Dear Parents,Planning for college and filling out applications may seem like a no-brainer. You (or your son or daughter) call some colleges, the colleges send you packets (and packets, and more packets) of information with applications, which you then fill out online or in hard copy. This sequence may in fact describe the general application process for many people. But it is also true that many, many opportunities and resources are overlooked routinely. Keeping an open mind may eventually shed light on a college or program you hadn't heard of before, or a scholarship you hadn't known about, or a life-circumstance which affects your financial aid forms. Paying attention to detail on the application can actually make the difference in an acceptance or a scholarship.
It may also be a little too easy for us to forget that college discernment involves young person's call to holiness and service. Whether one will continue a structured education, in what environment, and with what ends in mind necessarily raises the question, "What does God want me to do with my life?" or "How do I want to live my life for God?" High school students have a golden opportunity to begin serious reflection - perhaps for the first time - on how to employ their God-given talents, intellectual abilities, personalities, and inclinations. They can - indeed they should - begin to dream about and, where possible, to explore college majors, professions, and occupations - all in the context of a single, married, or religious life.
That said, I would like to plan a round-table discussion about colleges and college applications, on Thursday, October 29th, from 6 - 8 PM. We can discuss such practical topics as:
* Shopping colleges, majors, and careers: what are some resources?
* Different learning environments: what urban, suburban, and rural campuses have to offer
* Maintaining and strengthening a Catholic and Christian identity during the college years
* Making the application the best it can be, even the common application
* Why paying close attention to the college essay benefits the applicant
* SATs & ACTs: what can we do about it now?
* Financial aid and loans: what's out there?
We aren't limited to these topics, but they will keep us busy for a while, I guarantee!
Lastly, before we write this on the calendar with electronic ink, I would like to get a general idea how many of you are interested in getting together. Therefore, please RSVP if you would seriously consider attending an information event. Let me know too, if you are interested but the date is not available. I'll do what I can to accommodate.
Pax et bonum,
John Pilsner
Director of College Admissions and Guidance
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