Here is a good list of things to consider when developing your list of colleges to apply to. Check it out!
http://www.danvilleexpress.com/square/index.php?i=3&d=&t=3099
Sunday, August 28, 2011
Thursday, August 18, 2011
Welcome to High School!
The beginning of the school year is always a good time to stop and take note of the milestones. Seniors are beginning the excitement of college choices, but ninth graders, just starting their first year of high school, should be looking ahead. From this point on, everything counts towards your future goals!
You are starting with a completely fresh slate. How well you did in middle school is water under the bridge--it will have no effect on your college admissions. If you struggled with grades in 8th grade, this is a new opportunity to start fresh, to get the help you need to improve and to succeed. If you did well, this is no time to get distracted. So, what do you need to know to prepare for your future? What do colleges look for in their applicants?
Obviously, the first item is academics. All the athletics, community service and talent in music or drama will not get you far if you don't work at keeping grades at the highest level you can. In high school, more of the responsibility will be on you; your teachers won't be chasing you down the hall begging you to turn in that assignment from last week--they will be entering a 0 in your gradebook. You will need to seek help if you are struggling, keep track of your assignments and turn them in on time. One way to keep track of things is to have access to Renweb, our online school software. If you stop by my office, I can enter your email address into the system and give you directions on how to log in and receive a passcode to access your homework assignments and grades from home.
In addition to good grades, colleges are looking for academic challenge, so plan on taking higher level courses, especially in math and science. Don't assume you can take all fluff classes your senior year and be accepted at that college of your dreams. The University of Maryland public universities are now requiring a senior year math, and other advanced courses will show that you are willing to challenge yourself in the educational arena.
For most schools, you will need to take college admissions tests to apply. What can you do now to help prepare? Read. Read some more. Then read some more. It is one of the best ways to learn vocabulary, to get a feel for good writing and to learn more about the world around you. There must be books out there about the things that interest you, whether it's computers, history, sports, music, or fiction, so find them and get reading! Our librarians will be happy to help you find books that appeal to you.
But colleges aren't interested solely in grades and test scores. You should have a life outside of academics, and that life should include things you love. Sports is a good thing, though very few of you will continue sports in college, and even fewer beyond it. Community service is becoming a larger item in college admissions and scholarships (besides being necessary for graduation!), so find someplace that needs your talents and get involved. Do you have a passion for music or drama or art? Cultivate that with clubs or community groups. Do you bike? Find a group that takes bike tours and join in. Are you planning on a medical career? Volunteer at a local hospital. There are many ways to become involved, and all will not only help you with college admissions, they will also add enjoyment to your life.
Try not to go overboard, though. Don't do so many different activities that none are done well or completely. Choose a few that are really important to you and stick with them.
Most important of all, keep track of everything. When you are a senior, you will be filling out lots of forms asking what you did when, how much time was spent on it, etc. Develop a record book, or file, to keep track of all you do, awards received, and any other important information; it will make your life so much easier later on.
But most of all, enjoy the years ahead. They will go by much faster than you imagine, and in three short years you will be seniors making your college application lists.
You are starting with a completely fresh slate. How well you did in middle school is water under the bridge--it will have no effect on your college admissions. If you struggled with grades in 8th grade, this is a new opportunity to start fresh, to get the help you need to improve and to succeed. If you did well, this is no time to get distracted. So, what do you need to know to prepare for your future? What do colleges look for in their applicants?
Obviously, the first item is academics. All the athletics, community service and talent in music or drama will not get you far if you don't work at keeping grades at the highest level you can. In high school, more of the responsibility will be on you; your teachers won't be chasing you down the hall begging you to turn in that assignment from last week--they will be entering a 0 in your gradebook. You will need to seek help if you are struggling, keep track of your assignments and turn them in on time. One way to keep track of things is to have access to Renweb, our online school software. If you stop by my office, I can enter your email address into the system and give you directions on how to log in and receive a passcode to access your homework assignments and grades from home.
In addition to good grades, colleges are looking for academic challenge, so plan on taking higher level courses, especially in math and science. Don't assume you can take all fluff classes your senior year and be accepted at that college of your dreams. The University of Maryland public universities are now requiring a senior year math, and other advanced courses will show that you are willing to challenge yourself in the educational arena.
For most schools, you will need to take college admissions tests to apply. What can you do now to help prepare? Read. Read some more. Then read some more. It is one of the best ways to learn vocabulary, to get a feel for good writing and to learn more about the world around you. There must be books out there about the things that interest you, whether it's computers, history, sports, music, or fiction, so find them and get reading! Our librarians will be happy to help you find books that appeal to you.
But colleges aren't interested solely in grades and test scores. You should have a life outside of academics, and that life should include things you love. Sports is a good thing, though very few of you will continue sports in college, and even fewer beyond it. Community service is becoming a larger item in college admissions and scholarships (besides being necessary for graduation!), so find someplace that needs your talents and get involved. Do you have a passion for music or drama or art? Cultivate that with clubs or community groups. Do you bike? Find a group that takes bike tours and join in. Are you planning on a medical career? Volunteer at a local hospital. There are many ways to become involved, and all will not only help you with college admissions, they will also add enjoyment to your life.
Try not to go overboard, though. Don't do so many different activities that none are done well or completely. Choose a few that are really important to you and stick with them.
Most important of all, keep track of everything. When you are a senior, you will be filling out lots of forms asking what you did when, how much time was spent on it, etc. Develop a record book, or file, to keep track of all you do, awards received, and any other important information; it will make your life so much easier later on.
But most of all, enjoy the years ahead. They will go by much faster than you imagine, and in three short years you will be seniors making your college application lists.
Friday, August 12, 2011
Netiquette for College Admissions
More and more colleges are using facebook, twitter, email, texting, blogs and other technology related forums to contact and interact with potential students. This is both a good thing, and a problem. The positives should be pretty obvious, but I want to give some pointers about the problems.
The main thing you need to remember when interacting with colleges is that anything you send them by any means is considered in light of your desirability as a potential student. You are making an impression on the admissions officers with every contact you make. So you need to remember that these are not your friends! You need to be much more formal than you usually are in these areas--skip the OMG, the LOL's and l8's and any other texting style jargon. You need to convince these people that you are educated, articulate, knowledgeable potential students!
Another area to consider is creating a professional sounding email just for college contacts. Your admissions rep may be amused by an email address including things like pookie, 2cute, cuddlebear, etc, but they will not be impressed. Stick to your name as your email address, and use it on all your applications. Get in the habit of checking it a couple times a week (yes, I know email is so last year, but you might as well get used to it, as colleges and workplaces use email). Colleges often contact you by email concerning items that are missing from your application or deadlines for scholarships and other important information. Don't miss out because you neglect to check your email regularly.
When you actually talk to a representative, remember again that you are making an impression on them. If it's a phone call, go ahead and rehearse before hand what you want to ask them so that you sound as mature and ready for college as possible. If you are talking to them at a school visit or a college fair, your manners are important and will help to create an overall good impression that may help your admission rep to give you greater consideration. Remember to thank them for their time and let them know you appreciate their help.
Admissions reps are interested in knowing who you are, so make sure they see the best of you.
The main thing you need to remember when interacting with colleges is that anything you send them by any means is considered in light of your desirability as a potential student. You are making an impression on the admissions officers with every contact you make. So you need to remember that these are not your friends! You need to be much more formal than you usually are in these areas--skip the OMG, the LOL's and l8's and any other texting style jargon. You need to convince these people that you are educated, articulate, knowledgeable potential students!
Another area to consider is creating a professional sounding email just for college contacts. Your admissions rep may be amused by an email address including things like pookie, 2cute, cuddlebear, etc, but they will not be impressed. Stick to your name as your email address, and use it on all your applications. Get in the habit of checking it a couple times a week (yes, I know email is so last year, but you might as well get used to it, as colleges and workplaces use email). Colleges often contact you by email concerning items that are missing from your application or deadlines for scholarships and other important information. Don't miss out because you neglect to check your email regularly.
When you actually talk to a representative, remember again that you are making an impression on them. If it's a phone call, go ahead and rehearse before hand what you want to ask them so that you sound as mature and ready for college as possible. If you are talking to them at a school visit or a college fair, your manners are important and will help to create an overall good impression that may help your admission rep to give you greater consideration. Remember to thank them for their time and let them know you appreciate their help.
Admissions reps are interested in knowing who you are, so make sure they see the best of you.
Thursday, August 4, 2011
Recommendations
Many colleges today require at least one recommendation letter, and as more and more students apply to colleges, these letters are often being given more weight in the admissions process. So, what types of recommendations will help you the most, and how can you assist in making those the best letters possible?
When you bring me your secondary school report form from your applications, there is usually a place for me to write a counselor’s recommendation. Since I haven’t had most of you in class, this can often be a difficult process for me; you can help me by including a resume with your form. The resume is a listing of all the things that might help me to flesh out your basic academic record: work and volunteer experience and how you think those experiences have helped you to grow and mature, interests, career goals, personal characteristics that you think make you stand out from the crowd, or other information that can help me to get your personality on paper. My recommendation is a more general, overall type of letter, so these details can make a big difference in the letter.
Teacher’s recommendations are different, as they are more focused on your academic personality and performance in their classroom. When you give the teacher the recommendation form, it would help them if they had a list of details to jog their memory. What classes did you take from the teacher? What was your favorite topic, project or activity? Remind them of a particular paper or activity that you did well on, and include details that will help them to describe your abilities and participation in a classroom.
If you are in the earlier high school years, think ahead. Make sure your classroom participation is positive, providing lots of material for a teacher to discuss. Cultivate good relationships with your teachers.
Most important—do not wait until the last second to ask a teacher to write a letter. They have a lot of grading and class preparation to do, as well as a life outside of school, and they might not be interested in dropping everything to deal with your crisis. Give them at least 2 weeks advance notice, provide the materials they need, and make sure to thank them, preferably in writing.
Website of the week: check out http://nces.ed.gov/collegenavigator/. This is the official website of the National Center for Educational Statistics, with all kinds of handy information on different schools.
When you bring me your secondary school report form from your applications, there is usually a place for me to write a counselor’s recommendation. Since I haven’t had most of you in class, this can often be a difficult process for me; you can help me by including a resume with your form. The resume is a listing of all the things that might help me to flesh out your basic academic record: work and volunteer experience and how you think those experiences have helped you to grow and mature, interests, career goals, personal characteristics that you think make you stand out from the crowd, or other information that can help me to get your personality on paper. My recommendation is a more general, overall type of letter, so these details can make a big difference in the letter.
Teacher’s recommendations are different, as they are more focused on your academic personality and performance in their classroom. When you give the teacher the recommendation form, it would help them if they had a list of details to jog their memory. What classes did you take from the teacher? What was your favorite topic, project or activity? Remind them of a particular paper or activity that you did well on, and include details that will help them to describe your abilities and participation in a classroom.
If you are in the earlier high school years, think ahead. Make sure your classroom participation is positive, providing lots of material for a teacher to discuss. Cultivate good relationships with your teachers.
Most important—do not wait until the last second to ask a teacher to write a letter. They have a lot of grading and class preparation to do, as well as a life outside of school, and they might not be interested in dropping everything to deal with your crisis. Give them at least 2 weeks advance notice, provide the materials they need, and make sure to thank them, preferably in writing.
Website of the week: check out http://nces.ed.gov/collegenavigator/. This is the official website of the National Center for Educational Statistics, with all kinds of handy information on different schools.
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