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October 25, 2002
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

 

SMITH EXAMPLES AND EXPERTISE INFORM
NEW COLLEGE GUIDE FOR PARENTS

College Admission Veterans Sally Rubenstone and Sidonia Dalby Offer Insider Advice in "The Panicked Parents' Guide to College Admissions"

 

NORTHAMPTON, Mass.- A recent book by two admission counselors with Smith College connections aims to demystify the anxiety-inducing college application process for parents of high school students.


Sally Rubenstone and Sidonia Dalby have drawn on their considerable experience in the field of college admissions to author "The Panicked Parents' Guide to College Admissions" (Peterson's, third edition). Rubenstone-now a contributing editor at collegeconfidential.com, a college counseling Web site, and Dalby, the associate director of Smith's Ada Comstock Scholars Program-have both worked in the Smith College Office of Admission. Their straightforward advice on a range of admission topics reflects a combined 30 years in the world of college counseling.


The inspiration for the book came from the authors' realization that "a higher education is a huge investment-of time and money; of emotion and energy," and that negotiating children through the admission process can be both difficult and stressful.


To that end, the guide provides a comprehensive outline of the college application process, from standardized testing to financial aid applications to dealing with acceptances, wait listings and rejections. Rubenstone and Dalby walk parents through each step of the process, all the while reminding them to keep things in perspective.


"It's important to remember that the college decision process does not make any kind of value judgment about how good, strong, special or successful your child or your family is," they emphasize, a sentiment that can easily be forgotten, particularly as students feel increasing pressure to apply to selective schools with name recognition and large applicant pools.


But they also point out specific ways for parents to involve themselves in the process, citing as an example the Smith practice of asking an applicant's parent to write a letter on her behalf because, as the authors note, "a short letter of support from an applicant's mother or father can add a dimension that no other form will provide."


Rubenstone and Dalby are also quick to point out that feeling stressed by the application process is a very common experience today, in large part because the admission process has grown increasingly competitive.


"The process has become far more difficult for students than it was 10 years ago and exponentially more difficult than 30 years ago," Rubenstone says, but the book also notes that "there are approximately 3,500 colleges in the U.S., and more than one will be right for your child." She and Dalby urge students to look for a college that fits their needs rather than seeking out schools on the basis of prestige and reputation alone.


Ultimately, they maintain, parents "need to trust their instincts" in guiding their children through the college admission process and to remember that an important part of the process is learning to let go.


"The right match between a student and a college is really about giving students the chance to become successful by developing motivation and self-confidence," Dalby points out. "That's an aspect of college that has little to do with prestige or price tag."

 

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