Honoring Our Heroes This Memorial Day
Reinventing Yourself is a Lifelong Process
Getting into the college of your dreams is a great adventure. Once there, studying hard, applying your talents, and using the skills you have learned up to that time will be exactly what you should be doing. Then you will graduate, and start on a career path that will be much different than the one your parents traveled. Your career will evolve as the world around you evolves through science, technology, and the changes in culture. You will need to evolve with it, and on the way you will become an expert. Just don’t be surprised if that expertise turns out to be in a different area than when you started.
You may be an expert at something right now. Maybe you are an inventor, an artist, a writer of short stories. A great accomplishment and strong credential to add to your college application is “author.” If you’ve ever thought about writing a book, write one as an expert and tell someone how to do what you do Then self-publish. A new book by Amy Lorenti – writer, designer and digital media marketing expert – tells you how in A Writer’s Guide to Fame and Fortune – Get the respect you deserve, the work you want, and the money you’re worth. Check it out (available at Amazon.com in paperback and in Kindle books). Writing a book as a subject matter expert may just be the boost your application needs to get you into the college of your dreams.
Admissions Decisions Will Be Arriving Soon! Accepted, Denied, Wait-listed…What’s Next?
You run to the mailbox (or check your email) every day only to find a letter that is not one of acceptance, and not one of denial either – instead it is a waitlist letter. Colleges use wait lists when they’ve accepted the maximum number of applicants but still view some applicants as well qualified. Fastweb.com describes the wait list as, “a safety net colleges use to fill their class if not enough accepted students enroll.”
Most schools send out a letter asking you if you will accept a position on the waitlist. You can choose to accept or refuse this offer. How long you wait depends on the school’s enrollment statistics. Though most students receive a decision in May or June from colleges using their waitlist, others have been known to receive acceptances a week before classes start.
What Are Colleges Looking For In a Student Applicant?
What are the factors that affect the decisions of the college admissions committee? Some carry more weight in the application process than others. These are ranked from most influential to least. Challenging Schedule; Academic Performance; Standardized Test Scores Consistent with Grades; Rank in Class; Passionate involvement in Extracurricular Activities; Contribution to Community through Volunteer Activities; Application Essay – Personal Statement – Authenticity, reflective, impact-oriented; Letters of Recommendation– Counselor/Teacher; Tipping factors that can play a role in admissions; Interview; Family Ties and Legacy; Internships/Portfolios/Jobs – Out of School Activities; Geographic Diversity; Academic Diversity; Extracurricular Diversity; Ethnic/Racial Diversity; and Socioeconomic Diversity.
Hyphenated and Slash Careers Lead to More Releases
Enviro-Psychologist. Students interested in a career may have interest in several majors. Can you combine your interest to have your dream job? If you want your career to take off, make yourself a one-person, cross-functional team.” She wrote, “The job of the future is all about hyphenates — smart people who combine education, interests, and skills to become virtual one-person cross-functional teams. The world is no longer divided into specialists who know everything about something and generalists who know something about everything. Gaining an edge in the future depends on the ability to hone the hyphen — to creatively bundle (and re-bundle) skills and knowledge.”
Hi-Tech Gadgets!
Have you been thinking about what you want or need to make high school or life at college easier? Here are a few ideas of hi-tech gadgets that will make others jealous.
An iPad, a desktop or a laptop? Without a doubt, most students will choose one of these options. You may need to think about what computer capabilities you will need to get the job done. Do you need special programs? Be sure your computer needs meet the appropriateness of your choice of studies. How much memory is important to you? Does your school require a laptop? Will you need a docking station in your dorm room? What size monitor do you need? Read more about hi-tech gadgets by clicking here.
What Are The Rules of Etiquette When Meeting a College Admissions Representative?
Are you about to attend a college fair or meet the admissions representative at your school? Don’t forget the rules of good etiquette. Just like learning about table manners, proper introductions, and social graces, there are some things you can do to make your experience as successful as possible.
Begin by introducing yourself to the person behind the table. A firm handshake and a smile will go a long way. Ask them questions about their school’s admissions policies, academics, and activities if you are one-on-one with the representative. If there is a large group of people at the table, he or she may choose to give an overview of the institutions information to the group. You may hear the answer to your questions over a 15 minute period and save both you and the representative time and effort.
At a college fair, you may be asked to fill out an information card, so be sure to do it at that table. Using a neighboring college’s table could cause some hard feelings between representatives. It will take a few days for information to be sent to you, so please be patient. If you have preregistered for the college fair online, you will receive a bar code that can be used at the machine on the table to scan your personal information such as name, address, and contact information. I have also seen students pre-print labels with this same contact information making the card a snap to complete. This allows for more time to talk to the representative.
Make a good first impression. This is your chance to show the admissions representative you are interested in learning about their institution. Turn your cell phone off and wait until later to text your friends. Give these representatives your undivided attention. Read on for more rules of college fair etiquette.
Please Explain Score Choice
Score Choice allows the student to forward the scores they choose to the colleges or universities they are applying to. So what does a student need to know about this policy?
Here are some items to think about: SAT Reasoning and Subject test scores can be submitted by test date. If a student does not choose Score Choice, all scores will be sent to the college. Score Choice is optional. Students should follow the score-reporting requirements of the colleges they are applying to. Colleges will only receive the scores that the student sends to them. Individual sections of a specific test date cannot be selected—only the entire test of the particular SAT will be sent. It does not cost more to send one or multiple copies or all test scores to a college. Scores can be sent by paper, CD, or Electronic Score Reports. If the student requests a second report to a college, the report will only include the unique set of scores chosen by the student, which may or may not include previous test scores.
For more information, check with the College Board.
