Fall 2018 Parent Newsletter

From Your University & Career Advancement Counsellors

Dear CIS Parents, Inside Fall 2018
Welcome to year seven of our University Counselling Newsletter. As
always, our goal is to provide you with the best information available on a
rich variety of university and career-related topics. If you are new to CIS What’s New in the UC Office:
or are unfamiliar with this publication, you can access past articles of Updates and Initiatives Are
interest by clicking here. Highlighted

There’s nothing like a new school year to set goals and refocus energies. Questions We Wish More Parents
That said, there’s much that your university and career counsellors have Would Ask:
been working on to upgrade our program. In no particular order, we’re
happy to update you on some important initiatives and improvements. Are Ivy League Matriculations All
We Care About?
Parent Education at CIS: A major goal for our school (including
University Counselling) is the formation of a coordinated and more When Is It Appropriate to Talk to
comprehensive parent education program that seeks to proactively inform Kids About Colleges and
across a range of parenting issues. There will obviously be more Careers?
information on this important initiative in the coming weeks and months, When Is Less Important Than
but your University Counselling team is delighted to be participating in
this exciting initiative. How.

New University Counselling and Career Advancement Website: We’re My Kid Loves Rugby:
in the Jinal stages of transitioning our website out of Moongate and into a Resources and Tips for Parents
Google platform that will provide a more readable format, easier access of Prospective College Athletes
and improved navigation. A nice feature: the new website will include a
UC Calendar linked to Google so that you can see easily see uni visits,
presentations, and college process deadlines. We’ll update you when we’re A Bad Test at a Bad Time:
ready for the grand unveiling later in the fall. Why We Don’t Offer Offer
CollegeBoard’s RediStep?
We’re Now Videotaping our Presentations: During the course of a
school year, the UC team gives dozens of presentations targeting both Our Featured College:
students and parents in which we cover; various aspects of the college Hampshire College: A Unique
process. The power points for these presentations can be accessed here.
Liberal Arts Experience
Because power points, by themselves, can be rather limited in delivering
information, we are making an effort to have our presentations Jilmed
over the course of the school year. While we’re not anticipating any Our Featured Book:
Academy Awards, we are hopeful that the videos, along with the power The Gardener and the Carpenter
points, will be more informative for community members who are unable Challenges How We Define Good
to attend our presentations. Parenting.
(Continued on Page 2.)

Your CIS University Counsellors: Regular Feature:

Sow Fun Dawson - sfdawson@cis.edu.hk
• University-Related Articles
Robert Mansueto - mansueto@cis.edu.hk
from the Web
Marc Marier - mmarier@cis.edu.hk

Your CIS Career Advancement Counsellor

Annie Yung - ayung@cis.edu.hk

Administrative Assistant
Brankie Wong - bwong@cis.edu.hk
“An investment in knowledge
pays the best interest.”
Helpful Resources: Benjamin Franklin
University Counselling Website
1706-1790
Index of past newsletter articles

Recommended reading available in our UC Library

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University Counseling Updates and New initiatives

(Continued from Page 1)

Introducing MAIA! Last spring, Naviance which has been the go-to university counselling platform
among international schools for well over a decade, has decided to pull out of the international school
market. Since then, your UC team has been reviewing and weighing several replacement options.
We’re happy to announce that the search is over. MAIA will give our students enhanced career and
university research tools while also providing a stable platform for submitting supporting application
documents. Current Year 13s will not be affected by the change. Look for more information on MAIA
functionalities in the new year.

HZ Career Initiative: With the clear majority of our Year 10 students now studying in Hangzhou, the
focus of our Individual and Career Program for that year has now shifted from the Braemar Hill
campus to Hangzhou. While Annie Yung, our ICAC Counsellor will have ample opportunity to deliver
the program/curriculum to those Year 10 students remaining in Hong Kong, she has developed a plan
for our Hangzhou students which will entail additional visits and closer coordination with Hangzhou
staff as well as with their “Beyond Program” where students arrange and complete a three-week
independent research project.
• Other visits will focus on the completion of a career interest inventory, as well as a learning style
inventory so as to support students in taking full advantage of the “Beyond Program.” A January visit
to Hangzhou with Tony George will introduce students to their course selection options for Year 11.
• In addition to these programmatic upgrades, Ms Yung is in the process of developing a Career
Awareness and Advancement Newsletter designed speciJically for the parents of Year 10 students to
keep them apprised of the many Career Awareness and Advancement program initiatives and how
parents might best support them.

More University Counseling Newsletter Articles Are Being Translated into Chinese: In an effort to
address the fact that our non English-speaking parents may experience difJiculties in accessing much
of our information, we’ve embarked upon a program to translate UC Parent Newsletter articles of
special importance to our community. Please access our University Counselling Newsletter article
index here. Quality translations are very time consuming to complete so we ask for your patience as
we work to build a truly bilingual site in the coming months.

更多文章將翻譯成中文


為了讓非英語母語的家長更好地理解有關升學輔導的通訊文章，我們開始翻譯其中有代表性的文章。
我們最近完成以下文章的中文翻譯並添加到升學輔導通訊文章索引。

這些文章包括：

1. 謠言工廠：別成為受害者！
2.「我現在應該做什麼？」給年幼學生家長的升學建議
3. 大學教育資助
4. 實習的好處以及找尋實習機

希望您理解完成高質量的翻譯是非常耗時的，感謝您的耐心等候。在未來幾個月我們將努力建立一個真正的
雙語網站。

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The Questions We Wish More Parents Would Ask

At informal gatherings with our parents, can you guess the most commonly asked question of CIS University
Counsellors? What do some of our parents most want to know? If you think the question is: “How many of our
students got into Ivy League schools from the most recent graduating class?” - you’d be 100% correct.

To be frank, your University Counsellors are at a bit of a loss to understand

why this question seems to be uppermost in the minds of some. While it’s In short, any numbers about
clearly a reJlection of societal expectations and cultural pressures, we struggle Ivy League acceptances that
with the fact that any response will carry little or no meaning. What we might share with parents
conclusions, for example, could be drawn from the fact that 10 CIS graduates can’t begin to provide a
were admitted to Ivy League schools in one particular year, seven the next and picture because, simply put,
eight the following? our students aren’t numbers
- they’re individual stories.
By themselves, these numbers are meaningless because they lack context. Our
community has no idea of the number of CIS students who applied to Ivy
League schools, much less the strength of those applicants, nor their appropriateness for individual school
programs- the latter two factors being critical to applicant success.

Just as importantly, it’s impossible to know the overall strength of a university’s applicant pool, along with the
many considerations that university admissions ofJicers employ in order to satisfy that university’s needs in a
particular admission cycle. These institutional needs - never shared with the public - are critical factors in any
admission decision and are variable from year to year. In short, any numbers about Ivy League acceptances that
we might share with parents can’t begin to provide a picture because, simply put, our students aren’t numbers -
they’re individual stories.

If the question’s purpose is to arrive at an understanding of the overall “quality” of CIS applicants or CIS’s success
as a school, there are better questions to ask and better places to look for answers. While you are free to review
the university placements of our most recent graduating class, a perusal of our matriculation data from
1994-2018 will reassuringly reveal that CIS students have consistently gone on to attend quality and diverse
institutions the world over, virtually from the moment CIS began sending students off to university. That
exceptional record is far more revealing than any annual Ivy League acceptance statistics.

Hopefully, we can all agree that our students with their diverse needs, talents and ambitions don’t deserve to
Hopefully, we can all agree that our
students with their diverse needs, talents
and ambitions don’t deserve to have their
merit and potential evaluated on the
narrow basis of whether or not they
receive offers from a handful of hyper-
selective universities. Our matriculation
data bears eloquent testimony to the fact
that CIS’s mission is much broader and
richer than simply functioning as an “Ivy
League feeder.”
have their merit and potential evaluated on the narrow basis of
whether or not they receive offers from a handful of hyper-
selective universities. Our matriculation data bears eloquent
testimony to the fact that CIS’s mission is much broader and
richer than simply functioning as an “Ivy League feeder.”
We’re conJident that our parents will draw comfort from the fact
that perceptions of university prestige among some are of far
less importance to your University Counsellors than the
appropriateness of our students’ choices and the quality of their
university experience. Perhaps it bears repeating that the role
of your CIS university counsellors is to help all of our students
matriculate to schools where they will best thrive.

Instead of simply focusing on Ivy League acceptances, we encourage our parents to give the following questions
the attention they deserve:
• How do our students go about making the right college choices?
• How do we as parents best support them through this process?

These are questions that really matter, questions that can truly make a difference. They also happen to be the
questions that your University Counsellors are most happy and eager to help our parents and students explore.

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When Is It Appropriate to Talk to Kids about Colleges and Careers?

For students in the latter stages of their secondary experience, the college process will naturally preoccupy much
of their thinking and energy and lots of conversation with peers and (hopefully) with family.

But what about younger students? Is there an appropriate time to start talking about colleges and universities?
What effect does college hype have on younger students? How do we as parents discuss university and the role it
will play in their lives in a healthy way?

College pressure is reaching into the lower grades

Trends that we witness here in Hong Kong and at other international schools suggest that students are
experiencing increasing pressure to seriously consider these
questions at ever younger ages to the point where one has to ask: is
Aiding and abetting the college there such a thing as too young an age to have these conversations?
talk is the proliferation of SAT prep College hype is a fact of life here in Hong Kong and it’s easy to see
courses offered to increasingly why. We have a well-educated, successful and college-motivated
younger students along with a parent community. A college education in communities like ours is
growing number of local a core value.
independent counsellors
promoting their services under a Aiding and abetting the college talk is the proliferation of SAT prep
courses offered at increasingly younger students along with a
fear instilling “don’t fall behind” growing number of local independent counsellors promoting their
messaging that can make services under a fear instilling “don’t fall behind” messaging that
susceptible parents feel that the can make parents feel that the college process is a race that their
college process is a race that their kids have to win at all costs. Most disturbingly, their promotional
kids have to win at all costs.
materials sometimes advance the notion that students need to start
“packaging” themselves at ever-younger ages.

These approaches don’t work

In our work with students and parents, students who are struggling under the weight of academic pressure and
distorted university perceptions often share the following beliefs:
•Getting into college is a race based on extraordinary academic and extra-curricular performance.
•University prestige is the critical factor in one’s path to lifelong success and happiness.
•College is an experience that will make or break their lives.
•24/7 career and college talk is the best way to assure a successful college process.
It’s no secret that effective communication is the critical component to successful parenting. In this issue, we
feature a book called The Gardener and the Carpenter which compares and contrasts parenting styles based on the
most recent research (See page 11). Regardless of your children’s ages, the book is deJinitely worth your time to
help you better understand your parenting approach as well as improving your communication skills.

When talking to your children about colleges and

careers… Targeting specific institutions and particular
Clearly, what and how we communicate to our children careers can be highly problematic,
has a huge impact. Regardless of the age of the student, especially when those universities and
managing expectations while opening up possibilities is career options are extremely selective and
the wisest and healthiest approach. Targeting speciJic highly competitive. Our experience has
institutions and particular careers can be highly
shown that pointing out the broadest range
problematic, especially when those universities and
career options are extremely selective and highly of possible options is far more powerful and
competitive. Our experience has shown that pointing out healthier than limiting choices. Be a door
the broadest range of possible options is far more opener!
powerful and healthier than limiting choices. Be a door
opener!

If you missed it…

To better understand what younger CIS students are thinking, we recently sat down for a conversation with a few
Year 6s to get a picture of what college means to them. It’s clear that parental expectations play a huge part in
shaping attitudes. Click here to access the article that appeared in our Summer 2018 issue.
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My Kid Really Loves Rugby! Resources and Tips for Parents of Prospective
College Athletes

For parents of young athletes, the question naturally arises as to whether athletic prowess can be translated into
enhanced admissibility to institutions of interest or even athletic scholarships. While these dreams may be
compelling, families need to have a Jirm grasp on the realities of what a scholar/athlete faces in university
admissions and in the university experience.

A healthy body means a healthy mind

For the skilled student Universities aren’t simply looking for strict academicians. They have any
athlete, depending on number of openings for qualiJied students on any number of sports teams and
the student’s sport and many institutions are in the business of actively recruiting to Jill those positions.
For the skilled student athlete, depending on the student’s sport and schools of
schools of interest, the interest, the willingness to intercollegiate sports could very well have a positive
willingness to play a effect on admissibility.
sport at the university
level could very well A win-win situation
have a positive effect And there’s no question that a university experience can be signiJicantly
on admissibility.
enriched by participation in sports - the challenges and joys of playing on a
team, the friendships formed as well as the shared memories can last a lifetime.
A further beneJit: student athletes often academically outperform non-athlete
peers as they have to be much more organized in order to successfully balance
their academic and athletic responsibilities.

First steps…
Regardless of which country(s) a student is considering, several key questions need to
be explored and researched: The most important
1. The most important question to answer: does the student truly love the sport? question to answer:
Students need to accurately understand the demands that playing a sport at does the student
university will entail. It’s highly recommended that potential applicants consult truly love the sport?
with current or recently graduated university athletes to help them better Students need to
understand the demands and rewards of pursuing intercollegiate athletics, as accurately
opposed to intramural or recreational sports. University admissions ofJices will be understand the
happy to help facilitate these conversations. demands that
2. At the outset of the college search, students need to consider whether the sport or playing a sport at
academics will direct their college search. Either path will in all likelihood lead to university will entail.
great possibilities, but deciding which factor is most important will serve as a
helpful Jilter to narrow the range of choices. Is the student looking for scholarship
money? If that’s the case, further research will be required to determine the countries and institutions with
available scholarship monies.

Students need to be realistic about their skill level in their sport. The following sites may help them assess:
• Track and Field www.tfrrs.org
• Swimming www.usaswimming.org or www.collegeswimming.com
• Tennis www.collegetennisonline.com
• Golf www.rankings.golfweek.com or www.golfstat.com
• Rowing www.americancollegiaterowing.com
• Cycling www.usacycling.org

Additional Tips:
• Contacting coaches at schools of interest will be a necessary step by no later than the conclusion of Year 12.
Students should be open to contacting dozens of coaches and asking what skill level is deemed necessary to be
considered “in the running.”
• Preparing a three minute video and posting it on YouTube to give prospective coaches a view of the applicant’s
athletic ability will be helpful as well. Some universities may request that the student applicant complete a
recruiting questionnaire on the university’s website. If the student is considering track and Jield or swimming,
furnishing coaches at programs of interest with pertinent data and competition ‘times’ will also be a help in
the recruiting process.

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• A student with resources might consider attending a summer sport camp which will give him/her a chance to
measure him/herself against other athletes. These camps are often attended by college coaches - in other
words, they can give students a measure of exposure that would not be otherwise possible.

For scholar/athletes speciRically targeting the US...

In the US, major university sports programs are divided into: Division I, II and III schools along with NCJAA
colleges..

Division I programs and scholarships

Generally, Division I schools (351 schools as of 2016) are often larger institutions with nationally recognized and
generously funded programs. Division I schools are required to follow certain guidelines in terms of numbers of
scholarships offered, minimum and maximum amounts of scholarship monies disbursed, numbers of sports
offered to both men and women, as well as sports offered in each season (fall, winter
and spring). Prospective students should be aware of the fact that a university which
Division I programs is ranked as Division I in one program, ie. basketball, may not necessarily be
are the most designated as Division I in others.
generous in terms of
scholarships, but Division I programs are the most generous in terms of scholarships, but they are also
they are also the the most demanding in terms of commitment and expectations. In the US, while
most demanding in athletic facilities for D-1 programs tend to be well resourced and generously funded,
terms of only 2% of high school athletes go on to a Division I sport. The average scholarship is
commitment and $11,000. The only sports in which students can receive a full scholarship include US
expectations.  
football, men and women's basketball, and women's gymnastics, volleyball, and
tennis.

Div I athletes are very busy!

Athletes qualifying for Division I programs are generally exceptionally “Because of the huge
accomplished in their sport which means they are likely to be the most time commitment, as
competitive programs in the US. Div I athletes have worked extremely hard at their well as time away from
sport, sometimes to the point of sacriJicing academic performance for that shot at
campus, Division I
a success. Once on a team, student athletes typically devote the lion’s share of
their non-academic time and energy to their sport. “According to a NCAA survey athletes will often not
last year, playing football required 43.3 hours per week; college baseball, 42.1 be able to major in
hours; men's basketball, 39.2 hours; and women's basketball, 37.6 hours. Because rigorous disciplines,
of the huge time commitment, as well as time away from campus, Division I such as the sciences
athletes will often not be able to major in rigorous disciplines, such as the sciences and engineering.”
and engineering.”

Division II Programs
US institutions offering Division II sports programs number just over 300. Athletes in this division may be just as
talented as Division I athletes, but Division II schools have smaller Jinancial resources and budgets. They
therefore offer fewer sports programs as well as fewer athletic scholarships
than their Division I counterparts.
Division III schools are ideal for
the student who wants the Division III Programs
experience of playing a sport at Over 430 US institutions offer Division III sports. In order to qualify as a Div
university with fewer demands III school, a university must offer at least Jive sports for men and Jive for
on time interfering with women with at least two team sports in the mix. Division III schools do not
academics. Generally, the skill offer athletic scholarships, but they do offer academic Jinancial aid. Division
level of Div III athletics is less III athletes do not register with NCAA. Division III schools are ideal for the
than what one might typically student who wants the experience of playing a sport at university with fewer
Jind in Div I and II programs. demands on time interfering with academics. Generally, the skill level of Div
III athletics is less than what one might typically Jind in Div I and II programs.

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NCAA - the National Collegiate Athletic Association is the governing body for US college athletics setting guidelines
and policies for all college sports. Any high school student hoping to play a college sport in a Div I, II program must
register through NCAA (cost US$ 135) to assure that the student’s academic record meets minimum NCAA
standards for participation. Interested students should also be thoroughly familiar and in compliance with
regulations governing coach-student contact. In the US, the recruitment/application process can take anywhere
from 18-24 months. Click here to access NCAA’s international student site.

Additional resources:
US-bound junior college applicants should register with NCJAA.
Another helpful US-related site is NAIA

UK
In general terms, sports are not as heavily emphasized in the UK as in the US. UK In general terms, sports
universities are generally not seen as feeder programs for participation in are not as heavily
professional athletics as in the States. Other key differences include the fact that the emphasized in the UK as in
UK has no eligibility restrictions and no age limit. Also, all study abroad students the US. UK universities are
are eligible to compete at the varsity level. generally not seen as
• BUCS is the governing body in the UK. Their site is comprehensive in detailing feeder programs for
next steps for the prospective scholar athlete considering England-based participation in
universities. Also, there are scholarship monies available but top athletes tend to professional athletics as in
be recruited by professional clubs. the States.
• England Athletics is also a worthwhile resource.
• “Freshers Fairs” are common to most UK universities. Held at the beginning of
the fall term, students can often register for sports/activities at these fairs.

Canada: usports is the governing body for university level sports in Canada overseeing 12 sports at 56
participating universities. In Canada, it is estimated that the application/recruitment process can take anywhere
from 10 to 24 months.

Hong Kong - as for Hong Kong, universities will offer sports-related scholarships but individuals need to complete
a nomination form. The Hong Kong Sports Institute has a useful site as do the following universities:
• HKU
• CUHK
• City
• HKBU

Don’t forget intramurals/club sports

Offered by most universities the world over, participation in these sports is on a voluntary basis and more
recreational in nature. In addition to affording a healthy athletic outlet, they also afford rich opportunities for
socializing and meeting new people. Training and time demands are far less than what one would typically
encounter in more formally structured intercollegiate athletic programs. Students are advised to research
individual schools of interest to determine if desired intramurals are available.

Further reading…
How International Athletes Can Start Their Recruiting Process

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RediStep, CollegeBoard’s Pre-PSAT Targeting Year 10s Is a Bad Test at a Bad
Time

Standardized tests are not created equally. They can vary

signiJicantly in terms of purpose, design, validity and Myths Surrounding Standardized Tests
reliability. Even in the case of tests that have been in use for High-stakes standardized testing has long
decades, there’s no shortage of controversy as to the role had its critics, not least of which for the
they currently play in college admissions. (See many myths these exams can promote
accompanying box)
including:
In 2008, CollegeBoard, the US-based standardized test • "Standardized testing is the most
behemoth, rolled out another iteration of itself, this time efJicient way to measure a child's
targeting Year 10 students. Called RediStep, its purpose performance."
according to Glenn B. Milewski, the then executive director • "Standardized tests are scientiJically
of RediStep and the PSAT, had nothing to do with college accurate"
admissions. “It is essentially a learning tool. It’s intended to
• "Testing improves achievement"
help schools and districts improve their curricula and
instructional practices.” NY Times April 14, 2011 In other • "Testing raises expectations for student”
words, it was designed as a diagnostic tool for teachers and
school districts, not students. For more insights on standardized testing, go
to: FairTest.org
Issues with RediStep
• Ever since its rollout, the test has had its critics. “W.
James Popham, professor emeritus in the graduate school of education at the University of California, Los
Angeles, recently pored over detailed descriptions of the psychometrics underlying ReadiStep, which has three
40-minute sections to assess an array of skills in critical reading, writing and mathematics. He concluded that
any results should be taken with a grain of salt because of insufJicient items “to allow teachers, students or
students’ parents to arrive at a reasonably accurate estimate of a student’s per-skill prowess.’”
• Even though the test is now in its 10th year, we’ve yet to Jind any evidence to suggest that taking the test
actually results in improved scoring on the SAT, again, because it’s not designed to do that.
• Problems with the scoring: there’s a solid body of evidence suggesting that the RediStep’s unique scoring
methodology yields inJlated scores, perhaps in order to encourage reluctant, uninformed or potential Jirst-time
students to consider college as a viable option.
• This most recent addition to CB’s suite of tests came at a time when increasing numbers of students were
opting for the ACT over the SAT. RediStep critics saw it as a tool whereby CollegeBoard could increase market
share and brand loyalty to their suite of exams.

The mere existence of a standardized test is no guarantee of its quality or its necessity, but that hasn’t stopped the
test-prep industry from latching on to RediStep, inventing arguments for its signiJicance in the college admissions
process, while encouraging parents to spend more money and students to spend more time obsessing over a test of
no real value. We feel our students and community deserve better.

Helpful articles to give you a healthy perspective on standardized testing:

• FAQs regarding standardized tests: includes a recommended timeline for ACT/SAT completion – Spring 2017 - 關
於考試的常⾒問題及建議完成考試的時間
• Subject Tests: a comprehensive look at what they are, advice on which ones to sit for, and a recommended
timeline for completion. - Summer 2018
• Why sitting for the SAT before Year 12 makes no sense – Winter 2015
• To retest or not to re-test: what is a ‘good enough’ standardized test result? – Summer 2017
• Why are some US institutions abandoning SATs and others aren’t? The reasons may surprise you – Fall 2016



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Hampshire College: A Unique Liberal Arts College Experience

For nearly 50 years, Hampshire College has been a leading innovator in U.S. higher
education. With a small student population of just over 1,200, Hampshire boasts a
student-to-faculty ratio of ten to one—part of its commitment to a student-centered
education that allows pupils to work closely with their professors. Hampshire is also
part of a larger community of over 30,000 other undergraduates in the Five College
Consortium, providing its students access to over 6,000 courses and nearly 1,000
student organizations.

Education at Hampshire College prepares students

to understand and participate responsibly in a No two Hampshire
complex, rapidly-changing world. It encourages students have ever had
their desire to be lifelong learners, and their the same course of study,
capacity to advance the cause of social justice and the well-being of others. The and they never will. Every
college fosters these attitudes through a multi-disciplinary, multi-cultural
student customizes his/her
curriculum; self-initiated, individualized programs of study negotiated with
faculty mentors; active participation in original research; and the diverse own program of study…
communities, on campus and off, in which learning takes place.

Customized Majors
No two Hampshire students have ever had the same course of study, and they never will. Every student
customizes his/her own program of study, culminating in a year-long
senior project that can take any number of forms; examples include (but
During their time at Hampshire, are not limited to): feature-length Jilms, research theses, scientiJic
students work closely with a experiments, art gallery shows or installations, studio albums, novels,
faculty advisory committee animations, video games, and even business startups. During their time at
that they pick themselves— Hampshire, students work closely with a faculty advisory committee that
exploring their chosen areas of they pick themselves—exploring their chosen areas of study through
study through internships, field internships, Jield research, independent studies, and courses both at
research, independent studies, Hampshire and at the other members of the Five College Consortium
and courses both at (Amherst College, Smith College, Mt. Holyoke College, and the University of
Hampshire and at the other Massachusetts at Amherst).
members of the Five College
Consortium (Amherst College, Narrative Evaluations
Smith College, Mt. Holyoke Hampshire students receive extensive feedback on their coursework from
College, and the University of professors in the form of detailed, written narrative evaluations. This
Massachusetts at Amherst).
allows students to gain greater
perspective on their studies, helping
them better understand where to Hampshire alumni have also
improve and where their strengths achieved great success in the
lie. Narrative evaluations also present graduate school admissions ofJicers business world, with over one in
with a unique perspective on Hampshire students, resulting in remarkable four graduates going on to create
alumni success: 65% of Hampshire alumni, for example, attain advanced their own business or organization.
degrees within ten years of graduating from Hampshire. Hampshire ranks In light of this, Hampshire has been
in the top 3% of U.S. named one of the top ten most
colleges whose entrepreneurial colleges in the U.S.
graduates go on to earn by Forbes Magazine.
research doctorates, and
the top graduate
institutions attended by Hampshire alumni include (in order):
Columbia University, the University of Massachusetts at
Amherst, New York University, Harvard University, and Boston
University. Hampshire alumni have also achieved great success
in the business world, with over one in four graduates going on
to create their own business or organization. In light of this,
Hampshire has been named one of the top ten most
entrepreneurial colleges in the U.S. by Forbes Magazine.

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Mission-Driven Admissions
As part of its commitment to
Hampshire is a founding member of the Colleges That Change Lives (CTCL), an
this mission, Hampshire organization of colleges devoted to providing students with a personalized,
boldly became the only U.S. transformative post-secondary experience that helps them develop holistically as
institution of higher scholars, professionals, and independent individuals. As part of its commitment to
education to exclude the this mission, Hampshire boldly became the only U.S. institution of higher
SAT and ACT exams from education to exclude the SAT and ACT exams from its admissions process
its admissions process altogether. In consequence, Hampshire’s student diversity and first-year retention
altogether. In consequence, figures have improved tremendously since the adoption of this policy in 2014.
Hampshire’s student Most recently, Hampshire’s Admissions Office received the AshokaU Mission-
diversity and first-year Driven Admissions Award for its commitment to an admissions process that more
retention figures have robustly measures “change maker” traits predictive of success within the
entrepreneurial educational model. These include: follow-through, self-awareness,
improved tremendously
empathy, grit, resilience, and a growth-oriented mindset.
since the adoption of this
policy in 2014. Commitment to Environmental Sustainability
Hampshire is one of only two colleges in the United States to have successfully
converted to 100% solar energy usage, an achievement that has reduced its carbon
footprint by 3,000 metric tons per year and saves the college nearly $400,000 annually. Hampshire is also home to two
Living Buildings—structures that are completely self-sufficient as collectors of their own water and energy from the sun
and rain. These facilities serve as important resources for students partaking in Hampshire’s Architecture and
Environmental Design program.

Admissions Requirements
As part of Hampshire’s commitment to a mission-driven
admissions process, all applications undergo a thorough,
holistic review process. This process involves multiple
admissions staff members, who closely examine
everything from a student’s grades to their extracurricular
achievements, letters of recommendation, class ranking/
placement, and writing supplements. For international
applicants Hampshire requires TOEFL or IELTS scores
(minimum TOEFL score of 91 or minimum IELTS score of
6.5). However, predicted grades for IB English A1 or A2,
AP English, or A-Level English, will be considered in
place of the TOEFL or IELTS. TOEFL waivers may also
be requested on an individual basis at
INTLadmissions@hampshire.edu.

Tuition and Fees

Tuition at Hampshire College is $50,030 per year for every student, regardless of their chosen major. Room and board
costs an additional $13,606; the maximum financial aid package available to international students is 75% of tuition, or
roughly $37,500 per year.

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Alison Gopnik’s The Gardener and the Carpenter Challenges How We Define
Good Parenting

The Gardener and the Carpenter: What the New Science of Child Development
Tells Us about the Relationship Between Parents and Children

In her latest book, Gopnik’s central thesis is that ‘parenting’, a term that didn’t
come into common usage until the 1970s, is a Jlawed concept, “…misguided from a
scientiJic, philosophical and political point of view, as well as a personal one… it’s
actually made life worse for children and parents, not better.” She takes an
evolutionary look at how societal child rearing structures have evolved and how
the modern parent operates in isolation compared to our ancestors - to our
detriment and that of our children. She sees the burgeoning “how to parent” book
industry as an outgrowth of that isolation.

A professor of developmental psychology, mother and grandmother, Gopnick decries

the image of the parent as carpenter, molding and shaping the child into a particular kind of person.
Instead, she advocates for a parenting approach that focuses more on process than outcome, providing
fertile ground for exploration and experimentation rather than forcing the child to adopt a
predetermined destination with a predetermined skillset.

Her book delves into human evolution as well as her own research to make the case that children learn
best from engaging in messy, unpredictable and imaginative play. If a complaint can be made about the
book, it’s that it’s rather broadly philosophical rather than prescriptive. If you’re looking for solid tips
on what the gardening approach looks like versus the carpenter’s, you might be disappointed.
Nevertheless, in an era where we see increasing numbers of children collapsing under the weight of
hyper-scheduling along with stratospheric expectations, Gopnick’s book provides a much-needed and
comforting big-picture perspective.

Quotes from The Gardener and the Carpenter:

“The purpose of loving children, in particular, is to give those helpless young human beings a rich, stable,
safe environment - an environment in which variation, innovation and novelty can blossom. . . Loving
children doesn’t give them a destination; it gives them sustenance for the journey.”

“Our job is not to shape our children’s minds; it’s to let those minds explore all the possibilities that the
world allows.”

“Just as we should give children the resources and space to play, and do so without insisting that play
will have immediate payoffs, we should do the same for scientists and artists and all the others who
explore human possibilities.”

“Contemporary children have very little experience with the kinds of tasks they will be asked to perform
as grown-ups. They have increasingly fewer chances to practice basic skills like cooking and caregiving.
Contemporary adolescents often don’t do much of anything beyond going to school.”

Links to Reviews
• Modern Parenting Is All Wrong
• What the New Science of Child Development Tells Us About the Relationship Between Parents and Children
• Memo to Parents: Back Off and Children Learn More
• Alison Gopnick: YouTube Talk
• Recommended reading available in our UC Library

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University-Related Articles from the Web

Articles of General Interest

The last of the tiger parents
10 ways for parents not to behave during the college process Part I Part II
College students are forming mental-health clubs — and they’re making a difference
Motherhood and the back-to-college blues
The iGen Shift: Colleges are changing to reach the next generation
Some students choose a college where they don’t Jit - on purpose
How to get the most out of college
How I know you wrote your kid’s college essay

Canada
What motivates international students to stay in Canada after graduation?
International students' questions and answers: Studying in Ontario
Applying for a Canadian scholarship as an international student

HK
Detailed plans for Hong Kong’s universities to partner with top international research institutes expected in policy
address
Depression, anxiety rife among university students in Hong Kong as academic pressure, career worries and social
media take toll

UK
Brexit: European universities increase English-speaking courses to prepare for inJlux of students, study suggests
Brexit: The academic subjects most threatened by Britain leaving the EU revealed
The 11 UK universities which produce the most employable graduates
Three in four students from London will be from ethnic minorities in ‘hyper-diversity’ era

US
Now that the University of Chicago dropped its testing requirement for applicants (in favor of test optional), will
other elite colleges follow?
Colleges and state laws are clamping down on fraternities
Pencils down: Major colleges stop requiring essay test for admission
Visa restrictions for Chinese students alarm academia
How to write a good college application essay
Harvard’s admissions process, once secret, is unveiled in afJirmative action trial

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