The recent College Admissions Scandal is not so much salacious news about the rich and famous, but more, it is a horrifying illustration of how obsessed we have become with “selective colleges.”  As someone who has worked in College Admissions for twelve years, Lindsey can say without a doubt that the selectivity of a college does not equal the quality of education. Yet we have all trained our brains to think of elite colleges like someone playing hard to get.

How can we encourage students to expand their horizons while valuing the colleges that will admit them?  Lindsey has worked in College Admissions for over twelve years, beginning her career at her alma mater, Furman University, where she served as a territory manager for students from Florida and the South Carolina Lowcountry, and supervised the Admissions Internship Program. She earned her Bachelor of Arts in Communication Studies from Furman and her Masters of Education in Counselor Education, Student Affairs from Clemson University.

She is currently the Associate Director of College Counseling at Christ Church Episcopal School in Greenville, South Carolina where she also serves as an 11th grade advisor and co-teaches an elective course, The Pursuit of Happiness. She has presented at the Southern Association for College Admission Counseling annual conference for the past seven years, and is a member of the Miami University Counselor Advisory Board. She is a certified Jazzercise Aerobic and Dance Fitness instructor in Greenville and is expecting her first child with her husband in May. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at https://www.ted.com/tedx