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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

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Mon, May 05 9:00AM to 9:00PM
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Fri, May 09 9:00AM to 6:00PM
Sat, May 10 9:00AM to 6:00PM
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About the Branch

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

Upcoming Events

Fri, May 09, 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.
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Sat, May 10, 10:00am - 10:45am
Rakow Branch - Rakow - Large Exhibit Area
Come join us for a fun-filled Storytime where moms and their children can cuddle up and enjoy some delightful tales! We’ll also make our very own bears together.
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Sat, May 10, 10:00am - 11:30am
Main Library - Meadows Community Room A
Complete a service project for the library or community.

Sat, May 10, 10:00am - 3:00pm
Main Library - Lobby - Concierge
Illinois State Toll Highway Authority will be available to provide tollway I-Pass customers with the new I-Pass transponder stickers, update I-Pass accounts, open new accounts, & provide information.

Sat, May 10, 10:30am - 11:30am
Main Library - Grove Room
Practice or improve your conversation skills with other French speakers. This discussion group will be in a friendly and relaxed atmosphere facilitated by Sue Aissaoui, who is a native speaker.

Sat, May 10, 10:30am - 11:30am
Main Library - Elgin Room
Have a new Apple mobile device or considering getting one? Come learn about basic functions, how to get connected, identify common apps, and build confidence in using your device safely.

Sat, May 10, 12:30pm - 2:00pm
Main Library - Meadows Community Room A
Complete a service project for the library or community.

Sat, May 10, 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.
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Sat, May 10, 1:00pm - 2:00pm
Main Library - Elgin Room
Have a new Android mobile device, or are considering getting one? Come learn about basic functions, how to get connected, identify common apps, and build confidence in using your device safely.