In order to curb confusion seniors have about college applications, the Guidance Department will sponsor an “Application Bootcamp.”
The “bootcamp” will be held for rising seniors on August 30, the day before school starts. The program is free and will last for three hours.
Guidance counselor Carol Heflin Shupe said that the program is designed to provide a “short bit of time to procrastinators.”
Heflin said that she and the other counselors are “always looking for something that will help get students into the process.” So when former JC counselor Bernie Mullen, who is now the chair of guidance department at Notre Dame Prep (NDP), shared the idea with the JC counselors, they decided to implement it. However, unlike NDP’s program, the program at JC will not be mandatory.
According to Heflin, the day will be designed to “give students a bit of a step in the right direction.”
During the day, students will begin filling out the Common App online, while counselors will be available to help answer any questions that may arise. Students will print out all of the Common App forms that the school will need to send to colleges in the fall.
Students will also begin work on a college essay. They will have the opportunity to either bring a rough draft and work on peer editing or they can actually begin writing the rough draft during the day.
According to Heflin, the ultimate goal of the day is “to take a huge chunk out” of the college application process.
Current seniors, who have already gone through the application process, are skeptical about this new opportunity.
Senior Jimmy Schultz questioned whether such a program will really help to prepare students for college. Schultz said, “For some people, it’s probably a good idea; however, if we’re going to college, we should be able to do things ourselves, like normal people.”
Others expressed concern over the fact that the day is scheduled at the end of summer.
Senior Wil Cranford said that the rising seniors “won’t want to do it because it is during the summer.”
Senior Steve Harper agreed. While he thought that it is a good idea because “when you first look at [all of the college applications], it is overwhelming.” Harper said that it would be better if it was “during the school year on a Sunday at the beginning of the year.”
Juniors express similar displeasure over the scheduling of the day. Junior Tara Murtagh said, “I don’t think people will go to it because it is in the summer.”
Junior Meg Kirchner disagrees. Kirchner said that it is a good idea because “a lot of us have no idea what we’re doing.”
Guidance counselor Carrie Siemsen and English teacher Eric Sutton are starting another college program at JC over the summer called “Headstart.” The two week-long class runs from June 21 through July 2. For $200, rising seniors will spend two and a half hours per day going more in-depth into the college application process.
Siemsen said, “In two weeks, [students] will do college searches, complete an activity résumé, and learn how to properly prepare for campus visits and interviews.”
Students will also work on writing, editing, and finalizing three essays that they will pick based on the essays that are required by the colleges in which they are interested.
Additionally, students will complete the Common App and they will create an application timeline in order to organize when everything is due.
Siemsen said that the goal is “to get everything done in two weeks” in order to alleviate some of the stress that seniors face at the beginning of the year.
Caitie Beth Shauck can be reached for comment at [email protected].