What About College?: Control What You Can

3/30/2020

Chris Boehm

Week three of home confinement starts tomorrow and I'm nearing acceptance that a longer haul is to come. We did our first grocery home delivery order yesterday and are well stocked in paper supplies. My biggest concern right now is my immediate family; providing my children safety, love, structure, and a distraction from the grim nightly news. A friend in New York, retired military who works at West Point, is talking about the creation of makeshift morgues, so my concerns of not having enough coffee creamer seem embarrassing.

I present the opening paragraph as context. There's a world outside my door that's only certainty is, uncertainty. What can we control when we can't control what happens to us…our actions. So, I'm inclined to provide guidance to high school students on how the present situation is impacting the college process and some recommendations and ideas on how to react. What do we know? Standardized test dates have been canceled, college visits not possible, extracurricular activities canceled, academics interrupted, perhaps even ceased, depending on where you go to school, and AP tests modified; basically complete mayhem when it comes to a high schooler's life and preparation for the college search and admission process.

As previously stated, how we (you) react to this is the only thing that you can control. I read Brennan Barnard's blog today and in it he shared a quote from Angel Perez from the Trinity College (CT) admission office, "I believe we should never let a crisis go to waste. While we are taking care of immediate needs, we should also be asking ourselves—what are the opportunities for the long term?" While it's hard to think anyone's glass is even half-full during this crisis, Angel seems to be optimistic with the droplets resting in the bottom of his glass. Let's run with this. What can we do in relations to the college search and exploration process to adapt to present day that's not binge watching Netflix? Before I present the list below, I will remind you that I believe everything, yes everything, in the college search process has benefits well beyond getting in somewhere – there are life lessons, skills developed, growth to be had…except when it comes to those darn Saturday morning tests. Review the list below and hopefully you decide to act and if you're motivation comes from a place beyond your future college applications, KUDOS!

Help Others: Doing something to help others releases oxytocin which boosts your mood and reduces the impact of cortisol which can induce stress. We could all use something that makes us happier.
- Call someone – FaceTime a grandparent (be patient if you have to teah then how). Tell someone that you care about them or provide a complement. It improves their day and yours.
- Offer to help a neighbor – Look out for others. Make sure the elderly in your community are checked in on.
- Give blood – If you aren't comfortable leaving the house, I understand. So please don't do something that adds stress. This is a way to help people and thank medical workers.
- Make some masks for medical workers.
- Write a letter or make a card – There are people who feel very alone right now. Getting something from you could improve someone's psyche and share positive energy. Reach out to a retirement home that is probably isolated and see if you can make cards and send a message of caring.
- Do something kind for an emergency worker.
- Commit to one thing you will do when we return to normal, share it with someone who will hold you to it. Write it down and make a plan.
- Help someone in need – anyone, anyway, anytime.
- Do anything that makes people happy or brings people together, just not in a physical way (six feet, people).
Create a reading list:
- Common admission interview questions, "What do you read when you're not required? What was the last book you read and how did it influence you?"
- Keep the mind sharp and enjoy down time.
Read a scholarly article every day from New York Times, Wall Street Journal, The Atlantic, The New Yorker, or The National Review. Make it a non-COVID 19 article. Chris Ryan '87 (Kaplan) always shares the best preparation for SAT EBRW section is, "Read. Read a lot. Mostly good stuff."
Take a virtual college tour. The time to complete the college search is condensed. Use virtual visits to decide where you want to use potentially limited time to visit schools. After the virtual visit, if you are interested in the school then spend some time exploring the school's website. Look for information and answers about the characteristics that are important to you. Email the admission counselor for your area, stating that you did the tour and ask questions about the school.
Do other virtual things that may educate you:
- Tour a museum
- Take a virtual field trip
Reflect and keep a journal. Writing this blog post made me feel better!
"Study Says Making Art Reduces Stress. Even If You Kind of Suck at It"
Reach out to people who are working in a career field that interests you. Set up a Zoom or FaceTime conversation. Ask them questions that will help you learn. Before asking, be aware and sympathetic to their present work situation.
Email an alumnus of a college you're interested in. Alumni are very opinionated about their alma maters. They're also far enough removed to understand how much their education and college experience prepared them for life beyond college.
Teach yourself something new:
- Cooking – Culinary therapy (resource from Jeff Shiffman at Tulane) and another option here.
- Music
Take an SAT or ACT practice test. Practice makes perfect and we will probably return to a time when you will take these tests.
Practice or do what you love, any way you can. Sports, music, art, reading, creating, tearing apart and putting back together. Whatever makes you happy. Yale sent out a communication this week recommending students continue to, "demonstrate a deep commitment to and genuine appreciation for whatever you spend your time doing"
Take a MOOC. Or any other online course or certificate program that interests you. There are also free online AP courses available; consider taking a class your school doesn't offer.
OK, Netflix, but only documentaries!
- Better yet, Ted Talks!
Help your parents with house or yard work…ok, maybe that's me trying to motivate my children. But please take care of you and your family! Social distance for the sake of grandparents and those you don't even know, the ultimate example of paying it forward.
Exercise, get rest (not too much), and share your feelings with someone. You shouldn't feel alone in this. You have classmates, counselors, teachers, and family that care about you. It's ok to not to be ok. But it's better to talk to people about it. We're in this together.

I never realized how much fun normal was. But perhaps this disruption can inspire me to change, to move forward, and grow. Here's wishing you luck in coping with the present, and using it as a catalyst to advance. Practice social distancing, stay healthy, support others, and be strong!

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