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Positive Educational Direction |
June 2009 Table of Contents | Next Article » Introduction: June 2009
Dear friends, This is the end of our 25th year - and it was our biggest year ever! During this quarter of a century, Dunbar Consultants have advised over two thousand students and their families as they apply to colleges, boarding schools and graduate schools. Our seniors this year came from 10 states and 11 countries, and applied to 169 different colleges from American University to Yale. (Click here for a list of the colleges where our 2009 students were accepted.) The difficult economy created a tumultuous year across the board. In times of economic stress, Wait List activity goes up and we certainly saw significantly larger Wait Lists created by admissions offices this spring. While most of that activity has slowed down we may yet see more when initial tuition payments are due in July. The real news here is that being Wait Listed in March or April does not mean the process is over! This year we saw the growing importance of demonstrated interest. One or two of our students were waitlisted at schools at which they were strong applicants. We feel that this was a result of not visiting the campuses, which caused a perceived lack of interest. Our suspicions were validated when these students were taken off Wait Lists at colleges where they subsequently made a big effort to emphasize their interest. We have always encouraged students to visit each campus to which they will apply. If a visit is not possible, personal contact with an admission rep either via email or at a high school visit or college fair can show interest and curiosity toward learning more about a college and its potential fit. This year's examples highlighted how important that advice has become. And so the cycle continues with new trends emerging every year. Congratulations to our seniors! We wish everyone a wonderful, relaxing summer - Cheers! Don |
