Darlington’s model for college advising is very different from that of other schools with three extraordinary college guidance professionals supported by 12 teachers who serve a smaller group of students as college advisors. While Madge Crawford, Ivy Brewer, and Sam Moss are still very involved and available to assist every student, each college adviser has the benefit of making a strong connection with their advisees.
It is a wonderful system that is made stronger with professional development opportunities such as attending conferences, college tours, and seminars. SUPERCONFERENCE 2017 gave us a wonderful immersion into the world of college advising.
The theme for the SACAC conference (or SUPERCONFERENCE 2017) in San Antonio, “Creating Connections: Building Bridges Together,” describes our experience perfectly. We made connections with college advisors in secondary schools, admission counselors from colleges and universities, and professionals who have made college admissions their life’s work.
The connections were both formal and informal. Attending two sessions on writing recommendations, I learned new ways to streamline the process that I will share with my fellow college advisors and with our faculty members. I had conversations with other college advisors about the challenges and joys of college advising and provided a classroom teacher’s perspective about the college admissions process. I attended one session on using humor in the process and one about ways to celebrate our students’ accomplishments.
As a teacher and college advisor (and in the case of my colleagues: coach and duty teacher and unofficial counselor, etc.) we serve many roles at Darlington School. Having the opportunity to immerse ourselves in the world of college advising has provided an extraordinary opportunity to make connections: with those in that world and with each other. Thank you for providing that opportunity. I know I speak for my fellow travelers that we wish we could do this again. We learned, we laughed, and we made connections that will enhance what we do every day.
