College-placement

The US college application process has changed profoundly in recent years, bearing little resemblance to the system we used to apply to college in the past. There are many reasons for this, though the US News and World Report rankings and the need for all colleges to appear ‘selective’ have had the biggest effect, changing college admissions from being educationally focused to a process driven by a business model. Most parents and students don’t realize this.

At PRISMS our College Placement team is uniquely qualified to demystify this confusing system and help students navigate it effectively and with great success, working together to help students find the right universities for them.

I, Marilee, come from the world of private college admissions and understand the real pressures that admissions officers feel as they work hard to create a class. I teach our students the rules that guide the college admissions business, helping them understand that all colleges are different from each other and therefore look for different kinds of people. One size does not fit all.

And I, Cindy, support our students as they navigate their academic and personal development, helping them set long-term goals and develop a personalized four-year plan for college readiness. In addition to the guidance and counseling I offer individual students, I provide educational workshops on various subjects that range from self-exploration, learning strategies, habits of success, to informational sessions on standardized testing, financial literacy and college aid. Students can access resources anytime through my website https://sites.google.com/site/prismsguidance/

With a careful one-step-at-a-time application process over time, we avoid the anxious frenzy that usually accompanies applying to college. Working within our own PRISMS culture of curiosity, inquiry and self-development, our students learn that college is just the next step in a long life and that there is no ‘perfect school’. They grow into young adults with a more mature understanding of themselves, ready to move into the world with confidence and grace.

These are the beliefs that guide us during the college application process:

The whole point of education is to learn new things and integrate them into an overall context, not to get into a specific college. If a student learns the material well and stays focused on that learning, the right college selections will follow.
Each student was designed by Nature to be unique, just as each college is different from each other. There is a college for everyone.
There is no ‘neutral’ college ranking system. All current ranking systems are designed to sell products and so cannot be trusted. There is no ‘best college’.
Since their brains and central nervous systems are still growing, teenagers and their choices will change as they grow.
Applying to college is a deeply emotional experience as students confront themselves in a new way and prepare to be assessed by colleges. As a result, resilience, a critical life skill, is built and reinforced during the college application process.
All class members are expected to be well-wishers for each other. As a community, we students, faculty and staff are all in this together and we celebrate each other’s successes.
Everything always works out fine in the end.

The best universities in the US have recognized our selectivity. You can see detail from College List.

College Admissions Process