A Panel Discussion

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Moderated by

Kelly Sortino, HOS, Crystal Springs Uplands School

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PANDEMIC IMPACT 

College Admissions in the Time of COVID-19

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Tues. Sept 22, 7:00pm-8:30pm PDT

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Virtual visits. Cancelled tests. Extracurriculars and athletics halted. Pass/Fail or grades? The pandemic has put college planning for students and parents into free-fall as admissions undergo seismic change. Some seniors will have missed significant tests, classes and activities. Many, but not all, colleges are now test optional, and what does this really mean? The class of 2021 and beyond are seeking clarity about how to adapt and gear up for college, what to expect from a modified admissions process and what they’ll find at college once they get there.  A panel of experts explores the current admissions environment.

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Kelly Sortino will be joined by Angel B. Pérez, PhD, CEO, National Association for College Admission Counseling; Lisa Przekop, Admissions Director, Univ. of California, Santa Barbara, Jeff Selingo, Author, Who Gets in And Why: A Year in College Admissions; and Rick Weissbourd, EdD, Making Caring Common Project, Harvard Graduate School of Education.

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About Our Panel Speakers

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Angel B. Pérez, PhD is CEO of the National Association for College Admission Counseling, leading 15,000 admissions professionals. He is the former vice president for enrollment and student success at Trinity College in Connecticut. Dr. Pérez is a recognized thought-leader on issues of equity and access whose expertise is frequently sought by national and state policy makers. He is a frequent contributor to major media outlets such as The Washington Post, NPR, The Chronicle of Higher Education. His own story has been profiled in The New York Times Magazine.

 

Lisa Przekop is Director of Admissions at University of California, Santa Barbara. She has served on numerous educational committees and boards and has been dedicated to building a diverse and high achieving student body, leading outreach programs for high school and community college students throughout California, the U.S. and internationally.

 

Jeff Selingo has been writing about higher education for two decades. He is former editor of The Chronicle of Higher Education and a contributor to The Atlantic and Washington Post.  He is the author of two New York Times bestsellers: There Is Life After College and College (Un) Bound: The Future of Higher Education and What it Means for Students. His newest book, Who Gets in and Why: A Year Inside College Admissions will be published in September. He is also a special advisor to Arizona State University, and a visiting scholar at Georgia Tech’s Center for 21st Century Universities. 

 

Rick Weissbourd, EdD is a psychologist and senior lecturer on education at Harvard Graduate School of Education and at the Kennedy School of Government. He is faculty director of the Making Caring Common Project. He has advised on family policy and school reform on the city, state, and federal levels and has written for numerous scholarly and popular publications, including The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Huffington Post, CNN, The New Republic, NPR, and Psychology Today.  He is author of The Parents We Mean to Be: How Well-Intentioned Adults Undermine Children's Moral and Emotional Development.

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Kelly Sortino (moderator) is Head of School at Crystal Springs Uplands School, Hillsborough. Prior to her position as HOS and Upper School Head, Kelly was a college counselor and also served as a college admissions officer at Princeton.