Wagner College, in Staten Island, was the host of this year’s New York State Association for College Admission Counseling (NYSACAC) annual conference. I enjoyed a full day of touring the beautiful campus, hearing an inspiring keynote address, and participating in worthwhile educational sessions. Here is a summary of the day’s events.
Wagner College is an easy drive (without traffic it’s easy) from Long Island. It is about 5 minutes from the Staten Island side of the Verrazano Bridge and the views of the bridge, Brooklyn, and New York City are spectacular. I took this picture from the parking lot and while it was overcast and the bridge is somewhat hidden you can still get an idea of the view.
The campus is beautiful. It is a small school with 1750 undergraduates and 450 graduate students and their most well known majors are:
- Musical Theater
- Physician Assistant
- Business
- Nursing
- Education
It is an easy trip into the city (shuttle bus to the Staten Island Ferry) and students enjoy taking advantage of their proximity to all that New York City has to offer. Following the student run tour, I headed to the athletic center to hear the Liz Murray, the keynote speaker, who wrote the book, “Breaking Night: A Memoir of Forgiveness, Survival, and My Journey from Homeless to Harvard.” Her talk was eye opening, heartbreaking, and heartwarming and if you have the chance to hear her speak I am sure you will feel the same way.
I spent the afternoon participating in educational sessions on “Behind the Scenes: Selective College Admissions,” and “Coalition for Access, Affordability, and Success.” In the selective college admissions workshop the speakers discussed the criteria considered in the admissions process at Lafayette College, Ithaca College, University of Rochester, and University of Chicago. The second session was all about the new college application process known as the “Coalition Application.” Starting this coming year there are a number of colleges and universities that will be offering students the opportunity to apply with either the Common Application or the new Coalition Application and there are a few who will be “Coalition Application” exclusive.
I learned a lot during my day on Staten Island, networked with college admissions staff members, and immersed myself in the Wagner College ambiance. It was a worthwhile conference and I would love to share what I learned. Give me a call If you would like to know more about what I learned and how I help students with the college admissions process.
