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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 9:00PM

Mon, Apr 28 9:00AM to 9:00PM
Tue, Apr 29 9:00AM to 9:00PM
Wed, Apr 30 9:00AM to 9:00PM
Thu, May 01 9:00AM to 9:00PM
Fri, May 02 9:00AM to 6:00PM
Sat, May 03 9:00AM to 6:00PM
Sun, May 04 12:00PM to 5:00PM

About the Branch

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

Upcoming Events

Wed, Apr 30, 9:15am - 9:45am
Rakow Branch
Join us for stories, rhymes, and songs in this interactive Storytime. Ages 1-3 years old with adult caregiver.
Registration is now closed

Wed, Apr 30, 10:00am - 10:30am
Rakow Branch
Join us for stories, rhymes, and songs in this interactive Storytime. Ages 1-3 years old with adult caregiver.
Registration is now closed

Wed, Apr 30, 10:00am - 12:00pm
Mobile Services
Bookmobile stop in Freshway parking lot

Wed, Apr 30, 10:45am - 11:15am
Rakow Branch
Preschoolers will enjoy stories, songs, and activities. Ages 3-5 years old
Registration is now closed

Wed, Apr 30, 12:00pm - 1:00pm
Main Library - Meadows Community Rooms ABC
Music Director Chad Goodman & ESO Violinist Robbie Herbst will lead discussions about upcoming ESO concerts, repertoire, guest artists, special events and other Symphony-related topics. Register

Wed, Apr 30, 2:00pm - 2:45pm
Mobile Services
Bookmobile stop: Willow Lakes Estates – club house – 161 W. River Road – Elgin 60123 – 2:00-2:45

Wed, Apr 30, 3:00pm - 3:45pm
Mobile Services
Bookmobile stop: Highbury Dr., east of Waverly – Elgin 60120 – 3:00-3:45

Wed, Apr 30, 4:00pm - 4:45pm
Mobile Services
Bookmobile stop: Woodview Circle – corner of Woodview Cr. & Chicago St., Elgin 60120 – 4:00-4:45

Wed, Apr 30, 4:45pm - 5:45pm
Rakow Branch - Rakow - Shales Living Room
The kid's book club is back! This program is a 4-week series that combines reading, critical thinking, and hands-on activities to enrich the experience.
Registration is now closed

Wed, Apr 30, 5:00pm - 5:45pm
Mobile Services
Bookmobile stop: Crestwood Apts. of Elgin – info office – 45 Poplar Creek Dr. – Elgin 60120 – 5:00-5:45

Wed, Apr 30, 6:00pm - 7:00pm
Main Library - Meadows Community Room C
Aprende en la biblioteca. Participa con otras personas que hablan español o inglés como primer idioma. Learn at the Library with native English and Spanish speakers.
This event is full

Wed, Apr 30, 7:00pm - 8:30pm
Main Library - Grove Room
The Walking Book Club meets weekly on Wednesday evenings at 7:00 pm to walk, followed by the book discussion at 7:45 pm at the Main Library.

Wed, Apr 30, 7:00pm - 8:30pm
Main Library - Computer Training Room
In this series, learn how to use Microsoft Excel to manipulate, format, and organize numbers and other types of data. Sponsored by Comcast Internet Essentials.
Registration is now closed

Thu, May 01, 9:30am - 11:30am
Rakow Branch - Rakow - Computer Cafe
Get help with common tech issues like Microsoft Office, using a tablet, hotspots, syncing email with your phone, downloading content, and more. Drop in for personalized assistance at your library.

Thu, May 01, 2:30pm - 3:30pm
Mobile Services - Sprinter
Centro de Informacion Elgin - 1885 Lin Lor Ln, Elgin, IL 60123

Thu, May 01, 4:00pm - 5:00pm
Mobile Services - Sprinter
425 Dundee Ave. – Elgin 60120

Thu, May 01, 6:30pm - 7:30pm
Main Library - Conference Room
Usando material de USCIS que incluye preguntas de educación cívica, el formulario de solicitud y otros requisitos para la entrevista de ciudadanía.
This event is full

Thu, May 01, 7:00pm - 8:30pm
Main Library - Computer Training Room
In this series, learn how to use Microsoft Excel to manipulate, format, and organize numbers and other types of data. Sponsored by Comcast Internet Essentials.

Thu, May 01, 7:00pm - 8:30pm
Main Library - Grove Room
This writer's peer group will inspire and motivate you using prompts and exercises for creative writing. Writers of all genres are welcome to participate. Please Register.