As an original member of the Joyce Ivy Foundation's board of directors, I have seen our organization go through a lot of exciting changes and growth. Our first class of Summer Scholars, in 2006, was just eleven girls, all from Michigan. Our organization was entirely volunteer-run, and the small board we had then, consisting of just just five people, was passionate but relatively inexperienced in the world of college admissions and financial aid. In the subsequent years, our experience, board, reach, partner schools, number of Summer Scholars, staff, and goals all grew exponentially.
One big step forward for us came last year, in 2012, when we reached a new milestone with the inaugural Joyce Ivy College Admissions Symposium in Ypsilanti, Michigan. High school counselors and high performing female high school students from all over the region were invited to attend free workshops on the college admissions process-- financial aid options, college visits, admissions essays, admissions interviews, and much more. The Joyce Ivy Foundation is proud to make this event as accessible as possible by offering it at no cost to attendees and in as central of a location as we can. One of the best features about JCAS is that it is inclusive. No one school is highlighted. The information presented is relevant to any college-bound student.
In 2012, we were very excited to have admissions officers from Dartmouth, Duke, Johns Hopkins, Wellesley, and Princeton join us for JCAS. We also had veteran college admissions counselors from area high schools and the heads of regional and national college admission counseling organizations to lead our distinctive panels. They shared their wisdom and guidance on various topics with both groups of JCAS attendees-- high school counselors on Friday, and students and parents on Saturday. The admissions officers from each college or university are the people who actually read the undergraduate applications. They have read thousands throughout their careers. On top of that, our panel of veteran high school counselors have led thousands of students through the college application process. We could not have asked for a better group to provide expertise!
The first day of the Symposium, Friday, is for counselors only. Last year's event drew a diverse group. Some attendees had worked at their high schools for decades and had seen many students through the college application process. Some attendees were greener-- rookie high school counselors, or counselors from schools that did not have high rates of college matriculation. Every level of experience in between those two extremes was also represented. The diversity of the high school counselors' experience provided for a lively and interesting day in which information and experiences "from the trench" were shared between colleagues, in addition to coming from our panel of college admissions experts. The format also provided the unique opportunity for some of the counselors to make a first connection with the admissions officers from those far-away schools. For me, this was one of the most exciting parts of the counselor JCAS day-- new relationships can only mean further opportunities for students at that counselor's school!
On both Friday and Saturday, one of the most interesting and useful panels was the case studies. In this truly unique opportunity, our college admissions representatives brought real applications they had received in the last year (with identifying information blacked out) for workshop attendees to assess and predict the student's admissions outcome. It provided a new perspective for high school counselors, parents, and students alike to see how nuanced the reading of an application can get, and what type of mistakes or accidentally excluded information can jump out at a first-time reader.
The second day of the Symposium, Saturday, is for students and parents. It is a lively and jam-packed day! The student/parent day of JCAS brought us an at-capacity crowd and another diverse group. The attending families ranged widely in terms of where they were traveling from, their socioeconomic bracket, and their experiences with the college admissions process. Some approached it having recently sent an older sibling off to college while others were just beginning to wade through the process with their first college-bound child. Some students came highly prepared with a list of questions and interests, others were brought along by an enthusiastic parent. Some families came planning to look no farther than their backyard for their student's college experience, others already had a far-flung list of schools in mind. The energy that these students and parents brought to the experience was infectious, and Saturday flew by quickly with engaging discussions and information being shared all over the place!
From my perspective, at the early large-group session, and later while floating around throughout the day between various breakout talks and workshops, it was clear that everyone who came was learning a lot. Students and parents alike were extremely interested the case study applications brought by our admissions officers. Parents were particularly interested in the financial aid workshop and what options are out there for families at all income levels. Many were very surprised to hear about the generous financial aid offered at institutions that have some of the highest "sticker prices" in the country. For low- and middle-income families, the price of these elite private universities often ends up being on par with, or cheaper than, in-state public schools after scholarships (not loans, scholarships!) are awarded to needy candidates. Students were very interested to hear about how they can make themselves stand out to an admissions officer in an essay, particularly if they don't have "captain of state champion sports team" or winner of "super impressive music/science/math/writing competitions" accolades on their resumes. Students were also interested to learn what college admissions interviews are like, and what colleges hope to learn about them from the interview.
The day ended with a highly informative and humorous session by one of the best high school guidance counselors in the region and a Wellesley admissions officer on what students' timelines should be for the college application process, when they need to start looking, and when and how they should narrow their list of choices. Their conclusion also re-highlighted the main theme throughout the day of finding the best fit school for YOU. All panel leaders and speakers emphasized that the most important part of the college decision process is finding the college that feels best to the student (not the parent! And definitely not US News & World Report's College Rankings!). A low acceptance rate at a college does not automatically mean that it is the best school, academically or socially, for a prospective applicant. A student has to figure out what s/he wants for many factors: geography, size, distance from family, academic options, sports options, social scene, etc.
Overall, the weekend was very rewarding for students, parents, high school counselors, the admissions officers, and the Joyce Ivy Foundation board, staff, and volunteers. Even admissions veterans came out of the Symposium with new knowledge or new connections. Families new to the process had their eyes opened as to how in-depth the college hunt can be, and students who already had their eyes on the prize walked away with valuable tips on how to refine their application package.
Registration for JCAS 2013 is open now. Click on the appropriate link at the top of our website (http://www.joyceivyfoundation.org/) to secure your spot. This year, we welcome admissions officers from Dartmouth, Duke, Johns Hopkins, University of Pennsylvania, Princeton, and Wellesley. Click here for more information about JCAS 2013.
One big step forward for us came last year, in 2012, when we reached a new milestone with the inaugural Joyce Ivy College Admissions Symposium in Ypsilanti, Michigan. High school counselors and high performing female high school students from all over the region were invited to attend free workshops on the college admissions process-- financial aid options, college visits, admissions essays, admissions interviews, and much more. The Joyce Ivy Foundation is proud to make this event as accessible as possible by offering it at no cost to attendees and in as central of a location as we can. One of the best features about JCAS is that it is inclusive. No one school is highlighted. The information presented is relevant to any college-bound student.
In 2012, we were very excited to have admissions officers from Dartmouth, Duke, Johns Hopkins, Wellesley, and Princeton join us for JCAS. We also had veteran college admissions counselors from area high schools and the heads of regional and national college admission counseling organizations to lead our distinctive panels. They shared their wisdom and guidance on various topics with both groups of JCAS attendees-- high school counselors on Friday, and students and parents on Saturday. The admissions officers from each college or university are the people who actually read the undergraduate applications. They have read thousands throughout their careers. On top of that, our panel of veteran high school counselors have led thousands of students through the college application process. We could not have asked for a better group to provide expertise!
The first day of the Symposium, Friday, is for counselors only. Last year's event drew a diverse group. Some attendees had worked at their high schools for decades and had seen many students through the college application process. Some attendees were greener-- rookie high school counselors, or counselors from schools that did not have high rates of college matriculation. Every level of experience in between those two extremes was also represented. The diversity of the high school counselors' experience provided for a lively and interesting day in which information and experiences "from the trench" were shared between colleagues, in addition to coming from our panel of college admissions experts. The format also provided the unique opportunity for some of the counselors to make a first connection with the admissions officers from those far-away schools. For me, this was one of the most exciting parts of the counselor JCAS day-- new relationships can only mean further opportunities for students at that counselor's school!
On both Friday and Saturday, one of the most interesting and useful panels was the case studies. In this truly unique opportunity, our college admissions representatives brought real applications they had received in the last year (with identifying information blacked out) for workshop attendees to assess and predict the student's admissions outcome. It provided a new perspective for high school counselors, parents, and students alike to see how nuanced the reading of an application can get, and what type of mistakes or accidentally excluded information can jump out at a first-time reader.
The second day of the Symposium, Saturday, is for students and parents. It is a lively and jam-packed day! The student/parent day of JCAS brought us an at-capacity crowd and another diverse group. The attending families ranged widely in terms of where they were traveling from, their socioeconomic bracket, and their experiences with the college admissions process. Some approached it having recently sent an older sibling off to college while others were just beginning to wade through the process with their first college-bound child. Some students came highly prepared with a list of questions and interests, others were brought along by an enthusiastic parent. Some families came planning to look no farther than their backyard for their student's college experience, others already had a far-flung list of schools in mind. The energy that these students and parents brought to the experience was infectious, and Saturday flew by quickly with engaging discussions and information being shared all over the place!
Then-Johns Hopkins admissions officer and now-Joyce Ivy Foundation Executive Vice-President, Sherryl Fletcher, and Joyce Ivy board member, Erich Bagen, lead a parent panel at JCAS 2012
From my perspective, at the early large-group session, and later while floating around throughout the day between various breakout talks and workshops, it was clear that everyone who came was learning a lot. Students and parents alike were extremely interested the case study applications brought by our admissions officers. Parents were particularly interested in the financial aid workshop and what options are out there for families at all income levels. Many were very surprised to hear about the generous financial aid offered at institutions that have some of the highest "sticker prices" in the country. For low- and middle-income families, the price of these elite private universities often ends up being on par with, or cheaper than, in-state public schools after scholarships (not loans, scholarships!) are awarded to needy candidates. Students were very interested to hear about how they can make themselves stand out to an admissions officer in an essay, particularly if they don't have "captain of state champion sports team" or winner of "super impressive music/science/math/writing competitions" accolades on their resumes. Students were also interested to learn what college admissions interviews are like, and what colleges hope to learn about them from the interview.
Joyce Ivy board member, Greg Lewis, and Princeton admissions officer, Chrissy Fulton, lead another parent panel at JCAS 2012
The day ended with a highly informative and humorous session by one of the best high school guidance counselors in the region and a Wellesley admissions officer on what students' timelines should be for the college application process, when they need to start looking, and when and how they should narrow their list of choices. Their conclusion also re-highlighted the main theme throughout the day of finding the best fit school for YOU. All panel leaders and speakers emphasized that the most important part of the college decision process is finding the college that feels best to the student (not the parent! And definitely not US News & World Report's College Rankings!). A low acceptance rate at a college does not automatically mean that it is the best school, academically or socially, for a prospective applicant. A student has to figure out what s/he wants for many factors: geography, size, distance from family, academic options, sports options, social scene, etc.
Overall, the weekend was very rewarding for students, parents, high school counselors, the admissions officers, and the Joyce Ivy Foundation board, staff, and volunteers. Even admissions veterans came out of the Symposium with new knowledge or new connections. Families new to the process had their eyes opened as to how in-depth the college hunt can be, and students who already had their eyes on the prize walked away with valuable tips on how to refine their application package.
College admissions expert and high school guidance counselor, John Boshoven, concludes JCAS 2012 with Wellesley admissions officer, Maggie Farnsworth, in front of a tent full of talented students and parents
Registration for JCAS 2013 is open now. Click on the appropriate link at the top of our website (http://www.joyceivyfoundation.org/) to secure your spot. This year, we welcome admissions officers from Dartmouth, Duke, Johns Hopkins, University of Pennsylvania, Princeton, and Wellesley. Click here for more information about JCAS 2013.
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