by Mary Sue Youn, former admissions officer at Barnard College

In my last blog post, I reviewed the pros and cons of applying to accelerated BS/MD programs. If you’ve decided an accelerated medical program is a good fit for your educational goals, let’s move next to what the programs are looking for from successful applicants.

by Mary Sue Youn, former admissions officer at Barnard College

Have you always known you wanted to be a doctor? Maybe you have always been fascinated by medicine, or perhaps this is a more recent but intense interest. As you begin your college search, you may become interested in an accelerated medical program where you apply in high school to be admitted to a seven- or eight-year track to obtain both your Bachelor’s degree and your Doctorate in Medicine. But is this type of program the right fit for you?

With college applications looming on the horizon, many rising high school seniors are feeling the pressure to figure out in the next few months, not only where they want to study, but what they want to study. This choice, many believe, will determine the path of the rest of their lives. That’s a weighty burden for a 17-year-old to bear, and some may wonder if all this stress is really necessary. Find out from former Barnard and Whittier College admissions officer, Mary Sue Youn, in this installment of the College Coach video series, Ask the College Admissions Expert. Mary Sue answers the burning question on the minds of rising seniors and their parents, “Is It Okay To Apply To College With An Undecided Major?”

by Mary Sue Youn, former admissions officer at Barnard College

As we talk to families, a version of the same question keeps popping up over and over again:

“What will the impact be on the class of 2021 if a high number of the class of 2020 takes a gap year?”

A “gap year” involves delaying enrollment at a college for one year, oftentimes for travel, volunteer, or employment experiences. Students must ask their enrolling college for permission to use this option, and generally students are not permitted to take courses at another college during their gap year. Annually, about 3% of American college students opt for a gap year, but recent articles have touted that the number of gap years will skyrocket in the age of coronavirus. If 30% of the incoming class didn’t enroll this fall and held off until next year, it would certainly mean that colleges would have 30% less spots for next year’s applicants, right?

In a previous blog post, Using Naviance: How to Get Organized, we discussed how to get started with Naviance. This installment focuses on how to best utilize the program.

When working with high school students on their college admission process, I get a few common questions about STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) majors and careers. “I like my math and science classes; what STEM field should I major in?” or “How can I find out if I really like engineering?” or “I want to go further in my STEM studies; where can I start?”  There are literally hundreds of careers that fall under the umbrella of STEM, and sorting out which ones are right for you might seem daunting. The answer may be finding a STEM mentor who can help you explore these questions and help you discover opportunities to further your interests. But where would you look for such an advisor? Here are some of my best tips:

Once upon a time, a boy in my middle school Math League questioned why I was a member because “girls weren’t really good at math anyway.” The remark stung and happened to coincide with my own self-doubts. Although I had always been a very strong math student, I was struggling with that particular unit of 8^th grade Algebra. I really questioned whether to go to the next Math League meeting.

I hadn’t thought much about that moment since then, until my own daughter, at age 13, came home with a similar story after attending a tech club meeting. I would have thought we had progressed more in thirty years, but apparently not.

For many parents of middle schoolers, the transition to the often bigger high school can seem overwhelming. There are so many curriculum choices and students are often given more independence in their course selection. College applications require a student’s transcript to display grades since the ninth grade, so the choices they make now may have an impact on their later opportunities. Here are a few of our tips to help your child make a smooth and seamless transition to their next school:

As a Senior Associate Director in the Barnard admissions office for eight years, I had the privilege of reading the college application essays of many wonderful Barnard applicants. Those that stood out had a fantastic sense of self, and were able to convey their personality through writing. It truly is a special community where women are encouraged to reach their potential. When writing your Barnard supplemental essays, it’s important to keep these ideas in mind. Here are the essay prompts for this year’s Barnard supplement with some of my thoughts on answering them:

If you are a student struggling with clinical depression in high school, it can be tough to know how to broach the subject of mental illness with prospective colleges. Should I ask questions about counseling when I visit? Should I write my essay about my treatment for depression? Will sharing my mental illness cause a college to immediately deny my application?