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High School Leadership Rome visits Darlington
Jan 29, 2003 8:00 AM
By Stefan Eady - Faculty
Darlington played host on Jan. 9 to a group of area student leaders who are participating in High School Leadership Rome this year. The students were visiting Shorter and Berry colleges in addition to Darlington as part of their Education Day.
Sam Moss, associate headmaster and dean of college guidance, greeted the students and their adult leaders in Morris Chapel. After a welcome by President Hicks, Moss shared some tips for finding the right college with the group.
He admitted that getting accepted at a college is much harder today than it was when he was ready to go to college. “In 1964, you basically sent in your application and pretty quickly got a handwritten note in the mail saying, ‘You are accepted,’” Moss said. “By the 70s, the process was more formal but the outcome was predictable. In the 80s, being a college guidance counselor was like being a coach—if you prepared the student well, the student had a good chance of winning, but you couldn’t be sure of that. In the 90s, the college guidance counselor was more like a stockbroker just taking his or her best shot and hoping for success. Now I feel like as a college guidance counselor I need to be a wizard to get a kid into the college of his or her choice,” he said.
While some schools like the Ivy Leagues are highly selective, the majority of kids get into most of the colleges to which they apply, according to Moss. “The key is to be reasonable in your expectations,” Moss said.
He urged the group of mostly sophomores and juniors to take the hardest courses they can in high school, such as honors or advanced placement courses, if their school offers them, or an extra year of a foreign language or an extra science course. Finding an extracurricular activity that they enjoy and sticking with it also impresses colleges, as does community service. “It also makes a difference if you express an interest in a college by visiting the rep when he or she comes to Rome or by visiting the school to participate in one of its prospective students events,” Moss suggested.
Heads of house Casey Zimmer and James Milford took the group on a tour of the campus as a conclusion to their visit.
Sam Moss, associate headmaster and dean of college guidance, greeted the students and their adult leaders in Morris Chapel. After a welcome by President Hicks, Moss shared some tips for finding the right college with the group.
He admitted that getting accepted at a college is much harder today than it was when he was ready to go to college. “In 1964, you basically sent in your application and pretty quickly got a handwritten note in the mail saying, ‘You are accepted,’” Moss said. “By the 70s, the process was more formal but the outcome was predictable. In the 80s, being a college guidance counselor was like being a coach—if you prepared the student well, the student had a good chance of winning, but you couldn’t be sure of that. In the 90s, the college guidance counselor was more like a stockbroker just taking his or her best shot and hoping for success. Now I feel like as a college guidance counselor I need to be a wizard to get a kid into the college of his or her choice,” he said.
While some schools like the Ivy Leagues are highly selective, the majority of kids get into most of the colleges to which they apply, according to Moss. “The key is to be reasonable in your expectations,” Moss said.
He urged the group of mostly sophomores and juniors to take the hardest courses they can in high school, such as honors or advanced placement courses, if their school offers them, or an extra year of a foreign language or an extra science course. Finding an extracurricular activity that they enjoy and sticking with it also impresses colleges, as does community service. “It also makes a difference if you express an interest in a college by visiting the rep when he or she comes to Rome or by visiting the school to participate in one of its prospective students events,” Moss suggested.
Heads of house Casey Zimmer and James Milford took the group on a tour of the campus as a conclusion to their visit.
