Breaking the College Admissions Code

With college admisson become more competitive than ever, students are looking for ways to set themselves apart. The unique programs offered by the Brighton Foundation are practical and innovative ways to increase a student's chance of admission to a great school.

PASADENA, CA (PRWEB) March 7, 2004 --When did college admissions become a blood sport? Every year, millions of teenagers from across the country compete for increasingly rare seats at Americas most prestigious colleges. At the same time, the colleges themselves are locked in a furious struggle to attract a freshman class that will move them up the ladder of US News annual college rankings and secure their place as elite institutions. As a result, students are finding themselves increasingly caught up in an admissions arms race in which they feel compelled to reinforce their records with AP classes, IB programs, community service projects and summer study abroad programs in hopes of setting themselves apart from the field and cracking the admissions code.    

The Brighton Foundation has developed summer college prep programs for college-bound teens that are designed to demystify college admissions and reintroduce excitement and optimism to the process. In the Summer of 2004, they are offering these 9-day college admissions programs on the campuses of UCLA in Los Angeles and Tufts University in Boston. Students live in campus dorms and work with college counselors, writing instructors and admissions professionals on every facet of their applications. They learn how the process works, meet daily in one-on-one sessions with counselors, polish their personal statements, practice interviewing techniques and tour major campuses in LA and Boston.

We sat down with David Allen, Brightons Executive Director, to find out how Brighton is changing the admissions landscape with these summer campus programs.

Q: How did the idea of a college admissions camp come about?

DA: Ive been working with summer programs for teenage students for well over a decade, and have watched the pressure on these young people ratchet up each year. But in speaking with students about college, I was surprised by what I learned about how they were preparing their applications. That is, they prepare them in the fall of the senior year, weeks before deadlines, in the midst of a busy schedule of sports, AP classes, extracurricular activities and busy social lives. Its a formula guaranteed to produce dread and stress.

As we constantly point out during the program, colleges dont accept people, they accept applications. It seemed bizarre to my colleagues and me that a student would struggle for years to compile a wonderful record of academic success, great test scores and extracurricular accomplishments only to rush together the applications at the goal line. Wouldnt it be better," we thought, to give college applications ones full attention during the summer, while living on a college campus?" Adapting a camp format to college admissions actually makes approaching applications fun, and more importantly, it returns control of the process to the student.

Q: College Admissions has become so stressful, dont you worry that this kind of program adds one more thing a student has to worry about doing?

DA: On the contrary, these students are going to visit schools, meet with counselors and labor over the wording of their personal statements whether they do it during the summer or during the academic year. This is not extra work. This is a practical and fun way to methodically and professionally approach what most students view as a daunting task. And living on campus with students from around the country allows students to visualize themselves as college students and get excited about college. Its a great summer experience.

Q: Arent programs like these an expensive luxury for most families?

DA: Getting help with college applications is not a new concept. Many of our students would have hired an independent counselor and a writing tutor, spending more à la carte for episodic help than for a complete program on campus that includes room and board, campus visits, hours of individual counseling, group counseling, interview practice and expert help with their personal statement. Even more than most summer camp programs, this experience is an investment that yields clear dividends.

Brighton also works with other non-profit organizations that nominate bright, motivated students who will be the first in their families to attend colleges. These students receive scholarships to attend our College Admissions Prep programs.

Q: Do your counselors interact at all with parents and school counselors?

DA: Parents and high school counselors should remain a students primary support structure as they prepare for college. Thats why Brighton compiles a file that includes transcripts, parental surveys and counselor assessments before the program begins and sends home a comprehensive counseling review at the end of the program. Our counselors come from top prep schools from around the nation. They understand how important it is to work with high school counselors because they are high school counselors. Our staff doesnt want to replace the support students receive during the academic year, we are simply taking advantage of working in an authentic collegiate environment, during the summer months when students can give their applications the focused time they deserve.

Q: What happens when your students return home and your staff isnt around to walk them through every application?

DA: Youre right; its crucial that these programs focus on students developing real expertise, not simply leaning on the immediate aid of counselors and instructors. For example, when they return home from nine days at Tufts, they havent just polished one essay, theyve learned to identify the facets of their character that will intrigue admissions officers.

Brighton students also leave the program having completed our comprehensive college admissions workbook, which acts as a personalized primer for completing outstanding applications. We also offer follow-up counseling and essay tutoring to program alumni who would like to continue working online with their Brighton counselors and writing instructors until all of their applications have been submitted.

For more information about summer College Prep Camps and Study Abroad programs, contact Brighton at 626.795.2985, or visit www.brightonedge.org