Another Sidwell college counselor head quits

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:CCO could benefit from a change (but SFS not big on change and this isn't meant to be specific about this person's job change)

But an influx of top-down energy that brings creativity, warmth, and more outreach to/relationships with students would be welcome.

We all know it has been a tough year and another in the constantly changing climate, but the current process lacks any feeling of CCO working as a team with the students. It has never felt like the students have someone at CCO who is in the trenches with them, in their corner helping out and/or cheering them on. They are perfectly nice, but it's almost as if the primary expectations were only to make sure list has a safety and turn in documents. There has been no CCO-initiated one-on-one communications with students as decisions have come out and no outreach to have meetings to give next-steps advice on strategy based on those decisions (or even a congratulations on your acceptance!). It's a "call us because we won't call you" (but "we're here for you! yay!") relationship with students.

You can't fault them if none of this was expected....but it's a shame that it isn't. These kids work hard and wouldn't it be nice for them to have someone who actually knew them and actively let them know they have their back in this process.

Not our experience. My DC loved her college counselor there even though she didn’t get into her ED1 or ED2. CCO really knew got to know him. But it involved my DC stopping by often just to chat and getting to know the CCO. CCO was super happy and congratulated DC when RD decisions came out.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We're in the worst years for college admissions:
1. Demographic glut of students.
2. Fallout of test-optional practices.
Everyone is stressed out, including school college counselors and private counselors, who both take the blame when their student/client doesn't get admitted where the parents thought they might get in.

In a few years, it will get slightly better on both these fronts.

Why do you think that? Demographic shift isn't going to be *that* dramatic for college admissions.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Tough job I guess

We're in the midst of the "Great Resignation" and Sidwell just like any other business is affected.

The Great Resignation stopped last year.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:CCO could benefit from a change (but SFS not big on change and this isn't meant to be specific about this person's job change)

But an influx of top-down energy that brings creativity, warmth, and more outreach to/relationships with students would be welcome.

We all know it has been a tough year and another in the constantly changing climate, but the current process lacks any feeling of CCO working as a team with the students. It has never felt like the students have someone at CCO who is in the trenches with them, in their corner helping out and/or cheering them on. They are perfectly nice, but it's almost as if the primary expectations were only to make sure list has a safety and turn in documents. There has been no CCO-initiated one-on-one communications with students as decisions have come out and no outreach to have meetings to give next-steps advice on strategy based on those decisions (or even a congratulations on your acceptance!). It's a "call us because we won't call you" (but "we're here for you! yay!") relationship with students.

You can't fault them if none of this was expected....but it's a shame that it isn't. These kids work hard and wouldn't it be nice for them to have someone who actually knew them and actively let them know they have their back in this process.

Not our experience. My DC loved her college counselor there even though she didn’t get into her ED1 or ED2. CCO really knew got to know him. But it involved my DC stopping by often just to chat and getting to know the CCO. CCO was super happy and congratulated DC when RD decisions came out.

Not surprised by this - the issue is that not all kids are like that. It's one thing if/that SFS require kids to self-advocate with teachers in a relationship that involves grades - but this 100% kid driven model/expectation shouldn't apply to CCO. It shouldn't be that the CCO only gets to know kids who are gregarious and make that effort. CCO should be actively getting to know these kids and cheering them on. I don't doubt that our counselor would do this for a kid in your situation, but they aren't expected to reach out for those that don't (other than a couple of mandatory meetings).

[Anonymous]

I can’t think of many worse jobs (white collar) than being a college counselor at a high stake’s private school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Once you get past the high donor alumni, the athletic recruits, and the high-achieving URMs, there are only so many measly spots available for T20 schools. Don't blame the CCOs. If you are not in any of the above three categories, know what you are paying for. It is not college placement. It is for a bespoke educational experience for a very privileged/fortunate few. Your children have had x number of years of getting the best attention to all their educational and formative needs to be high-achieving young adults--no matter where they go to college. I feel sorry for the CCOs and the school admins in general. It has become a business, available to the highest bidder. No institutional respect whatsoever from the parents. When I went to boarding school, even the wealthiest parents (old money) had the good sense to let the admin handle things. No one trusts anybody anymore.

When you went to boarding school, the admins were capable of handling things. No one wants to tell a parent who has spent 750k+ over 14 years that the amazing education doesn't mean that their kid can do better than Dickenson

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Tough job I guess

We're in the midst of the "Great Resignation" and Sidwell just like any other business is affected.

The Great Resignation stopped last year.

I think there will be a Great Resignation across many in the college counseling arena. We've heard from friends with private counselors that it's such a crazy year and everything is turned upside down and many who are thinking it's time to do something else.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Once you get past the high donor alumni, the athletic recruits, and the high-achieving URMs, there are only so many measly spots available for T20 schools. Don't blame the CCOs. If you are not in any of the above three categories, know what you are paying for. It is not college placement. It is for a bespoke educational experience for a very privileged/fortunate few. Your children have had x number of years of getting the best attention to all their educational and formative needs to be high-achieving young adults--no matter where they go to college. I feel sorry for the CCOs and the school admins in general. It has become a business, available to the highest bidder. No institutional respect whatsoever from the parents. When I went to boarding school, even the wealthiest parents (old money) had the good sense to let the admin handle things. No one trusts anybody anymore.

Not blaming CCOs for outcome or landscape - but SFS can do far more to build relationships with kids and be there as support. At a bare minimum - how hard is it to know when your students' decisions days are and to reach out afterwards (doesn't need to be immediate) to see how it went and cheer them on?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Tough job I guess

We're in the midst of the "Great Resignation" and Sidwell just like any other business is affected.

The Great Resignation stopped last year.

I think there will be a Great Resignation across many in the college counseling arena. We've heard from friends with private counselors that it's such a crazy year and everything is turned upside down and many who are thinking it's time to do something else.

The industry is selling a service that it can no longer provide. If the best that you can do is tell a kid to apply to schools that are easier admits, why is the parent spending so much money on the service?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We're in the worst years for college admissions:
1. Demographic glut of students.
2. Fallout of test-optional practices.
Everyone is stressed out, including school college counselors and private counselors, who both take the blame when their student/client doesn't get admitted where the parents thought they might get in.

In a few years, it will get slightly better on both these fronts.

Why do you think that? Demographic shift isn't going to be *that* dramatic for college admissions.

That's why I said slightly.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:CCO could benefit from a change (but SFS not big on change and this isn't meant to be specific about this person's job change)

But an influx of top-down energy that brings creativity, warmth, and more outreach to/relationships with students would be welcome.

We all know it has been a tough year and another in the constantly changing climate, but the current process lacks any feeling of CCO working as a team with the students. It has never felt like the students have someone at CCO who is in the trenches with them, in their corner helping out and/or cheering them on. They are perfectly nice, but it's almost as if the primary expectations were only to make sure list has a safety and turn in documents. There has been no CCO-initiated one-on-one communications with students as decisions have come out and no outreach to have meetings to give next-steps advice on strategy based on those decisions (or even a congratulations on your acceptance!). It's a "call us because we won't call you" (but "we're here for you! yay!") relationship with students.

You can't fault them if none of this was expected....but it's a shame that it isn't. These kids work hard and wouldn't it be nice for them to have someone who actually knew them and actively let them know they have their back in this process.

Not our experience. My DC loved her college counselor there even though she didn’t get into her ED1 or ED2. CCO really knew got to know him. But it involved my DC stopping by often just to chat and getting to know the CCO. CCO was super happy and congratulated DC when RD decisions came out.

So you're saying it's OK for you that introverts aren't getting as much service for their money at this private school? Adults can deal with the consequences of their innate personalities, PP, but kids starting out? That's patently unfair.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Once you get past the high donor alumni, the athletic recruits, and the high-achieving URMs, there are only so many measly spots available for T20 schools. Don't blame the CCOs. If you are not in any of the above three categories, know what you are paying for. It is not college placement. It is for a bespoke educational experience for a very privileged/fortunate few. Your children have had x number of years of getting the best attention to all their educational and formative needs to be high-achieving young adults--no matter where they go to college. I feel sorry for the CCOs and the school admins in general. It has become a business, available to the highest bidder. No institutional respect whatsoever from the parents. When I went to boarding school, even the wealthiest parents (old money) had the good sense to let the admin handle things. No one trusts anybody anymore.

When you went to boarding school, the admins were capable of handling things. No one wants to tell a parent who has spent 750k+ over 14 years that the amazing education doesn't mean that their kid can do better than Dickenson

PP here. These types of college placement results most definitely happened to lifer kids (25 years ago), but I think they were more carefully managed by admins. and accepted by parents. Back then, economic anxiety among the wealthy was not as attenuated as it is today. Back then, hardworking Little Jimmy could always buckle down in a low- or mid-tier college with tutors and still get into a decent law school, med school, MBA, etc., and have a good life with family wealth to fill in the gaps. Nowadays, that is not enough apparently. Sorry, rant over.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Never liked her anyway

This quote sums up self-proclaimed "Big Three" parents who post on here. Can you imagine how much of a queen B this poster is in real life? The funny thing is, most of the Sidwell parents I know are not like this poster at all - and I can guarandamntee they are exponentially more successful that this mother is. I'd love to know what the college counseling office folks think about this poster and her progeny. It's a good thing they have more tact than she does.

Also, do Sidwell parents really call the college counseling office to levy anonymous charges against little Johnny's classmates? If true, that has to be the most toxic high school environment I've ever heard about.

[Anonymous]

The CCO could definitely do more to give the impression that they actually care about the student. There was no sense of "I think this school would be good for you" or "have you thought about xyz?" It is a very transactional relationship which leaves something to be desired in a process whose success depends on the whole child landing somewhere that is the right fit.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Once you get past the high donor alumni, the athletic recruits, and the high-achieving URMs, there are only so many measly spots available for T20 schools. Don't blame the CCOs. If you are not in any of the above three categories, know what you are paying for. It is not college placement. It is for a bespoke educational experience for a very privileged/fortunate few. Your children have had x number of years of getting the best attention to all their educational and formative needs to be high-achieving young adults--no matter where they go to college. I feel sorry for the CCOs and the school admins in general. It has become a business, available to the highest bidder. No institutional respect whatsoever from the parents. When I went to boarding school, even the wealthiest parents (old money) had the good sense to let the admin handle things. No one trusts anybody anymore.

When you went to boarding school, the admins were capable of handling things. No one wants to tell a parent who has spent 750k+ over 14 years that the amazing education doesn't mean that their kid can do better than Dickenson

PP here. These types of college placement results most definitely happened to lifer kids (25 years ago), but I think they were more carefully managed by admins. and accepted by parents. Back then, economic anxiety among the wealthy was not as attenuated as it is today. Back then, hardworking Little Jimmy could always buckle down in a low- or mid-tier college with tutors and still get into a decent law school, med school, MBA, etc., and have a good life with family wealth to fill in the gaps. Nowadays, that is not enough apparently. Sorry, rant over.

On the one hand 25 years ago they could go to Bucknell or Colgate or Tulane. Now they are being told they need to drop down to the Elon level (even that if becoming a harder admit). On the other hand, educational inflation has hit independent schools too so the amount of money spent to send a kid to a top school for 14 years wasn't nearly as jaw dropping.