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The Golden Ticket to College Admissions Isn't What You Think

Redefining Success for Parents of Teens with Irena Smith PhD

2024-08-15 13:00:00 2024-08-15 14:00:00 America/Chicago The Golden Ticket to College Admissions Isn't What You Think Another college application season is around the corner, and stress is already beginning to ratchet up for teens and their parents. Join us for this must-watch talk with Irena Smith. Please register. Virtual -

Thursday, August 15
1:00pm - 2:00pm

Add to Calendar 2024-08-15 13:00:00 2024-08-15 14:00:00 America/Chicago The Golden Ticket to College Admissions Isn't What You Think Another college application season is around the corner, and stress is already beginning to ratchet up for teens and their parents. Join us for this must-watch talk with Irena Smith. Please register. Virtual -

Another college application season is around the corner, and stress is already beginning to ratchet up for teens and their parents. Join us for this must-watch talk with Irena Smith. Please register.

You will hear about constructive and healthy ways to approach the college application process, preserve your relationship with your teen, and help them define success on their terms instead of chasing the elusive “golden ticket.”

Irena is a former Stanford Admissions Officer who has spent 18 years advising accomplished, tightly-wound students in Palo Alto and around the world. She saw firsthand the extreme measures parents took to help their children gain admission to highly selective colleges and the toll it took on the children as well as on their parents.

At the same time, Irena’s own children struggled with developmental delays, learning differences, severe depression, and anxiety. She kept her double life—successful college counselor at work, anxious mom at home—tightly under wraps for years until a stunning realization: she was exactly like the anxious parents of the students she worked with, all of whom were equally terrified about their children's future. Irena’s memoir, The Golden Ticket: A Life in College Admissions Essays, which candidly explores her personal as well as professional life, was published in 2023, and she has since devoted her time to speaking out about hard things: the heavy burden of generational expectations, teen and young adult mental health, and the importance of embracing a broader, more generous vision of what it means to succeed. To learn more about Irena’s personal experience as a parent, professional experience as a college admissions officer, and leave with tips on how to help your child approach the application process in practical, healthy ways–register now!


About the Author: Irena Smith is an author, former Stanford admissions officer, independent college counselor, and mother of three extraordinary children. She emigrated from the former Soviet Union with her parents when she was nine years old. In spite of her fierce insistence that she would never, not ever, learn English, she went on to earn a BA in English and then a PhD in Comparative Literature (both from UCLA, where she received a Distinguished Teaching Assistant Award and Dissertation Year Fellowship). Irena taught literature and composition at UCLA and Stanford before transitioning to college admissions, college advising, and writing. Her recently published memoir, The Golden Ticket: A Life in College Admissions Essays is the winner of the Story Circle Network's Gilda Award, named in honor of comedian Gilda Radner to recognize honest, authentic writing that "makes us laugh even when we want to cry." It's been described by Forbes as “captivating and smart… a potential antidote to the fevered belief that being admitted to an elite college will spell the difference between a successful life vs. a doomed future.”

Please Register for link to program.


Live Virtual Author Talks - This series through Library Speakers Consortium offers live online talks by bestselling authors of books in a variety of genres. Participants receive a link to the program when they register. Please see https://libraryc.org/gailborden to register and also view recorded videos of past speakers.

AGE GROUP: | Virtual Live | Adults |

EVENT TYPE: | Virtual | College & Careers | Adult Programs |

TAGS: | |

Virtual

Phone: 847-742-2411

Hours

Today's hours

We're open 9:00AM to 6:00PM

Mon, Mar 10 9:00AM to 9:00PM
Tue, Mar 11 9:00AM to 9:00PM
Wed, Mar 12 9:00AM to 9:00PM
Thu, Mar 13 9:00AM to 9:00PM
Fri, Mar 14 9:00AM to 6:00PM
Sat, Mar 15 9:00AM to 6:00PM
Sun, Mar 16 12:00PM to 5:00PM

About the Branch

Programs presented virtually through FB, Zoom, YouTube, and other online sources.

Upcoming Events

Fri, Mar 14, 10:00am - 11:00am
Rakow Branch - Rakow - Shales Living Room
Second Fridays, join us at Wits Workout which combines intellectually stimulating exercises, social interaction, and education about brain health in a friendly, engaging, and FUN way! Please register.

Sat, Mar 15, 9:00am - 1:00pm
Main Library - Grove Room
Free tax preparation for individuals & families who qualify for the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program.

Sat, Mar 15, 10:00am - 1:00pm
Main Library - Meadows Community Room C
Join us in this welcoming space for sewers of all skill levels to learn, create, and connect. Please bring your own project and equipment, as materials will not be provided. Please Register

Sat, Mar 15, 10:00am - 10:45am
Rakow Branch
Kids will have great fun playing with playdough as they explore with their hands and use their imaginations to create!
Registration is now closed

Sat, Mar 15, 10:00am - 12:00pm
Main Library - Lobby - Piano
Piano performance in the lobby by volunteer community members.

Sat, Mar 15, 1:00pm - 3:00pm
Main Library - Computer Training Room
Estas clases son para principiantes, para aprender destrezas básicas. No hay costo ni hay que tener tarjeta de la biblioteca. En español.
This event is full