Tim Neil
12:00:39 PM
Welcome to the Advising to August Sewanee Session! Taylor and I are so grateful that you could take some time out of your day to hear from Sewanee and how we plan to manage these next few months.
Please take a moment to introduce yourself with your name, organization, and location of where you are tuning in from. We will get started here in a few minutes.
12:01:11 PM
Gloria Tenenbown
Taylor Baird
12:01:12 PM
Hi, everyone!
12:01:20 PM
Hi, I'm Vicki O'Day, an independent counselor from the Bay Area in California.
12:01:21 PM
Catherine Sawyer, Christ Presbyterian Academy, Nashville, TN!
12:01:22 PM
Hi! I'm Renee Weller, College Counselor at the Ben Franklin Academy in Atlanta, GA.
12:01:24 PM
Good morning. I'm Mandy Poundstone from Montgomery Academy in Montgomery, Alabama. Thank you for hosting this session!
12:01:27 PM
Sarah Lasoff-Hodge, Cheshire Academy, Cheshire, Connecticut
12:01:28 PM
Lisa Godwin, Associate College Counselor from My College Resource in Sarasota, FL.
12:01:29 PM
Steve Soud, Isidore Newman School, New Orleans
12:01:30 PM
Shelly Warde from Salem Academy in Oregon
12:01:35 PM
Gail Nichols from Southern California. Independent Counselor.
12:01:39 PM
Marcia Schumann from Bradenton, Florida
12:01:40 PM
Meredith Sherrill, school counselor at Myers Park HIgh School in Charlotte. NC
12:01:41 PM
Travis Gabehart, Lexington Catholic HS, Lexington KY
12:01:42 PM
Hi! I'm Jenny Well, College Advisor at Chattanooga School for the Arts and Sciences.
12:01:47 PM
Rachel Jacobs at National Cathedral School in DC
12:01:49 PM
Hi! Janice Caine with Custom College Visits checking in from Delray Beach, Florida.
12:01:50 PM
Susan Meyers, IEC in Houston
12:01:50 PM
Elizabeth Young, Baylor School, Chattanooga, TN
12:01:52 PM
Gloria Tenenbown, Independent Educational Consultant from Houston, Texas
12:02:04 PM
Dan Monahan, Director of College Counseling, St. Andrew's-Sewanee School
12:02:05 PM
Hi! I'm Candace Sutton from Tuscaloosa Academy (Alabama)
12:02:06 PM
Becky Stevens, College Counselor, Dir. of Testing, Pembroke Hill School, Kansas City, Missouri.
12:02:06 PM
Laura Smith, Director of College Counseling, Cary Christian School, Cary, NC
12:02:11 PM
Louise Larsen, IEC, August Consulting, Monmouth County, NJ
12:02:12 PM
Jaye Goodman from Brentwood Academy in Brentwood, TN
12:02:13 PM
Terry Whitehill - Ensworth School - Nashville, TN
12:02:16 PM
Emily Berty, Wellington School, Columbus, OH
12:02:21 PM
Hi, this is Scott Orvis, Durham Academy, Durham, NC
12:02:22 PM
Hi Tim and Taylor! Curtis Johnson here, Memphis, TN
12:02:23 PM
Hi! i am Elizabeth Mosley, College Counselor at Trinity Presbyterian School in Montgomery, AL.
12:02:24 PM
Susan Reilly - Mount Pisgah in Johns Creek, GA. Hello!
12:02:33 PM
Sarah Athearn, College Counselor, Our Lady of Mercy Catholic HS, Fayetteville, GA.
12:02:34 PM
Hello all! I hope everyone is safe and healtyh...Tom Jaworski, IEC living in NW Suburban Chicago
12:02:40 PM
Hi everyone. Garth Parke, Lake Highland Preparatory School in Orlando, FL
12:02:40 PM
Sedef from TED Istanbul College
12:02:47 PM
Charley Burkly, University School, Hunting Valley, OH!
12:02:48 PM
Brannon Jones, Executive Director, Next Step Education Foundation, Atlanta, GA.
12:02:48 PM
Hi. I'm Danielle Dyer from Ursuline Academy in New Orleans.
12:02:49 PM
Hello! I'm Ashley Meyer at Holy Spirit Prep in Atlanta.
Hello, we are thrilled to have you. Uhm. I see there a bunch of people still logging in, so we're going to take a moment.
What did chilly day it is in Tennessee. I am currently working remotely from Chattanooga, uhm.
12:03:11 PM
Hi everyone. Eric Dobler, Dobler College Consulting in Cheshire, CT
12:03:13 PM
Elizabeth Hansen, College Counselor at Sacred Heart in Louisiana!
12:03:16 PM
Hannah Colliver, Webb School of Knoxville (TN)
Yes, and I am I was gonna joke and say to 10 long time no see because we just got off at staff meeting but I am remote in North Carolina so we're both office space. But in these times I'm actually able to work from home with family North Carolina for a little bit and then will be heading back to Tennessee this weekend. So we hope that you guys are all safe.
12:03:39 PM
Hi! Keti Chikovani, American Academy in Tbilisi. Tbilisi, Georgia
And again, tuning in from all over super super thankful for accommodating time zones and all kinds of differences there.
12:03:44 PM
Katie King, Farragut HS. Knoxville
12:03:58 PM
Hi! Hope all are well! Debra Landesberg, My College Resource, Sarasota, FL
12:04:04 PM
Brian Estrada, Providence Academy (Plymouth, Minn.)
An and so just to know if you haven't ever been on a webinar through slate, you can only see us. So in the world of zoom right now, know that your video is not broadcasting so you can make yourself comfy. Pure pet jumps up. It's OK so will be on the video.
As you chat in the chat box where you type your message, know that we do have them moderated chat feature on, so I'll kind of go over this structure and just demo met, but.
12:04:23 PM
Hello, Melissa Sarabia, Center for Creative Arts HS, Chattanooga, TN
We will kind of hold off till the end for questions, but feel free if you have the question on the forefront of your mind to go ahead and type that in an timlock should be moderating, but we will get to. Those will do our best for reserving hopefully around 2030 minutes just for Q&A.
So just bear with us there. So if you type it in and you don't see it pop up automatically, know that it's kind of in Q and it's holding their but no penalty. If you post your question twice, you're not sure.
12:04:50 PM
Becky Claster, Templeton Academy, Washington DC
So I know if you kind of have your I've been missing my desktop computer so I'll just say that and um, on your laptop screen or smaller screen and this does work on mobile. So if you're on your phone or an iPad, the formatting might look a little bit different in how we're structured, but you should see slides, a chat feature, and then Tim and myself. So how, depending on the size of your screen, some of the slides the content might actually look pretty small, but we tried to make him pretty.
Pretty, Uh. I would say content not content heavy, so just the key points in a lot of this will be more through conversation and know that we are going to record this. So if you're filling in for a colleague or you want to share this later, we had a couple of people say they couldn't tune in that you'll be able to reference this back in kind of see some of that content later.
So should we get started?
12:05:42 PM
Regina Robinson, IEC Suited 4 Success College Planning Services, Washington Metropolitan Area, MD
It started, I think that's a good portion of our attendees.
Well thank you, um, we have close to 150 individuals registered for this event were thrilled to have you. My names. Tim, I'm a graduate of Suwannee graduated in 2013. I after a year sent away at Tulane University. I came back to Swanee and have been working in the admission offense ever since. I primarily recruit our students in New England.
And our international students are US citizens living abroad, so I'm happy to represent those groups, but also talk more broadly during this presentation. Thank you so much for being here.
Awesome and I'm Taylor Bearden look. As I said my you can have your pets in the video so I have to corral my pet quickly.
So hopefully that will be some fun content for everyone. Uhm, but I'm Taylor Bear. Dan, I feel like before I introduce myself, I should introduce this student in the photo that you see. So that's Jonathan Lopez. He is finishing up his sophomore year. So like many of your students coming out this sophomore year, he imagined for himself. It's funny but hang in there. But we love this photo. I think we wanted to just center the conversation in this presentation around why we all do this work.
And so kind of having these hard conversations right now. And you know, I think not knowing how long they might be continuing, but just kind of find some joy in that photo as he's waving. He's one of our Chicago scholars. Um, Curtis Johnson is on this call. Who used to be in our office? It worked with Jonathan, so hopefully that's kind of a sweet moment.
So just to introduce him and kind of center ourselves around again, the work that we do. But like I said, I'm Taylor beard also in the office of admission I I'm a graduate of Swanee as well class of 2015 and spent a year at an Independent School and actually in alumni relations. So not in the college counseling realm and then a couple of years at LSU before I came back to Swanee. So Tim and I have not. Neither of us have been kind of in the EC roll or in a school counselor role, so recognizing that.
Um, in the work that we do every day. Which is partially why we wanted to have this dialogue up. A few folks in our office have been on, you know, we try to steer away from saying both sides or sides of the desk, but all realms of this field, so we feel like we have some good perspective as we navigate. You know what? How we can best serve students, but you know, just kind of noting that on the forefront.
So here we are in our contact information will show this again at the end. But if you want to jot that down, these are probably better photos of us than what corentine has lent itself to. Uhm, but like I said, the format for this will run through kind of what's going on at Swanee.
In there I would say kind of the short-term conversation in the long term and then open that space up for I think comments about Swanee. But also you know, kind of what does this look like for all of us, and how can you know if you're looking for a place for your voice to be heard to kind of give you that space of you know, what can we do in college admission particularly?
AJ work right now to help students in and you guys.
And so we have just as we introduce. I think you probably had a chance to read through some of the some of your peers on the call, but we're going to do a Poulan. This is really just for you guys more spent for us.
12:09:25 PM
I'm curious if you all can talk about the concept of demonstrated interest for the class of 2021.
12:09:26 PM
Sam Moss - Darlington School
12:09:26 PM
Hello, Tegucigalpa, Honduras!
12:09:27 PM
Hi all! Beth Davis from Salesianum School in Wilmington, DE (outside Philadelphia)
But if you can just kind of engaging that interactive poll, you can kind of see who's here with you.
And I see some questions coming in, so we'll get to those as well.
OK, so that seems to be moving quite along. That way you can know the context of who who you're chatting with and who was kind of interested in taking this time.
Like we have a large portion of school counselors.
Yes, if you're not seeing the pole, it's in the chat box, so you might have to Scroll down or up in the chat box to actually see it, but it's it's there in the chat box. If you're not seeing it, I apologize. This is only our second web and are actually using polls. We've been doing webinars for many years, but this is the first time that we wanted to jazz it up a little bit and add some polls in there. So this is Taylor mentioned. Hopefully will give you a little better representation.
Of who is actually in this this call this webinar.
And then we have a second poll. I think they will add another layer of context. So Tim, if you want to keep that up, um, just about sort of the number of graduating seniors that you typically work with. So we wanted to kind of stay away from the term caseload. I know that's probably an accurate term, but.
You know, not just kind of if you're working with underclassmen and kind of that full cycle, try to focus just on the number of graduating seniors. So students that you because we think really focusing on in the fall. What would that typical number be? So you'll see that come up in just a moment.
And you know, kind of Tim and I were.
Prepping there some kind of adding some humor to it. We said, you know, we wanted to mention that don't think about the number of parents that come with your graduating seniors, so not a distant parents. We love them in this process, but we know that sometimes that can even feel that as a whole, another layer of working with families. And you know, if it's a family decision and all that input so we know even if you're saying 1 to 50, sometimes I can still feel really high pressure. And like there's a lot more going on.
We also understand that you could fall somewhere in between. Some of these are best to try and balance it out just in groups of 50 and what our poll was allowing. So seems like this poll is changing.
Quite quickly, but there are some with 250 plus students. Wow, that's a lot. It seems like the bulk of our falling between 1:00 and 1:50 also just some interesting information for you all to see.
There are the bulk of people on this call are from schools and how many students you all are working with. I think it's helpful for us in for you all.
Alright, so I will give that a Minute Maid so keep fluctuating but will go ahead and jump into some of this content so thanks for bearing with us to get some of that data. Hopefully again helpful for you.
So Tim and Eric and I kind of divide and conquer each slide. And so when we tried to structured as I think you know, for us when we sat down in early March in a lot of this started unfolding.
12:12:58 PM
Brendan Diffley Hello from Pinewood Prep Summerville SC
You know this idea was kind of out there. Well, how as soon as it's appropriate when we can all take a breath, how could we engage with counselors? Uhm, so that's sort of this idea was I would say mid March kind of born.
And at that point, I think even 10 now kind of the month timeframe we've had, we have more clarity. But in some areas it's even more unknown, so I don't think this will be comprehensive. But for Swanee and I think a lot of these conversations are clearly going on across the country and abroad, but curricular changes so you know, we spend a lot of our time. We've been pretty intentional about just reaching out to students that were close with just to get a pulse. If we feel like we have that relationship of just how are you doing?
Um and so a big component of that is I haven't started classes yet. It was. We were on spring break or my school district. Hasn't really figured out how we're going to do remote learning, or there's a conversation of mid term. Grades are now going to be unless there's if you want to help me improve your grades. The option of midyear grades standing as final grades, optional work, so there's so many different facets. I don't think we know if we try to make a comprehensive list. I think every school in school district might be having handling that in a different way of having to tweak things at work for you guys.
I'm in for your student, so I mean the the broad answer to this is we are going to be very flexible and accommodating of those changes, particularly because I think they're even out of some teacher. An admin level control at this point. But as students are thinking of enrolling so kind of that immediate impact of current seniors who have Swanee on their list or have already paid their enrollment deposit will be really flexible with what those transcripts end up looking like. Then Tim will talk a little bit more in a moment about.
Time frame, but I think when and how we receive those and the content in them will be extremely flexible, so that's intentionally vague in the sense that you know we're going to work with what's happening at your score in that district or County or state level.
Uhm, I guess grading changes in timeline for final grades really goes hand in hand there, um, I think there is some students were talking to that they already have a pretty good grasp on what their final grades are going to look like.
There are some students who are really digging in and having to finish a lot of work and other students who are probably in this realm of not even maybe consciously checking out if you will, but you know they're done with real coursework for whatever has been mandated and they're really waiting for that final transcript. Or for the AP exam.
Or or what that might look like for their score senior project. So I think we don't have a formal policy written about that at this time because it's ever changing. So with all of that and what final grades look like for you, we will be accepting as long as they're able to graduate with whatever has come down the line, then they will be set to enroll at Swanee.
Tim, I'm missing anything there about just final grades and transcripts.
I just think that there are a lot of students that are nervous about how this will and this portion mostly geared towards our current students that have been admitted, are thinking about applying to Swanee or are waiting for a final decision from us. The bulk of what we're telling you is that you shouldn't. Your students shouldn't worry too much about there.
Enrollment, their admission and scholarship offered to the University. We have no intention of changing that for a student. Of course, if there is a significant change in their academic load, we'd like to know about that and we will see that in whatever form of final transcript that is. But I also I'm hearing from students abroad that are at an international high school that have had their a level exams cancelled and our registrar's office is essentially taking the stand that.
We will make sure that will still award the credit and that, um, however, is determined by those, um, those agencies like Cambridge AP and so forth.
Babe, I think just in kind of an anecdotal no. I mean this is happening in Mass, you know. And that's on. You know whether we want to say Fortunately or unfortunately, so you know, I think there is no school that's going to be able to really escape some of these conversations I think will handle it differently, but I think that is some comfort for students that you know, this is this is affecting all of their classmates as well as them and all the students were bringing into Swanee, and so it's not something that it might feel like that to them, especially if they're a little more isolated.
Being at home or not in conversation with their peers, but um, this kind of interpersonal work is something that we do day today and just figuring this out with students. I think it will be tough to some degree, but I think there's some comfort in knowing that everyone is going through this. And you know, where are all going to have to work to figure out, you know getting this classic campus?
College Board updates. I think you know. Not to belabor this one, but have also been ever changing, and so I think at this point there is a little more solidified of exam dates and parameters, particularly with AP exams, so I know that the May 2nd essay T is officially cancelled. I think. Still waiting to hear on June 6, so swannies test optional. We haven't for quite some time, so we'll get into that later as well, but know that when we speak of test scores that we have been and will continue to be test optional.
Uhm, but with AP exams like 10 alluded to that you know that credit of awarding that coursework and even the exam, if those agencies are saying that this will fill that role in that component of the curriculum, then we're going to be honoring that on our side as well as the University. So I know the 45 minute time length the free response, open open book. I mean, that's not affecting how we're viewing APS.
Um, or how that credit will come in and just, you know, Swanee, we don't read for a certain number or minimum of AP courses.
I'm sure I'd be, you know if it seems doing doing Roman or will talk about a level curriculum as well.
Uhm, I think we've always. We've always tried to be flexible in that sense, so that's you know, that's not a huge change for us. Um, we don't have like a formal AP chart where you know four or five there a student would be able to see exactly what class that counts for at Swanee
So all that has really sort of been on a case by case basis, and, uh, some of our internal enrollment placement exams, so hopefully some comfort there that if they're going to sit for the exam, I know some things have chosen to not there finishing that curriculum and sitting for the exam. Then we're going to be bringing that in for them.
I be, I know they just kind of this isn't a College Board update, but related um, for International Baccalaureate they have cancelled all their exams so.
I'm trying to just read their formal statement that you know they May 2020 exams between April 30th and May 22nd for the diploma, program and career related program candidates are no longer being held. So again, all of that for us. We're going to have always and will continue to be that more just rigorous coursework. But we're not going to be sitting down and nitpicking that on the transcript for exams of.
A student standing in the college, or, you know, enrollment and and what they have to come in with.
All right and then Lastly.
You know, and I think this is a delegate one 'cause we we debated Tim and I did have listing this. If we don't want it to seem like you know where were outright asking for application. So I think for us I mean including this was really if you have those students who are changing their plans rapidly and need to be closer to home or whether it's you know. I think there's a conversation if I need to be closer to family or to my doctors like with some of these concerns going into the fall. So we are still accepting applications we will that will be open through the common application through July 15th.
Um, it'll shut off to reset for the next cycle. So if that's a conversation or just as plans change, you know that will be flexible and bring students through that process.
Lately so, um, just in talking about enrollment, there has been a lot of great conversation about deadlines and when it comes to scholarship deadlines for our fellowship in the arts and other things, we made sure to accommodate are admitted students not only about making sure they have that information earlier in the process, but also making sure that we were hearing what students saying if they needed more time to complete those applications.
Um, in terms of our uhm deposits and our deadline for May 1, the University made a judgment call as of right now to really look at what is our class coming in at and the unfortunate reality of fall study abroad programs in just to kind of give you some numbers are fall study abroad numbers are about 130 students. That's 130 additional students that might be on campus this fall.
And it's going from might be too highly likely on campus if not on campus, they might be doing participating online, an if that's the case, the bulk of our students would be doing that anyways. So when judging that decision of whether or not to move our deposit deadline or not, we also looked at where are deposits were and being ahead in our class in terms of enrollment here today and also.
Knowing What is more important for students right now on balancing what is the immediate impact we chose as an institution to actually lower our deposit amount. So this year we were excited, offered two deposit amounts, so we had one deposit of $750 and then another one for Pell eligible students. You might have known that Swanee announced in September. We would meet 100% of demonstrated need for first year first time students and we thought that one of the first barriers to entering college.
Is not to raise your hand and say hey I need to have a lower deposit so we took that $150 deposit an lowered it for Pell eligible students to $50.00 an lowered our other deposit to $300. We felt like this was more important to impacting their work and families who are uncertain about financial abilities. Being able to afford college rather than extending our deadline because of the number of deposits we have at this moment.
Just to give you some numbers where we're looking to bring in a class of 480 to 500 students, and we're certainly on target to hit that number and then balancing that with this study abroad opportunities, we had to make sure that students were comfortable on pending their able to come back to campus this fall. We also for deposited students their enrollment forms all run through slate, so the applicant status page immediately goes from the moment they pay their enrollment deposit, not immediately, maybe 24 hours.
Over to a summer enrollment form, so that's where they're filling out their housing forms. That's where they're filling out athletic forms. They might be filling out academic forms. That's where they'll actually tell the registrar's office through completing one of those forms. If they are taking AP courses. If they are taking IB courses, a level courses, or if they've done dual enrollment courses, those are the four areas that we currently award credit for, and so looking at all of this, making sure.
In the last bit was that we don't have any off campus housing. The bulk of our students. 99% of our students live on campus in 19 residence halls and it doesn't theme tosses, so we really have to be certain that we have housing for every single student that wants to have housing for four years.
Swanee was just approved by our accreditation body. Um sax, to offer online courses for the fall. That's the first hurdle for universities to be able to start to think about the fall semester. And so with that, we currently have a gap year policy where students will complete a gap year application on our admission website.
And we will either approve those. In the past. We remind students that they cannot enroll in a college course during that time, as those credits wouldn't transfer back to the University. And then they're not perceived as a transfer student. And so those are run through our associate Dean and she will approve those. There's a lot of flexibility and some conversation that's being had around whether or not we need to move to offering students a gap semester.
And we're trying to just balance that best as possible against what the fall semester going to look like in if we're going to have to move to online courses for everyone, or just for students who won't be able to enter the country, for example due to visa restrictions or travel restrictions, but know that I, in my role overlap with the office of global citizenship and in constant communication with them, we actually have an immigration attorney that works hand in hand with our incoming students and.
All of our current international students and faculty and staff to make sure that they have what they need in order to enroll on time. Whatever on time might look like in their circumstances.
So we have created an FA Q Website for incoming students which I'll point out later, um.
Just speaking, I'm specifically I've touched on this a little bit. Uhm, are transfer application is still up, even though that it was in April 1st. It's only a priority deadline were reviewing those on a rolling basis and having decisiones out every couple of weeks are transferred. Coordinator Jeff Heitzenrater is reading those and then we do conduct virtual interview with those students thinking about transferring to the University after they are admitted. Accredited valuation would be done.
To let them know before they actually have to pay an enrollment deposit if their credits will transfer and how many credits would transfer to the University. The same thing for international students. I was actually talking with a couple of this morning via zoom and Skype and we chat, just not to 1st worry too much about if Sony is where you plan to enroll about worrying about credits transferring in. As Taylor mentioned earlier with API B.
Maybe dual enrollment courses or a level credits? We're going to make sure that we're working with whatever those, um, if Cambridge is.
Determining those as UM final exam results, quote Unquote, then we will still honor those as credit for AP exams. We give credit for a four or five on those. For IB, we award credit at a five or higher on the higher level exams. Dual enrollment is just simply on a case by case basis, and that's run through the registrar's office and then a level credit is a B or higher on those.
Courses or exams. However you want to look at it this year?
And so I think that's it. Oh, in the last thing with seniors who can't visit, um, we have been. I don't know if you've been keeping up its virtual.swanee.edu and I'll share the link. But we have zoom classes. We have recorded classes. We have webinars like this. Last night we did a webinar with parents we have.
Countless, I mean a lot of different options for students to engage with us. Virtually. I think it's kind of a great chance it forces the institutions to now offer much more greater virtual options for students to engage with us as an institution. I don't think I know Sony is not new to jumping on the virtual bandwagon, but we certainly have a lot of different options in something that we would encourage for you to share with your students. And just again, that's.
Virtual.swanee.edu and I'll share the link in the chat as well.
12:30:30 PM
Jeff Kurtzman from McCallie School. Sorry I'm late--thanks for doing this!
12:30:33 PM
what is that virtual site again?
Tim Neil
12:30:39 PM
virtual.sewanee.edu
And I'll chime in about that to throw second before we transition. Uhm, I could. Probably lots of folks in here are familiar with the Georgia Tech admission block, but on Friday the posters about thinking differently in that thinking differently can impact your decisions. So it was really geared clearly towards High School Seniors. But it was kind of neat to listen to that and read it in prepping for this webinar, because I think that a lot of colleges in Swanee included that we've got. We've got new to using webinars and some virtual options, but I think that we had to think differently.
It did impact our decisions and what we're having to do, and I think you know, will get toward, you know to the fact that these aren't going away. So I think when we do get back to some semblance of normal, you know that's kind of a relative term. But I think we got this is serving a lot of students and we want to continue that. So it's been kind of neat to see how that's grown. Clearly not under the given circumstances, but you know that we had. It really did impact. I think some of the work that we've done, and some of these projects that.
We've had ongoing for a long time. Just took a whole new shape an were really expedited in a good way.
And then Tim, with virtual visits just from our staff meeting I was going to mention the Swanee is a Posse School, so we work with policy students in DC and so actually tomorrow would have been one of our big overnight programs called perspective. So also shout out to Curtis on that event.
So kind of heartbreaking that they, you know, like many seniors are going to be able to come to campus and see where they're going to spend the next four years. So a lot of those kind of particularly like yield events, if you will, you know an answer to celebrate seniors and get them engaging with us in their current peers and who they would enroll with have turned virtual so the virtual experience wannian. Now I think this sort of policy to Swanee event, which perspective in itself is more of a multicultural event that will still happen as a virtual event, but.
We just learned that the Posse Foundation in DC is going to have heard their own virtual Swanee Posse, um event, so again, kind of in that decision making and things changing. A lot of those events that would have happened. They look different, but are still bringing students together and hopefully you know they're getting to know swanee.
Yeah, and we are trying to come up with a slew of options when it comes to virtual to recorded live different time time offerings and are admitted student event experience swannies a full page also on that virtual.20.edu page and you can see for students that can go in and interact with.
With that page and learn a little bit about 20 dining and other things.
All right, 10. Do you want to jump to pre college?
Thinking with this session is called advising the August, but then we realized that, well, you're probably having conversations with juniors and we wanted to think about something a little bit more long term, and so the University is working on plans for this summer, pre-college programs in our current summer classes. Those plans are being decided. Iponan will be announced to any student that you might have that has applied to a pre college program.
Um, more importantly, here are two areas that I think Swanee has been known for, but we want to really harp the demonstrated interest piece. It's been that if you've been daswani, you know that it's this uniquely special place that students really just need to get to.
Or throwing that out the window, you really need to express' to your students, especially your juniors that are worried about how this will impact their admission decision. Physically getting to our campus is becoming absolutely not possible right now, and we understand that there are more than enough virtual options for students to get to campus. It's still a different. We will recognize that it is absolutely different from a typical.
Traditional, however, you want to call it visit, but those virtual options, hearing from students about their zoom classes or sitting in on a student panel are equally as effective for our students. Are enrolling students and our potential prospects in students down the road. So please encourage your students engagements list virtually and to know that there's not always that one way of engaging virtually. This is also a good chance to tell them.
To take a break for juniors from the, take a mental health break from all of the stress that is COVID-19 uh, and to take a moment to say, I know there was a question about AP exams and what we recommend.
If they don't want to sit for those AP exams, that is OK. The the the cost of that could potentially be getting credit from Suwannee for not taking those exams, but that might be outweighed by actually being able to step away and say you know what? I'm not looking for credit for that. I would rather use my time more wisely to be in touch to use this in a completely different manner. We're not going to penalize a student because they choose not to take.
Um, that exam or that course?
Taylor is going to touch on this a little bit more, but that goes along with extracurricular activities too. I really do think that this time has forced everyone to reevaluate what's important and listing all 10 activities on the common app is not that.
And I think next year is going to be a completely different reading cycle and I'm Taylor is going to touch on this, but really, the onus on the staff to to say well, yes, they were really engaged with three activities rather than 10 activities. And this is how they managed their time.
And I'll sort of leave it at that select Taylor kind of, pick it up from there.
12:37:11 PM
Any thoughts on students who choose not to sit for AP exams?
Yeah, I think there is, I mean.
12:37:11 PM
So sorry I keep losing my phone internet connection. Barbara Conner Foxcroft School
And you know, we've done so many webinars in info sessions. It's hard to keep him straight and give the appropriate credit, so I'm going to say that I think this was from something I heard on NPR, but hopefully at Co, opting not that. I think teenagers especially are most at risk when they're not in school. Um, in a multitude of ways, and so acknowledging that in this process too.
And that we don't want this sort of like perfect application. Read to be a stressor. At this point I hope that that's shared by you. Know a lot of our.
You know colleges, universities across the nation, but and for us know that that's going to be how we center this next cycle. That yeah, if your summer plans got cancelled or you know you aren't able to work, you're doing more at home like 10 said, that list went down from 6:50 or 2:50. Whatever it is that you know.
Truck, you know we're going to be flexible there. I know we don't want to over use that word, but I maybe we we. There is no kind of line of over using flexibility and and how we're going to approach that, but I think for juniors especially and I think seniors there still that long haul view. And you know, kind of where they enroll and their attention. And you know how this decision making process? My impact, where they thought they go. So there's long term implications there too. But for juniors who are having less FaceTime with you as their school counselors, or you know.
Counters at a CBO that they're involved with icy so that holistic view and even though they're not engaging with our offices, they can be probably scary for them. I think in some ways juniors might be more stressed out right now than seniors thinking. Well, I'm starting this process and I already feel behind not I was on the cusp of deciding in nob, you know, here's some extra impacts so you know, just knowing that one were here, I don't. Hopefully we can't say that enough, but that there's.
Gonna be a lot going on and I think one facet of that is prolonged financial aid seasons though, so I think that's for juniors and seniors. I think for juniors, especially in this search process, that financial conversation may now be at the forefront of the family conversation then.
Kind of 2nd semester senior year, which hopefully you know. I think that's across the board. A good conversation to encourage to have earlier, um, but I do think there's going to be there at the reality for families where they are now looking in a different radius regionally. Or you know geographically, whatever the logistics and distance might look like.
You know they they really might have that conversation and in a place where counters and families had a little more leeway to say yes, like let's build this list and then will you know, being cognizant of some of the concerns with that financial or whatnot and revisit when you hear back and kind of as we move forward. I think that from some tunes I've talked to again, like that's anecdotal, not really data, but.
Yeah, I think they're having these conversations right now with families before they even write that list of schools. So, uhm, I think that's one sort of trend. Or it just kind of conversation that we're seeing. So just know that.
We're poised an expecting a lot of that, um, especially with prior prior fasa. You know that for a lot of students this is gonna look really different in different immediately so.
Um, know that that's a conversation were having, uh, as far as the common app encoded 19, I clearly the IT kind of reads silly to me that we put that in the same line, but one. I think we wanted to talk about the common app. As you know, we expect students want to be impacted by this. But also, like this is a huge experience for them. And clearly it's going to come across on.
You know whether it's additional information or essays like this is a huge component of their young adult life, so I'll briefly talk about the common app at Swanee, and then, you know, just kind of mentioning that.
However, they this experience comes up for them in this application process. That's fine. I don't think it's on us to say we don't want to read, you know, 5000 cobra 19 essays. Well, if that's what a student is impacted by and wants to write about, I think like 10 alluded to like.
That's on our preparedness in conversation as a staff, then really telling a student like yes or no. Don't write about that, so we've always hope we've been very streamline and will be look for so on the common app. There's no application fee. We've always just look for one essay component, and those are the common app prompts so we don't have a specific supplement, and we haven't had conversations about adding that their cycle. So kind of knowing the essay component of that. That's where we ran to the open ended. One could clearly be about.
This experience or whatever they would like to write about, but there's just the one essay teach recommendation counselor recommendation and then a huge component for us is that we are test optional, so I know that that is a growing conversation and one we're excited to see grow. We went test optional in the fall of 2009, so.
Quick math 12 cycle. Going into that for us so we're test optional in the admission and merits valor, shipping process, or processes. So that is something we are happy. You know. I think for a lot of folks that were going to office it was intentional that we wanted to come to a school that was test optional. So that's a process that we are comfortable with. We know how that's going to work and especially even with the marinade component. We also do meet full demonstrated need.
So that will be, I think, as you guide students to. Again, I think we're all about fit. We are very specific school and we celebrate that. So I think there's a fit conversation clearly. But if you're on this, call your learning about that. Or, you know, a little bit about Swanee. Hopefully you know. So for students who we end up on their list that we want to make that financially viable for them, so meaningful need for us. We still do include federal subsidized and unsubsidized loans and work study. Those loans will be decreased first if students are.
Uhm, you know Tennessee residence where the receiving Tennessee hope or if there pal eligible so any opportunity that we have to decrease any loans for students were going to do that and allocate that funding elsewhere to help minimize those and students can still decline them if they don't feel comfortable there. Same with Parent plus but just know that in meaningful need we do so have those components. But we've tried really intentional box for students as they come in.
Again, no supplements and then just kind of hitting home with the essay uhm.
Again, like that's on our on us to say it. If a student wants to write about this process for them, like will be ready to read those.
Just to add a couple of international requirements we.
Will required for any students applying for aid um to US citizens, the FAFSA and the CSS S profile and for next year will be the CSS S profile for international students for the only difference between US citizens and international applicants is that there is no loan component to an international students financial aid package, so any dollar that we give to an international student would be a grant or a.
Paid for by the by Swanee Uhm, and so those are dollars not having to be paid back to the University. I always get the question do you offer full scholarships? And so I'll define that as tuition room board in fees we do for both domestic and international students. For any applicant they could apply and be eligible sort of. Our top of the top applicants for the Benedict in the Vice Chancellor Awards. There's a video component to that and reviewed by the faculty admission committee.
For international applicants, it's part of our financial aid budget where we award full cost of attendance awards and then anything in between that.
And I'll just echo Taylor sort of on the testing. There we have accepted for now two cycles dual lingo as an English proficiency exam. We do not weigh those exams as more important than the other. So if the student would like to wait to take to full or Ielts or Petey academic, there more than free to do that or they can do the dual lingo English exam.
Like we just heard from someone that the June S80 was just cancelled. So if that's the case, even more reason to be looking and pressuring those other institutions to consider test optional, I'll just echoed Taylor statement there that.
Being test optional for us is not new IT is not something that we now have to reinvent our admission process. I would like to argue that we have fewer barriers for students to cross when applying to Swanee, so not having an application fee being test to optional for the essay tea in the AC T not having having both early decision early action, an regular decision and not having those supplements really does make the process a little bit easier.
12:47:25 PM
The June SAT was just cancelled
Hope and AC T2 apparently so thank you for whoever is sharing that information live as we go along.
12:47:27 PM
no I'm wrong about ACT!!
So I am going to put this is our last um slide up. So I think just to be cognizant of time, we do want to share with you what song is doing right now for current students, because I think that is impactful in the recruitment process and just getting to know an institution but just opening it up for. If you have questions that we haven't touched on and maybe some of them will be related to this. So we're happy to keep motoring along. But just know that this can really be reserved as we want to allow as much time as possible.
Q&A as they come to your mind.
Yeah, and just really quickly to set the record straight in case you don't see it in the chat. There. She, this person, whoever they were, was incorrect about the AC T. So This is why we check. So thank you though for sharing that updated information and quickly so we did allow. So we announce on March 14th. That's why he would be.
Extending our spring break by a week and then um, moving to online learning. Obviously not ideal, and something that both faculty, staff, students, all had to figure out. We had about 100 students, petitioned to stay on campus otherwise because they couldn't go back home. They may not have a safe home to return to or they had limited access to technology and so those students were approved to stay on campus in their residence Hall. Those students that are on campus.
Where their meal plan was still going, we still operated our dining Hall. We do three meals a day. They get a little to go bag at night to take with them back to the residence Hall if they want so they can sort of eat breakfast on their own, and then they socially distance in our dining Hall dining Hall that seats over 1000 people with only 100 students in it is more than enough space for them to spread out. We did also announced that we were refunding part of remembered.
Uh, and fees for students. Uh, and that varied by student, but that did go out to our students. An was they started issuing reimbursements. A couple I think last week.
And then, um, the last piece that all really touch on is that it's part of the The Academic Department, the faculty and the registrar's office announced that we would allow our students that are currently learning online to receive their grades for this semester. At the end of the semester. And once they're done with their exams to evaluate those grades and then decide up until September of 2020. So after the next semester has started.
Whether or not they would like those courses to become pass fail. All four of them, uh, and that is, I think, really allows the students a lot of options without impacting their overall GPA at Swanee.
So I do see some questions coming in and I think a couple of them. You guys have noted that you're happy to connect offline or they do seem fairly specific. So one is we need. Like I said, We are recording this and so it will be available after will send that out. That was one of the questions that for these we will happen. I will follow up one on one so summer about international students and.
12:50:54 PM
Will we be able to get a copy of the presentation?
So I'm not sure that one.
So some of the last three bullet points we kind of touched on, so I will expand on them. But just to make sure that we get to some of the questions.
Do you want to read them out loud, Taylor?
12:51:20 PM
Have you heard about the Common App adding a space for students and counselors to provide information about their COVID- 19 experience?
So the first one, uhm that, I wanted to tackle was have you heard about the common app adding a space for students and counselors to provide?
Um information about COVID-19 experience? Yes, we have and that will be the way that we understand it is that that will be up to the discretion of each institution on whether or not they would like to ask that question. And of course would not be required, but students that will be an institution decision.
12:51:57 PM
Can you talk about what the fall might look like in the event that COVID 19 social distancing continues in to the fall?
Alright, and can you talk about what the fall might look like in the event that code in 19 social distancing continues into the fall?
So yeah, I think we can probably tackle that together. And the I mean like so many schools right now. I think there are.
Now emergency team is meeting weekly if not every day or every other day as they need to an. I think there are many iterations of calendar is an options that are being talked about so as of right now we have cancelled all kind of on campus summer programs in events and visits through July 31. So that's really as much information as we have that we. I think it's like certain that we could share.
So That being said, I mean we're still planning that this morning are kind of pre orientation programs went out for students to register. We are moving forward with what that's going to look like with getting things going in August and getting back to the classroom. But there are different. Like 10 mentioned, the accreditation to offer online courses. You know if it if that address how we run our semester calendar. I mean there are some of those conversations were not Privy to, but I think our office is a really good job of keeping us in the loop and I haven't heard.
Yeah, I think those conversations are happening, so if that is necessary, were prepared and we can communicate that with students and families really soon, but nothing concrete. As of April 15.
12:53:23 PM
Will you address how Demonstrated Interest may be evaluated through virtual interaction?
12:53:25 PM
Can you please address if an accepted student that wants to defer to spring because of the impacts of COVID would be able to? (I am happy to go off-line via email if that is a case by case conversation)
One of the questions was will you address how demonstrated interest may be evaluated through virtual interaction, yet so we have students sign up for those interactions an when they sign up it goes right to the record. We keep that information. Not all of those are going to be signed up. Of course, we're going to be doing Facebook live events or.
Instagram events and just other things we don't need to collect their information on everything. I notice that some people think that we do, but as long as they're engaging on those virtual options in their registering or collecting, that information goes right to the record and they're getting more information about us. So that's how we're looking at it.
I think for I mean the demonstrated interest conversation like we could have, I think a full web and are just on that like what what that looks like for colleges and how that's interpreted differently in ways differently. I mean, I think we can genuinely say when we look at demonstrated interest as a way of like students and mutually getting to know Swanee because we are.
You know, I don't think we use the term isolated, not in a negative connotation, but I mean that's really part of why soon as you stick on this one. If you want to be in that intentional community for four years and live on campus and be there, and so it's not everyone's Cup of tea, and we know we want to be really respectful of that, so we know that not all students have the time, ability, resources to to visit us. So I think in some ways.
Access to virtual events is its own kind of conversation. An issue as well that is around kind of interrelated with this, but hopefully the virtual exploration even opens a door for us to engage with students and demonstrate interest in a way that hasn't existed before, so I think it's us doing things differently is yes, the in person visit press is still crucial, but if this allows a student to engage and we feel confident that they they might know more of who we are and how they could see themselves here, that's what we want to get at.
12:55:36 PM
Is there anything you see as very specific to Sewanee (because of your distinctive culture and campus) about how your community is handling this experience? Either particular challenges or particular strengths that you see emerging right now?
Absolutely, a great question. Is there anything you see as very specific to Swanee because of our distinctive culture and campus, about how your campus is handling this experience, either particular challenges or particular strengths that you see emerging right now.
Wow, um, I don't know if you've read our counselor newsletter that Taylor spent so much time writing uhm, but there are three articles, 3 links at the very bottom. I would urge you to read them. One is written by our new order of the gown President Mandy 2 from Mian Mar Uhm, who writes about?
Being an international student on campus when it's there's 100 students versus 1800 students on campus when you don't have the freedom to go home, what does that look like?
Taylor Baird
12:56:39 PM
https://new.sewanee.edu/features/
Powerful piece, I would say writing has really wet swanee is always been known for it and that has really shown true during this time. Another article was written by doctor Craig Hill in English professor about comparing this experience to other experiences in the past and how how the different times managed between those two experiences. I'm writing his really stuck through I think also.
Um, the community that is such a uh.
A balloon. That word in college admission now is really, UM, students are talking and are engaging with one another and on a much more meaningful level. Connecting and just checking in with each other. Our social media channels that are being taken over by students or faculty or staff are just showing the.
The depth of our Wellness Center and that is providing resources for students remotely for, uhm, you know, dining to be providing recipes for students on little things like that. It really is a brought our community closer together and I think re evaluated what students are.
And I think this might be. It's probably very similar to what Tim is saying, but I think for me it just reinforced.
12:57:44 PM
Thank you Taylor and Tim!
That you know we say, even in the level of, like our student ambassadors arcadians like the role that they just play an ignition and talking to students like we. I think we've always made jokes like students run our office, you know and for me it really highlights that. So where community of 1700 residents in Swanee and a huge bulk of people who make up the community? You know for 10 months out of the year our students so.
That's where our excuse me. I'm and that's not the right stats of 1700 students within the community of 3000. So that is, you know, when we say students really impact how Swanee runs day today and how we truly engage with the community around us, not just the University. You know, I think that things are still taking, but you can definitely see that there's like a piece missing.
12:58:52 PM
You two are doing a great job with this!
12:58:52 PM
You two are dong a great job with this! EQB, Sam
Um, so again can just like an anecdote, but I think I I miss being in that environment like. I'm sure many of you miss being in yours. So, um, all I didn't see if anymore.
There's a couple. Well, thank you guys so I'll drop out just about Wellness and um.
Visual virtual options. So, again, we've alluded to a lot of these, which is why I felt comfortable, kind of holding them to the end, but.
You know Wellness at Swannies
12:59:11 PM
Thank you so much for providing these updates. It is good to see you, too!
12:59:19 PM
Thank you so much!
Is really holistic and that has been growing for ice, and I think Sir being an meeting that need for students so just in his interim time I think there were a couple of offices. You know, I think we adjusted really well, but a couple of boxes, just like didn't miss it. Be an one of those were the University Wellness Center so they immediately were working remote and doing teleconferencing and options for students they've had like a balance challenge of how do you strike this balance of your new realm? And then they had a four week movement challenge where they were posting.
Free access to mental health apps and workout apps and then they had even they were engaging. Athletics and coaches were posting workouts.
So if if students have access to just like jump back into that in their home community, that they could still get that at Swanee.
01:00:10 PM
Great job, thank you! YSR!
Do a lot of that has been I sat on one web and R that was about visits and it was kind of that we had shifted from like event coordinators into like creative directors and so this new realm of like.
We don't have time to Polish everything, so everything is becoming more authentic, like, even if it's cultivated an.
I think that's been really neat to see first students you know whether it's the one is doing like a podcast club and like 10 mention like University dining services. Their Instagram has been posting on their story little chat feature that says you know what are you eating right now or what's the favorite thing you've been baking or a new recipe? And so in, that's not. That's not strange for students. I think to see it's conversations that happen on our campus but are now just happening on line.
01:01:07 PM
Thank you both for this session and the updates.
And then, like I mentioned earlier, these virtual options are going to go away. They might modify when we can still have students on campus, but I mean even doing this webinar, apart from Tim, we used to think, oh, we had to be in the office to do webinars, and now we're kind of having the conversation of great. Now I can do a webinar with a colleague or a student panel, even when I'm on the road recruiting in the fall, so I think we're just rethinking a lot of how this will continue.
Should we go into our last slide?
Yes, so you can see our faces again. If you're not tired of them already.
01:01:34 PM
I have two international students who will be attending Sewanee this fall but they will not be able to travel home before enrolling. They are currently on our campus. I'd love to be able to connect with you and the immigration lawyer about their process.
01:01:38 PM
Thank you very much for this, great information and well done!
Contact information, I know there is a question about 2 international students enrolling and we would be happy to speak with them. Just shoot me an email. I want to be able to connect them with the immigration attorney potentially arriving early.
01:01:42 PM
Thank you Tim & Taylor from Charlotte! I have one sad Sewanee senior home, but glad to see you two and connect with Sewanee today. I needed some good advice about how to work with current juniors.
Taylor, is there anything else?
01:01:54 PM
Thank you so much for this!
Yeah, I think just to that last point of, you know, providing space for students. We and again this is shoot us an email. If our communication Seema for were missing something or we haven't thought about another component.
We're trying to to recognize that students like high school students are young adults and what they're going through is really real, and their perceptive and resilient. So trying to strike that balance of how do we recognize it? This is what they're going through without only talking about Cobra 19.
01:02:27 PM
Thank you Taylor and TIm! :)
So I think a lot of us are probably trying to figure that out, but that was partially part of this is just to let you know what we're communicating to your students and to hopefully give you a little update and just said that I don't know. I hope that were striking that balance, but.
Think that something that is our biggest thought and challenge right now.
01:02:40 PM
This session was very informative! You two are rock stars! Thank you.
01:03:02 PM
Thank you! We all appreciate your time and input!
And if there are topics that you would love for us to do, if you're looking for someone to have a virtual high school visit, please reach out to us about about that. Feel free to email me your admission counselor from your territory. I know I'm doing one in two weeks for school in New England. I know Leanne backline, RVP for enrollment is doing an essay writing workshop. There are lots of different things that we can still do and work together remotely. You don't have to be.
01:03:13 PM
Thank you for hosting this session!
01:03:28 PM
Thank you very much. It is so encouraging to hear all the ways that Sewanee is thoughtfully engaging with students right now.
Alone in working with your students on this, we are happy to help. We won't always talk about 20 uh, we will find our way to plug it, but this is certainly something that we want to make sure that you know we are here. We can do things remotely. We can work together and make sure that we can bring students back to whatever type of normalcy they need whenever they can during that time so.
01:03:30 PM
Thank you so much for having this session!
01:03:30 PM
Thank you so much for your time! A great session
Well thank you guys so much and for hanging with us with these three extra minutes we try to keep it pretty tight but lots to say.
01:03:42 PM
Thanks, Taylor & Tim. Y'all stay safe!
Hum, well, stay well we mean that sincerely and hopefully we will be checking in with you with updates in in the near future.
Thank you all so much havoc one happy.
01:03:53 PM
Thanks so much for this - I've been to several session and this was especially thoughtful and informative!
01:03:55 PM
Thank you!! Very helpful.
01:03:57 PM
Great job! Thank you!
01:04:02 PM
Thanks and great job!
01:04:52 PM
Thank you for being so kind, generous and student centered. I appreciate this webinar and your continued friendship.