Winter 2018 Parent Newsletter

From Your University & Career Advancement Counsellors

Dear CIS Parents,
Inside Winter 2018
Country of choice, location, programs, cost, admissibility - just a few
Choosing Universites:
of the critical factors students need to consider in selecting
universities.
What’s a “Best” College?

In making informed choices, however, a critical factor that’s often Recommendation Letters:
difficult to uncover is what it actually feels like to be a student at a Important Considerations for
prospective school. Questions which students and parents need Supplemental Rec. Letters
answers to that can’t easily be gleaned include:

• What’s the atmosphere?

Myth Busting:
• What are the students like?

Chinese B Is NOT a Handicap in

• What happens on weekends?

• Is the school supportive of international students?

College Admissions
• Is it super competitive?

• How do academics resemble and differ from the CIS It’s Just a Click Away:
experience?
A Look at the Valuable Info on
• What are the challenges in transitioning to the school from a Our UC Website
Hong Kong perspective?

• Is it safe?

What Do Universities See?

Thankfully, we have a rich resource to help students find answers to We Explain Which Systems See
these important questions – CIS alumni. CIS is fortunate to have an Which CIS Grades
extensive pool of graduates who have gone on to attend schools the
world over. Not only do they understand their university, they carry a Overseas American Universities:
Hong Kong and CIS perspective in helping our students understand Liberal Arts with a Global Vision
the transition challenges from a cultural, social and academic
perspective.
Featured College:

What’s more - our alums are happy and eager to share their American University of Rome - A
experience with current CIS students!
Quality US Education in Europe

To reach CIS alumni at schools of interest, students will now simply fill California State Unis:
out an online form and our alumni office will reach out to CIS UCs Aren’t the Only Terrific
graduates matching the student’s request. Alumni who choose to California Public Option
respond to the request will generally communicate via email.

We’re confident that by taking advantage of this fabulous resource, Our Featured Book:
our students will gain a richer perspective on universities of interest At What Cost? Examines
resulting in more appropriate selections!!!
Academic Pressure from
Teacher, Parent and Student
Your CIS University Counsellors: Perspectives
Sow Fun Dawson - sfdawson@cis.edu.hk

Robert Mansueto - mansueto@cis.edu.hk

Marc Marier - mmarier@cis.edu.hk

Regular Features:
• Articles from the Web
Your CIS Career Advancement Counsellor
Annie Yung - ayung@cis.edu.hk

“My mother said I must always be

Administrative Assistant intolerant of ignorance but
Brankie Wong - bwong@cis.edu.hk
understanding of illiteracy. That
some people, unable to go to school,
Helpful Resources: were more intelligent and more
University Counselling Website
educated than some college
Index of previous UC Newsletters
professors.”
Recommended reading available in our UC Library
Maya Angelou

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Should Students Opt for the “Best” College They Can Get Into?
ABSOLUTELY! But First, Let’s Make Sure We Agree on What “Best” Means

The word “best” in the world of college admissions is loaded - and all too often, highly misleading.  We
routinely hear students and parents confer it on universities with but superficial consideration given to what
is actually meant by the word “best,” while often losing sight of what is best for the individual applicant.
And that approach, for too many, has proven to be a huge problem in the college process.  

If we agree, for example, that school X enjoys a fabulous reputation, does it necessarily follow that it’s the
best possible choice for each potential applicant?  It can’t be stressed enough that no university claims to
be the ideal setting for the entire range of possible applicants. Yet, one of the most powerful myths in
college admissions is the belief that university prestige and rankings are the most valid and reliable
measure of the overall quality of each student’s potential experience.    

To break through the fog generated by institutional prestige and

rankings, let’s consider the word “best” in terms of the individual It can’t be stressed
student.  Let’s agree that the best school for any student is one where:
enough that no university
• the student will experience the greatest success academically - claims to be the ideal
the academic environment and degree of challenge are
setting for the entire range
appropriate to the student’s ability and needs;

• the university features the program(s), goals and philosophy that of possible applicants.
are best suited to the student’s interests and needs;
Yet, one of the most
• the student will thrive both in and outside of the classroom - powerful myths in college
student life features the range of activities the student most admissions is the belief
wants along with exciting possibilities for individual growth;
that university prestige
• the student is with peers who are best suited to his/her and rankings are the most
aptitudes, interests, comfort zone, experience, etc.

valid and reliable

Do college rankings or institutional prestige tell us what is best for measures of the overall
the individual student?
quality of each student’s
In a word, no. Neither prestige nor rankings convey any information potential experience.
upon which a student could make an informed “best” choice. While
outstanding institutional reputation is undoubtedly terrific at creating a
herd mentality among applicants the world over, does it shed any meaningful light on the critical “best
school” qualities bulleted above?  No, they don’t; and neither do rankings. For example, faculty salary and
percentage of alumni, typical variables employed in rankings, tell us nothing about teaching/program
quality at a particular institution, much less whether a particular student will thrive there.

Isn’t a more highly ranked institution a guarantee of a more successful university experience?

Again, the answer is no.  But don’t take our word for it. The most widely read college ranking guide, US
News and World Report, conducted an internal report which concluded: “The principal weakness of the
current approach (to formulating rankings) is that the weights used to combine the measures into an
overall rating lack any defensible empirical or theoretical basis.” That’s quite a statement - akin to a chef
hanging a sign in his restaurant’s window proclaiming, “Don’t eat my food.”

If institutional reputation and rankings aren’t dependable guides

When parents and students to what is “best,” then what do we rely on?

approach the college The “best” school for an individual student has to be based on a
process from a genuine solid understanding of what is best for that student.  Institutional
desire to discover what is reputation and rankings are no substitute for careful research and
thoughtful, honest reflection.  

truly best for the student, not

only will they find that there
are many exciting
possibilities, but the stress
and anxiety associated with
the college process will be
lowered substantially.
Careful research will employ various resources (guidebooks, search
engines, university websites, alumni etc.) to help students arrive at a
clear understanding of how a particular university might meet their
needs with regard to programs, extra-curriculars, special programs,
philosophy, character, location, setting, etc. While quality research
will occur at any point throughout the college process, learning how
what and where to research are foundational skills that will go far in
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guaranteeing a successful college process.

When parents and students approach the college process from a genuine desire to discover what is truly
best for the student, not only will they find that there are many exciting possibilities, but the stress and
anxiety so often associated with the college process will be lowered substantially. A successful college
process therefore starts and ends with a deeper and more mindful understanding of the word “best” while
avoiding its negative implications.  Without question, students should indeed opt for the very best college
they can get into - that is, the very best for them.

Considerations for the Optional Recommendation Letter

Students and parents often come to us asking if the University Counselling office would be willing to send an
additional recommendation letter or two on the applicant’s behalf.  Here’s what you should know.

Why do universities limit the number of recommendation letters that applicants can submit?

Universities limit the number of letters in order to cap the amount of reading they will need to do as well as
to create a level playing field for all of its applicants.  It obviously wouldn’t be fair if a college accepted an
unequal number of recommendation
letters from student to student.  They
also understandably want letters from Which countries require recommendation letters?

people who actually know the student ·      Canada: none except in very rare circumstances

and can provide an accurate and ·      UK: Counsellor recommendation

detailed picture.
·      HK: Counsellor recommendation

·      HK-based universities: Counsellor Recommendation

Again, universities establish application ·      US: Generally, two teacher recommendations and one
requirements with an eye to getting as counsellor recommendation.

complete and accurate a picture of the ·      University of California and California State Universities:
student as possible. It’s therefore none

imperative that students are mindful in

selecting the right teacher(s) to write their As the above list makes clear, depending on the country of
letters.
interest, the number of recommendation letters that
institutions request can range from zero to three.

Universities individually determine their

application policies, and university Click here to better understand:

counsellors have a responsibility to • what’s contained in the teacher and counsellor

honor those requirements.  In other recommendation letters;

words, CIS does not have the option to • considerations in selecting teachers to write letters.

submit additional recommendation

letters unless the university approves;
otherwise, they will simply not be
considered in the application review. In those instances where a university indicates that it will accept a
supplementary recommendation letter, we ask the applicant to furnish his/her counsellor with evidence that
this is indeed the case.  A university’s admissions webpage providing application requirements will generally
suffice.

Optional recommendation letters: what we tell students

Assuming we’ve verified that a university will accept an optional recommendation letter, we recommend the
following:

1. A weak letter does no good.  The writer needs to be able to provide detailed insights based on first hand
knowledge of the applicant.  Nothing rings more hollow than a recommendation letter written by
someone who barely knows the applicant.

2. Additional letters repeating what’s already been stated are of no value. Recommendation writers should
know the applicant from another perspective than the classroom. For instance, a letter shedding light on
a successful work or internship experience from a supervisor highlighting the applicant’s initiative,
creativity, people/leadership skills can be very helpful.

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There’s an old saying in college admissions: “The thicker the file, the thicker the applicant.” It should be
remembered that an optional recommendation letter is just that - optional.  If the applicant is unable to
identify a potential writer who can provide meaningful information, we recommend not submitting one for the
simple reason that a poor letter can actually weaken an application.

Myth: Chinese B Is a Handicap in the College Admissions Process

We appreciate the opportunity to address commonly held myths and misconceptions that can often sow
confusion while ramping up anxiety in the college process. This ‘Chinese B’ rumor follows a familiar pattern
wherein parents, sensitive to rumors which may affect admissibility, are looking for answers and reassurance.
We deeply appreciate the opportunity to respond. It needs to be repeated that no parent or student need fall
prey to these rumors. Whenever questions of concern arise, our most successful applicants make liberal use
of university websites, admissions representativeness, university admissions offices and, of course, your CIS
University Counsellors.

Providing that the student enrolled in the appropriate level, Chinese B is not a handicap at US and
Canadian universities

US and Canadian admissions personnel are fully aware of the fact that Hong Kong natives are generally
Cantonese speakers. Additionally, the Common Application form that US applicants complete asks the
applicant's language of the home. Long story short, our students are in no way disadvantaged in the
admission process by taking Chinese Language B, as long as that class was appropriate for the student’s
skills. To the contrary, the fact that CIS is a dual language school is a benefit to them on many levels
including in the university admission process.  Any rumors to the contrary can be safely chalked up to fears
which, with a little research (or by reaching out to your CIS University Counsellors) are easily disproven.

UK Universities

As for the UK, the only institution that we're aware of that might look askance at Chinese B is LSE which will
not accept Chinese B Higher Level as one of a student's three required higher level courses (a diploma
program requirement) from a native speaker.  LSE, however, will accept Chinese B as a fourth higher level
from a native speaker. For all other LSE applicants, Chinese B is not a disqualifier.  

Our University Counselling Website: It’s Not Just for Students

For both students and parents who want to learn more about the college process, our website is an
invaluable and dependable resource. For your convenience, we’ve separated our Moongate website into
the following links based on where your son/daughter is in the college process.

For parents who are looking for:

• CIS University Counselling Program Overview

• The application process and online research resources for:

Australia, Canada, HK, UK – with sections on the personal statement, medicine, Oxbridge, US - with
sections on the US essay, common myths about the US process

• US (SAT/ACT) standardized testing

Standardized test preparation

Recommended timeline for completing standardized tests

For parents of students who are further along in the process, we have lots of information focusing on:

• Early college planning – college tour tips, meeting with visiting university representatives, gap year?
organizing the college process, etc.

• Preparing to apply - Early Decision/Action, recommendation letters,

• Submitting applications – Common App/UCAS, interviewing

• After decisions - understanding denials, deferrals, conditional offers, waitlists, etc.

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What Do Universities See? A Breakdown of the CIS Grades That

Universities Will (And Won’t) Consider in the Application Process

Because of the many different grades and assessments required by both the IB and the different countries to
which CIS students routinely apply, there is understandably some confusion as to which CIS grades are
submitted to which systems.  We hope you find this helpful.

Year 12: Progress Grades

• Based on exam results and formal assessments

• Can include teacher comments (end of year for Year 12s, December for Year 13s)

• Sent to students and parents at the end of each semester in order to monitor academic progress

• Universities do not see progress grades

Spring of Year 12 and Fall of Year 13: Expected Grades

• Initially generated by teachers at the end of Year 12 and reviewed in the fall of Year 13, these are
what the teacher predicts the student will earn as a final IB grade at the end of Year 13.

• Expected grades are included in supporting documents regardless of the country the student is
applying to.  

• It is these grades upon which non-US universities (ie UK, HK and Canada) will base conditional offers
of admission.

Year 10 - 13: Transcript Grades

• Records the student’s performance in each class by semester starting with Year 10.

• Each transcript grade is derived through summative and formative assessments as well as
participation, effort, etc.

• Transcript grades are sent to US, Canada, HK, Europe and Singapore institutions but NOT to UK
applicants applying through UCAS.

What, exactly, is on the CIS transcript?

Click here to view a full size sample.

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Overseas American Universities Offer Liberal Arts with a Global Vision

As we enter 2018, it’s old news that outstanding universities featuring a US based curriculum and philosophy
can be found outside of the US. Many of these exceptional options have traditionally been found in Western
Europe. The American University of Rome, for example, which we feature in this issue on page 8 will be
celebrating its 50th anniversary in 2019.

A more recent trend has seen US universities collaborating with Asian universities or governments to create
campuses in such locales as Qatar, Abu Dhabi, Singapore and Shanghai among others. Duke Kunshan
University, a joint venture between Duke and Wuhan Universities is one of the more recent partnership schools
to open its doors. Designed to give mainland Chinese as well as international students an opportunity to study
at a world-class institution in Shanghai,Duke Kunshan enrolled its first class this fall.

Why the trend toward satellite or partnership universities?

Globalization has forced universities to take on the challenge of providing students with a truly multi-cultural
education. Satellite/partnership institutions provide a more immersive cultural experience than might
otherwise be attained by simply spending a few weeks or full semester abroad. They are founded on the
belief that sustained contact with another culture along with students from the world over is the best way to
provide students with the experience, connections and skills that future employees will need (language,
cultural awareness, people skills, etc.) to thrive in an increasingly global job market.

For countries where US universities have been established with government sponsorship (ie, NYU Abu Dhabi),
an additional goal is to provide local students with access to a quality US educational experience that would
not be available to them without going to the US.

What are the benefits to students?

• Universities partnering with governments often enjoy generous
subsidies which can significantly lower tuition costs.
The faculties at these institutions are
• Living and studying in a foreign setting provides a greater often more culturally diverse than
connection and understanding of cultures beyond one’s own.
Laura Severin, Yale-NUS Dean of Admissions and Financial what one might encounter in US-
Aid, sees it this way: “For Yale-NUS specifically, there is a based schools. Depending on the
belief that the future points directly to continued development university, the educational experience
in Asia and the students will benefit immensely from greater can often be more intimate with
understanding and connection to this region.”
smaller class sizes and closer
• The faculties at these institutions are often more culturally relationships with faculty than might
diverse than what one might encounter in US-based schools.

• Depending on the university, the educational experience can otherwise be found elsewhere. An
often be more intimate with smaller class sizes and closer added bonus: the experience can
relationships with faculty than might be found elsewhere.
make graduates from these
• An added bonus: the experience can make graduates from institutions more attractive to
these institutions more attractive to multinational corporations.
multinational corporations.
Who should consider?
Katie Korhonen, NYU Shanghai’s Director of Admissions,
targets flexible students with a can-do mindset. “I think students who are looking to be outside of their
comfort zones typically thrive in these types of environments.  Also, students with an entrepreneurial spirit,
who enjoy creating something from the ground up (or being a part of something in its early stages), tend to be
great matches.  At NYU Shanghai, we are definitely looking for students who get excited about trying new
things and being a part of small, tight-knit community of students, faculty, and staff.”

Links
https://www.americanuniabroad.com/ - focuses on American Universities in Western Europe

Complete list of American colleges and universities abroad - with links to individual university websites

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American University of Rome: A Quality US University Experience in a World
Class City

You don’t have to travel all the way to the United States to get a quality US-based
education anymore. In fact, you only have to go as far as Rome, Italy where you will
find one of the best US universities in Europe: The American University of Rome,
also known as AUR.

AUR prepares students to live and work across cultures as skilled and
knowledgeable citizens of an interconnected and ever-changing world. It is the
perfect combination of the best of two worlds: the excellent academic attributes of
higher education in the U.S. through American practical know-how, technological
capability and career preparation, with the European and Italian classical tradition of
the humanities and liberal arts.

The American University of Rome is home to a highly diverse student body representing over 50 countries on
campus. Our international nature is reflected in our highly experienced and respected academic faculty who
come to teach in Rome from across the globe.

DID YOU KNOW?

AUR is one of the oldest degree-granting American universities in Italy. In 2019, we will celebrate our 50th
anniversary in Rome!

Students obtain an American-accredited bachelor or master degree upon completion of the academic
program which typically has a duration of four years (Bachelor) or 15 months (Master). American-accredited
degrees are universally recognized as a standard of success of higher education. All teaching is conducted in
English.

The University uses a traditional American-style calendar. The year is split into two major teaching cycles
(Semesters) of around 15 weeks each.

• The Fall Semester typically begins around September 1 and concludes in mid-December.

• The Spring Semester begins around January 20 and concludes in mid-May.

Optional short sessions are offered in Winter and Summer.

UNDERGRADUATE DEGREE OFFERINGS:

• Archeology & Classics

• Art History

• Business Administration

• Communication

• English Writing, Literature & Publishing

• Film and Digital Media

• Fine Arts

• Interdisciplinary Studies

• International Relations and Global Politics

• Italian Studies

• Travel & Tourism Management

AUR degree programs are fully accredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education in the
United States. The American University of Rome is authorized to operate as an American university in Italy by
the Italian Ministry of Education, University and Research (MIUR).

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SMALL, FRIENDLY and CAREER-ORIENTED

All AUR programs have two key student objectives:

• the development of academic excellence

• and the practical application of learning to real-world career development.

Key to this is our world-class faculty and interdisciplinary, participative teaching style.

“Our professors frequently complement their lessons with on-site visits around the city, using Rome as a
classroom, guiding students through the richly layered experience that is Rome, and highlighting its global
context throughout the ages.” AUR President Richard Hodges OBE, (Order of the British Empire)
Other keys are our outstanding Internship and career development opportunities.

78% of our students undertake at least one practical internship during their time with us – many
undertake two.

AUR has a well-developed and long-standing network of partner organizations in Rome and throughout the
world that ensures students can put their newly-learned skills into practice with major national and
international companies. A significant number of our graduates have moved directly into employment with
these companies upon finishing their studies. Recent internships include: Proctor & Gamble; Vatican
Museums; and the United Nation’s Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) headquartered in Rome.

CURIOUS?
Visit our website at www.aur.edu. Request a brochure!

Make a campus visit!

The American University of Rome

Address: Via Pietro Roselli 4, 00153 Rome

Telephone: 06 5833 0919

Tuition fees https://aur.edu/tuition-and-fees-euros

The American University of Rome is committed to assisting students achieve their education goals. We have
a variety of different paths to financially aid our students.

https://aur.edu/financial-aid-scholarships

We have lots of Study Abroad options:

https://aur.edu/aur-students-abroad-aura-program

QUESTIONS?
We would be happy to help!

Email: admissions@aur.edu

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The Cal State System: UCs Aren’t the Only Outstanding California Public
Option
It’s often a mystery to understand why certain countries, systems and
universities enjoy general approval while other equally outstanding options
go virtually unnoticed.  We’re at a loss, for example, to understand why
our students often seem fixated on the University of California system as
the #1 California public university option.  While the UCs are undoubtedly
world class, equally outstanding choices are available in the Cal State
System, the Golden State’s other public university option.  

With over 23 campuses offering hundreds of exciting degree choices, CSU offers what many of our
California Dreamin’ students are looking for.  A nice feature - as is the case for UC applicants, CSU
applicants only complete one application, regardless of the number of schools in the system they plan to
apply to.  

What else distinguishes Cal State schools?

With 23 campuses to choose from, interested students are likely

to find programs and settings best suited to meet their needs, but
research, as always, is recommended.  

• A critical difference from UC institutions is that Cal State

professors are not required to “publish or perish” - the
system is almost entirely focused on undergraduate
education.  

• Most of the system’s 447,000 students commute to

school, the stand-out residential campuses are: Cal State
Chico, Humboldt, Monterey Bay, San Luis Obispo, and
Sonoma State.  

• Size can vary from 6,000 students at Cal State Channel

Islands and Monterey Bay to 33,000+ at Cal State
Northrup and Fullerton.  

• Engineering and Business tend to be the most competitive

programs.

• While students can opt for a traditional broad-based liberal

arts degree, there’s a marked emphasis on career-oriented
training.

Admission considerations

The Cal State System admits students solely on the basis of grades and test scores (SAT or ACT). Neither
an essay nor a teacher recommendation is required. Students may apply to as many campuses within the
system as they wish, submitting a separate application fee, and transcript to each campus to which they
apply. Recently Cal Poly San Luis Obispo has become more popular and, as a result, the most
oversubscribed or "impacted" campus of the Cal State System. Therefore, admissions requirements at San
Luis Obispo are more rigorous than at others.

Particular programs at different campuses are often oversubscribed (e.g., Art at Long Beach, Business at
Northridge, Film at San Francisco, Computer Science and Engineering system-wide). Students are
encouraged to research carefully to determine if there are other requirements (audition, portfolio, etc.) for
programs of interest.

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At What Cost? Exposes the Risks of Hyper Competitiveness on Students,

Parents and Schools
At What Cost? Defending Adolescent Development in Fiercely Competitive Schools
By David L. Gleason, PSY D

The author is a clinical psychologist specializing in counselling and evaluating students in competitive
schools throughout the United States, Europe and Asia.

While Dr. Gleason’s book will strike a familiar theme to regular readers of our parent newsletter, his focus on
an increasingly hyper-pressurized educational culture looks at its effects not only on students, but also on
teachers and parents. Rather than simply pointing fingers of blame, At What Cost? seeks to expose the web
of underlying assumptions and fears, often contradictory, that are contributing to our climate of ever-
increasing pressure and anxiety.

Based on the most recent research into adolescent brain function, Dr. Gleason makes the compelling case
that adolescence is the second most sensitive stage in brain development after infancy and that continued
exposure to high degrees of stress and pressure can have a toxic effect on their brain development.  What
Dr. Gleason calls “hyperschooling” can seriously harm teens and leave them vulnerable to a lifetime of
anxiety-related disorders.  

While acknowledging that solutions must inevitably be community driven, his conclusion points to several
approaches schools and parents might adopt to ensure a healthier environment for all students.  For
parents, educators and anyone who touches the lives of adolescents, this insightful and hopeful book
should be mandatory reading. Ted Talk Video featuring Dr. Gleason  

Quotes from At What Cost?

With the best of intentions, we act in contradictory ways...

“As a population of well-intended professional educators and committed parents around the world, we are
acting in ways that compromise our very intentions.  On the one hand, we feel deeply committed to
educating and parenting our students/children in healthy and balanced ways.  On the other hand, under the
weight of so much economic and cultural pressure, we simultaneously find ourselves overscheduling,
overworking, and at times, overwhelming our students and children with unhealthy and unbalanced
practices.”

The student need for distinction fuels the drive for selective colleges...

“Since many of these students (who attend high-achieving secondary schools) are already aware that a
“college degree is no longer the distinction it once was,” the combination of their inborn drive for
“distinction” and their distilled mind-set that “only the best will do” leads them - and many educators and
parents too - to the perception that only a degree from one of the most selective colleges will provide them
with the “distinction” they crave and the benchmark they think they need to live a successful life in the
future.”

Excessive pressure fuels excessive competition...

“Indeed, while some students withstand these pressures more effectively than others, most students
experience them.  Regrettably, these intense pressures accumulate, and in a variety of direct and indirect
ways, inflict the most harm on the most developmentally vulnerable individuals, students… The pressure to
get into the right college can be excruciating for many of these young people. While they are taught
cooperation, they learn competition.”

Research confirms that adolescence is an exceptionally important time...

“When thirteen and fourteen-year-old students arrive to our schools for the ninth and tenth grades, all of
them have either just begun or are just beginning the second most-developmentally sensitive period of their
lives. Just as when they were infants and toddlers, all early adolescents are, once again, “maximally
sensitive to environmental experience in the process of shaping and molding their brains.” Further and of
utmost importance, it is how they experience the school environment - not how we perceive them to be
experiencing it - that matters most as it is their experiences that mold and shape their brains. In this way,
their experiences in our schools have lifelong implications….for them.”

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In addition to getting good grades, adolescents face lots of other pressures...

“...in highly competitive schools it is the rare student who is not dealing with multiple, ongoing and
intensifying pressures concurrently.  It’s not just the singular pressure to make the grade; or the specific
pressure to cope with feeling culturally dislocated and trying to fit in; or the executive pressure to manage
their time and organize their materials, space and ideas effectively; or the obligatory pressure to “do well
now so you can get into a good college later.”  For many students, it is all these pressures combined,
pressures that are fused with each other, that play off one another, and that too often build up and manifest
in a variety of maladaptive and harmful ways.”

In an effort to better understand parent perspectives, Dr. Gleason has interviewed hundreds of parents at
public and private institutions both in America and internationally.  His findings, distilled below, strongly
suggest that parent values, behaviors and fears are often at odds with each other, and are, at least in part,
responsible for some of the pressure students are experiencing.

Parents were asked to complete the following statement:

“In light of these observed student problems (anxiety, depression, etc.), I am, or we as parents are,
committed to the value or importance of:”

• Being there for our children

• Supporting them any way we can

• Trying to raise confident and competent kids who have a sense of worth and dignity in and of
themselves

• Having healthy children above all else

• Loving our kids no matter what

Parents were then asked:

“In light of your commitment to your kids, what are you actually doing or
not doing at home that gets in the way of, or interferes with that
commitment.”

• We pressure our kids to excel

• We nag them all the time

• We expect too-high standards from them

• We blame them for their mistakes

• We don’t really listen to their complaints

• We compare our children against each other

• We pressure them by the example of our own success

• We over-focus on their academic performance

• We don’t let them listen to their own bodies

• We micromanage their lives

• We constantly talk about where they’re applying to college

• We expect them to accomplish everything perfectly

• We over-schedule them

Finally, parents were asked:

“Imagine yourself trying to do the opposite of those negative practices, and try to identify the most
uncomfortable, worrisome or outright scary feelings that would come up for you.”

• Society would judge me as a failing parent.

• They wouldn’t be competitive in the college process and we would have failed them.

• I’d be a failure in my life’s most important job.

• I’d feel disappointed with myself as a parent...that I didn’t do everything I could to help my kid.

What’s true of parents is also true of teachers…

Interestingly, Dr. Gleason’s parent interviews are mirrored by the findings his conversations with teachers
uncovered. For educators as well as parents, fear, shame and cultural pressures are powerful factors
mitigating against institutional efforts at promoting wellbeing. In his surveys, which employed the same
questions he asked parents, teachers admitted to overworking students, modeling and therefore
normalizing over scheduled behaviors, over-focusing on college admissions, and not allowing students
enough time for sufficient sleep, thereby promoting a developmentally unhealthy culture.

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While the surveyed teachers expressed a profound commitment to creating a nurturing, healthy and
appropriately vigorous academic environment, they pointed to competing incentives and commitments that
can work against the realization of those lofty goals. The more commonly cited factors included:

• maintaining an elite school reputation;

• getting students admitted to selective colleges;

• pleasing parents;

• justifying high tuition costs;

• not being perceived as intellectually soft;

• maintaining employment.

Conclusions
The world is currently experiencing an almost epidemic increase in mental health issues in students,
particularly at competitive schools such as ours. Dr. Gleason’s book reminds us that awareness, education,
dialogue and ongoing commitment from all stakeholders will play critical roles in creating healthier schools
where student wellbeing is never compromised. In short, student wellbeing is everyone’s job.

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