Sophomore Strategies - the great "College Hunt"

When I'm talking to Sophomore students and their families, I give them a list of things they should be doing this year to prepare for the great "college hunt", which begins in earnest in Junior year.

1.  Take the PLAN test.  Make sure you sign up at your high school and take it in 10th grade.

2.  Consider taking the PSAT, also.  When taking the PSAT don't forget to check the box that gives permission for universities/colleges to send you information.

3.  Make sure that your email address is APPROPRIATE.  Colleges will be using this.  What you think is funny/quirky as an email, may not be funny to an admissions officer.

4.  Email or call schools and request information regarding programs you are interested in.  Example:  fine/performing arts programs;  5 year BA/MA programs.  Colleges keep tabs on how interested you are in their college. 

5.  Make a list of colleges/universities you want to visit this year.  Visit at least three or four this year.  Keep the information in a file that you can access easily.

6.  Request a transcript from your high school registrar.  You do not need an "official" transcript.  Check the classes and grades posted and make sure it is accurate.  You should get a transcript after every semester and check for accuracy.

7.  Create your resume that includes clubs/organizations you belong to and offices you have held.  Include school activities and community activities on the resume. 

8.  Keep all your "college hunt" information in one place.  Information stored will include PLAN/PSAT/ACT/SAT test scores; resume; college visits information, transcripts etc.

9.  Start thinking about how you will spend next summer.  Will you take a Community College class, volunteer in a hospital, go to Upward Bound, or take classes at a university? 

10.  Keep your grades up.  Ask for assistance early in the semester.  Don't wait to get help.
 
Most of all keep smiling, enjoy the journey and have fun. 

A New School Year!

Well, you've had a great summer.  You've rested, travelled, read, and had fun.  It is now time to assess where you are academically and what you need to do for the next BIG STEP. 

For high school juniors this is a crucial year.  Not only do you have to step up your game academically but you have to seriously move forward on your hunt for a college/university that suits your goals in life.  Now, I don't mean to totally scare you and freak you out, but it is important that you start NOW.  Keep a running list of schools that appeal to you.  Don't just think of the schools that have won the Rose Bowl or the schools that everyone else is talking about. 

There are over 3,000 colleges/universities in the USA.  The playing field is big, so you have to start your search and investigate early.  I suggest spending a few hours each weekend searching the web or contact your school counselor or a local educational consultant to assist you.  As you search, your list will become big.  You can always edit the list as you move along on your great college hunt. 

Also, don't forget to sign up for the PSAT and the SAT in the spring along with subject tests.  DO NOT WAIT until senior year to take these tests. 

OK!  Are you ready?  Get set!  GO!    Have a great year. 

DO NOT WAIT!

Is it never too late to start the college exploration process?  It may be.  On my travels through the country, I have been amazed at how many students and families I have met who are just starting their college search.  The problem?  The student is entering senior year of high school this fall.  If you wait until the summer prior to senior year you are at a disadvantage.  Other students have been preparing and researching for 4+ years.  Some have even spent summers on a college campus in classes.  Students going to the top universities do not start preparing in the summer of senior year.  Think of this adventure as preparing for "the big game" or important track meet.  No one enters "the" game without practicing and studying the game plan. 
There is so much you can do at the start of high school to prepare for leaving high school and getting into the school of "your" choice.  In 7th grade start with a comprehensive 6 year plan that outlines your strategy and gives you an advantage.  Follow and amend the plan as you go through high school.  Visit, visit, visit campuses.  Check if the school you really want to go to has a local admissions counselor.  Let the college know that you are interested.  Check college web sites frequently to see if there are changes in entrance requirements. 
All this work is difficult to do while you are studying and just trying to be a high school student.  Get your parents involved.  If they do not have the time, consider asking for them (or your grandparents) to hire a private college admissions counselor.  It may be the best money you spend.  But whatever you do.....DO NOT WAIT!  START NOW!

Small Colleges

My college hunt continues.  I just visited Whittier College in California. I love Whittier's logo "beyond the box" and their mascot "Whittier Poets" locally known as the Poet Warriors.  My tour guides, Daisy (California) and Dennis (Alaska)  really explained why they chose Whittier over other small liberal arts colleges. 

Some really neat things I learned about Whittier are:

1. An interest free loan for qualifying students;

2. A "scholars program" which allows students to create their own major and present a senior year project;

3.  A frosh writing class is mandatory but an example of a writing class is "psychological and sociological aspects of vampires"; 

4.  You can do research alongside your professor:  My guide is working with his professor on the "synthesis of new compounds and their bacterial inhibition".  He will be working on this for three years while an underclassman.
5.  While most faculty live nearby; some live on campus with their families and 85% of students live on-campus all four years allowing for a close knit academic community that reaches beyond the classroom.
6.  Daisy is an AVID tutor at a local high school and 12 of her AVID students have been accepted to Whittier for 2011.  WOW!

As you can see I came away from my tour with real insight into what Whittier offers. So, if you are looking for a small liberal arts education in Los Angeles County...check it out.  http://www.youtube.com/ACScounseling

The Great College Hunt

University of Washington Graduate Library

I've just returned from a tour of campuses in the New York State and Washington State areas.  My thoughts on campus visits have been reconfirmed.  It is a MUST to see a campus before you apply.  Web sites and web tours just canNOT give you the feel that walking the campus does. Actually talking to students who attend the university simply gives you a better indication of whether you will fit in or not.    All of my tour guides were very helpful, but I found talking to students other than the tour guides gave me additional information and insights that are invaluable. 

High school students are applying to more and more colleges/universities.  They  are approaching the application process as if they are playing Las Vegas...."the more I apply to.....the better chance I have of getting in".  If you don't do your homework.....you won't be successful.  Make sure that the schools on your "Apply To" list are ALL schools you are certain you would be happy attending.  Don't risk wasting your parents money and years of your own life! Be a smart consumer. 

As I toured each campus I posted a short video of impressions on my YouTube channel. PLEASE CHECK THEM OUT!
 www.YouTube.com/ACScounseling

Class of 2012

Hello juniors.  You are in the final stretch of this very important junior year of high school.  How are you doing?  Are you confident that you're headed in the right direction?

By now, college bound juniors should have either taken a SAT/ACT or have registered for an upcoming one.  DO NOT WAIT FOR SENIOR YEAR TO TAKE A SAT/ACT.  By June of junior year you should be finished with your testing and only considering a fall test if you are not happy with your scores.

Make sure you have a running list of the colleges/univeristies you are considering applying to.  By this summer, you should narrow your list to no more than 10 schools.  If you are not sure what schools to apply to, speak to your school counselor.  Make sure that he/she is an expert in the college application process.  If you are not comfortable with the counselor's expertise, considering working with someone in the growing field of college admissions counselors who work one-on-one with students applying to universities.

With public schools slashing budgets across the USA, the school counselor is, unfortunately, the first to go.  In California the ratio of students to counselor is over 1000/1.  How much time can your counselor spend with you on the college review and application process?  A private counselor spends 20 - 50 hours per year working with you and your family.  The money invested here, may be the best money spent toward college.

Waiting for the Envelope

The high school class of 2011 is sitting on pins and needles waiting for the infamous "envelope" that decides their fate for the next four years.  So, what are you doing in the interim.  This is not the time to sit back and relax.  My hope is that a great number of seniors are enrolled in community college classes.  What an inexpensive way to get through those general education requirements and a "bargain price".  If you haven't enrolled in a course for this spring semester, consider taking a summer course.  Schools are registering soon.  Do not miss out.

If you are not going to take a community college class, you should be working in a job that not only gives you spending money for senior activities or college tuition, but that lets you explore a career you are considering.  If you want to be a lawyer, you should be working in a law office.  If you want to be a nurse/physician you should be working somewhere in the medical field.  If you want to be an architect, work in the construction trades.  Even if you intern, and are  not receiving a paycheck; the skills, knowledge, experience and connections could prove to be priceless. 

So stop sitting around waiting for the envelope.  Study so you can get your best grades ever, and get out there and explore the world of work.