Monique Eguavoen, Ed.D., joined Westridge last year as director of college counseling. She came to us from Southern Methodist University, where she served as associate dean of admission—sitting on the admission leadership team and leading a department responsible for comprehensive admission and enrollment services for first-year students. Eguavoen brings with her more than 15 years of experience in college admission; a strong understanding of college recruitment, admission, matriculation, and financial aid; and a commitment to equity and diversity. Prior to Southern Methodist, she worked in admissions at UC Irvine, Penn State New Kensington, and the University of Pittsburgh School of Education.

We sat down with Eguavoen to talk about her goals for Westridge college counseling, how the landscape of college admissions has changed, and how students and families should approach applying to colleges and universities.

How does your experience working on the university side of college admissions inform your work at Westridge?

It informs every decision I make. I use what I’ve learned in the past 15 years to demystify the college application and financial aid process for others. Personally, that was something my family and I did not understand when I was applying to college, so being able to provide that type of support is important for me. I also have my master’s in marriage and family therapy; I use those skills in each interaction with students and families as we work together to discuss goals and champion every success—big or small.

What is the philosophy that guides you in college counseling?

Open and honest communication paired with empathetic and unwavering support.

What are your goals for your department?

I see our department giving support earlier in the process. As much as we can say ‘don’t focus on college’ when students are freshmen and sophomores, I think there are components about the unknown that can add stress. I want to see how we can support students, possibly through their advisors as well as group activities or events, and where we can provide updates as to what students should be looking at each year of Upper School.

As the field of college admissions evolves, I also want to make sure our team continues to prioritize professional development to stay up to date so that we’re able to provide the best possible support to students.

Related to your goals, what should younger students be thinking about or doing to be prepared for the formal process of applying to colleges?

Students should find subjects and activities that they love, what they enjoy participating in, and what brings a smile to their face because if they’re passionate about what they’re doing, it will show through success inside and outside the classroom. Making that deeper connection makes you want to do well.

What are the top three things students should keep in mind when applying to colleges?

1. Maintain a balanced list of colleges you’re applying to. (Editor’s note: A balanced list means one-third target, one-third likely, and one-third reach institutions; read on for more!)
2. Find colleges that specifically fit your wants and needs. Students often think about the college process as solely researching schools and applying to them, but a critical part is the serious self-reflection that occurs during the process—which is necessary to develop a college list and write impassioned essays. Self-reflection is a major focus of College Process 11: Voice and Vision, a class students take in the spring of their junior year.
3. Rejection is redirection. (Apt advice as frequently encouraged by Westridge Lower & Middle School Director Dr. Zanita Kelly!) There is not only one perfect school for each student. Our department works intently to ensure each of them finds the college/university that is a fit for the unique individual they are.

There’s a general sense that the world of college admissions has changed, especially in the last few years with the COVID-19 pandemic and the Supreme Court’s ruling on affirmative action earlier this year. What significant changes have you seen over that period?

The largest change that has impacted a plethora of higher education institutions has been the implementation of test optional, or temporary test optional for some schools, for the SAT and ACT due to the pandemic. We are starting to see institutions requiring the SAT or ACT again, such as Georgetown, MIT, and Purdue, while other schools have continued their test-optional or test-blind policy, such as Caltech.

Research shows GPA is a better predictor of college success than test scores. It’s terrible that something like a pandemic had to happen for admission processes to move towards less reliance on tests, but this opportunity can be beneficial in certain situations.

In June 2023, the U.S. Supreme Court issued its opinion regarding the consideration of race in college admission. Like the implementation of test-optional policies, this change will have reverberations throughout higher education and for future generations. Many of the nation’s colleges and universities have been reviewing their admission policies—specifically, the manner students’ race can be considered—and adjusting to accommodate the new interpretation of the law. And in response, they have updated their supplemental and essay questions as well as shared their commitment to diversity (and its many forms, including varying backgrounds and lived experiences). What remains true is that students still have the opportunity to reflect on their experiences as diverse members of society.

With that said, because California was one of eight states that prohibited the consideration of race, ethnicity, or sex assigned at birth in public education even before the Supreme Court decision, our office has experience working within this landscape. And, we’ll use this experience and our existing relationships at institutions to better understand the changes at the schools our students are applying to.

How does testing play into factors students should be considering when applying for colleges?

Each college and university is different. It’s not a one-size-fits-all; there are components of testing advantage that we’ve seen. (Editor’s note: Testing advantage refers to the breakdown of students who are admitted with test scores within a certain range compared to students who are admitted as test optional.) Test optional has provided opportunities for students who either have test anxiety, do not do as well on tests, or don’t have the opportunity to repeat tests as frequently as some students do.

I would say to students: If you are interested in taking the ACT or SAT, take the test. We encourage students to take either test at least once and we guide them through sending the scores to colleges if they wish. But I’m glad that students aren’t judging their worth solely by their test score.

Can you speak about Advanced Courses?

There is a trend within the curriculum of high schools, especially private independent schools, in which there is a shift away from AP courses and the idea of teaching towards the AP test. I saw this frequently when I worked on the college side; it’s something colleges are quite comfortable with.

Westridge had 75 colleges reps visit campus last fall. They all told us they are fine with the shift to proprietary advanced courses and that it is, in fact, something they had been seeing and working with for some time.

The onus is on us, the College Counseling department, to let colleges know what an advanced course is at Westridge and why our curriculum is either the same rigor or more rigorous than AP courses during the transition. And we’re able to do that.

How does the College Counseling department walk students through the admissions process?

Each student is assigned to a counselor, who they meet with starting the spring of their junior year. In individual and family meetings, personalized guidance is provided for all aspects of the college admission process. In addition, students take two classes that provide general information for all students and keep their college process on track with tasks and assignments.

They start with The College Process 11: Voice and Vision during spring of their junior year, which is a semester-long course that lays the foundation for the senior year college process including college/major and scholarship research, resume work, self-reflection, and more. Then in the summer prior to senior year, we have the Jumpstart Workshop, which is a week-long intensive during which we demystify the different components of the application. Students also have reading assignments and discussions with higher education professionals.

In The College Process 12: Your Chosen Path, a class that seniors take during the fall semester, we go over the nuts and bolts of the application. This involves going over the application step-by-step and giving students time during class to work on their applications and supplementals.

Applying to college is a lot of work and pressure on students. What we try to do is help mitigate that and encourage them to have a balanced list, so that they’re able to focus specifically on the college process and how they’re applying. Students are encouraged to apply to 12-15 schools.

How should college rankings impact a student in deciding where they should go and how relevant it should be?

College rankings are fallible and the criteria can change frequently, something evident from the dramatic shifts in this year’s U.S. News & World Report rankings. There are also some law and medical schools that are taking a step back from this by removing themselves from the ranking process.

Higher rankings traditionally correlate with highly selective institutions—just another reason to ensure there is balance in the college list.

What are some misconceptions students and families have about the whole college admissions process?

Misconception 1: “High rankings mean the college/university is going to be a great fit for your student.” Fit is subjective to each individual. You want to consider factors such as: major choice; internship, research, and co-op opportunities; finances; location and environment; support services; and more.

Misconception 2: “You need to take a certain number of advanced classes.” There isn’t a magic number of advanced courses that will grant entrance to an institution. Rigor and curriculum are important as are the resulting grades.

Misconception 3: “Family responsibilities and work experience don’t count as extracurriculars.” These experiences are meaningful and can help provide a full, multi-dimensional view of a student. These, along with leadership experiences and community service involvements, can be included in college applications.

What should students think about when they determine match or fit for themselves?

I like to ask students: When you close your eyes and imagine yourself on a college campus, what does it look like? Are you at a big school? Are you in the middle of a city? Are you in a college town? Are you at a small school? Are you doing research? Are you involved in extracurriculars? What does your college experience look like for you?

Based off of those responses, we’re able to find options that fit with each and every student.

How has diversity, equity, and inclusion played into your work prior to and at Westridge?

I am a first-generation, limited-resource, minority college student so working with diversity, equity, and inclusion has been more than a role or responsibility within my previous jobs—it’s a passion that represents who I am down to my core. I’ve been lucky to work in environments where this passion is honored, supported, as well as celebrated. It’s a personal priority and something that I bring here as well.

Our office specifically has conversations about diversity, equity, inclusion, and justice (DEIJ) and current events in education, its relation to college admissions, and the best way to advocate for every one of our students.

What do you want people to know about you?

I loved working at the collegiate level—I could have retired in college admission, and I would never have second-guessed it. But the more successful you are within college admission, the fewer interactions you have with students—and that’s what I really liked and enjoyed.

The reason I made this transition is because I have a passion for helping others, working with students, and providing the support that I did not have when applying to college. I did everything incorrectly when I was applying, but I love that I’m able to now provide support and clarity to others.

What should families take into consideration when their students are applying to college?

I think it’s very important for families to understand that this is a process not only for students, but also for parents/guardians. Our students are exceptional, and they just want to make their parents proud.

Want to learn more? Explore Westridge's College Counseling program here.