Capturing the “Aha!” Moments in Your College Admissions Journey

“So... this Jesus guy was kinda a big deal."

She caught me as I was leaving campus for the day, wanting to discuss her failing grade in the course. We were halfway through the semester, and this was the first time I had ever heard her speak. She had made it clear that ancient history was, well... ancient, hardly deserving her attention because how could it possibly be relevant to her life as a first generation American, living in southern California, first in her family to go to college and focused on her family's outlook? As we stood next to the bike rack, discussing her options for catching up on the material, she paused and mused, “so... this Jesus guy was kinda a big deal."

It was her "aha!" moment, but it was also mine. She discovered that long-ago people and events impact her current life, and I learned that I should never assume a person's understanding of seemingly ubiquitous knowledge. Growing up in the U.S., my worldview was that everyone knows something about Jesus, even non-Christians, agnostics, and atheists. 

AHA! Moments about College Admissions

You might be having your own “aha!” moment right about now, regarding today’s college admissions process. We all know people who have been through the process—parents, teachers, maybe you are a parent and a teacher—so it would be easy to fall into the trap that high schoolers and the adults around them are familiar with the college admissions landscape. 

When it comes to college admissions today, though, we’re all in a foreign land. What are the “kinda big deals” to watch out for? What is “demonstrated interest,” should I submit my standardized test scores, and how important is the Personal Statement anyway? What new trends and requirements are on the horizon?

After spending nearly twenty years teaching history at small private colleges and large public universities, higher education was second nature to me. I quickly learned, however, that it wasn’t so clear to the teens in my life when they started applying to colleges. That’s why I founded Charting Pathways LLC — I’m your guide through this foreign land. 

The blog will demystify college admissions with tips, insider knowledge, and first-hand accounts of living in the trenches. If you have a question you’d like answered in the blog, drop a note in the comments section.