The brand new Hundreds of Heads book “Get into College” is out and it includes advice from many sources, and features IECA and its members in a big way. Using a special logo, the title “IECA Counselor’s Corner,” and a banner proclaiming “Expert Advice,” the book features essays from IECA members or IECA member surveys about 30 times. Essay topics range from “Be True to Yourself” to “Is Early Decision for You?” In addition to these insider tidbits and essays from 16 members, much information is offered on the value of hiring IECA members and IECA is listed first among counseling resources. Don’t forget that IECA consultants get a substantial discount on Hundreds of Heads publications. If you want to place an order for this book or other Hundreds of Heads publications go to http://www.iecaonline.com/benefits.html#publications.

Well, the Spring 2009 College Week Live virtual college fair is now history.  According to  the managers at CWL, the IECA-hosted Counselor-on-Call Center was among the busiest and best attended parts of the show!  I have heard from nearly 40 of our participating members and all but one indicated that it was a great experience.

A few quotes from IECA participating members:

Joan Bress: “The experience was hectic, but fun.  I felt like an over caffeinated air traffic controller.”

Iraida Alvarado: “The experience was at first very confusing and overwhelming, but once I got the hang of it, totally satisfying, even exhilarating!” 

Susan Hanflik: “I have never felt more ADD in my life, and I completely am awed by our kids’ ability to multi-task conversations on the computer.”

Judi Robinovitz: “The kids (and some parents, too) asked excellent questions about SAT vs ACT, AP vs dual enrollment, deadlines, factors in admission decisions, etc.”

Terry Lloyd: “I thought it was great fun and wonder how we can develop this into something for pro bono students.”

Suzan Reznick: “For the most part the students were very grateful and polite. It was fun, but very intense last night, hard for me to type fast enough to keep up!”

Dean Skarlis: “I did enjoy the chat room, and I think the entire concept is excellent.”

Jane Shropshire: “It truly does feel like a college fair, with students clamoring for attention and appreciative, as Mark said, of informative responses.  It was a pleasure and a privilege to participate.”

After some early morning technical problems, it was exciting to watch as thousands of students and parents visited the virtual college fair. Over the course of the first day, more than 25 IECA members served as the exclusive “Counselors-on-Call” responding to hundreds (literally) of questions over 12 hours. Many questions dealt with SAT/ACT, financial aid, and applications. I saw many colleges representatives stop into the C-on-C area as well. Kudos to our members who handled the glut of questions (as many as ten at a time). The fair continues Thursday from 10:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m., EST.

I had a good meeting Wednesday with Jan Moss, outgoing executive director and Cliff Brownstein, the new NATSAP executive. We had a wide-ranging discussion about pending legislation, ethics, conferences, and parent inquiries. I am looking forward to discovering possibilities for our two organizations to work together in new and dynamic ways. I’m also thrilled that Jan will be at our gathering in San Francisco.

So far, over 110 members have completed the IECA Foundation online survey.  It is appreciated and others are urged to complete theirs if they haven’t yet done so.  The Foundation has a number of interesting things planned for the spring conference including announcing the Irving Katz Service Awards; honoring the memory of our dear friend and colleague Ed Kowalchick; and hosting the Leadership Donor Reception.

The three pre-conference workshops (changing nature of college counseling in the recession; school sustainability in the economic crisis; and survivability of therapeutic programs) are attracting tremendous interest.  Together, well over 400 people have signed on to these free programs—about four times the usual pre-conference participation.  I’m thrilled that IECA is taking the lead in confronting the impact of the current economic mess and we have great partners in these workshops.

Conference registration passed 700 on Friday, with 5 weeks to go.  We already have more consultants registered for San Francisco than attended the spring conference last year.  Those who have not yet registered should do so soon to beat any late fees, and book their hotel room at the conference location.  Any professional, associate, or student members who did not register for the Tuesday members-only dinner can still be added on to this special Chinatown outing.

We just learned that Canada’s Channel One will be sending a crew to San Francisco to cover the conference and conduct interviews for a television special on parenting trends.

I’m looking forward to recording my first podcast this Friday.  The topic is the value of educational consulting, given the downturn in the economy.  I think we have a great message to tell and I plan to tell it!  The podcast will be featured on the AdmissionsQuest Web site and we’ll include it on the IECA home page as well.

I will be taking some time away from the virtual college fair this Wednesday to join NATSAP’s outgoing (Jan Moss) and incoming (Cliff Brownstein) executive directors for lunch and a planning session.  With NATSAP moving its national office to the DC area it will certainly facilitate such opportunities and improve our ability to coordinate and enhance cooperation on a host of issues from ethics to the impact of the financial crisis on both our members and our organizations.

The College Week Live virtual college fair is coming up and we have 56 IECA members serving as “Counselor-on-Call”—a new addition to the fair.  Most have gone through training and seem excited about answering student & parent questions throughout the event Wednesday & Thursday.  I’ll be stopping by throughout the two days and making note of frequently asked questions—and answers—which might be helpful in the future.

It was exciting to see College Week Live promote the Counselor-on-Call component and IECA’s involvement in their final ‘Friday promotional postcard’ to their mailing list.