Families Gain Insight Into Admission Process During College Forum

Themes of “purpose” and “fit” were front and center at the College Counseling Office’s College Forum on Wednesday, October 24, which offered families a “peek behind the curtain” of collegiate admissions.

More than 150 parents, guardians and students attended the forum in the Fonseca Center Gym. Representatives from Connecticut College, Marist College, NYU, Northeastern University, Roger Williams University and Skidmore College participated in a mock admission case study, which gave families insight into how admissions decisions are actually made.

Following the panel, there were break-out sessions on topics such as the benefits of a small, liberal arts environment; maximizing opportunities outside of the classroom; and how and when to decide on a major. 

“The complexities of how [admission] determinations are made are nuanced and different from school to school,” said Director of College Counseling Adam Gimple, which is why “our families were enthusiastic and excited to receive such straightforward insights” from the representatives.


The event also aimed to highlight different types of schools and to perhaps broaden families’ scopes of colleges that are a “good fit.” Whether large, research-based universities or small, liberal arts colleges, Gimple noted that “the diversity of options out there enables students to really be able to choose from a number of possibilities, all fully capable of meeting, if not exceeding, their expectations for undergraduate experiences."

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