On Feb. 8 and 9, the Kent College Counseling Office held our annual 5th Form Parents College Workshop, and it was again a “star-studded” event highlighted by four remarkable professionals from the world of college admissions: Rod Jackson, Senior Associate Director of Undergraduate Admissions, Southern Methodist University; Rob Springall, Vice President for Enrollment Management, Muhlenberg College; Erin Stahl, Associate Director of Admissions, The Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art; and John Yi, Senior Assistant Director of Admissions and Director of Recruitment, Yale University.

The evening of Friday Feb. 8 began with a dinner at our Pre-Engineering Center sponsored by the Parents Association.  Each of our four admissions professionals then took a few minutes to introduce themselves and their respective institutions, and to share their thoughts on the current state of competitive college admissions.  The evening ended with a session of Q&A, which set the stage well for the following morning’s activities.

Saturday’s program was focused on the mock admissions committee–led by our four admissions professionals but comprised of all parents in attendance–during which four mock applications were evaluated.  Each year, this activity serves to underscore important trends and key points about the application process, and this year was certainly no different.  At the completion of the committee exercise, parents then met in groups with their child’s college counselor to review the timeline of the process moving forward.  After lunch, sessions were offered on financial aid (led by Rob Springall) and athletic recruitment (led by John Yi).  Both Rob and John have graciously agreed to allow us to make their presentations accessible, so we have posted links to them below.

In all, well over 100 parents attended the event, the largest group we’ve ever hosted.  And thanks to the outsized efforts of our office’s “MVP,” Mrs. Karin Irwin, the entire weekend ran smoothly.