Talking Turkey And College Admission

As the holidays approach, many high school seniors will be frantically working to complete their college applications. They and others will try to dodge a barrage of questions from friends and family about where they’ve applied and what they want to do with their life (don’t be that relative!). As their parents prepare Thanksgiving dinner, many students might well be writing essays and filling out applications. So, what do holiday hosting and college admission have in common? They can both be uniquely anxiety-producing. Now they also both have a free call-in helpline to alleviate uncertainty.

For the past 40 years, the good people at Butterball Turkey have helped cooks circumvent culinary crises during the holidays. No matter who you are, experts are standing by to advise you about brining, basting, and baking. When it comes to college admission, the stakes are much higher and access to the right information is undoubtedly more complicated. “Should I send test scores?” “How do I report my grades?” “Do I need to create a resume?” These are among the bevy of questions that students are wrestling with. Despite some applicants’ wishes, there is no recipe for admission success in a world of information overload. There is, however, a free, live Zoom “Deadline Hotline” that seeks to level the playing field for students and their supporters everywhere.

Post-secondary counseling is in crisis and sadly inequitable. Though the American School Counselor Association recommends a student-to-counselor ratio of 250-to-1, the reality is bleak. The national average is closer to 415-to-1, with the average counselor in some states working with over 700 students. These dedicated professionals are stretched thin, and responsible for a long list of services–from academic scheduling and support to mental health counseling and truancy. These demands often result in limited time to offer individualized college planning. This is especially true when application deadlines approach and questions abound.

This season, the National Association for College Admission Counseling (NACAC), College Guidance Network (CGN), and Schoolhouse.world (all of with which I am involved in some capacity) have partnered with volunteers from college admission and high school counseling offices to support counselors and the students they serve by fielding last-minute application questions. NACAC is “an organization of more than 26,000 professionals from around the world dedicated to serving students as they make choices about pursuing post-secondary education.” CGN’s mission is to “empower school counselors to better support their college and career-bound students—along with their families—to confidently navigate the college admissions process to make good, financially responsible decisions.” Their goal is to “provide all students and parents access to top experts and unbiased information to achieve the best possible outcomes and greatest long-term success.” Schoolhouse.world is a non-profit organization founded by Sal Khan (founder of Khan Academy), “offering free, virtual peer-to-peer tutoring in math, science, and more for students across the globe.”

Khan says, “Deadline Hotline is a way to further our mission of connecting the world through learning while filling an important need of democratizing information about applying to college.” Angel Pérez, NACAC CEO, adds, “every student deserves access to college advising, and this partnership allows us to reach many students at a critical stage of the admissions process. While we have a long way to go in democratizing access to good counseling, programs like these close critical gaps.”

A shared commitment to supporting students on the path to college inspired this unique collaboration among the three organizations. They are providing an opportunity on two different days before application deadlines for students to Zoom in and get answers in real time as they finalize applications. The first four-hour Deadline Hotline was held on Sunday, October 30th with admission leaders from the University of Chicago, Georgia Institute of Technology, Washington University in St. Louis, Cornell University, and The University of Pennsylvania. High School Counselors from New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Colorado, and California also staffed the hotline. Hundreds of students and their supporters from throughout the U.S. and 17 different countries took advantage of this opportunity to ask about testing, essays, financial aid, activities, and more.

Rick Clark, assistant vice provost and executive director of undergraduate Admission at Georgia Tech volunteered his time and had this to say: “The college admission process can be daunting and unclear at times. And particularly right before deadlines, students are understandably nervous. I’m thankful that this program created a space for students to ask their questions, seek clarity, and hear from one another, as well as directly from admission experts. We need more of these types of connection opportunities in the future, in order to provide solace and encouragement through experience, insight, and quality information.” Xena Wang, an admission counselor at the University of Pennsylvania adds, “I’m grateful to have provided comfort and clarity to students as they finalized their college applications. It was also an important learning experience to understand what questions were on high schoolers’ minds so we can better support them in the future.” Candice Mackey, a college counselor at Los Angeles Center for Enriched Studies also supported the hotline and explains: “The Deadline Hotline serves as a last-minute resource for ALL students to access and have the opportunity to ask College Counselors and Admissions Professionals questions or seek guidance and reassurance before hitting submit on their college application.“

The next hotline will take place on Tuesday, November 29 from 6:00 pm to 9:00 pm ET on the eve of the University of California application deadline and leading up to December and January regular decision deadlines. Admission leaders from the University of California (Berkeley, San Diego, and Santa Cruz), Florida State University, and Trinity College are donating their time to assist students in applying to any college or university. They will be joined by high school counselors from California.

Richard Weissbourd is the faculty director of Making Caring Common, a project of Harvard Graduate School of Education, and the leader of the Turning the Tide in College Admission initiative. He says, “Now more than ever, we must find ways to improve access and equity in college admission.” He adds, “this initiative represents a positive collaboration and an excellent resource for students to submit applications with confidence.”

Whether you are preparing for a feast or your future, you are not alone. Don’t be afraid to ask for answers, rely on these resources, and be guided by gratitude this holiday season.