CAMPUS CONNECTION
The Right Fit At Hotchkiss, College Advisors Help Students Seek Their Own Paths B Y J U L I A E L L I OT T
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walked into Director of College Advising Rick Hazelton’s office in the fall of his upper mid year, he had no idea where he wanted to go to college. At Hotchkiss, science had been Nick’s passion. But he also played varsity football and wrestled all four years, captaining both teams as a senior. His dream school would offer rigorous academics and also allow him to continue playing sports. Finding a match felt like a challenge. Nick clearly remembers the moment Director of College Advising Rick Hazelton said to him, “Have you thought about the University of Chicago?” Fast forward three years. In June of 2020, Nick graduated from Chicago having pursued a pre-med program and wrestled all four years. He found the school to be a perfect fit. During his time there, Nick received an email from Rick once or twice a year saying that he would be visiting campus. During one of these visits, Nick joined other Hotchkiss alumni for a candid conversation about their experiences. Nick believes frequent visits like these to college campuses and maintaining close contacts with alumni give Hotchkiss’s college advising team an understanding of each school’s culture that goes well beyond the stats found in brochures. The six advisors in the College Advising Office have developed a wealth of knowledge about colleges and universities across the United States and beyond. They bring this — together with a deep understanding of the intricacies of the application process — to the journey they take with each Hotchkiss student. “Over the years, I have had the good fortune to work with an incredible college counseling office at Hotchkiss. On a number of occasions, we have had fruitful discussions about developments in our admissions policies, the
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HEN NICK CAROL A ’16
M AGA ZINE
ins-and-outs of athletic recruitment, and the questions the college advisors are fielding from interested students, among other issues. Rick and his associates ensure that our committees are fully informed about applicants from Hotchkiss. I believe that this uncommon academic approach to college counseling serves the students of Hotchkiss incredibly well,” said James M. Colman, senior associate director, Georgetown University, Office of Undergraduate Admissions. The college process begins in the fall of upper mid year, when each student is assigned a college advisor. Hotchkiss’s student-to-college advisor ratio is 35:1, which is low across the School’s peer set. College advisors also live in dorms, coach sports, and participate in co-curriculars, allowing them to develop connections with students that go well beyond the College Advising Office. That’s something that Michael Zhang ’21 especially appreciated about his college advisor. Whenever Michael published an article in The Hotchkiss Record or played piano in a performance, he’d get an email from Josh Smith. “Mr. Smith took the time to know who I was outside in the community,” says Michael. “He made me feel like a whole person and not just a name on a list.”
This past year was a particularly challenging one for college admissions: acceptance rates at the most competitive colleges and universities were lower than they have ever been. According to the Wall Street Journal,* Harvard accepted 3.4% of applicants. Yale, 4.6%. Columbia, 3.7%. Test-optional policies led to increases in applicants at leading schools. At the same time, many schools began the year with spots for freshmen already allocated to students who had opted to defer in 2020. “I tried not to think about it!” Michael laughs about the increased competition. What helped ease the process, he says, is that Josh served as a sounding board. “He helped me voice my thoughts about what I wanted in a school, he provided feedback, but then he allowed me the independence to figure it out on my own.” Letting students take the lead is a key tenet of the College Advising Office and one that aligns with the School’s commitment to developing independence and critical thinking. Michael’s discussions with Josh helped guide him to the Morehead-Cain scholarship, a fouryear merit-based scholarship at the University of North Carolina. For many Hotchkiss students, college
