May 7, 2001
College application workshop goes 'Beyond the Basics' By Michael Terrazas mterraz@emory.edu
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Emory parents of high-school-age children should take note of Beyond the Basics, a two-day workshop to be held June 22 and 23 that aims to inform participants of everything they would ever need to know about the college admissions process. Sponsored by the Emory and Oxford offices of admission and the Association
of Emory Alumni, this third edition of the biennial program will cover
everything from what high school courses and extracurricular activities
look best on a college application to matching up college choices with
qualifications, to scholarships and financial aid. Though the workshop focuses on legateeschildren or relatives of
Emory alumniit is open to all University faculty and staff. Leading the workshop will be not only Emory admissions staff but also
Daniel Alig, college counselor and English teacher at St. Johns
School in Houston; Garreth Johnson, associate vice president for admission
at Tulane University in New Orleans; Shannon Pinson, director of college
counseling at Atlantas Lovett School; and Greg Roberts, associate
director of admissions at Georgetown University in Washington. We have a very good faculty, said Emory Dean of Admis-sion
Dan Walls, who will be joined in the program by colleagues Julia Perreault,
director of financial aid, and Jennie Taylor, associate dean for admission
and financial aid at Oxford. Theres a lot of one-on-one attentionin between sessions,
over lunch, theres a lot of opportunity to sit down with a member
of the faculty and ask questions, and thats something a lot of larger
programs dont offer, that personal approach, Walls said. Building on that aspect, this year the program will for the first time
encourage participants to stay overnight in the Woodruff Residential Center,
where workshop faculty will also be staying. Previously, weve had people stay in local hotels, but we
wanted to offer them a real, college- residential living experience,
he said. Lynna Williams, associate professor and director of the creative writing
program, will speak at the welcoming dinner, on Friday, June 22. Another popular aspect, Walls added, is a mock admissions exercise at
the end of the workshop. Participants are broken up into admissions committees,
each led by a faculty member, and shown actual Emory application packages
(names excluded, of course). Their job is to decide which applicants are
admitted, which are put on a waiting list, and which are denied. Thats a really good way to culminate the program, because
they get to see what its like to look at really good applications,
make tough decisions and get a feel for how the different parts of the
application are evaluated, Walls said. And just because the workshop is being held at and sponsored by Emory,
it will not concentrate simply on the application procedures and guidelines
of its host institution. Walls said the program will teach parents and
high schoolers how to apply to any selective college or university. Still,
many of those in attendance will likely apply to Emory, so there will
be some school-specific information, such as the ins and outs of the Universitys
Courtesy Scholarship program for children of employees. Registration for Beyond the Basics is $60 for each attendee, plus $20 per person for those electing to stay overnight in the Woodruff Residential Center. More information and a registration are available at www.emory.edu/ADMISSIONS/BTB.html, and anyone with questions may contact Adam Max, assistant dean of admission, at 404-727-0172 or via e-mail at amax@emory.edu. |