College Admissions Insights from the IECA 2022 Fall Conference
On November 9, I presented an educational session at the 2022 IECA Fall Conference in San Diego, CA, titled “Navigating the Computer Science Admissions Landscape,” based on my article “Navigating the Competitive Landscape of Computer Science Admissions: An Expert’s Approach.”
In addition to presenting, I took the opportunity to further my professional development by attending other sessions and networking with independent educational counselors and vendors in the college counseling space. I want to share some of the most pertinent takeaways that I will use to inform my counseling practice with the Lantern College Counseling community moving forward.
What is IECA?
For some context, the IECA is a not-for-profit international professional association representing experienced independent educational consultants. IECA’s published mission is: “To promote the highest quality independent educational consulting to students and families seeking skilled, ethical, academic or therapeutic guidance; to enhance professional development; and to foster career satisfaction among members.”
IECA holds a fall and a spring conference each year to advance its goals of providing opportunities for professional growth to its members.
Key Takeaways from the Conference
Overparenting: What did a former Stanford Dean have to say?
Former Stanford Dean of Freshmen and Undergraduate Advising and NY Times best-selling author of “How to Raise an Adult: Break Free of the Overparenting Trap and Prepare Your Kid for Success” Julie Lythcott-Haims’ remarks opened the conference.
Julie described how the overparenting style involving overhelp, over-direction, and overprotection sends the message that the parent doesn’t believe that the student is capable, undermines growth, and leaves students weak and unprepared for college and life. It robs students of their agency, and students end up “unfamiliar with their own selves” and “existentially impotent.” Julie shared a powerful analogy to illustrate her points. Many parents view the goal of getting to college as summiting a mountain, and they work hard to push and pull their student up the mountain, sometimes even helicoptering them up to the summit. When their child arrives at the summit, the child is not prepared to be there without their parents because they did not get there themselves, strengthening their muscles through struggles on the way. They will not survive and be successful at the summit - in college. She shared stories of supporting struggling students from her time at Stanford. These stories resonated with me based on my experiences in similar roles at Wellesley College and Tufts University. Too many of today’s college students are fragile, cannot respond positively to feedback or failure, and want to be told what to say or do rather than figure these things out on their own because they have been overparented.
2. Embracing differences: Wisdom from a nationally recognized advocate for neurodiversity and neurodivergent learners
Julie’s presentation was followed by remarks by Jonathan Mooney, nationally recognized advocate for neurodiversity and neurodivergent learners and author of “Normal Sucks How to Live, Learn and Thrive Outside the Lines.” Jonathan shared his challenges as a neurologically diverse person within traditional educational systems - the experience of being “a square peg in a round hole.” He did not read until he was twelve, dropped out of high school, and struggled with mental health issues. While many adults in his life had low expectations for him, a few viewed him differently, saw his strengths, and fought for him. His mother fiercely advocated for him to be taught the way he learns. When he was nine, one teacher noticed Jonathan was good at telling stories and told him he could be a writer, even though he couldn’t read. Jonathan went on to attend Brown University and major in English. He noted, “we all build a life on strengths, gifts, and talents and use teams, technology, and resources to mitigate weaknesses.”
Jonathan made a call to embrace differences and cited research that shows that people with atypical attention are better problem solvers. Indeed, “a constellation of creative capacities go hand in hand with neurological differences.” He concluded with the hopeful message that society’s most significant problems will be solved by the kid who thinks differently.
Both speakers sent the strong message that humans thrive when they are accepted as they are.
Navigating the Computer Science Admissions Landscape with Jennifer Stephan
My presentation on the changing landscape of computer science admissions was born out of the drastic shift we’ve seen over the past decade in the pertinence and popularity of the field of computer science.
A 2017 publication by the Computing Research Association reports that the number of Computer Science majors was at its low in 2006. In 2008, the economic downturn struck. Since then, computer science enrollments have exploded, more than tripling by 2015, and continue to skyrocket. For example, the University of Wisconsin-Madison saw an 800% increase in computer science majors in one decade, growing from 200 to over 2,000 students from 2011 to 2021. The Paul G. Allen School of Computer Science and Engineering at the University of Washington experienced an over 400% increase in interest in a similar time frame.
Unsurprisingly, it has become increasingly competitive to gain admission to schools as a computer science major.
So my presentation sought to demystify the topic and ultimately answer the question: How competitive is computer science admission now?, a challenging question with a complex answer that I was selected to tackle based on my unique background.
Navigating the Computer Science Admissions Landscape
Why I was chosen to present on this topic?
I currently serve as the Dean of Academic Advising and Undergraduate Studies for the School of Engineering at Tufts University. In this role, I guide approximately 700 computer science (CS) students majoring in CS and oversee all undergraduate degree programs offered by the six departments in the School of Engineering, including the CS department. Before joining Tufts, I spent over two decades serving as a dean and a professor of computer science at Wellesley College, where I collaborated with colleagues at MIT and Olin College of Engineering to support students pursuing CS and engineering. With experience in dual-degree STEM programs and having pioneered multiple such programs between Wellesley, MIT, and Olin, I specialize in mentoring young students preparing for careers in STEM program admissions, including those interested in CS and engineering.
While at Wellesley, I taught, advised, and mentored hundreds of computer science majors. I also served on the College’s Board of Admissions, reading and evaluating transfer student applications each year, including those seeking to major in CS. My leadership roles in higher education give me a unique appreciation for how institutional priorities are reflected in admissions decisions – in this case, how the saturated field of CS manifests in a student’s chances of admission. Through my decades supporting college students majoring in computer science, I know what students may expect on their college campus and what they should consider to identify good-fit CS schools.
In the packed session of approximately 100 participants, I shared my insights from a career as a computer science professor, engineering dean, and IEC specializing in STEM and addressed the following:
why the landscape of computer science admissions has become increasingly competitive
how to successfully guide cs-interested students through the application process:
is a major in CS the right choice for a student?
is CS a true interest of the student?
developing a balanced college list
the importance of a “CS fingerprint”
criteria to identify good-fit CS schools
strong application components, including how to write the essays
schools and pathways beyond the obvious ones
CS-related majors for students to consider
how to counsel students who do not have a strong background in CS.
Session Feedback
Following the session, I was thrilled to be invited to participate in a future IECA conference panel with two other counselors who specialize in STEM. I was honored that many other counselors approached me to ask specific questions and ask if they could contact me in the future for my expertise, offering valuable feedback that was a great boost to my confidence that this is a topic that demands continual thought leadership and conversation:
“I have been in the business for seventeen years and yet learned so much from your presentation. Usually, I fidget in such sessions. I was riveted. Thank you!”
“I have been an IEC for over four years and have 15 years of hi-tech consulting experience, but I have not fully leveraged my CS background in my IEC work. Your session gave me a lot of ideas on how to approach doing so. Thank you!”
“I really appreciate your emphasis on problem-solving and creativity, especially since many counselors don’t know what CS courses are like. Your framing gave everyone there a way to help advise kids, which is awesome.”
“Thank you so much for that incredible presentation about CS admissions. It was the best one I attended all week.”
Bonus Insights: Breakout Session Takeaways
I also attended multiple breakout sessions addressing specific college admissions counseling topics.
“Connecting Consulting to College Majors and Careers” led by IECA members Andrew Bryan, Diane Geller, and Stephanie Meade.
The presenters shared assessments, inventories, and tools to help undecided students identify interests, explore majors, and research a variety of career paths. They also shared how to use these resources most effectively while working with students. The audience was invited to contribute the tools they use in their practice. I came away from the session with a list of new resources I plan to investigate and consider folding into my robust work with undecided and directed students.
“Navigating the Engineering Supplemental Essays,” led by IECA members Vita Cohen and Jyoti Jain.
This session began by noting that as engineering programs become increasingly selective, supplemental essays are increasingly important, a fact I also highlighted in my session. The speakers provided practical tips to support students with varying writing skills and extracurriculars in crafting strong engineering supplemental essays. During the session, I shared my expertise, particularly the details of the Wellesley-MIT and Wellesley-Olin double degree programs I developed while at Wellesley and some examples of subjects my students have written about. I also learned some new ideas for ensuring my students make their strongest applications. Specifically, Vita Cohen’s tool “12 C’s to Consider” (core values, campus, campus life, connection, curriculum, coops/internships, classes, clubs, community, calendar, Cing the world, commitment) when writing a school’s supplemental “Why us?” essay is brilliant. I have already started using it with my students!
“Helping Students Thrive In Their Summer Planning,” led by IECA members Bob Carlton, Lisa Carlton, and Claudia Salinas.
Summer is an opportunity for students to spend time working, learning new skills, or diving into areas of interest. Planning is the key to finding the most rewarding experience, encouraging students into unfamiliar situations, and enriching life experiences. In this session, the presenters discussed self-directed options, no-cost options, as well as fee-based options. I learned many new ideas to enhance my work with students. In particular, I am excited to use the i4 model (interest, involvement, initiative, impact) for activity planning throughout a student’s four years in high school. I’m also planning to explore some of the tools they use to identify student interests, some of which overlapped with those offered in the earlier “Connecting Consulting to College Majors and Careers” session.
“The Role of Independent Research in the Admissions Process,” led by Stephen Turban, Lumiere Education, and George Philip (GP) LeBourdais, Polygence.
I guide my students to develop unusual activities and portfolios to help them distinguish themselves in the application process. This includes research projects, either self-directed or through organizations like Lumiere and Polygence. It was good to reconnect with these two primary partners in the field and hear their current insights about how colleges assess different kinds of independent projects. Our interactions reinforced my sense that without test scores, these types of experiences are becoming more powerful for differentiating students in the pool.
Conclusion
In summary, the conference was an extraordinary opportunity to share my expertise with and learn from the IECA community. I am pleased to have received such positive feedback about my presentation and to have contributed to the breakout sessions and roundtable discussions. I also take away some valuable new tools and insights to strengthen my counseling practice.
