Counselling activity: best fit is a two-way street

This is an interactive group activity to get students thinking about best fit and what it is they want from their university experience, and to empower them to clarify their own identities.

The activity also works well with staff, particularly if they are unfamiliar with the US education system, which is often the case in a diverse teaching body.

1. The scenario

The activity is an admissions role play from the perspective of an admissions panel. By flipping the point of view and getting the students and staff to think as an admissions reader, it encourages students to consider what qualities they can display to stand out. It also highlights the nuances of the US admissions process.

2. The set-up

Split the group into teams of between four and six. Each team receives a profile of the college they are working for. In addition, they receive a set of between six and eight student application summaries.

The task is for the group to unanimously agree on one student to admit to their college. Usually about 15 to 20 minutes is sufficient for this.

Groups are then invited to share which student they chose and why, with the leader of the session giving feedback and offering big-picture ideas.

How AI can help you

AI can seriously reduce your workload when planning this activity. Rather than crafting every student profile by hand, you can ask AI to help generate some profiles. It is a good idea to write a couple yourself first and suggest that AI use them as templates.

Remember the keys to good AI prompting when doing this:

• Be clear and specific.
• Define the output format (this can include a limit on output length).
• Iterate: the more you feed back, the better AI learns.

It is good to have a solid bank of these profiles, and you can draw on former students who really stood out when creating these sample profiles.

You can be as creative as you want with the profiles, throwing in colourful details to provoke discussion. Your applicants could be an Olympic-level fencer, a member of a royal family, a YouTuber with a million subscribers – whatever you choose.

The same applies to the college profile. It is good to have a few variations, so you can rerun the session or cater to particular groups of students. Below are some examples to use as a starting point.

Sample student profile

Predicted grades of A*/A/B at A level. SAT 1420. Teacher recommendation letters show that she will be missed by the school and that she contributes a huge amount to the co-curricular programme. Her essays are thoughtful and well written and speak of overcoming challenges stemming from her background in a single-parent family. Attends a prestigious private school on a bursary. Plays tennis for the school team but has not pursued it beyond that.

Sample college profile

Excellent University

Since its founding in 1752, Excellent University has been dedicated to sharing knowledge and expanding cultural literacy. Driven by innovation and information, we engage with people across the globe in the quest to improve the human condition. We have more than 7,500 undergraduate students and more than 9,000 graduate students. We have an acceptance rate of about 5 per cent. Fifteen per cent of our undergraduate intake are first generation and 13 per cent have legacy status. More than 50 countries are represented in our student population. We offer 32 varsity sports.

Variations

This activity can be run multiple times with the same or different participants. By making shrewd changes to the profiles involved, counsellors can use the activity to illustrate particular points. Here are some scenarios:

• Stack the student profiles with similar academically strong candidates who offer little else, alongside one candidate who has many extracurriculars. This can help emphasise the importance of going beyond the curriculum.
• Throw in some profiles that are strong, but have indifferent teacher recommendations. This can highlight the importance of being “teachable” and having a likeable character.
• Use a college profile where the college is seeking a very specific type of student. This can underscore importance of best fit and doing your research to tailor your student profile to the university’s requirements.

Other stakeholders

This is an activity that can also be used with parents. It can help to give them an insight into the admissions process so that they know what they are dealing with. It can also encourage open-mindedness and exploration beyond university rankings.

Plenary

Hopefully this resource can help empower students to find that one thing that sets them apart from other applicants. It illustrates that best fit is vital in finding the right college for them, but also that colleges are looking for students who fit their own goals.

The adaptability of the task can prompt discussions on a variety of topics – and should be another tool to help unlock your students’ full potential.