Admission Practices

“I bet she applied to some big-name schools. How much scholarship money has she received?”

Who among us hasn’t been approached (cornered?) by a colleague who is – often with good intentions – seeking information about outcomes from the senior class? 

We tell our students and families to avoid gossip and not to add fuel to the word-of-mouth fire throughout the process, but sometimes the call is coming from inside the house. Of course, faculty see students far more than we do and look forward to the continued academic success of their students, but what do we owe our students in terms of confidentiality and not using their college information as currency? 

In fact, the Guide to Ethical Practice in College Admission tells us. As outlined in Article I, Section C.1.c, members should:

c) Not divulge an individual student’s college application status, admission, enrollment, or financial aid and scholarship offers without express permission from the student.

I understand teachers (and other well-intentioned adults) are invested in the students and know how hard they work for post-high school opportunities. At the same time, I worry that the adult investment in where students go adds to the pressure students feel to achieve at a certain level and not “disappoint” the people who have supported them along the way. 

I have my suite of non-answers:

• Gosh, I wish they would update me too!
• They have options but are still waiting for some decisions.
• Yep, I can’t wait to find out where they select either.
• You know, I’m sure I know, but it’s escaping me in this moment.

Or, most honestly…

• That’s not my news to share – look for them on Chalk Day!

It may make colleagues (and friends!) feel like I don’t trust them or I’m being unnecessarily cagey, but the idea of a teenager realizing trusted adults are talking about them – in ways that may make them uncomfortable – makes me feel worse. 

If someone asks generally if there is any good news to share, I pick students who may have struggled early in their high school years or caused me to lose sleep at night with their poor time management, and I share something positive about them. We shouldn’t just celebrate highly selective admission decisions. John Doe, who had a couple of Ds to remediate and waited until the last minute to do everything, now having multiple offers of admission is my big win of the year!

Keeping in mind the news we share and how we share it – positive or negative – is a big piece of earning and maintaining trust within our community and centering students in the process.

You can see more examples about navigating ethical situations on the NACAC website. If you have a response that you use when asked these kinds of questions, I’d love to hear it!

Samantha Schreiber
Polytechnic School (Pasadena, CA)
sschreiber@polytechnic.org

When is the last time you read “The Guide” (The Guide to Ethical Practice in College Admissions)? Have you ever read it? If not, this is your chance! 

If you don’t know or you need a refresher, The Guide is our profession’s code of ethics and best practices. This work is guided by the principles of honesty, integrity, transparency, equity, and respect for students and fellow professionals. It helps focus our responsibility to students and families, to our institutions, to one another, and to society as a whole.

As we enter Ethics Awareness Month, I find myself reflecting on my own personal experience with The Guide. I still remember my first year as a new, fresh-faced admissions counselor, when my Dean, Arnoldo Rodriguez, handed me the SPGP (Statement and Principles of Good Practice). In reading this document and through our conversations, he helped me understand that my job went beyond just serving my institution. The work that I was doing was in service of the greater good – helping students and families and promoting higher education – a mission I still believe in. While it wasn’t a perfect document and didn’t address every situation, it served as a reminder that by working in this profession, we all agreed to a shared set of values.

A lot has changed in the past two decades. The SPGP changed from an enforceable document with rules to the current Guide, which provides a set of best practices. (You can read more about the history of The Guide.) However, while the document has changed, it still has stayed true and relevant to the work we do. It remains a living, breathing document focused on advocacy, communication, and most importantly, education.

It used to tell us how we had to act; now it helps shape how we choose to act. That difference, while small to some, makes it more important than ever for us to take the time to reflect upon our own practices. Rather than looking at if we are in compliance, we get to look at how we can push ourselves and our institutions to do better.

As we enter March and Ethics Awareness Month, we’re all busy. Whether you’re wrapping up reading season, starting to work with juniors or sophomores, or thinking about how you will make your class/where your students will matriculate, I encourage you to take a few actions:

• Read The Guide to Ethical Practice in College Admissions. Whether this is your first year or your fiftieth, we can all use a refresher. It is a living document that is updated annually. 
• Have a conversation with a peer or in your office about how ethics play an ongoing role. How does The Guide show up in your work? Are there actions you can take to move yourself and/or your institution forward?
• If all of this is new for you, we invite you to attend a WACAC Wednesday conversation about The Guide on March 11 at 9:00 a.m.

We hope you’ll join the Admission Practices Committee in making the most of Ethics Awareness Month. If you would like to get involved with WACAC or the AP Committee, please fill out this form. Thank you very much!

Danny Irving
WACAC Admission Practices Chair
Director of College Guidance, Pacific Ridge School