Where is your daughter applying to college: A Tragicomedy
Posted on Fri, 10/18/2013 - 10:54
Parents, check out "Where is Your Daughter Applying to College?" -- an object lesson in how NOT to behave. Or perhaps some consolation for that conversation you yourself had last Tuesday. In any case, we hope you laugh along with us at the girl who "did everything herself" -- along with an SAT tutor, private guidance counselor, and time management consultant. Really, this thing doesn't miss one urban myth or opportunity for covert competitiveness. And we all know there are many such opportunities junior and senior year!
Seriously, parents, it's totally appropriate to share your feelings and concerns with your friends, but choose one or two close friends who know your son or daughter and have these conversations with them -- and politely excuse yourself when sidewalk talk becomes more confrontation than conversation. You can say, "You know, I just don't think talking about things like this is good for our kids. It really contributes to their anxiety." Or as Rosalind Wiseman, author of Queen Bee Mom and Kingpin Dads, further suggests: "You can make a joke of it. 'Hey, c’mon, we’re really not going to be those parents, are we?' and then talk about something like your favorite restaurant. Have some backup conversation in mind, ready to go."
It's not where you go to college. It's what you do when you get there... and beyond.
Posted on Thu, 10/17/2013 - 12:07Each year Forbes magazine enlists a panel of "expert judges" to choose "30 Under 30" -- a greatest hits list of 20-something movers and shakers in 15 categories from technology and social entrepreneurs to marketing and science and health care.
The website 60 Second Recap -- a site aimed at teens -- decided to do a little digging with the Forbes list to find out where these high achievers attended college. Predictably, they found that a number of those on the list had attended the most highly selective colleges in the country. But then they found out that like most headlines about college admission, Forbes neglects to tell us the whole story.
…Forbes doesn't say where all, or even most, of its "30 under 30" stars went to college. So we wondered: What's up with that? What would we find if we hunted down the college affiliation of every name on the "30 under 30" list?
And what did 60 Second Recap find?
Juniors: Do you know which Star Trek character you are?
Posted on Wed, 10/16/2013 - 12:01The students who do best in the college application process have figured out who they are and what they want. They have asked themselves the tough questions that help them emerge with a strong understanding of who they are. It’s hard work and it’s not always fun -- until today. Today, in this week's advice, we bring you a little comic relief with a questionnaire to find out which Star Trek character you are. And this little exercise might actually get you thinking about some of your distinctive traits and preferences.
BTW, we know we are a little obsessed with Star Trek. But as role models go the officers on the bridge are a little more noble than the South Park boys -- though we do love how Cartman, Kenny, et. al. speak their minds. And we welcome hearing about any "personality inventories" that you have found particularly helpful!
For more information about researching yourself in order to create a preliminary list of colleges, including lists of questions about your interests, activities, friends, family, activities, academics and more, see Chapter 8, "Creating an Initial List of Colleges" in College Admission: From Application to Acceptance, Step by Step.
Thank you to Maine South HS!
Posted on Wed, 10/16/2013 - 11:30
Thank you to Maine South High School in Park Ridge, Illinois! Christine VanDeVelde had a terrific time speaking with your students and parents and answering their questions about college visits, financial aid, researching colleges and more... With special thanks to College Counselor Stephanie Maksymiu and Director of Student Personnel Kevin Scotellaro.
Seniors: Do you know where your deadlines are?
Posted on Tue, 10/15/2013 - 10:24
It's not too soon to begin to keep track of deadlines for your applications, essays, financial aid, letters of recommendation, interviews and any other special requirements such as arts portfolios. Deadlines are important in the college application process. You do not want to miss out on financial aid, housing or even a seat at one of your top colleges by failing to submit information on time. Use whatever method feels easiest for you -- that might be an Excel spreadsheet, an electronic to-do list, a day planner, desk calendar or designated notebook. You can find our Application Deadline Organizer and Financial Aid Deadline Organizer available for download here in both Word and Excel. Whatever method you decide on, update it faithfully and consult it frequently to keep yourself on track for a successful admission process.
Guess what, students? You're in Control!
Posted on Mon, 10/14/2013 - 16:49
John Carpenter is back this month with some thoughts about who is really in the driver's seat during the college application process. While it might feel like the college admission offices are steering, if you pay attention you'll see that students have the wheel much of the time. Read on and reevaluate what you've been feeling if things are feeling out of control.
One thing I hear constantly from high school kids over and over is that applying to college is stressful. And psychologists tell us that stress comes from a feeling that we are not in control -- especially the big stuff. Getting into college falls into the “big stuff” category. But students have more control in this whole process than they may realize. So, let’s analyze that.
Thank you, thank you...
Posted on Sun, 10/13/2013 - 12:02
Our heartfelt thanks to the wonderful schools we visited on our swing through the West Coast:
Catlin Gabel School in Portland, Oregon
Woodside High School in Woodside, California
Sequoia High School in Redwood City, California
Menlo-Atherton High School in Atherton, California
Brentwood School in Los Angeles, California
It was a pleasure and honor to speak with your students and parents!
With special thanks to Kathleen Grant, Director of College Counseling at Catlin Gabel School; Principal Diane Burbank of Woodside High School; Charlene Margot, Parent Education Director for Sequoia, Woodside and Menlo-Atherton High Schools; Alice Kleeman, college advisor at Menlo-Atherton High School; and Brentwood School Head of School Michael Riera and Director of College Counseling Dr. Jawaan Wallace and Associate Directors of Counseling Eric Sherman and Sonia Arora.
Juniors: The First Step in Crafting a Preliminary List of Colleges
Posted on Thu, 10/10/2013 - 11:54
Your task in the next few months is to turn a four-digit universe—2,675 colleges— into a two-digit preliminary list of possibilities: the dozen or more schools you think you might like to attend. Step one in this process: Research yourself. What do you want? Before you start asking how schools are going to see you, think first about how you see yourself.
It is crucial that you set time aside to think deeply about this next phase of your life: what you want out of it, what you absolutely need to have, what you can and can't live without for four years, etc. If you are so overloaded with activities and academics that you do not take the time for self-reflection in this process, that's a mistake. Because you will end up with choices you are not truly happy with and cannot own.
Start by examining your preferences, priorities, interests, and hopes. You can fnd personality tests and “interest inventories” in some reference guidebooks such as the Fiske Guide to Colleges, or online with a Web- based service such as Naviance. Some of you may seek out friends, family, and guidance counselors to help you. Here are some questions from us about your interests and activities to help you get started:
1. What is your favorite thing to do?
2. What inspires you?
3. Which activity have you pursued outside of school that has been most meaningful to you?
The College List: Go Your Own Way
Posted on Wed, 10/09/2013 - 12:03
Will Dix is back this month with some illustrative advice for students working on the list of colleges to which they'll apply. Find out how to move off "standing out" and toward "standing up" as you decide where you will spend the next four years in "I'm The One That I Want!"
If you’re a high school senior, your interior monologue is probably going something like this right about now:
Seniors: Questions you Should Be Asking if You're Thinking of Applying Early
Posted on Tue, 10/08/2013 - 14:35
If you are thinking of applying under an early action or early decision plan, we have some questions for you to consider as you decide what might be right for you. The more yes answers you can give, the more applying early might be your best approach.
If you’re considering early decision, start here and work your way through all the questions below:
• Of all the colleges on your list, is this the school where you would unquestionably enroll?
• Is your first-choice school an environment that fits you well, but also a place where you can change and grow?
• Have you felt the school where you are going to apply early decision is your first choice for more than a few days or weeks?
• Do you and your parents agree that if you are given a reasonable financial aid package, you will attend the school even if other colleges were to offer you stronger financial aid packages or a merit scholarship?
If you’re considering early action or restrictive early action, start here:
• Do your junior-year grades and classes support an early application, relative to the philosophyn and practice of the college to which you’re applying?
• Have you completed all standardized testing by October of your senior year?