Attention Connecticut Parents: Understand the College Landscape in 2015, not 1985!

“No way.” Mrs. Addison exclaimed when I suggested a certain college in the Boston area for her son, Mike, a rising senior at Lyme-Old Lyme High School. The college matched the criteria for what Mike wanted. But Mrs. Addison’s reaction stemmed from her understanding of colleges thirty years ago. “The C students went to that college” she continued. Then she proceeded to mention names of underachieving students from her 1985 graduating class that meant nothing to anyone else in the room.

Variations of this story occur every week during my college counseling sessions. Only in the last few years has the current reputation of The University of Connecticut caught up to parents of who graduated from high school in the 1980s. Even a few years ago, I would need to explain to many Connecticut parents of college bound students that UCONN has very high admissions standards.

In the present day, UCONN generally desires an average of 650 on reading and math SAT scores. That alone eliminates UCONN as an easy admit for all but top SAT scorers.

As I explained to Mrs. Addison, the college admissions landscape in 2015 is radically different than it was in 1985 and her son really should consider that college in Boston.