Over the past five years, the college admissions process has undergone enormous changes; submitting test scores was optional but now it might not be anymore, AI has entered the conversation and the future of the college essay is in doubt, the value of Advanced Placement classes and tests has been questioned, and the cost of a college education has continued to increase.
For parents and students, the constantly shifting landscape of college admissions has become even more stressful and uncertain. Which is why it’s comforting to have a knowledgeable, experienced partner for a process and choice that will certainly be one of the most consequential of most high school student’s lives up to this point. Beginning this fall at Saddle River Day School, there will be not one, but two full time college admissions counselors in the College Counseling Office to help families navigate the process successfully.
Most Saddle River Day School families are familiar with Director of College Counseling, Karen Ferretti. This fall, she is joined full time in the CCO by Ms. Jackie Williams. A veteran on both sides of the college admissions process, Jackie comes to Saddle River Day from Ma’ayanot Yeshiva High School where she has worked since 2022. Prior to that, Jackie spent time in college admissions at Stevens Institute of Technology, the College of Mount Saint Vincent, and NYU. She has an undergraduate degree from Muhlenberg College in Pennsylvania, and a Master’s Degree in public administration from NYU. Her extensive knowledge and her network of contacts make her an invaluable and welcome addition to the Saddle River Day School community.
Karen and Jackie have already been hard at work, devising a framework within which they will have the opportunity to really get to know each SRDS Upper School student on an individual basis. Because seniors are so deep into the admissions process, Karen will be their main point person this fall. But Jackie will be teaching the Junior’s fall seminar and then moving on to working with the Sophomores as they start their college process this winter, when Karen transitions to instruct the Junior seminar. Their intention is to have a comprehensive understanding of each student’s academic record, extracurriculars, and personality in order to help develop a list of colleges and universities that suit their unique needs and preferences.
So how does a student begin to narrow down their choices, and what exactly is the latest on what’s happening with all the changes in the college admissions process?
Karen Ferretti says the best way for students to start to understand their choices for college is still to visit the campuses. Students will very quickly begin to identify the factors that will be important to them during their process. These factors include, but are not limited to: location, distance from home, degrees conferred, research opportunities, campus culture, facilities, investment in career counseling services, and cost. Karen says that often, the university of a student’s dreams is just that - a dream. When faced with the reality of a campus in a rural area that’s difficult to travel to, or an urban area without a true campus, or a campus that’s sprawling (or too compact), students will reevaluate their preferences and priorities. It is the ultimate goal of the College Counseling Office to educate students enough that they go into the application process with more than one ideal school. To this end, Karen and Jackie will be taking the entire Junior class to NYU so they can experience an information session and tour as they begin their process.
There is also, according to Ms. Ferretti, a trend back toward requiring ACT or SAT test scores as schools shrink their admissions departments and need to efficiently differentiate between applicants. She suggests that the fears about AI taking the place of a good, old fashioned personal essay, crafted by a student, are premature. It’s still pretty easy for a savvy admissions counselor to tell the difference between an essay written by a student, a robot, or a well-meaning parent. Advanced Placement (AP) classes will still exist and, she suggests, even more of them might be developed as colleges and universities grapple with how to value these test scores and assess college credit for them.
She hopes that the oversaturation of applications to the same small number of well-known schools will trickle down to students paying attention to often overlooked colleges that have interesting, innovative programs, committed and creative faculty and staff, or other unique, differentiating factors. To foster this, one of the first assignments for students in her seminar is for them to choose a lesser known college to research and present to their class. This exercise often leads students to discover a school (or schools) that would never have been on their radar otherwise.
In the end, the college application process is all about finding the place from which a student can launch their career. Karen Ferretti believes that Saddle River Day School students have a distinct advantage because in their classrooms and with their friends, SRDS students have developed an acute self-awareness, and a confidence in their intelligence that enables them to assess critically, question rigorously, and choose decisively. This is the hallmark of a Saddle River Day School education, and this is one of the many factors that set SRDS students apart from their peers.
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Open House
Grades PreK 3- Grade 12
Saturday, September 28th at 10am
Thursday, October 24th at 6pm
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Saddle River Day School
Pre-K3 to Grade 12
147 Chestnut Ridge Road • Saddle River, NJ 07458 • Tel: 201.327.4050
Watch your child grow from a student into a scholar—and into a lifetime of success.
From exploring Spanish, music and lab-based science beginning in Pre-K to hosting a TEDxYouth Conference in high school … from active play to competing on a championship Rebel Athletics team … inspiring success starts right from the beginning at Saddle River Day School.
Here, learning begins with an intriguing problem to solve, a story that captivates or a question that provokes curiosity—and the personal connection between teachers and students motivates everyone. To develop holistic, “right-brain” thinkers, we integrate science, technology, engineering, art and math, and celebrate different ways to solve real problems.
SRDS graduates from recent years are thriving at top colleges like Boston College, Northwestern, NYU, and UPenn. They are creative individuals inspired to think, solve and achieve—in academics and in life.
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