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Director of counseling summarizes college‑visit findings; highlights admissions takeaways for selective schools
Summary
Director of counseling Jillian Shade summarized summer college visits, offered admissions takeaways for Caltech, UCLA, USC, University of San Diego and Penn State, and described tools and changes affecting New Providence applicants.
Jillian Shade, director of counseling for New Providence High School, briefed the Board of Education on Sept. 24 about her summer college visits and counselor events and shared admissions guidance for families exploring selective and public universities.
Shade said she visited eight Southern California campuses this summer — including Caltech, UCLA, USC, UC Irvine, UC San Diego, University of San Diego and San Diego State — and attended an in‑depth counselor program at Penn State. Her report included campus‑specific notes for applicants and three practical takeaways:
• Caltech: Applicants should complete four years of math (including calculus) and expect that restrictive early action applicants often finish calculus, chemistry, physics and required standardized testing before senior year, Shade said. Caltech looks for sustained academic rigor plus qualities such as curiosity and resilience.
• UCLA/UC system: As part of the University of California, UCLA does not consider SAT or ACT scores for admissions or scholarships; Shade said in‑state students are given preference and that UCLA has a large transfer population (around 35 percent), so transfer remains a common pathway.
• USC: Shade described USC as highly selective; admissions staff examine applicants’ school context and how students will use USC’s many resources, though she said the presentation offered few concrete formulas for standing out.
• University of San Diego (USD): Shade said USD’s acceptance rate is about 50 percent, noted its modern wellness facilities and described it as an approachable option for New Providence students with a holistic, test‑free admissions outlook.
• Penn State: At a counselor event, Shade reported that out‑of‑state applicants to University Park should apply by Nov. 1 for early action because regular‑round chances can fall as the university increases in‑state admits. She also said Penn State now requires direct admission to Smeal College of Business (a direct‑admit change for business majors) and that Penn State’s optional SAT/ACT policy remains in place for the coming cycle.
Shade said New Providence students have fared well at Penn State: the district’s five‑year admit rate to Penn State campuses was about 59 percent for the classes cited, above the university’s published overall rate of about 50 percent. She also described an ‘‘LM College’’ notebook (an AI‑supported document repository) she uses to make counselor notes searchable for staff.
Shade closed by thanking the board for permission to continue annual college visits. Board members asked clarifying questions about trends in applications and testing; Shade said the ease of the Common App has increased the average number of applications students submit but that she had not seen a large recent uptick specifically to UC campuses.
