610: Admission Nutrients (Part 4 of 6: Consistent Engagement): Important Ingredients for a Well-Balanced College Admission Process—And Life with Dysean Alexander

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In Episode 4 of our series on Admission Nutrients, Tom Campbell is joined by Dysean Alexander, Assistant Director for West Coast Admission at Lafayette College, to discuss Consistent Engagement. In their conversation, they get into: 

  • Why consistent engagement is a valuable nutrient to fold into your high school experience

  • How it’s talked about in an admission office, and how admission readers like Dysean (and his team at Lafayette) measure it

  • Tips on “translating” your own examples of consistent engagement to an admission officer audience

  • Advice for counselors on how to explain the value of this nutrient to students and families

  • And more!

Counselor by day and stand-up comedian by night, Dysean Alexander is a first-generation college graduate of Ursinus College (PA) where he earned a BA in Media & Communications while being an all-conference football player. After his first year as a college admission counselor (Albright College), he served as the Assistant Director For Middle School Enrollment at Moravian Academy (PA), allowing him to gain additional knowledge on high-level high school curriculum and communities. After 6 years working at Lafayette College, he has been able to work with Army ROTC recruitment and POSSE selection, and he has covered territories all over the globe, domestically spanning from Long Island, New York to Southern California, where he now serves as Assistant Director Of West Coast Admissions.

Play-by-play

  •  2:39 – Welcome and introductions

  •  7:12 – Where does consistent engagement show up in an application?

  •  10:09 – How do institutional priorities impact admission? 

  •  19:19 – What does consistent engagement say about the student to an admission reader?

  • 25:50 – How can students brainstorm and prioritize which activities to show on the application?

  • 36:30 – What is the balance of quality over quantity when it comes to activities?

  • 45:05 – FAQs about consistent engagement

    • 45:28 – What if I decide to change activities midway through high school? 

    • 52:23 – What if I had to stop my activity?

    • 53:49 – What if I transferred schools and didn’t have time to engage consistently?

  • 57:49 – What are some tips for counselors and educators in this process?

  • 1:07:06 – Closing thoughts

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