Class of 2018 Newsletter

June 2017

Though Carey Hall will soon be largely empty and quiet, the college counselors encourage rising seniors and their families to be in touch with us during the summer. Our collective goal is for every senior to have completed his research and campus visits before the start of senior year. This will put you in the very best position to complete strong applications and have a smooth admission process. Our goal is to help and encourage you to make the very best use of the summer months, so please stay in touch.

Summer Checklist

Students, by the end of August please attend to the following:

• Complete all campus visits and interviews for colleges that will receive an application
• Have a draft of your Common Application essay submitted to your college counselor
• Set an appointment with your college counselor for early September
• Plan on attending the Senior & Parent Breakfast at 8:00 a.m. on August 29

Parents, please consider the following:

• Remain supportive and encouraging as your son navigates the expectations listed above
• In August, book an appointment with your son's college counselor for September or October
• Have honest conversations about cost and value with your son
• For those seeking financial aid:
  • Make ample use of each prospective college's Net Price Calculator
  • Ask thorough questions about a college's financial aid policies

Monthly Focus

Fall Standardized Tests

Historically, many students have posted their strongest standardized test scores in the fall of their senior year. Thus, we advise students to register for a fall standardized test. Click here to register for the August 26 SAT. Click here to register for the September 9 ACT.  

College Essays

The Common Application has announced the essay prompts for 2017-2018; find them here. The college counselors will work with each student individually on his essays, and we expect to review each piece of writing before it's submitted to colleges. An early start on essays allows counselors and students more time to work together on essay drafts and also helps alleviate some of the stress of the busy senior fall. During two separate weeks in August, Gilman faculty offer a summer application essay workshop designed to help you complete a significant amount of application work within one week. You can register for the workshop here. The dates are August 14-18 or August 21-25.

College Visits & Interviews

In the previous newsletter, we offered guidance for making the most of college visits and preparing for admission interviews. Further information can be found on the CCO website.

College Affordability and Value

We are increasingly mindful of the rising cost of a college education. We hope that families turn to us to have honest conversations about financing college costs. If an applicant will have his college choice shaped by affordability, then he needs to know that before the application process has started. We are also keenly invested in the broader issue of value. All of us want to ensure that students and families can not only afford college but that the experience provides our graduates with meaningful value and a strong return-on-investment.  As part of your search, we encourage the use of College Reality Check. College Reality Check provides comparisons of colleges' average net price, graduation rates, and some very important data on debt and default rates. This site is helpful in evaluating the quality of colleges and universities.

Financial Aid: Net Price Calculators

In an effort to be more transparent about the actual cost of attending a particular college and to help you plan for college expenses, each college's website hosts a Net Price Calculator (NPC). This is a tool that you can use to estimate your "net price" to attend a particular college or university. Net price is the difference between the "sticker" price (or full cost) to attend a specific college, and any grants, loans, work study, and/or scholarships for which you may be eligible. We encourage parents who may be applying for financial aid to complete the NPC at any school for which your son expresses interest. It takes only about 15-20 minutes to complete a school's NPC and doing so will help you better understand the true cost of schools on your son's college list.

Counselor Spotlight

Ms. Follensbee recently attended the Exploring College Options breakfast with admission representatives from Duke, Georgetown, Harvard, Penn, and Stanford. Did you know? 88% of Duke undergraduates pursue at least one internship, and 52% participate in research.

Beginning in July, Gilman is excited to welcome Ms. Sarah Ross as Gilman's next Director of College Counseling. Ms. Ross will be coming to Gilman from Kent School in Kent, Connecticut, where she currently serves as Assistant Head of School for Enrollment, a job that oversees both admissions and college counseling.

For Your Consideration

Looking for some beach reading? The New York Times's college admission blog "The Choice" offers these 28 Summer Reading Suggestions from College Experts.

ACCIS, a regional association of admission officers and college counselors, offers these "Ten Tips for a Successful College Search:" Tips 1-5; Tips 6-10.

Contact the CCO