Every college and university is different. Given the curve ball thrown by the pandemic, colleges have had to recreate the wheel of college admissions every year. Which means that what we don’t know we don’t know about the admissions process is constantly changing. Our guest, Eli Clarke, Director of College Counseling at Commonwealth Academy (a college preparatory school in Alexandria Virginia for students with learning differences and executive functioning challenges) brings us closer to asking the right questions.
Eli has been working in education for 30 years. He has master’s in social work and is the Director of College Counseling at Commonwealth Academy, a college preparatory school in Alexandria Virginia for students with learning differences and executive functioning challenges. He has served on 4 different University College Counseling Advisory boards and has been featured in The Chronicle of Higher Education, The Washington Post, NPR, and Newsweek. In 2020, Eli was awarded for college counseling through the Colleges that Change Lives Association. He is a TikTok sensation. His handle is @Mr. C_CollegeCounselor.
Among our questions, we’ll explore:
· Why are so many afraid of the college admissions process?
· How many schools should you apply to?
· How do you find the right fit in a college?
· What happens when you don’t get into your “right fit” school?
· What about test optional schools?
· How can you stand out?
Resources for this mentioned in our conversation include: