Emory Report

June 8, 1998

 Volume 50, No. 33

"Admissions 101" gives
tutorial on finding a college

Every year Emory alumni watch their high school-age children begin to scout around for a college to attend, and even though all parents want to help their kids pick the right school, it's been a few years since they went through the application and selection process themselves.

Enter "College Admissions 101," the second annual program cosponsored by the Association of Emory Alumni and the admissions department. Expanded this year to a full weekend, the event ushers teenagers (and their parents) through every step of the college selection process, including the increasingly important arena of financial aid.

"We were looking for a way of engaging alumni [with children in high school] and finding a way to be of service to them," said Kathy Reed, AEA associate director. "This was something we saw as a need, and we were trying to address it. And it was really popular last year."

Held June 19-21 on campus, the event features speakers not only from Emory but from high schools, colleges and universities across the country. This was by design, said Admissions' Garreth Johnson, because "Admissions 101" is not intended to be "Emory Admissions 101."

"We got together and decided it wasn't going to be a pro-Emory event-we certainly do enough of those programs during the course of the year," Johnson said. "Part of it, certainly, is that people will feel a little more positive about their experiences at Emory, [but] whether that turns directly into applications or not, that isn't our goal.

"And not every son or daughter of an Emory alumnus is going to be appropriate for Emory," Johnson continued, "but the one common theme is they've all got to go through a college selection process. They've all got to choose a particular type of institution, learn what questions to ask on the tours, how to finance a college education."

The last topic will kick things off Friday afternoon. Following registration and optional bus tours starting at 2 p.m., Julia Perreault, Emory director of Financial Aid, will speak on financing the costs of college. Also that evening will be a faculty panel on admissions trends in the '90s and a dinner speech by Andy Fleming of the Emory Ethics Center.

Saturday and Sunday morning will feature a variety of talks and Q&A sessions with experts from around the country including Doris Davis, dean of admission for Barnard College of Columbia University; Vicki Pinellas, assistant director of admissions at the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill; Missy Sanchez, director of college advising at Atlanta's Woodward Academy; Bryan Rutledge, director of college counseling at St. John's School in Houston, and others.

"One thing we learned from last year is that the participants probably would enjoy more time to take in this information," Johnson said. "We've allowed a little more time for small group and intimate sessions where the families and students can talk with our guest faculty or spend more time on campus and in Atlanta. We'll make a full weekend out of it."

The program costs $60 and is open to all Emory alumni and their families. For more information call Kathy Reed at 404-727-5056.

-Michael Terrazas


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