School Update
Counseling Corner A
s we etch toward the end of the school year, I am constantly watching for updates from the seniors on their offers. Who will get what and who will go where? Every year the tension occurs around March and April. For those early decisions, it happens toward the end of December. I understand that the students have dreams and aspirations and when the offers start to come in, they can ignite a student with a yes offer or they can deflate their hope with a no. Keeping them hanging in the middle is a waitlisted offer. Each year I encourage students to stay positive, no matter the outcome. I reassure them that they have the academics and ability to be successful in most universities but they need to be aware that offers are not just dependent on their capabilities, but other factors play a role in this whole selection process. The sheer number of applications that a university gets makes the limited number of seats that they have competitive. This year, and last year for that matter, saw an increase for most big universities due to test optional policies around SAT or other standardized tests. There is no way a university can accept all students who apply, so they must pick and choose. This causes the excitement, anticipation and many times, anxiety. Who will be the ‘lucky’ ones for a particular university. The more highly ranked a university is, the more competitive it becomes. Yet, we always encourage students to have ‘back ups’ that they would be happy to attend if they do not get their first choice. This is like ‘insurance’ for university.
As the offers continue to come in, we have received many good offers from universities and we have also received several rejections. Yet overall, I commend our students for doing well and staying on track with their studies. In other words, they have done their part and I am proud of them for their dedication. As long as a student has a university that they would be happy to attend then I feel they have won. My goal is that they have choices. I congratulate our graduating Seniors 2021 for making it through and for being successful. I wish them the very best as they continue on with higher education and encourage them to always put forth their best efforts in everything they do. Congratulations 2021 Graduates! Dr. Tresa Croson Virankabutra Career & College Counseling Director
17 CONCORDIAN IMPACT - ISSUE 31