Inside the College Admissions Process at the JCC

What really happens behind the closed doors of the Admissions Office? On October 18, 2011 from 7:30-9:00 p.m at the JCC of Mid-Westchester, 999 Wilmot Road, Scarsdale, the deans and directors of a number of top colleges and universities will open those doors and dispel the myths about what it takes to get into college. This is the fourth year in a row this program is being presented.

The free community-wide event – “Inside the Admissions Office” -- is sponsored by the JCC of Mid-.Westchester. Students and parents will hear the real story behind how decisions are made from the deans and directors of Binghamton University, Swarthmore College, Syracuse University, Union College, The University of Chicago and Vanderbilt University. The evening will give the public the opportunity to learn the differences and similarities in how decisions are made by selective universities and liberal arts colleges. Advance registration is required at www.jccmw.org

Moderated by Mamaroneck-based college admissions consultant Betsy F. Woolf of Woolf College Consulting, students and parents will learn:

· What makes a student’s application “stand out”;
· The impact of the current economic reality on college admissions;
· How an admissions staff makes the ultimate decision to admit, deny or defer;
· How colleges weigh grades, test scores, family connections, athletics, campus visits, interviews, essays and other factors;
· The institutional needs and policies behind the decision-making;
· The difference between a well-rounded student and a well-rounded class – and why that is important in college admissions;
· Whether declaring certain majors gives students a leg up in the admissions process;
· How admissions committees treat the application of a student who discloses his or her learning difference or ADHD.

Betsy F. Woolf is a college admissions consultant and an award-winning editor specializing in higher education and secondary school. She is a magna cum laude graduate of NYU and holds a J.D. from Hofstra University School of Law and a Certificate in College Counseling from UCLA.