April 2005 - Kudos to our Seniors!

Spring is finally here and with it has come the annual surge of college acceptance letters to our seniors. And what an impressively diverse group of schools it is, a reflection of our equally impressive and diverse senior class! From California to New York, small to large, public to private, urban to rural, Ivy League and more, the colleges and universities to which our seniors have been admitted will surely tap their skills and nurture their passions while also challenging their intellect and expanding their horizons. We congratulate one and all for a job well done.

Congratulations are also due to you, their parents. The college application process, which sometimes threatens to overshadow the whole of the senior year, is time consuming, tedious and just a tad stressful. It’s a time when parents’ hopes and dreams for a child can collide head-on with their emerging teen’s vision of his or her own destiny. Often, it’s a time that seems like it will go on—mercilessly—forever. But as families work their way through the process, aided by members of the PDS college counseling team, things begin to fall into place. Long lists become short ones; anxiety-producing interview appointments turn into wonderful conversations between admissions officer and applicant; writer’s block gives way to the crafting of an authentic college essay. And somewhere in the midst of all of this, parents discover more about themselves and their children than previously thought possible. I am sure you are delighting in your children’s success. How reassuring when you see all of the collective hard work paying off, with your children being admitted to schools appropriate to their particular interests and needs and that they are excited about attending!

PDS has been in the “business” of college admission ever since we first considered adding a high school way back in the 60s (our first graduates were members of the Class of 1971) and our students, for the most part, have fared quite well after leaving us. Recently, in light of the increasingly competitive nature of selective college admission, we’ve taken a long, hard look at our approach to the college counseling and application process through the lens of professionals in the field. Constructive criticism can be extremely helpful and we have gleaned a number of suggestions from a variety of sources. Our college counseling team model, adopted two years ago, is working very well, allowing us to provide greater, more comprehensive “coverage,” if you will. Parents can rest assured that we not only know their kids well as students but also take the time necessary to continually advise and suport them as they progress through the upper school on their journey toward college. But don’t take our word for it: ask the parents of seniors!

Before you know it, commencement will be upon us. In the meantime, please join with me in congratulating our seniors on their acceptances, listed on this page. There is a “right” college for everyone; we hope seniors will enjoy choosing among the many wonderful options they have earned and so richly deserve.

Sincerely,

Mary Jane