Um, I will jump in and also just encourage the question.

Like when you are asking colleges about acceptance to, uh, their programs and their majors, I think a follow up question is always about specific requirements for those programs, um, because some universities are very flexible and some programs might say, Oh, no, you have to have. Calculus or pre calculus or you have to have taken four years of a foreign language.

So asking those questions about [00:33:00] requirements while you're asking about being admitted to certain majors, I think, is going to help you identify the right fit schools for you.

Julie Shields-Rutyna: Thank you. So, Jen, I'm going to throw this one to you as well. Um, how far into your senior year can improved grades be about be valuable to increasing your chances of admission to college?

Jennifer Walker: Yeah, sure. So I was thinking a little bit about that. Um, and I am answering broadly. The answer may vary from school to school. Um, so if I think about first I'll start specifically actually with Brandeis. So, um, at Brandeis, we don't admit any students without seeing some senior grades, even if you're applying early decision, we're going to see a quarter one grade.

Um, but if. To Ebony's point, if you are a student who maybe is, is, I don't know, you're increasing your [00:34:00] speed, efficiency and performance as you go through high school and everything is looking better and better toward your senior year. Um, as she mentioned, maybe early action or early decision is possibly not your best choice because maybe giving yourself more time to show more grades Um, would actually be really helpful and answer more questions for those folks who are looking at your file.

Um, for most schools that are deadline driven, which means we are large for regular decision deadline driven, most of us are mailing our decisions by April 1st. And generally speaking, what that means is We're really only going to see semester one at the point we admit you, there are rare occasions where like maybe a quarter three grade gets there in time or maybe someone chases down a quarter three grade to see it before we make a final decision.

But the [00:35:00] broad stroke is that generally first semester is, um, is what most of us would see if we're a deadline driven school that's admitting for red. Now I want to say quickly in my next breath, this does not mean, my friends, that we don't do well our second semester of senior year, um, because there are in fact processes at all of our institutions to, to go back and check those final grades.

And make sure they at least stayed mostly on par with what you were doing. Um, and a worst case scenario. A worst case scenario can be unfortunate, um, if all your grades head in the other direction. So you want to at least kind of stay where you have been. But to answer, but your basic question, Julie, like how late can it make a difference in a decision?

Um, I think a strong focus on, on first semester for senior year. And I think I saw most of my colleagues agreeing with that. That's great.

Julie Shields-Rutyna: And now [00:36:00] let's talk about a topic that I know there are lots of questions about. Uh, let's talk about standardized tests. So, Ebony, maybe you can take us through that and some of the recent changes with that.

Um, and, you know, I have a question right here in front of me, actually. How to standardize grades. tests play into the admissions process. So

Ebony Clinton-Brown: sure, sure. So yes, testing is certainly a hot topic and it seems as if it's been amplified amplified since the global pandemic. Um, so there are a lot of different, there's test optional, there's test blind, there's test free, there's, there's all types of like buzzwords and, and kind of categories.

And so I think it's important to Again, this is certainly has been amplified since the pandemic and that was a result of right. So 2020 pandemic hits. Um, we are looking at our students that will join us in 2021 and there was simply just a lack of access to testing, right? So testing sites were closed and even students that wanted to take the testing didn't have access to it.

So [00:37:00] university, just as a community colleges and universities said, you know what, we are going to go test optional. And this was new for, for many of us, right. And I say it was new for many of us, but there were also. For years, there were fantastic institutions that had already been test optional, right, to institutions that have strongly believed that testing was a barrier for students from under resourced backgrounds.

And so again, for many of us, it was a shift. Um, and we said, you know, we'll do it maybe for as long as the pandemic, maybe we'll do it for three years. We'll do it for five years. We'll see. And what's interesting now is we are kind of in that period where we have some, some years have passed, right, we're out of the pandemic.

Testing has opened back up and we're starting to see some shifts. So test optional. Test optional really it, it means that it is an option, right? So students have the opportunity and option to submit testing should they want. Um, I will say one of the things that we are also seeing since the pandemic [00:38:00] is as so many other institutions, as so many institutions went test optional, As students gained access to start taking tests again, what we saw on the college side are students that were submitting tests were students that were testing very high.

And so now if you're looking at lots of colleges and universities and we're reporting out our middle 50%, you're seeing students that have done exceptionally well, right? And so I think that is a consideration, um, when you are thinking about, um, taking tests or rather submitting tests. Um, it, you almost have to be strategic kind of when you're thinking and we were looking at schools that are test optional.

Um, a lot of it's going to depend on how well you have done. As I said, I think it's a really good idea, at least starting point to kind of look at the different institutions that you're applying to it. And this is if you're considering tests, submitting their tests and seeing where you fall, if you are, you know, in that middle 50%, or maybe if you're higher than those are generally are, you know, great opportunities to maybe [00:39:00] increase your, um, your chance for admission versus maybe if you're on that lower 25%, then you know that that's an instance where If a school's test optional, it probably makes sense for you not to submit testing.

Again, it's going to kind of depend at the different institutions that you're looking at, but that's kind of what test option optional means is that you have the opportunity and the option to submit tests. If you submit it, it becomes part of your application, right? And then the college and university will, um, will factor in that.

Test along with your transcripts and all the other pieces of the materials, versus if you don't, you still certainly have an opportunity and chance to be admitted to university, but that is no longer part, that is not part of your application file. Test blind are institutions where, um, they're not concerned about testing.

So it is, don't submit them, they don't want them, they don't, Consider them. Um, and that is, you know, they're institutions like that as well. And so being a test blind, there's no university, University of California [00:40:00] has gone test free. Um, and there are lots of other, you know, great institutions. This is, I think again, really interesting because we're kind of at a point in time where there's movement happening, right?

Just earlier this month, I think Brown, um, said, you know what? Now that we have some years behind us, we have some data and there's a lot of research happening across institutions. We're going to require testing again. So you're seeing a shift from some of the most highly selective institutions across the country starting to once again, require testing.

Um, I think it's a good idea to take tests. Um, again, whether you're not used to totally up to you, but I think, you know, Take SAT or SAT to just see how you do right. Again, you, you don't necessarily have to submit them if you're applying to a school that's test optional or test blind. Um, but also, again, you might be looking at a school that does require testing.

So that's kind of where we're at. Again, I think this is shifting and changing very quickly. Um, I think you'll find that many [00:41:00] institutions, a lot of us are kind of looking to see what the school next door across the street is doing, and, and that you'll, you'll see again, additional movement, I think in the next year or so.

Thank

Julie Shields-Rutyna: you. That's terrific. And Joe, I'm going to ask you a question about waitlist. Um, when we students, you know, get to the point of, of hearing back from colleges, um, you know, they might be admitted or denied or denied. But sometimes they get that you're on the waitlist and that's always a confusing time for people.

So maybe you can talk about that a little bit.

Joseph DiCarlo: Yeah. So waitlist can be, um, can be interesting, right? Because it's not a yes right now and it's not a no right now either. Right? So it's, it's, it is, um, you know, still an opportunity for students that, um, you know, if you are offered a waitlist to, uh, you know, to your number one or number two option, um, You know, it is still an opportunity for students to sort of keep that school on their list if they're interested.[00:42:00]

Um, but also, I think it's a good opportunity to start to have a conversation, um, with yourself, with your family, and probably with your school counselor to sort of understand the waitlist offer, um, that you're being, that you're being made, right? There could be some considerations with the waitlist offer.

Do you have to accept by a certain date? What does accepting the waitlist offer entail? And when might you need, when might you find out if you're going to be taken off the waitlist? Is it going to be sort of before you have to make a decision on another school or not? Um, so there are some considerations, but I think for students, um, when they get that waitlist offer, the important thing to remember is that, um, especially if it is for a school that you're really interested in attending, um, it's not the end of the process.

Uh, it might just create a new opportunity for you to consider as part of the process. Um, but there are, you know, there are, there are opportunities where students have. come up, been successful in getting a spot off the wait list. Uh, and then there are opportunities where in a particular [00:43:00] year it might not happen.

And it really does kind of just, it could vary from year to year. Um, you know, again, certainly it's going to be one of those questions where it's going to depend on the institution. Some schools, um, build really long wait lists as a way to ensure that they will eventually have enough students to enroll.

Other schools might be a bit more strategic with their waitlist offers. Um, Worcester State is actually a school that does not offer a waitlist, um, option. Uh, so it really does, it really does depend. Um, and there are some things that you can, that you can do to, um, continue to express and demonstrate your interest in a school that you've been waitlisted to.

Um, you know, you might, uh, think about re engaging, reaching out, sending an email, obviously being responsive to the waitlist offer of either accepting the offer or turning the offer down, which might move another student up on a waitlist. Um, you know, some students think that maybe a waitlist is ranked.

Um, you know, they'll, a lot of times when I have worked at institutions that, uh, offered a waitlist, I would get emails from [00:44:00] students asking like, well, where am I on the waitlist? And, um, I don't think I ever worked for a school that actually ranked their waitlist. Uh, it's really just it depends on the institution.

There are some schools that might be looking for a very specific student, uh, and that they'll find they'll get that student off the waitlist, but it doesn't necessarily mean that that person is the first person on the waitlist, right? They may have room in a particular major. They may be looking for more students from out of state there.

It's a way for a university kind of build out their, their community. Uh, and they'll do that through, um, through looking at their, at their waitlist. Um, but again, there's ways for you to, to engage with the university. Um, I don't, I think without being too over, overbearing, uh, you don't want to get, uh, engaged to an extent where you become, uh, you know, sort of that person that's always calling and emailing, asking about where I am on the waitlist or what can I do to get off the waitlist is a, there's a nice balance I think that you can strike.

Um, um, But again, it's an, it's an option. It's part of the, I think it's part of the process. If you're applying to schools that do offer a waitlist, you'd probably generally will have an idea, um, based upon some of their admission statistics of your [00:45:00] chances, potentially of, you know, if, if, uh, if a waitlist offer, uh, you know, if you might kind of fall in that category of students that, you know, could potentially be offered a, a waitlist, um, but it's just, uh, it's an opportunity to reflect again, I think, lean on lean on your family.

Lean on your school counselors to get some advice because for sometimes too for students, they just need to understand that it might not happen off the waitlist and to start to think about those second and third really viable options so that you can move on with the process and really kind of start to settle in on on your final decision and move forward with the enrollment process of that at that institution.

Julie Shields-Rutyna: And Julie, I'll ask you this. Um, if a, if a student receives an acceptance, but then decides they're going to defer that. How does that

Julie Loveless: work? Yeah. Um, so we call that a gap year. Um, and I know one of the questions in the Q& A was about that. So happy to answer that. I think the vast majority of students.

schools are very [00:46:00] comfortable with students taking a gap year. I think it's worth asking before you make that final decision. But, um, I personally have not heard of a school not allowing a student to do a gap year. Um, I think that when you are doing your gap year, we want to know what you're doing. Um, we want you to have a plan for that gap year.

I think there's a lot of different ways to do that. To engage in meaningful work during that gap year, whether that is actually working at a job or an internship, whether it's traveling, whether it's engaging with community based organizations and doing some volunteer service, there's a lot of great ways to spend a gap year.

Um, but a lot of universities have kind of stipulations and requirements on those gap years. So I think that's why you need to have the conversation before you officially commit to it. I know at WPI you can take a gap year, but we would not allow you to register as a full time student at another [00:47:00] institution during your gap year.

We want you really to use that on self development and, um, kind of things that are important to you rather than just taking classes at a different institution that is not WPI. Um, and then there are always situations where students might need to take two gap years. Um, we've had students with military obligations and things like that.

Um, and that's where it gets to To be a long time away from school. So anytime you're wanting to do something that's a little bit different, we would love to hear from you because we want to know exactly what you're doing. Um, at a school like WPI, we would say. Okay, before you take that second gap year, let's talk about how you're going to keep your math and science coursework kind of current and kind of top of mind.

What resources might you be able to find online to keep those topics fresh? So gap years are great, um, but always a conversation with the university that you're thinking of enrolling at. And my strong, [00:48:00] strong advice, especially if there are students in the audience who are headed into their senior year and are thinking.

Oh, yeah, I'm definitely going to take a gap year. Um, apply to college in your senior year, get your acceptance offers, and then make that decision with that one top university to do that gap year. I think sometimes we see students who, um, say, I know I'm doing a gap year. I'll just apply to college next year on my gap year.

But when you're out of high school, it becomes a lot harder to get those recommendation letters to talk to your school counselor about getting that transcript submitted. And you just honestly lose that like school frame of mind a little bit to keep those applications really, really top priority. Um, so that's my advice.

I think, um, you can do it in your senior year. I know a lot of your friends and, um, your friends will be completing their application. So get right in it. [00:49:00] Thank you.

Julie Shields-Rutyna: Um, I see a few good questions before we, um, sort of we're getting near the end, but I see a few good questions. So let me just see if I can, uh, throw out a few and, um, if you can tackle those.

So I'll just ask this question. How do you consider an application from a student whose high school uses standards based grading? Would anyone like to take that one?

Jennifer Walker: I'll give it a shot. Oh, Julie, you were going to jump in. Will you help me if I stumble? Um, I mean, so I almost want to say, well, the same way we look at other transcripts, which probably, um, it be, it just feels obvious to me because I, you know, I'm looking at thousands of applications every year. It is, a transcript.

It comes with its own decoder ring, if you will. So your high school send [00:50:00] a high school profile that comes with a high school transcript when we receive it as part of your application. Generally speaking, I mean, those are not confidential documents. You can go into a counseling office, sometimes even onto a website.

your school's website and find your high school profile so you can actually see what your high school is sending to colleges to accompany the transcript and explain to us who are evaluating it what is available. And so if, if my answer is the same way we look at other transcripts, what that usually means, very broad strokes, is What classes are you taking and how are you doing in them?

So schools offer wide varieties of curriculum from a standardized curriculum where students literally all take the same classes for four years, no difference. No leveling to international and baccalaureate honors and AP, um, [00:51:00] and schools that don't offer AP but have AP level. I mean, there's just a lot of different, um, types of curriculum out there.

So we're looking for what was available to you, what kind of classes you chose to take. What the rigor of those classes may have been, and then how you did within those classes, regardless of whether it's a grade, or standards based, or some schools that just give you paragraph write ups on how each student did in each of those classes.

So there's a, there's a wide, a wide variety. It does not put your student, Um, there's no leg up and there's no disadvantage. It's just another way that we have thought about.

Julie Shields-Rutyna: Thank you. And Ebony, I know you, um, advocated for taking a standardized test just to go through that process. Anyway, that is a good idea.

And so someone asked, should you take both the S. A. T. And the A. C. T. Or is the S. A. T. Enough. So I don't know if you have a thought about that.

Ebony Clinton-Brown: Yeah, I mean, that's a great question. [00:52:00] And, you know, it really depends on you. There are certainly instances where some students will take both and actually scores.

Significantly higher on one of the other tests. And so maybe, you know, I I, people always, the question was, should I take that? Is the SAT enough? It's SAT or a CT. Um, so again, you might find that you might be one of those students that you, you know, you were probably most, maybe most familiar with SAT, but you took the a CT and actually scored higher.

So you then have that opportunity to kind of look at those two scores. And so. I don't think it hurts. I mean, of course, there's a financial, um, you know, consideration in terms of thinking whether or not to take the SAT or the ACT. Um, but the tests, the tests are slightly different. So it, you know, I think again, in some instances, some students do find that they may test higher on one of the two.

Julie Shields-Rutyna: That's great. Thank you. And, uh, wow, we do have some really good questions here. Um, let me ask this one, which is, which is, [00:53:00] uh, very timely and important for this year. With the end of race conscious admissions, are there things students should do beyond the supplemental essays to show that they will add to the racial diversity of your campus?

So maybe, I don't know if you, a few of you want to just add some ideas there.

Julie Loveless: I can start. Um, yeah, I think that this has been an interesting year in so many ways, but obviously that decision was very impactful on the way that we review applications. Um, I think every university wants a diverse group of students and perspectives on their campus.

Um, one of WPI's core values is inclusion. And one of the ways we assess students candidates is their Demonstrated commitment to inclusion. Um, and so taking the time to detail your personal passion and work in the DEI space is going to make you a better applicant to [00:54:00] WPI. If you haven't engaged in that work, reflecting on how that work is important to you is also helpful to us.

Um, I don't think that In our application review, we don't need you to explicitly state anything about race. Um, we really just want to know about your passion for inclusion, diversity, equity, um, and, and inclusion. Um, so that's kind of where we're at with it. It's part of our values. And when we are looking for students who are going to be a good fit for WPI, that means their values align with our values.

Ebony Clinton-Brown: I think I would just say, I think that's a really great answer, Julie. Um, I, we're just looking for you to show your authentic selves, right? So, so similar, what, you know, what motivates you, who are you, who will you be on our community and how will you contribute? And so, um, again, that can be in the clubs and organizations you're [00:55:00] involved in.

That can be, again, how you're spending your time, but we're really just trying to see who you are authentically and who you will be on our campuses.

Julie Shields-Rutyna: All right. And then I have a couple of questions, um, that are similar that relate to, is it a good idea to reach out to the admissions office to have a personal conversation regarding a particular major? Or another question, is it good to get to know the admissions representatives in your area for each school?

And if you don't meet them at your high school, How do you get to know them? So maybe you could say a few things about, um, about getting to know the admissions folks at the schools that you're hoping to apply to. So if you have a

Jennifer Walker: question, reach out. If you're just reaching out to reach out [00:56:00] respectfully, we hear from a lot of people.

Um, so absolutely reach out if you have like, you have genuine questions and you're looking for your resource to answer your questions. Yes. If you are thinking you're going to reach out to that person and that one person is going to remember you among the many thousands of students that they talk to over the course of the year and that's the thing that's going to get you into college, probably it's not.

So absolutely reach out and use them as a resource. But it's not a thing that like you that sort of put some finger on the scale in the admissions game that that would probably be my answer. I mean, happy to hear from my colleagues

Joseph DiCarlo: as well. I mean, I would just, I think it was sort of the second part to that question was also related to, you know, contacting the admissions office as it relates to.

And I would just say that we [00:57:00] tend in the admissions office to be generalist. We tend to be informed about the university broadly. We know a little bit about academic programs, but if you really want to get into the nitty gritty of what types of courses you're going to have to take, what types of research opportunities you might be able to take advantage of internships, um, and, um, You know, what types of jobs, uh, or that's really where we would probably, uh, put you in contact with some faculty members that are really experts in that, in that field of study to help you understand, you know, what is a major in English or what is a major, you know, in political science or engineering.

going to entail? What are the classes going to be like? What types of classes am I going to have to take? What can I do with my degree? Um, that's where we're going to lean on really the area experts on our campuses, uh, to really provide you with that, that level of detail. And then there's, you know, additional opportunities.

Like I would encourage students to take it, you know, come for a campus tour. That's a great way to introduce yourself to the campus, but then come back for an open house where there'll be faculty that will be available to [00:58:00] answer questions, perhaps even go into a little much deeper dive on the curriculum.

Uh, you might have the opportunity to talk to students that are currently studying in those academic programs to kind of hear what their experience is like. Um, so an event like an open house or, uh, or an event that showcases, uh, The particular programs that you're interested in is a good way to make those connections with the faculty and with the students that are actually living and breathing it every day, but get into the more detail around what that program of study, um, you know, might might entail.

So if it's not admissions, and we are all people, people, we enjoy interacting with people by nature with the work that we do. So you can always start with the admissions office. You can call, you can email. If you're on campus, pop in. Um, and then if we don't know the answer or can't get you the, the detail of the answer that you're looking for, we know exactly who to refer you to on our campuses to help you get that information.

Julie Shields-Rutyna: Well, in respect for your time, I'm just going to, I'm going to ask these two more questions and then I'll have [00:59:00] you just give a little closing tip. Um, actually, Joe, someone asked about MCAS. Could you just briefly talk about how that the MCAS, uh, score factors into?

Joseph DiCarlo: Yeah. So I think this might be really kind of only relevant to the public universities, Massachusetts State University.

So every student that attends a Massachusetts public high school has to complete MCAS as part of their high school graduation requirements. Your actual MCAS score has no impact on your admission decision to a university. However, In order for you to complete your high school graduation requirements, you need to complete uh, and pass the MCAS.

And for you to be able to enroll, um, at a public university, you need to successfully complete high school, right? And earn a high school diploma, which has the MCAS as part of that requirement. So you have your coursework, your high school graduation requirements, and you have the MCAS exam, which you have to pass.

And by [01:00:00] completing those two, you're awarded your high school diploma. Um, so although the MCAS is specific to, uh, state universities, Any student that wants to move on to college though needs to complete high school, right? They need to graduate from high school. And so I think Jen mentioned earlier that we sort of do that final check When you're done with your grades and what we're looking for is is your final transcript stamped with a date of graduation?

That shows that you've completed all of your high school graduation requirements and you earned that college diploma That's not only important for admission, but that's important if you want to receive federal financial aid as well, and that's why a lot of times we look for that final high school transcript so that we can ensure that if you're eligible for aid, we can award that aid to you based upon your successful completion of high school and earning that high school diploma.

Thank you.

Julie Shields-Rutyna: I think, I think your answer to this next question might be helpful to a few people. Just, um, I'm just going to ask the second part of it. If you were thinking about two different majors, is it better to tell a school both [01:01:00] pick one at random or go undecided. So maybe you could just say a couple of things about that.

Joseph DiCarlo: I mean, I think you just, you, like I kind of mentioned earlier, there's really no way to kind of backdoor your way in, right. Especially, you know, for, so for, you know, for us, we have one program that's direct entry into nursing. So I tell students, If you want to major in nursing and at Worcester State apply to nursing, um, you can always change your major out if you, uh, get into nursing, um, and you're not in, um, and you wish and you decide that maybe nursing isn't for you, um, but you can't apply to biology or apply to a different major and try and get into nursing at another time.

Um, there's also institutions that I've worked at, Um, you know, where students think, well, I'm not really sure, you know, exactly what I want. I, you know, I'm thinking engineering, but, um, that seems to be really selective. So I'll just go in undecided. At some colleges, the undecided option can also be just as equally selective as some of the more selective majors as well.[01:02:00]

So, um, I think what you have to remember about college, uh, is that, and especially the admissions process, it's going to depend on the university and how they handle, you know, Uh, with their intended major, but also keep in mind too, you want to be thinking about a school that's going to provide you with opportunities to change as you grow and evolve as a student.

So when I went to college, I changed my major three times before I eventually settled in on a, on a major. And that so it was important for me in my college search process that I chose a college that was flexible enough for me to adapt and evolve as I as a student. Right? Um, so if you're kind of undecided on what you want to study, you have a few different areas of interest.

You want, you want to pick a college that is going to have, uh, The availability of all those programs, but two would also potentially support the opportunities for you to, um, and the flexibility to change majors if, say, your first major doesn't work out, uh, or you don't get into that, you don't get into that program.

So I think it's all about flexibility and availability of [01:03:00] academic programs in that instance.

Julie Shields-Rutyna: Well, thank you. And I do need to move us toward the close. Um, what I will say is I've seen some questions that, um, ask a little more on the financial aid side. So please know that MIFA has lots of webinars about the financial aid process and lots of resources on our website.

So please be in touch about any of those questions. Those will be very important for you. Also, I see a question about a student with a 504 and how that works. With college, MIFA actually just held a webinar last week about making that transition to college. So you can look for that video on our website.

And we continue to have some content around that as well. So I think I'm just going to ask the panelists to give you one closing tip. And one of the questions I have right here is, how do I start the admissions process? And actually, we, we get that question a lot. [01:04:00] So when you're thinking about a tip that you want to give to students going through this process, if you want to add something about, you know, the way they should start at the beginning or, you know, how they can start, because I know that tends to be, um, something we hear often that would be helpful too, I think.

So I guess I will, um, I will go to you, Ebony. Oh, you're on my screen this way.

Ebony Clinton-Brown: So I, in terms of how to start it, I think, A great way to start is simply by having a conversation with your school counselor. And I know that that, um, you know, there are folks with different coming from different schools and some of you just have a school counselor somewhere.

You will have a college counselor and that will look differently. But I think that's a really great way to start because they can. In many ways help guide you and, you know, introduce you into the process. Um, the other thing, if, if that's not a good resource for you, um, Jen mentioned it earlier. I think that do you think that big futures website is a [01:05:00] really good, just starting point.

That's going to introduce you to a lot of information. And then you'll have, you'll start to learn what additional questions to ask.

Julie Shields-Rutyna: That's great. Thank you. And Julie.

Julie Loveless: Yeah, I think I would recommend engaging with a university, whatever, I mean, take a tour anywhere, take a virtual tour, it could be the university that's really close by that you really don't have any intention of going to, but once you're on that college campus.

The, and you're hearing from the tour guide, like questions start generating, you start identifying what you like and what you don't like about different college campuses. Um, so please, please, please, um, engage with us virtually, engage with us, uh, in an in person tour, and I think that's going to help you figure out what's important to you.

Joseph DiCarlo: Well, I [01:06:00] mean, there's a lot of options out there, right? There's like over 4, 000 colleges and universities in the United States. And so the, I think the process can become a bit overwhelming when you start to think about all those options. So I do think it's worth, um, starting to like reflect a little bit upon, you know, some of the things, some of the characteristics that are important to you in this, in, in your college search process.

Are you looking to move away from home and what that distance might look like? Are you looking for big school, small school? Is it important for you to be in a major city because of some of the opportunities and conveniences that that might offer? Um, I think everyone tends to have a good grasp grasp on what they're interested in studying, but some of those other characteristics of a college campus that are going to really make you happy in your experience, I think it's worth to start to sort of start there and think about, um, where you're going to feel comfortable, what you're looking for, uh, and you can start to kind of identify and narrow down your list, um, based upon, based upon some of those things.

Thank you. And

Julie Shields-Rutyna: Jen,

Jennifer Walker: I [01:07:00] mean, my colleagues have all given you really good advice. Um, I would also say like, congratulations, you have already started. You came to the panel, you heard from the people, you know, you did the webinar. Um, I was trying to Google this before I started talking. I, I might also suggest there's a really, really big college fair in the spring in the Boston area.

It's called the the nac, um, which is just like a professional organization that all colleges belong to. You don't have to worry about that. But it's a really big college fair. Oh my goodness. Where is it, friends? Somebody consult the internet for me. Go! Joe! Joe knows.

Joseph DiCarlo: Julie knows as well. So it's the Boston National College Fair.

It's at the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center. Uh, May 2nd in May 3rd. Uh, there's three sessions. Uh, May 2nd has a morning session and an evening session, and then, uh, Friday, May 3rd has a, has a morning session. In addition to over 350 [01:08:00] colleges and universities that will be attending, um, there'll also be a series of workshops available for students on.

Uh, co um, your co writing, your college essay, building your college list, uh, as well as Mifa, uh, and some other financial aid presentations. There'll also be a college advising center where there'll be volunteers available to, uh, to help you on, on answering a lot of these very questions that we covered tonight as well.

So it is a great opportunity. Thanks Jen, for the, for the, for the plug.

Jennifer Walker: Yeah. Thanks team. And then, and everyone on the webinar. It's a great, um, you don't have to know anything. And as a matter of fact, if you don't want to talk to anyone, you don't have to. They're there and they're happy to, but you can also just grab, you know, grab pamphlets and go home and regroup.

Um, and, and lots of other resources that Joe just added. So I think that in addition to what everyone has shared is, is another place for those of you who are in the Boston vicinity that you could, you could think about pursuing

Julie Shields-Rutyna: that. I put a website there. [01:09:00] I'm Go to that website. You could you can get all the details to if you Google it, you'll be able to find it better.

Thank you all so much. But great information. And thank you all to all the participants. Those were terrific questions. And I good luck in in your, your search and your process. And thank you. Have a good evening.