Dear Friends,

Earlier in this current school year we determined that “resilience” would be a theme to guide us in our work with our students and no month in the calendar challenges this notion quite as powerfully as April. Each year is of course different, but April stands out as the time of year especially in schools when the “opportunities” to bounce back from setbacks are the most plentiful. In other parts of the country where I have lived, the promise of the arrival of spring adds another dimension to the resilience concept as the grip of winter lessens, and the landscape demonstrates a resilience that is invigorating and inspiring. No matter where one resides, the fact is each of us experiences our own variety of setbacks, and bouncing back requires perseverance and optimism even as the storm clouds gather and what appeared to be a sunny day turns unexpectedly gloomy.

Few situations in the life of schools push the resilience button more than the college admissions process. Even for those of us who have been through this process many times, it never seems to get any easier. Expectations are high and the standards by which success is measured are difficult to quantify and very much in the eye of the beholder. Given that the most select colleges and universities are reporting the lowest percentage acceptance rate in history this year, this spring promises to be an “opportunity” to demonstrate resilience for many seniors at St. Margaret’s and across the country.

As a college preparatory school, we spend a great deal of time and energy dealing with the process of college counseling and admission. By all measure, our college counseling office does a phenomenal job managing this extraordinarily difficult process. Endless hours are spent meeting with students and families, researching various options, developing lists of the reasonable and the reach, and in the end, always emphasizing that it’s the fit that matters, not the name. But, in the end, no matter how good the counseling or how prestigious the secondary school, there are always those bitter disappointments and seemingly life altering rejections. This year the challenge is even more acute.

Throughout my career, I have watched as the intensity of the college admission process has steadily increased. Given the number of truly outstanding colleges and universities in the United States today, one would think that the pressure to attend a select few would have diminished significantly. Unfortunately, the reality is that many students and parents continue to define themselves by the colleges they or their children attend and maintain that there is one “right” college that will open the doors and pave the way for success. Yet, as William Shain, the Dean of Admission and Financial Aid at Bowdoin College recently commented, “Where we went to college does not set us up for success or keep us away from it.” Amen!

As we explore the depths of our resilience in this most intense of college admissions seasons, I feel very good about our efforts to help our students define what is “right” for them. Of course, there are those who want to define the worth of a St. Margaret’s education by the colleges our students attend, but once again, I submit that the real measure of our success is how our students ultimately fare wherever they end up. After all, in the end, this is about them.

For me, April may well still be the “cruelest” month but not because winter lingers on too long or the buds on the trees are slow in appearing. Rather, the cruelty comes in the messages that are communicated and the hopes that for some are seemingly dashed. Yet, April is indeed the beginning of spring when despite the disappointments of the thin envelopes of rejection, the days do in fact lengthen and the sun becomes warmer and even the darkest of futures become brighter.

Enjoy the spring, the opportunities for resilience it presents, and the promise it holds for us all.

With Warm Regards,

Marcus D. Hurlbut