College Counseling Process, Privilege Examined

The Phillips Exeter College Counseling Office (CCO)  is widely lauded as one of the best of its kind. However, students have questioned its equitability, especially in the wake of Operation Varsity Blues—a recent scandal that prompted national dialogue about the role of privilege in college admissions.

While all uppers are asked to read the 80-page CCO Guidebook before meeting with their college counselor, nowhere in these pages is there a reference to how their college counselors are assigned; nor is this information available anywhere else.

Due to this ambiguity, speculation about how the CCO pairs students and college counselors has persisted for years among the student body. According to Principal William Rawson, all of the CCO practices, including the assignment process, uphold the Academy’s values of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion.

However, many students surmise that there is a correlation between privilege, the assignment of certain college counselors and matriculation to selective colleges.

“There is very little transparency in the college counseling assignment process,” senior Andrea Liu said. “The statements they make are sweeping; it is difficult to draw what exactly is going on from their statements.”

Dean of College Counseling Elizabeth Dolan noted in an email to The Exonian, on behalf of the CCO, that the office is mindful of student demographics and fair distribution during the assignment process. “We try to ensure [that] every counselor has students with high and low GPAs and everything in between,” she said. “Counselors will have students who are National Merit Semi-finalists, musicians, artists, [students] who have geographic, racial, ethnic [and] gender diversity, probation cases, medical leaves, learning differences, [students who are] athletes, legacy, [children of] staff, faculty, [students who have] trustees relations—and the list goes on.”

Dolan emphasized that the Exeter CCO does not partake in “any unethical actions.”

The Phillips Exeter College Counseling Office (CCO)  is widely lauded as one of the best of its kind. However, students have questioned its equitability, especially in the wake of Operation Varsity Blues—a recent scandal that prompted national dialogue about the role of privilege in college admissions.

Counselors’ Influence Examined   

Elizabeth Dolan was appointed to Exeter’s CCO in 1997, became the Dean of College Counseling in 2001 and currently oversees the seven-member counselor team. For the past 18 years, she has served as both a member of the Academy administration and a counselor who advises students each year.

“Ms. Dolan is a critical member of our administrative leadership,” Rawson said. “She brings to every conversation a deep commitment [both] to this school and to every student in our community.”

Upper Sam Lew pointed out that, while every college counselor can provide similar support, there is a belief that Dolan’s longevity has granted her more leverage in some college admissions offices. “[Some believe that] Dolan is a better college counselor because she’s been around longer and has more experience,” Lew said. “She is the head college counselor, and while I believe that all college counselors have the same abilities, I think, given her title, she seems to have more power.”

Dolan acknowledged Operation Varsity Blues in an email to upper parents this month, specifying that recent events are not representative of most college admissions offices. “What we’re seeing in recent news reports about the college admission scandal is highly unusual,” Dolan wrote. “We feel that the overwhelming majority of our college admission colleagues are ethical professionals. Their best practices do not include bribery and cheating.”

Treating each student and their respective needs fairly is a regular practice for Exeter’s CCO, Dolan noted. “Our advice is based on facts and historical experience, and our advocacy is always honest and equitable for all Exeter applicants in the senior and gap-year class,” she wrote.

Associate Director of College Counseling Cary Einhaus commented on his experience working in the office. “As a member of the Academy’s faculty for the past 22 years, I’ve seen firsthand how college counselors give unstintingly of their time [and] talent––and even on occasion, their own money––in support of all Exeter students, regardless of gender, race, sexuality or sexual expression, family income or special interest status,” he said.

Dolan noted that sensitive personal circumstances may, at times, warrant special consideration. “In any given year, the assignments may be influenced by confidential information,” she said. “As such, the college counselors treat confidential matters with great care.”

According to Dolan, Exeter’s seven current counselors all have a wealth of experience and do not specialize in any field of expertise. Each counselor is deliberately assigned a diverse counselee group. “Because we believe students will benefit from a philosophy of shared wisdom, there is not one ‘expert’ in the office for any one topic or area,” Dolan said. “Each of us brings to our students a bounty of experience and knowledge.”

The College Counseling Office assigns counselors to each member of the upper class during winter term and meets with each student at least twice during the spring term. During these meetings, students are encouraged to compile a list of schools to apply to and begin working on their applications over the summer. The first round of applications for early action is due the following November, and the college process typically concludes during the latter weeks of March, when regular decisions are released.

A college counselor’s responsibilities include advocating for their counselee in a detailed letter of recommendation that draws from past teacher comments and their own relationship with the student, and ensuring that their counselee meets numerous deadlines, including financial aid forms and scholarship opportunities.

The CCO supports students in each facet of their identity, according to Menat Bahnasy ’18. “Einhaus took lots of time to get to know me and the aspects of my life that mattered most to me, and it was clear that he did so in order to best support me,” she said. “I definitely felt supported by the college counseling office at Exeter.”

While the Dean of College Counseling typically has 25 to 30 counselees and the six Associate Directors have between 36 and 45 from each grade, Dolan noted that all counselors have access to information about the whole class. “It should be noted that the college counselors do an extensive review of the entire class to ensure we know everyone in the class,” Dolan said.

The entire CCO office conducts a “Class Review,” where each counselor becomes familiar with the students in a class and their candidacy. “A ‘Class Review’ is similar to an admissions committee review process,” Dolan said. “The counselor of record will present a student’s candidacy to the team, and we will discuss the case. This allows all counselors to understand each senior’s candidacy. Additionally, the Class Review process will look at a student’s candidacy in relation to a student’s college list.”

All college counselors are capable of speaking on behalf of every student, Dolan added. “Each college counselor has access to all our college admissions readers. When colleges are willing to communicate with us about Exeter applicants, particularly by phone, all college counselors are at the table,” Dolan said.

However, some students believe that having Dolan—the head of the CCO and the only member  of the department with an administrative title—as a college counselor confers certain privileges.

“There is a perception among students that, because she is the head, there is information that she might be privy [to] which other college counselors aren’t,” senior Niko Amber said.

This perception is not universal. Other students, like senior Isadora Kron, postulated that there is little correlation between college acceptance and the counselor. Rather, Kron explained, the student-counselor relationship has a greater impact on admission.“I think a lot of people talk about one college counselor being better than the other, and I don't necessarily think that's true,” she said. “I think that some college counselors work better for some people than others.”

Nonetheless, senior Henrietta* speculated that candidates with greater potential of admission are granted an additional advantage by being assigned to more influential counselors. “There’s a clear pattern with kids who might be deemed good candidates for college being assigned to certain counselors, and these students are more likely to get in,” Henrietta* said. “Some counselors have been here for longer than others, and thus may have a greater pull in terms of admissions.”

Meanwhile, senior Andrew Loevinger noted that his peers have referred to Dolan as a “shoo-in college counselor” or a “matriculation college counselor.” “I heard rumors that… if you were given that college counselor, that means they want you to [attend] a particular prestigious school,” he said.

The assignment of counselors, therefore, is always a subject of much discussion. Senior Anton* voiced his belief that, “CCO is an admissions office in and of itself … It seems like they choose the winners and losers before your application has even reached colleges.”

Because of her long tenure as the Dean of College Counseling and her reputation among students as Exeter’s most well-connected counselor, The Exonian investigated the trends in Dolan’s current counselee demographics in comparison to the whole student body as well as trends among certain alumni demographics.

The Exonian surveyed Exonians from the Classes of 2016, 2017 and 2018 who were accepted to Harvard University or Stanford University––two prestigious American research universities with an under-10% acceptance rate for Exonians from the three most recent alumni classes.

From the 26 students accepted to Harvard, 17 could be reached by The Exonian. Four out of the 17 had Dolan as a counselor.

From the 15 students accepted to Stanford, 7 students could be reached by The Exonian. Two out of 7 had Dolan as a counselor.

Regardless of these statistics, due to a persistent perception among the student body that certain counselors may have greater sway, Exonians have wondered whether various forms of privilege factor into the college counselor assignment process.

The Exonian contacted the current upper and senior classes and identified the counselors of 98.63% of the uppers and 94.16% of the seniors. Four uppers and eighteen seniors declined to disclose this information or could not be contacted. Uppers and seniors, 53 in all, said that they had Dolan as their counselor.

Socioeconomic Background

Senior Jenny Yang noted that wealth always has influence, both at Exeter and beyond. “I think Exeter operates in a similar way to the rest of the world in that money will get you places,” she said. “I think that’s something that’s worldwide no matter what situation you're in. If you have money, you will be able to have better opportunities or resources.”

However, Einhaus is confident that the office is committed to supporting students with financial need. “College Counseling colleagues volunteer during their own vacation time as readers with Jack Kent Cooke Foundation, Gates Scholarship and other similar programs in support of greater financial equity and access,” he said.

After sending an anonymous survey about financial aid status to Dolan’s 53 identified counselees across the two classes, The Exonian received a total of 44 responses. Of these respondents, 56.82% (25 students) said they are not on any form of aid. Among those asked, 44.18% (19) said that they are on aid, of whom 22.73% (10) said they receive partial aid and 20.45% (9) said they receive full aid.

These figures closely match Exeter’s student body makeup. According to the school’s Factbook and the Financial Aid Office, 45% of this year’s Exonians are on financial aid, of whom 24.6% receive partial aid and 20.4% receive full aid. These figures are based on total enrollment at the start of the school year.

Trustees

According to Dolan, parent connections to the Academy, such as trustee relations, also do not impact the assignment process. “For the record, trustee children are not given preferential treatment,” Dolan said.

However, some members of the Exeter community, including senior Anton*, believe that the correlation between trustee children’s college assignments is not an accident. “The fact that the children of trustees and big donors get Ms. Dolan as their counselor does not appear to be a coincidence,” Anton* said.

Senior Merissa* offered a similar perception, suggesting that being a trustee at Exeter could be a type of investment. “When one is a trustee, they are funneling their wealth in this school and it would make sense if they would like to see their investment pay off,” she said.

Out of the 21 current Academy trustees, nine are also PEA parents; at least 11 of their 22 children have had Dolan as their college counselor––a 50% rate.

These 22 trustee children belong to classes ranging from 2006 to 2020, all of whom The Exonian contacted. Three did not respond or declined to comment.

While not every one of the current trustees assumed their position before their child’s assignment, the trustee role is often a status given after longtime commitment to the Academy, according to a 2018 Governance Review by the Committee on Trustees. “We place a premium on an individual’s level of commitment and capacity to devote significant time and attention to the needs of the school,” the Review states. All trustees must be alumni of the Academy.

President of the Trustees Committee Tony Downer emphasized that the leveraging of trustee power in any form is prohibited. “I cannot stress enough the messaging we communicate to the Trustees and the behavior we expect of them––namely, the all importance that at no time do they use their status as trustees to secure preferential treatment for themselves or, if they have children at the school, for their children,” he said. “That message is conveyed unambiguously as part of new trustee orientation, and if we find that a trustee is found to violate that principle, that trustee is reprimanded for that.”

Parent Connections

Aside from trustee parents, however, Exonians also question whether donors could influence the college counselor assignment process. Parents and students have noted that, while there is no official requesting process, many parents have contacted the CCO prior to assignments to express interest in specific counselors.

PEA Parent Committee member Andrea Fleming said, “I had asked Ms. Dolan, ‘Can I request [you] because you know, everyone wants the head of the department!’ ... And she said, ‘No, we don't do a requesting process.’ But Caroline [Andrea’s daughter] does have Dolan now.”

A. Fleming re-emphasized that, during her conversation, Dolan “made it clear that there is not a requesting process at Exeter.”

Dolan clarified that requests do not have a direct impact on counselor assignments. “Although we respectfully hear parent and/or student requests, they do not play a role in counselor assignments,” Dolan said.

In addition to examining parents’ attempts to request a particular counselor over the phone, The Exonian considered the list of Heritage Circle members—“alumni, family and friends who indicate that they have made provisions for the Academy in their estate or retirement plans,” according to the Exeter website—who graduated between 1980-90, the common high school graduation year for many Exeter parents. Three of these alumni are also Exeter parents, with a total of four children.

Out of these four students, The Exonian was able to reach three; one student was assigned Dolan.

Exeter alumni have the option—hitherto unused—of setting up an endowed fund under their name to support college counseling officers.

Institutional Advancement Director of Principal and Major Gifts Chuck Ramsay stated, “We created this fund to provide an opportunity for donors to support our college counseling office, along with the myriad [of] opportunities we provide for programs including financial aid, faculty salaries and professional development, facilities like the new field house and the Goel Center for Theater and Dance, the Library, global programs, every academic department and every sports team.”

However, Ramsay noted that, as of now, no donor has made a philanthropic commitment to set up an endowed College Counseling Officer fund. “While we have raised significant funding in many areas over the past couple of years, no one has contributed to the college counseling fund at this point,” he said.

Currently, all college counselors’ salary and benefits come from the Academy’s general operating budget.

Legacy at Colleges

Students have also wondered about the role of parental legacy at elite universities such as Harvard, Yale, Princeton and Stanford (HYPS) in Exeter’s college counseling practices.

The Exonian found that, in the Class of 2020, students with parental legacy to HYPS, including both undergrad and graduate degrees, comprise 6.7% of Cary Einhaus counselees, 6.3% of Marnie Terhune counselees, 9.5% of Mark Hoven counselees, 13.3% of Pamela Appleton counselees, 13.3% of Sherry Hernandez counselees, 16.6% of Nikki Manderlink counselees and 36.0% of Betsy Dolan counselees. The legacy status of 8 students could not be found.

In the class of 2019, HYPS legacy students comprise 13% of Einhaus counselees, 14% of Terhune counselees, 10% of Hoven counselees, 25% of Appleton counselees, 9.8% of Hernandez counselees, 9.1% of Manderlink counselees and 17.9% of Dolan counselees. The legacy status of 40 students could not be found.

In the upper class, including Dolan counselees, 13.56% have parental legacy to HYPS. Out of all Dolan counselees, 14 out of 53, or 26.42% have parental legacy to HYPS.

Rawson explained that, while certain academic institutions favor students with legacy in the admissions process, these factors do not play a role in assignments or other aspects of Exeter’s CCO. “We recognize that a student who is a legacy at a particular college or university might benefit, to some degree, from that status in the admissions process for that college or university,” he said. “We do not confer any special consideration in our CCO process based on legacy status or trustee relations.”

Rawson further noted that the CCO upholds core Academy values in all of their practices. “The CCO shares our institutional commitment to Diversity, Equity and Inclusion,” he said. “I know this from my interactions with Ms. Dolan and the office as a whole. I believe our college counselors are deeply committed to doing their best for every student and treating them all equally.”

Similarly, Downer emphasized that trustee discussions are centered around the interests of the student body as a whole. “We have had zero discussion—zero—of how to further the advantages of those individuals who may receive special consideration by the universities [because] of universities pursuing their own priorities and objectives,” he said. “We support all of our students fully, and for those students with special needs, we endeavor to provide the additional support that those special needs call for.”

Racial Identification

The Exonian found that, from the 25 students assigned to Dolan graduating in 2020, 76% identified themselves as white, 32% identified as Asian, 4% identified as Latinx, 0% identified as Native American and 0% identified as black or African-American. Out of the seniors in Dolan’s counseling group, 64.3% self-identified as white, 32.1% as Asian, and 7% as Latinx, 0% identified as Native American and 3.6% as black. In the past two years, one black student has had Dolan from her 53 advisees. In The Exonian’s survey, students preferred to self-identify as Latinx, not “Hispanic,” a term used by the Academy Factbook.

According to the 2018-19 Factbook, 46% of the Exeter student body identifies as people of color: 29.8% Asian or Asian-American, 11% black or African-American and 9.5% Hispanic. Students who identified with more than one racial category were counted as part of all the groups they identified with. The 2018-19 Factbook does not list Latinx identity percentage in its Student Profile.

When presented with The Exonian’s research, Dean of Multicultural Affairs Sami Atif perceived a disparity in the racial distributions of Dolan’s counseling group, although he was unaware of the cause. “I don't know the ins and outs of the research, but the data reflects a disparity for sure, perhaps bias," he said. “I don’t know what’s at the heart of that.”

Director of Equity and Inclusion Stephanie Bramlett commented that the CCO is firmly devoted to each student at the Academy. “Over my months at PEA, I’ve had the opportunity to see this commitment in action—whether working on the Curriculum Committee with Ms. Dolan to discuss ideas that provide more opportunities for students to explore identity, working with Ms. Hernandez on the Committee on Financial Inclusion or brainstorming with the whole CCO team on ways to increase access to the College Admissions weekend for all upper parents, I know that the college counseling office is deeply committed to making their practice and space both Equitable and Inclusive,” she said.

Einhaus highlighted Dolan’s personal dedication to the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion mission. “Ms. Dolan has been pivotal in helping strengthen the CCO’s work with Exonians from all backgrounds—from spearheading an expansion of financial support for college-related expenses for the neediest seniors to encouraging all College Counseling department members to pursue professional development activities to strengthen our skills related to diversity and equity, years before the Academy had hired a Director of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion,” he said.

Achievements on Campus

Apart from family-affiliated privilege, some students wonder if positions acquired at Exeter, such as Student Council president, would impact the counselor that one received. “I’m under the impression that Dolan counsels many students in high ranking positions of high commitment clubs, such as Student Council, The Exonian, Mock Trial, Model UN, Debate, etc.,” senior John Beckerle said.

The Exonian polled Student Council presidents and runner-ups for the past five years and found that two out of the ten students had Dolan—the presidents elected by the Class of 2018 and 2019.

There is also a perception among students that those who have top grade point averages may also receive Dolan as a counselor, Amber said. “All of these kids have some sort of edge for college, [such as] being more privileged in some way or doing exceedingly well in school,” she said. “I know a lot of people say that all the rich kids with really high GPAs get her.”

However, Amber noted that, while this perception is prominent among the student body, there are many exceptions. “I know people with really high GPAs who don't have her,” she said.

The Exonian found that of the 15 students in the Class of 2019 who were early inductees into the Cum Laude society—with GPAs in the top 5% of the class—three had Dolan as their college counselor.

Towards a More Equitable Process

Kron reflected on the state of the College Counseling Office, concluding that perhaps the best way to assign college counselors would be to match students on a work and personality basis. “My experience with my college counselor was really good because his personality and way of doing college counseling worked really well for my style of applying to college,” she said. “I have friends [for whom] their counselor did not match up with their style, and they had a very different experience than I did. I don't know how this [could] be done, but I feel like, if they had an interview process or a survey, they might be able to cater to students’ styles more.”

Upper Caroline Fleming noted that, if counselors were assigned based on speciality, they would be better equipped to cater to students’ needs. “The college counselors we have are not specialized, but if they were, it would make sense if they fit their needs,” C. Fleming said. “For example, if you are an athlete, you could get a counselor who knows the coaches better and the recruitment [process].”

Similarly, Atif stated that he has heard of challenges in counselor-student communication and that the implementation of anti-bias training within the CCO would help foster better relationships between counselors and the diverse student body. “We all know that implicit bias exists. The only way to combat them is to go through bias-resistance training. So, if we haven't done that as adults, it’s very likely that we could be biased,” he said. “If students perceive a bias, eventually, a narrative develops, and the corrective action would be to interrogate our practices. I think [bias-resistance training] is worth looking into.”

Regardless of Exeter’s own office, college admissions has long been tied to factors of privilege such as race, wealth or family background, even before Operation Varsity Blues made headlines. Other recent controversies include Harvard University’s “Z-list,” a deferred admissions list of overwhelmingly white and legacy students whose academic performances are more comparable to rejected students, as well as larger debates on the fairness of policies such as legacy and acceptances following philanthropic giving.

In response to the scandal, the National Association for College Admission Counseling (NACAC), of which PEA is a charter member, published an article noting that none of their members were involved with the scandal. “The story is still a shock and a challenge to our profession,” the article stated.

The NACAC recognized that privilege has always been present in the admissions process. “We know that wealthy people have always enjoyed many advantages in the process, such as the ability to pay for tutoring, test preparation and application coaching,” they wrote.

Being an Exonian and receiving support from Exeter’s CCO—regardless of one’s background—is itself a privilege. Loevinger noted, “Even for kids on financial aid, you’d have to be in a very special situation to be able to come here and go away from public school to be able to attend this amazing school.”

Dolan emphasized the qualifications of the CCO members. “The College Counseling Office at Phillips Exeter Academy hires experienced professionals in college counseling, in college admissions and/or in both professions,” she said.

The office is still seeking ways to better support students. “Next year, the College Counseling Office will have nine full-time college counselors,” Dolan stated. “This is not only a great gift, but also a privilege that a majority of high school students will never experience,” she said.

A. Fleming believes that “the only real privilege” is attending Exeter, saying, “It's not the background that you come from, it’s that once you go to Exeter, Exeter provides students with the amazing Harkness discussion method that makes all Exonians really strong candidates in the college admissions process, regardless of their backgrounds.”

Furthermore, Downer asserted that Exeter’s College Counseling Office upholds the Academy’s principle of equal treatment for every student. “I am highly confident that the College Counseling professionals are wholly committed to each and every student under their care,” he said.

Downer noted that the CCO’s commitment to inclusion is a testament to the caliber of the office. “That confidence is based upon the discussions we have had about the challenges facing a number of our students, such as how to support students for whom English is not spoken at home, how to support students who are first generation college applicants, how to support students for whom the college application process is a meaningful financial challenge,” he said. “Those discussions—and the CCO’s commitment to coming up with solutions to those challenges—convinces me of the school’s commitment to make the counseling process an equitable one.”

Meanwhile, Einhaus elaborated on the counselors’ respective backgrounds and their commitment to Equity and Inclusion. “This Equity and Financial Inclusion work is very close to Ms. Dolan’s heart. I know firsthand that, if you scratch a little bit, there’s still quite a bit of the scholarship student from the Bronx with just one pair of shoes that’s part of her identity, just as for me, I’m always a first-generation, blue collar LGBTQ+ kid from an underserved rural high school,” he said. “After all, diversity, just as our support for Exeter’s diverse student body, comes in all different shapes.” 

Jackson Parrell ’18 reflected upon the college process, remarking that the College Counseling Office at Exeter substantially helped him in his admissions endeavors. “I think that one of the most important aspects of the college process is just talking through [it] with a college counselor who’s familiar with almost every school, what your best fit is,” he said. “The College Counseling Office is incredibly committed to making sure each student finds a place where they belong.”

Principal Rawson noted that, while “some parents might look at college matriculation more closely than others,” when all is said and done, Exeter’s mission does not revolve around matriculation. “At all times, we urge prospective students and their families to consider Exeter for the experience of an Exeter education, not as a means to a college acceptance,” he said.

Looking back upon her college counseling process, Kron concluded that she had a positive experience. “When I first got my college counselor assignment, I was freaked out that I didn’t receive one that my friends had said was good and by the rumor mill that surrounds the office. I tried to switch and my mother called CCO,”  she said. “However, I was not allowed to switch and developed a great relationship with my college counselor, and ultimately, my college counselor was the best fit for me.”

*Asterisks denote name change to preserve anonymity.

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