College Admissions Seminar for Employees and their Children

A seminar in September for Duke employees and their children about college admissions was so popular that Office of Undergraduate Admissions will offer another session Oct. 17.

"College Admissions 101" will provide an overview of the college admissions process, including how to create a college admissions timeline, how to come up with a list of colleges and options for making college affordable. 

The seminar, hosted by Duke's Office of Undergraduate Admissions, is open to full-time Duke University employees who have a child in the junior or senior year of high school. The seminar is from 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. Oct. 17 in the McClendon Commons Admissions Visitor Center, immediately behind the main Undergraduate Admissions building at 2138 Campus Drive.

Laura Howard, staff assistant for the men's basketball program, was one of approximately 100 Duke staff and family members who participated in the first seminar on Sept. 24.  She and her daughter, Rachel, a high school senior at Northern High School, have begun to look at colleges but were eager to learn more about how to navigate the process.

"I haven't looked at a college application since before I came to work at Duke 25 years ago, so I feel really in the dark about the process," Howard said. "It was wonderful to hear about important dates for online applications and advice about choosing colleges based on location and size as well as what majors they offer." 

Christoph Guttentag, dean of undergraduate admissions, said he is thrilled to see the excitement and passion of Duke employees helping their children. 

"Providing this sort of practical advice is a wonderful way for university admissions to engage with the Duke community in a way that is different than our normal day-to-day work," he said. 

The College Admissions 101 seminar on Oct 17 will not focus on admission to Duke or any other specific college. Instead, it will cover basic information all families should know to make the college admissions process less daunting, such as understanding the common application process and financial aid options and how to apply for Duke's children's tuition grant benefit.

 "The college admissions process has many different aspects to it and can be daunting, especially to people who have not recently gone through it," Guttentag said. "We hope a seminar like this will make it a bit less formidable."