Hopatcong High's College Admissions Seminar Called 'Great Success'

College application season is well underway, and the Hopatcong High School Guidance Department did its part to help prepare seniors Nov. 14 by giving them a taste of the higher education experience. Abut 60 students and parents assembled in the school auditorium for Mock Admissions Night, a yearly seminar in which real-life college representatives provide information to help prospective freshmen boost their profile during the admissions process. 

This year’s mock college admissions panel was comprised of representatives from William Paterson University, Bloomsburg University, The College of New Jersey, Ramapo College and Lehigh University. The panelists took turns critiquing five transcripts of actual Hopatcong graduates and provided valuable feedback to 
the students and parents in attendance. The transcripts not only included the students’ grades throughout their freshman through senior years but also their SAT scores and a list of activities in which they participated. 

Following the panelists’ discussion of the transcripts, audience members asked questions of the panelists, who took turns providing answers and advice. During the Q&A, Lehigh University’s representative said that getting recommendation letters is like being on the set of a TV production studio and advised students to get letters from three different “camera angles,” for example, from an academic 
teacher, the student’s guidance counselor and someone who can provide a third unique perspective, such as a coach or an elective teacher.

Guidance Department Director Gina Cinotti called the night a great success.

"The guidance department is looking forward to next year’s panel already," she said.