Issuu

Washington International School

3100 Macomb St. NW Washington, D.C. 20008

June 2023

www.wisdateline.org

Seniors reflect on supportive college process By NAOMI BREUER and ISABELLA DUCHOVNY, 2024 The class of 2023 has officially graduated from WIS, and most of the newly-crowned alumni are heading off to the next chapter of their lives: college. The college application process this year was met with a positive attitude across the grade, according to the college counselors and several members of the class of 2023. The college counselors Joanna Tudge and Pam Joos implemented a variety of measures to encourage reflective thinking and limit toxic competitiveness in the college application process. “We want you to be reflective,” Joos said. “We want you to really put your heart into this.” Senior Madeline Robbins believes her class was very supportive of each other due to their variety of interests. “I think [it’s] maybe a product of there not being a ton of direct competition,” she said. “But at the same time, I just think we have a really great dynamic across the board. We’re all very uplifting of each other.” Senior Sebastian Illing believes they approached the process in a “professional manner” in which everyone respected their GRAPHIC BY MAIA NEHME peers. Illing only told his closest friends A map depicting this year’s seniors’ college destinations around the world. Although WIS does not publish a list of colleges about his college news. by student, they print a list of all college destinations in the graduation booklet. “There was no boasting,” he said. “It was much more... just delivering factual weigh that,” Robbins, who was a member was extremely valuable for the health and peers stuck to the rule of applying to only news.” of ISU, said. well-being of her grade, as it reduced con- 15 colleges. Some were given exceptions by Tudge remarked that the seniors Though he does not believe the class versations about college, which can be the college counselors, such as senior Isawere very good at staying discreet about of 2022’s approach was the driving factor frustrating if someone’s plans for college bel Restrepo, since she applied to theatre the process and celebrating each other’s in his grade’s approach, Illing does think are not solidified, such as her own. At the and BFA programs, making her process difachievements when they chose to share the wall of rejection impacted him. time of her interview, Robbins was still ferent and more selective than the normal their decisions. “I remember thinking, ‘Why would deciding between attending college in the one. “We would like to think we played anyone do that?’” he said. “I suppose that U.K., the U.S. or Canada. She thinks it is “I had to talk to [Tudge] about it and some role in trying to model or suggest to kind of gave me the sense of wanting to be beneficial to keep social, academic and col- be like, ‘This is why I’m doing it’ and she them multiple times and multiple ways [to respectful about it. And I think that was lege life separate. was like, ‘That makes sense, based on what be supportive], either through the [college] shared by a lot of people in our grade.” Illing, on the other hand, did not know you’re doing.’ It wasn’t a thing I decided on honor code or talking to them about [the Joos believes that it is not healthy for about the honor code’s existence until my own,” Restrepo said. college process],” Joos said. students to overly discuss college accep- reading a Dateline article about it, and beRestrepo says it was strange, though The college counselors also had curtances and rejections. The college counsel- lieves many people in his grade also did not necessarily good or bad, to not talk rent seniors talk to juniors so the latter ors often hear students discuss their grades not know about it. Senior Tristan Martin about college at school, though one could could receive the message from their peers. as well, which Joos also believes students does not think his classmates followed the discuss it outside of school. When asked if the class of 2022’s colshould refrain from talking about. honor code and was also unaware of the “From basically September to January, lege process was particularly competitive, As a way to limit excessive college details of the code throughout the year. the main thing happening in everybody’s both college counselors laughed self-condiscourse, the college counselors intro“We were told about it at the begin- life is college decisions, college applicasciously and simply said “yes.” duced the col- ning of the year, but there’s just so much tions, doing this whole process, and it was Robbins believes that lege honor code. going on, [so] it just flew out of my head,” just kind of odd to not really be able to talk the class of 2022 was not college he said. “I knew there was one, and I just about that at school,” she said. I think anyone can be respectful. Both a good role model for her counselors em- was like, ‘Okay, I don’t think I’m going to She says it is difficult to assess her That’s not something that’s grade coming into the colphasized that do anything terribly wrong.’” class’ approach to the process due to the lege application process going to be instilled by the the honor code Despite many seniors being unaware discretion of their process and the honor due to an abundance of existence of an honor code. was in existence of the college honor code, Illing says that code rules. toxicity during their propre-COVID, but his grade’s attitude led them to be respectAlthough the class of 2023 has shown cess. Illing describes hearthey tweaked it ful anyway. thoughtfulness in applying to and discussSEBASTIAN ILLING ing “horror stories” about for the class of “I think anyone can be respectful,” he ing college, the college counselors worry the class of 2022. 2023 to adjust said. “That’s not something that’s going to about the incoming seniors. For example, the class of 2022 created to the ever-changing landscape of college be instilled by the existence of an honor “We have heard a few things that we’re a wall of rejection to display their college applications. For example, they addressed code.” not particularly happy about, in terms of rejection letters. However, Robbins nothe rising number of applications students Senior Chloe Chao was aware of the potentially judging other students’ deciticed that these letters were mainly from sent in by limiting the number of Ameri- honor code due to several conversations sions,” Joos said, pointing out that stutop-tier universities and that people were can schools students could apply to 15 col- with her college counselor about it and dents may also not know other students’ embarrassed to hang up letters from other leges. class meetings. Though she believes peo- family situations. “It really, really hurts me colleges, which she says defeats the pur“We also think the emphasis has been ple would have been respectful without when I hear how other students [criticize pose of the wall. through this honor code to encourage stu- the honor code, Chao thinks that the honor each other].” The International Student Union (ISU) dents to be reflective, be thoughtful, be code helped create a positive atmosphere. The college counselors are also “not and the class of 2023 decided not to follow honest,” Joos said. Tudge added that it en“It enforces it in everybody’s minds big fans” of the college commitment Insthe class of 2022 with the wall of rejection courages students “to focus on themselves, that they should not talk about [college tagram page. at the start of the school year. “No matter rather than a community thing.” and] that it’s very personal,” she said. See COLLEGE PROCESS, page 2 how positive it could be, the negatives outRobbins believes that the honor code Many seniors do not believe all of their

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