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Yale Admissions Dean Shares Sage Advice
From Tara Mitchell, Associate Director of College Counseling
St. Luke’s Parents’ Association, in conjunction with the College Counseling Office, was honored to host Jeremiah Quinlan, Dean of Undergraduate Admissions at Yale University, in the Fireplace Commons last Thursday evening. Dean Quinlan shared his advice with parents regarding the college search experience and how to keep the process in perspective. His talk, conveyed with much humor and many personal anecdotes from his experiences, reminded us this should be a student-driven process and the parents are there for support.
He told parents to remain open—that a school which doesn’t seem like the right fit in November of junior year may be exactly what a student is looking for come his or her senior year. While trying to categorize what a student is looking for (large vs. small, urban vs. suburban) can be helpful, these dichotomies should not be limiting and that some schools may remain on the list which seem to defy these preferences. A student can like a small liberal arts college located in a rural area and a large, urban major research university. He challenged parents to model good behavior of openness and be willing to explore different options. He also reminded parents that there is a time and place to talk about the college process. Rather than allowing college discussions to become all consuming, he advised that families set specific days and times to have college related conversations - and, just as importantly, to set time aside to talk about anything other than college.
Dean Quinlan shared that while at many highly selective schools grades and testing are important, in reality they only serve to open the door for the rest of the application. It’s the choices a student makes, the experiences that he or she takes advantage of, and the stories the student tells through the application that helps the admission officers truly learn about each student. And it is with that knowledge that admission offices build their community. An authentic application brings a student to life, and one of the best ways to do this is by having a student’s voice show through the essay. He warned parents that admission officers know the difference between the voice of an 18 year old and that of a 47 year old.
As he concluded his talk, perhaps most importantly, Dean Quinlan reminded us not to let the process or outcome define us or our students. We are a community comprised of smart, talented young people and a thorough and open process leads to many wonderful opportunities.
St. Luke’s School is a secular (non-religious), private school in New Canaan, CT for grades 5 through 12 serving over 40 towns in Connecticut and New York. Our exceptional academics and diverse co-educational community foster students’ intellectual and ethical development and prepare them for top colleges. St. Luke’s Leading with Humanity curriculum builds the commitment to serve and the confidence to lead.
