As upperclassmen head into their final semester of the year, the college counseling department is laying the groundwork for a successful path to college admissions for juniors and a healthy transition to college for seniors.
Juniors and their parents met recently with Adrienne Gilbert, college counselor, and professionals from the Leadership Development Company to summarize information gathered during the Life and Career Counseling program, which is exclusive to Whitefield. As part of this program, the juniors have been meeting with experienced counselors each week for an entire semester to take personality tests, define areas of interest, identify personal values, and formulate a clear understanding of who they are. Each student also spent a day of testing at the Johnson O’Connor Research Foundation, a 75-year-old firm that assesses natural aptitudes, inherited traits, and special abilities. During summary meetings, juniors and their parents reviewed the results of the testing and discussed how they can be applied to college choices.
"Our daughter, Emily, thoroughly enjoyed the process of the Life and Career Planning. Working with Jill Langella was a real treat," said Lynn Sumlin. "We found the results very interesting and it allowed us to confirm things we knew about Emily. The results will definitely guide us as we begin the college search process.
While juniors prepare for the upcoming admission season, seniors are receiving acceptances and are already thinking about the transition from life at home to life on a college campus. To help prepare seniors for this change, Upper School principal Jason Van Bemmel and senior advisees have started the CollegeWorks program, which is based on the book Thriving at College by Alex Chediak. Using the book as an outline, administrators and faculty members are leading seniors in discussions about 10 common mistakes of a college freshman and 10 “thrive” principles to avoid these mistakes. The topics include:
Surviving or Thriving – Mr. Van Bemmel
Common Mistake #1: Chucking Your Faith
Thrive Principle: Grow Closer to God – Mr. McBride
Common Mistake #2: Treating College as if it Were High School
Thrive Principle: Maintain Healthy Habits and Boundaries – Mrs. Brown
Common Mistake #3: Not Being Intentional
Thrive Principle: Find Great Friends and Mentors – Miss Bonnem
Common Mistake #4: Distorting Dating and Romance
Thrive Principle: Attract the Right Kind of Person – Coach Johnson
Common Mistake #5: Refusing to Grow Up
Thrive Principle: Become Independent of Mom and Dad – Mrs. Gilbert
Common Mistake #6: Being a Flake
Thrive Principle: Keep Your Commitments – Mr. Hellier
Common Mistake #7: Living out of Balance
Thrive Principle: Balance Work and Play – Mrs. Moseley
Common Mistake #8: Being Too Passive or Too Cocky
Thrive Principle: Wisely Select a Major – Mr. Horner
Common Mistake #9: Living for Grades
Thrive Principle: Recognize that Growth Requires Challenge – Mr. Fernandes
Common Mistake #10: Wasting Opportunities
Thrive Principle: Use Your Downtime Wisely – Mrs. Qualls
To bring these mistakes from the realm of classroom discussions into reality, seniors also heard first-hand stories from six members of the Class of 2014, who recently spoke to them after completing their first semester of college. The alumni gave practical advice about the upcoming transition, and shared their real life experiences. Here are some of the comments the seniors heard:
Classes are difficult. Don’t think you can study for a test overnight and make a great
grade.
A lot of college courses only have a project, a midterm, and the final. Every individual grade really counts.
Be prepared to be lonely in the middle of a ton of people. It's normal. You are discovering who you are in a new environment. You don't hate college. You don't hate YOUR college. You are adjusting and that takes time.
Reach out and make friends. They won’t necessarily find you.
Be ready to answer why you believe what you believe, not just what you believe. You will be challenged to support your belief system.
Read the course description carefully and completely before enrolling in a class. I was surprised by the content of a class because I didn’t do that.
If you don’t get into your dream school, you will be fine. God has a place and a plan, and you can find a place to succeed.
Don’t slack off your senior year. Colleges still are looking at your grades.
Alumni who participated in the discussion were Justen Brendel (Haverford College), James Johnson (Georgia Tech), Ali Matthews (University of Southern California), Averi Noosinow (MiraCosta College), Elaine Sharitz (Virginia Tech), and Emma Wright (Berry College)