January 23, 2021
The webinar was held on January 23, 2021, with 57+ attendees. It was a 90-minute webinar, the first part was an information presentation led by Dr. Mayank Jaiswal as the facilitator and Ms. Shubh Agrawal. It was followed by a question and answer session with a parents’ panel comprising Poonam & Sanjay Hingorany, Snehlata & Jagan Srinivasan, Ramendra & Ruchi Chauhan, and Aaryan Bhatt.
Mayank took the discussion through the step by step process of applying for college. He compared the process akin to presenting a bouquet of flowers where different flowers take different amounts of time to bloom, where the charm of each flower is best brought out by the careful nurturing during different phases of its horticultural cycle. It is important to track what interests the child, how s/he spends his/her free time, and Mayank gave suggestions on exposing the child through micro internships to different experiences or doing an assessment through the ‘Innate’ website.
To help in choosing the right fit with a college, he suggested research using the MYFIT option in US News and choosing different kinds of volunteer opportunities to build up credibility in defining the student goals.
The slide presentation outlined the many moving parts of the college admission process, and the session addressed topics such as school grades, standardized tests, essays, extracurriculars, and financials. Shubh stressed the importance of ensuring the children's wellbeing throughout the process. The panelists had children ranging from the middle school to high school to college graduates and they offered brief insights into the admissions process, how to plan on saving for college and help families navigate the college selection process with minimal stress.
The survey results confirmed the need for more information on Financial Aid, test preparation and volunteer opportunities. There was an interest in hearing from high school graduates on how they navigated their volunteer work and chose their college and their major.
As a follow-up, we are proposing mini seminars on various topics of interest. We have also created a network of parents and students via iswcollegeconnect@googlegroups.com, in the hope that we can create a community support framework for the families navigating this process.
Upcoming Seminars: Saturdays 3.30 pm February - July 2021
Overview Session (repeat of January 23 Session): July 2021: – free for all attendees
Tentative Monthly: Mini Sessions - Free
1. Financial planning and college coaches.
2. Mental Wellness and time management.
3. Essay & Resume writing.
4. How to tackle Standardized Tests and College Interviews.
5. High school graduates discuss their college/major selections.
6. Negotiation and comparison of college financial packages and fees between big-name colleges and in-state colleges and universities.
College Connect Team
Mayank Jaiswal, Facilitator & Professor at Rider College
Shubh Agrawal, Counselor, Worcester Academy
Poonam & Sanjay Hingorany, parents of undergrad and grad college students
Ramendra & Ruchi Chauhan, parents of middle school and college freshman
Snehlata & Jagan Srinivasan, parents of middle school & themselves college professors
Aaryan Bhatt, HS Senior from Harvard, MA.
Shiamin Melville
Attachments
PDF of Slides
Link to ISW YouTube Zoom recording.
Please send any questions to collegeconnect@iswonline.org
----------Dr. Mayank Jaiswal and Poonam Hingorany.
