When it comes to choosing post-secondary education options, Hilltoppers are in very experienced hands with Katie Voller-Berdan, Director of College Counseling, who has been working with Marshall students and families for 16+ years. Marshall’s college counseling program is a highly personalized process with the goal of assisting students in finding colleges that best fit their personal, academic, and co-curricular strengths and interests. Marshall has a strong reputation among colleges and universities throughout the United States. Recent graduating classes have averaged earning over $10 million dollars in scholarships to help pay for their college educations. Read on to learn more about the overall program and process from Katie.

THE COLLEGE COUNSELING TIMELINE...

Officially, the college counseling process begins in junior year. That’s when I’m intentionally working with students in large groups and individually. Unofficially, it begins at 9th Grade Registration Night (in March of 8th grade). That’s when we introduce students to the vast opportunities they’ll be exposed to and encouraged to take part in. It’s their invitation to explore their current interests as well as take some risks and try out new activities, things they never would have dreamt of signing up for as a participant or leader.

THE PROCESS OF CRAFTING A MEANINGFUL ESSAY...

Colleges that require essays in student applications are a majority of colleges in which Marshall students submit applications. The process, beginning with an update to student activity resumes spring of junior year, encourages students to reflect on what they’re most passionate about. Writing is easier when students write about things they love. The college essay workshop helps students connect their passions and interests with their personal values and how they developed and demonstrate those values. Students are led through essay idea brainstorming activities that help them realize just how many experiences and values they’ve developed. For example, about 90% of Marshall students participate in at least one sport at Marshall. However, if every student wrote about their favorite sport in the same manner, those would be very boring essays for colleges to read. Instead of students writing about their sport, they are walked through a process of writing about how that sport, per se, influenced other areas of their lives. An athlete can write about how the determination they honed on the field gave them the confidence to try out for a drama production, exposing a completely different aspect of themselves to colleges. The essay is the place in which Marshall students stand out, I’ve been told by many a scholarship and college review committee. The way in which Marshall students present themselves on paper isn’t single-faceted. Rather, the multi-faceted lives that our students lead comes to life in the stories they tell about the lessons they’ve learned as they’ve traveled through their high school careers.

STUDENT GROWTH THROUGH ESSAY WRITING...

Writing about yourself isn’t an easy task. Most students, or adults for that matter, prefer to write about things from another’s point of view. It’s difficult to write about yourself as it requires self-reflection and the resilience to learn from our experiences, shared or not. The trajectory of growth from a student’s first essay draft to their last draft is immense. With each new essay draft, students are better able to recognize that only they can manipulate the reader (thank you, Ms. Stiles) into seeing exactly who they are, which is something a college can’t ever glean from a grade point average or a test score.