Lokvani’s College Workshop provides helpful hints

Two significant factors, the Brain (academics)and the symbolic Bell Jar(extra curricular activities) of a student determine the admission process in any school, said Allan Clemow at the second annual Lokvani sponsored College workshop held at Anderson Hall at Tufts University on October 19th, 2003.

In his talk, the Director of Admissions at Tufts University provided tips and advice on how to tackle this process drawing from his rich experience coupled with some practical wisdom. Dr. Anil Saigal, Chair and Professor, Department of Mechanical Engineering introduced and thanked Allan Clemow and the students Aniruddh Nene and Ambika Wali who spoke on their own experience as recent graduates.

Researching on where to apply to college, writing those intuitive personal essays, surviving interviews, doing well on tests, dealing with counselors, parents, all of this adds up to a great amount of work, stress, and anxiety. This all too rigorous rite of passage can be unnerving for some and smooth for others. Lokvani’s college workshop provided helpful hints to go through this college application process with Allan Clemow providing the Know How.

Parents were offered a piece of advice. “Remember who the applicant for college is. It is not you. To the students was offered this “Be respectful of the teachers and counselors time and advice.” The Director also remarked with humor on how the students have mastered the absolute science of Procrastination. Here is where the parents should step in to keep them going. A self assessment process comes handy, checking out websites, calling up students whom you know and campus visits were also helpful.

Never apply to school you do not want to go ‘said Allan Clemow. Go to one where you think you will be happy. Be honest and reasonable about your expectations”. The personal essay was discussed in length as many colleges value that, for it is “designed to let you talk about yourself, where you can put pieces of yourself in”.

Participant’s raised questions about early action and early decision, on private and public school advantages if any, scholarships and funding and how colleges sifted through the application to choose their students.

Anirudh Nene, a graduate of the Lexington High School and now a freshman at Tufts University gave some handy down to earth tips, laced with humor.” Recognize that you have to do this, but please do not talk about it too often”, he said. Focus on the last years at school, your grades and your time here. In his own case, it helped to have a filing cabinet where he kept all the information and urged the students to do take time on what they wanted to do and say. Maintaining your average was important he felt and in being consistent in the activities at school. He ended by warning students not to become cocky and arrogant because “if you do decide to play pranks remember that people are watching and it might just get you in trouble”. He cited a couple of instances of students who did just that and lost their admission status.

Ambika Wali, a sophomore at Bentley College and a graduate at the Billerica High school admitted that she has set her heart on studying Business while at High school so she had only specialized colleges in mind. She agreed that many students have a hard choice because they were good in so many things. Since many courses offered a variety of choices it does help sometimes. In her case she took accounting and finance in High school and that helped her later on.

Allan Clemow ended the talk in the evening by saying that every college looked for a student body that is representative of society and many schools reflected that. Participants thanked Lokvani for organizing this workshop and said they come out of the class with a better and clearer picture of what they could expect about the admission process.

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