Milwaukee Magazine | College-Ready

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COLLEGE-READY Local experts share what students need to know to succeed in higher ed.

September 2022

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ollege isn’t what it used to be. From applications to campus living, the norms and expectations of higher education have changed dramatically in just the past few years.

Jim Zielinski, a co-director of college counseling at The Prairie School in Wind Point, points out one major change ushered in by COVID – the diminished importance of standardized testing.

“Par ticularly at the more selective colleges, there’s now a greater emphasis on writing in the application,” Zielinski says, as many colleges make testing optional. “The essay is critical.

Colleges are looking for the student’s understanding of who they are and what the college is about.”

Joshua Labove, the dean of enrollment and financial aid at Beaver Dam’s Wayland Academy, agrees that colleges are looking for students who are a good fit for the community. “I always tell kids to look at a wide variety of schools, to move beyond names

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and labels and to find places that feel comfortable and that speak to them,” Labove says.

Labove and Zielinski both point out the importance of a “four-year history” when applying to colleges. A student’s extracurricular involvement and academic progression in high school matters to

colleges starting their freshman year.

Nick Spaeth is the director of college counseling at Brookfield Academy and past president of the Wisconsin Association for College Admissions Counseling. He starts working with students their freshman year, focusing on each individual’s strengths and interests to find a college that fits them.

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“Students begin thinking about college in their freshman year, when they start to understand the impact that their choices will have on their future college applications,” Spaeth says. “Being involved matters – great grades and test scores are not the only thing that selective colleges are concerned with.”

Sheila Ross, the chair of Milwaukee School of Engineering’s electrical engineering and computer science department, has seen some of those unprepared students struggle their first semester. “MSOE is rigorous, and many students find themselves academically challenged for the first time,” Ross says. “I would advise high school students to research potential careers so they have a goal in mind. … Students who succeed are goal-oriented.”

When considering that goal, Teresa Kaul, the chair of the department of nursing at Carroll University, advises students to note the job market. The nursing shortage in Wisconsin means that new nurses are in high-demand and can make a much-needed impact on our state’s health care system. “There are amazing opportunities in nursing,” Kaul says. “And you will have a job, but I think it’s more than a job. It’s a wonderful career.”

Kari Kennedy, the director of The Institute of Beauty and Wellness, an Aveda Beauty School with one campus in the Third Ward and one in downtown Madison, points out the importance of students considering many career options before deciding where to go. “Most of our programs, which range from cosmetology and barbering to massage therapy to Ayurveda esthetics, can be completed in a year or less,” says Kennedy. “Our students graduate with opportunities to fulfill a passion while earning a competitive income with flexible hours.”

A number of local universities offer pre-college courses to help students find the right college for them and prepare for the transition.

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“[Pre-college courses] give students a broader sense of the field and help them find a community of people who have the same passions they do,” says Stacey Steinberg, the executive director of marketing and communications at the Milwaukee Institute of Art and Design, which offers pre-college courses. “It’s a chance to boost your application and merit scholarship consideration, but it’s also a way to figure out if the field is the right fit for you.”

Up to 50% of freshmen across the nation enter college each year undecided of their major. Four years ago, Mount Mary University instituted the “Compass Year” program to better serve those students. Compass students spend their first year taking classes across Mount Mary’s majors and hearing from speakers in many fields. “It helps students pick the right major for them and still graduate in four years,” says Dave Wegener, Mount Mary’s vice president for enrollment services.

Diversity, equity and inclusion play a major role in smoothing that transition. Last year, Milwaukee Area Technical College hired Eva Martinez Powless as the school’s chief diversity, equity and inclusion officer. Along with her team and other stakeholders in the school, she drafted a roadmap for the school’s future. “Our goal is to have an equitable community,” she says. “One where Black students, students of color and underrepresented student populations will experience a sense of belonging, will grow and succeed. … Our students of color bring so many assets to our college.”

Kate Lundeen, the vice president for enrollment services and marketing at Alverno College, points to the college’s “peer leaders” as one way of providing support for first-year students. Peer leaders are older undergraduates who work closely with first-years.

“Our peer leaders are a great resource for new students,” says Lundeen. “They help them navigate everything from how to get additional academic support in their classes, to how to pay a bill, to how to get to the basketball game Friday night.”

And all these experts agree that applying to college can be overwhelming. In response to the stress he sometimes sees from students, Wayland’s Labove shares one last piece of advice. “There are over 3,000 places to get a diploma in the United States – there is a place for you,” he says. “Sometimes it’s just a matter of taking a deep breath, having fun and finding that place.” ◆

Achieving Independence Shepherds College in Union Grove is expanding college access to people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. “Our goal is to build our students up to the point where they are independent at their level, which could mean living in an apartment, holding down a job, volunteering,” says Tyler Sallee, the campus director. “We want them to make an impact on their community.”

Students who enroll at Shepherds start with a consultation to determine their needs, and then create an individualized plan to help them succeed. They then have the chance to study one of three different disciplines: culinary arts, horticulture and technology. “It’s really amazing to see a student go through our program and then succeed, and to know Shepherds helped them get to that point,” Sallee says.

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