As an educator, I spent 16 years teaching history to college students. My experience with them was always rewarding, but it never went much beyond the classroom, and never touched on the admissions process they each faced as a new student. Once I came to Darlington, I got to see the other side of the coin as an educator. For the past three years I have witnessed my students building a high school resume and transcript, with all of the highs and lows that can come with that territory. My former experience has often helped me reassure Darlington students who are worried about their chances of getting into college while also making sure that being accepted to their favorite university is only the beginning of that journey, not the end.
I was honored to be asked last spring to join the group of college advisors for seniors at Darlington. This wonderful group of faculty members, along with a phenomenal College Guidance Office staff, are experts at facilitating the path of our twelfth-grade students into the next phase of education after graduation. As someone who graduated decades ago, however, I had no idea how the process actually worked today. After all, when I applied to college, you filled out a paper application and scheduled your classes over a phone landline!
As luck would have it, Upper School Librarian Jordan West also became a new college advisor at the same time. She quickly became my partner in crime as we figured out how to best help our students last spring. Along with listening to advice from the veteran faculty who work with Darlington seniors, Ms. West and I had the opportunity to attend the Southern Association for College Admission Counseling (SACAC) Summer Training Seminar in Asheville, N.C., in July. We joined 47 other new and seasoned college counselors representing private and public schools from the Southeast. The purpose of the seminar is to give new college counselors an overview of the college application and acceptance process as well as a forum to discuss emerging topics in the college admissions process.
While attending the seminar, Ms. West and I visited UNC Asheville, where the seminar was held, as well as Davidson College, Appalachian State University, and the graduate campus of Western Carolina University. At each campus, we were given a tour by current students and heard presentations about both the colleges and aspects of the college admission process from admissions office staff. Seminar topics covered everything from writing recommendation letters to the role of college counselors in the financial aid process. More than anything, Ms. West and I learned how fortunate we are to have such a large group of college advisors here at Darlington, where our ratio of counselors to students is 1:10. For many of the other high schools, there may be one counselor to serve hundreds of senior students on their campus. We certainly left the SACAC seminar with a greater appreciation for what we have here in the Darlington Community.
As my first senior advisees begin to apply to college this month, I am excited to be a partner on their journey. My new role as a college advisor combined with my experience as a college educator will enable me to coach the Class of 2025 and future students not only about how to get accepted into a university, but also provide them with an idea of expectations that will make their dreams successful when they get there.
Professional growth and development are high priorities for Darlington. Each year, faculty and staff members participate in a professional growth cycle that includes professional learning communities, professional development days, and the ability to apply for professional development grants which fund conferences, travel, workshops, instructional supplies, outside speakers, and more. For the next few weeks, our blog series will highlight some of the opportunities that faculty and staff have participated in since they were awarded 2024-2025 Thatcher Grants last spring.
