Schooling for Admissions

For those who have a child considering life beyond high school, learning all about the process of choosing, applying, getting in, and paying for a college education is key. One way to acquire that college knowledge is to attend the Alumni Admissions Forum held in the Bryan Center on Duke's campus June 21.

The all-day conference, sponsored by the Duke Alumni Association and the Office of Undergraduate Admissions, puts parents and students in touch with experts in the admissions, college-counseling, and financial-aid fields. "As alumni and their children approach the college application process, they realize how highly competitive the top schools are, both in academic ratings and numbers of applicants," says Edith Sprunt Toms '62, assistant director of Alumni Affairs and director of the alumni admissions program. "This forum helps alleviate some of the stress by providing information and guidelines to help them through the process."

A panel of college-counseling directors represent a variety of schools: Marcia Hunt, from the Pine Crest School in Fort Lauderdale, Florida; Anthony Clay, from the Raleigh Charter School in Raleigh, North Carolina; and Ginger Fay, an associate director at Phillips Academy in Andover, Massachusetts. Duke experts are Christoph Guttentag, director of undergraduate admissions; James Belvin, director of financial aid; and Sue Wasiolek '76, M.H.A. '78, LL.M. '93, assistant vice president for student affairs.

The college-search process sessions highlight the high-school timetable, building a list, and using the Web. The applications-process session explains early decision, early action, and regular decision, as well as how applications are reviewed and some tips on essays and interviews. A financial-aid session gives an in-depth look at ways and means of paying for college and features a panel of Duke students sharing their experiences of what college life is really like.

The Alumni Admissions Forum is offered as a service to Duke alumni and their children, regardless of their intentions to apply to Duke. Participation has no effect on a student's candidacy at Duke.

For information, contact Toms at Alumni Admissions Forum, 614 Chapel Drive, Box 90572, Durham, N.C. 27708, (919) 684-5114, or edith.toms@daa.duke.edu.