College Admissions Seminar for Duke Employees, Their Children

About a year ago, when Irene Jasper’s only son was a rising high school senior applying to colleges, she signed up to attend a Duke-organized seminar about college admissions.Even though she worked in Duke Financial Aid as director of student lending, Jasper said the advice they received went beyond her workplace knowledge of student loans and scholarships. “What was most valuable for us was the appreciation of the stress that my son was going to be going through,” Jasper said. “It’s a very stressful time for both the parents and the student.”The free “College Admissions 101” seminar returns Aug. 26 and 27 when Duke employees with high school juniors or seniors can receive tips on how to manage and simplify the college admissions process. Employees may select from one of two seminar dates; content at each seminar will be the same.  The seminars, which are sponsored by Duke’s Office of Undergraduate Admissions, will provide general advice about college admissions, as well as information about financial aid and the Duke Children’s Tuition Grant. The seminars will not focus on admission to Duke or any other specific college.“We realized that there was a need for members of the Duke community to learn just about the college admissions process in general, and that our experience and our expertise could be helpful,” said Christoph Guttentag, Duke’s dean of Undergraduate Admissions. “We really wanted to provide a service to the Duke community, and we felt this was something in which we had some experience and something substantive to offer.”Last year, the first seminar presented was so popular that Duke Undergraduate Admissions offered a repeat seminar in October. More than 125 people attended last year, and the popularity of “College Admissions 101” prompted Admissions staff to organize two seminars this year and include high school juniors.The seminars on Aug. 26 and Aug. 27 are only open to full-time Duke employees with children who are current high school juniors or seniors. The sessions are 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m., at the McClendon Commons Visitors Center. Duke Undergraduate Admissions is planning a seminar in January for students who are in eighth to tenth grade, and additional information about those will be provided in the coming months.Jasper, who attended last year’s seminar with her son, Alex, said her family took several tips away, including dedicating a time once a week for the family to talk about college. Jasper and her son established a shared email address to use specifically for college applications and to send emails to admissions officers. Seminar attendees also learn about what colleges look for in letters of recommendation and transcripts.She said the seminar encouraged her son to apply to a “likely” school, a “match” school that fit his credentials, and a “reach” school. He ended up getting accepted by all of his choices.

Jasper said her son is moving to High Point University’s campus Aug. 23 to study physical therapy.“I have three weeks left to teach him everything he has to know to live on his own. But I think he’ll be fine,” Jasper said. “This year has almost been overwhelming at times, and to think we’re almost at that finish line. It’s bittersweet.”