What TV has taught us about admissions: in creating a televised took at college admissions, two experts learn a thing or two - The Admissions Angle

University Business, Sept, 2003 by Howard Greene, Matthew Greene

In our practice advising young adults about college admissions, we encourage them to develop as detailed a plan of action as possible, at the same time reassuring them that even the best-laid plans can meet with unexpected twists and turns that alter intended directions. Strangely enough, that's just what happened to us recently, in the process of creating the PBS focus, Ten Steps to College with the Greenes.

It was only a year ago that we received an e-mail from a gentleman at Indiana University who introduced himself as the director of National Program Development for the university's public broadcasting station, WTIU. He had read several of our books on college admissions planning and wanted to know if we would be interested in partnering with his team to create a program for PBS--one that would help families understand the intricacies of college admissions. With both excitement and caution, we responded, asking for more information. The invitation had come at a point when we were planning our next several books with the particular theme in mind of leveling the playing flew of college opportunity for students of all socioeconomic backgrounds. Letting our imaginations run free, we wondered how we might be able to use the powerful medium of television to reach the widest possible audience.

In the end, we created--in cooperation with an exceptionally talented and intelligent team of producers and writers at WTIU--a special program that will air on PBS throughout the country this fall and thereafter. Ten Steps to College with the Greenes turned out to be not merely an interesting look at the college admissions process, but a multidimensional tool for public use. It includes the availability of DVD and VHS formats, and a work kit that includes several of our guides, plus a workbook for students which follows the steps in the program. The show and workbook also have been translated into Spanish, to reach out to the large and growing college-bound Hispanic population in America. And the companion PBS Web site (www.pbs.org/tenstepstocollege) provides still more resources for families and educators.

Obviously, we believe there is much valuable information to be had in Ten Steps. We find ourselves on the threshold of reaching tens of millions of families across America with the message that attending college is a real option for students of all backgrounds; that there is financial support to make the dream a reality; and that following a logical series of steps will result in admission to the right college for each individual. But interestingly, in the process of creating the Ten Steps tool, we've learned a number of lessons--some humbling, all inspiring--from our intensive experience.

The first challenge was not surprising: to distill the core material of our various books into a one-hour program for viewing. Like the correspondent who apologizes to his reader for drafting such a lengthy letter (while wishing he had had additional time to write a shorter one that was more to the point), we focused on delivering a clear and succinct set of guidelines to the viewer. But importantly, in order to develop a format that explained the complicated process of preparing for and applying to college in 10 steps, we had to test the value of every idea and word we would use in the program.

Universal intensity of concern. The second lesson that we took to heart was more surprising, and grew out of our strong recommendation that live audiences of high school students and their parents be invited to participate in the production. On two separate evenings, we worked onstage to present the Ten Steps, and then invited the audiences to ask questions on camera. What an impact those conversations had on the production team and on those who have viewed the program thus far! There is generally an assumption on the part of many families and schools (often perpetuated by the media) that the intense level of concern about attaining a college education is a "coastal" phenomenon. That is, that only the city and suburban folk on the East and West coasts worry about college and graduate school admissions. But these audiences proved that theory dead wrong. In the university studio in Bloomington, we heard loud and clear that the drive for education is neither a particular regional nor a specific socioeconomic issue--something that many readers at IHEs across the country already know. The questions regarding the relative importance of school curriculum, testing, class rank, personal talents and activities, how to determine where to apply to college, and (no surprise to anyone) how to pay for a cortege education know no physical or social boundaries today. Colleges that limit their recruitment to only the large city environs or the two coasts are missing out on families with a high level of investment in a college education.

Outreach is there. We had long wanted to bring admissions officers from public and private colleges into the living rooms of families everywhere. Thus, we asked the senior admissions officers at 30 selective public and private institutions if they would be willing to interview on camera and offer advice that would be included in Ten Steps to College. All 30 agreed immediately, even though they would have to take the time during the busiest period in the admissions cycle. Our lesson three: The desire to reach out to any and all those who want to continue their education was absolutely demonstrated to us in developing the television program. The sincerity and honesty of the admissions officers' comments and advice should encourage students to plan wisely and confidently for college acceptance.