Wednesday, December 31, 2014

College-Related New Year Resolutions

This article first appeared in GoLocalPDX.com on December 31, 2014.

Since it’s the time of year that many people make resolutions, I hereby offer some college-related resolutions for your consideration.
For Parents of Seniors
  • I will seek out frequent opportunities to do something fun with my senior.
  • I will not ask my senior a college-related question more than once per week.
  • I will be equally enthusiastic about every college acceptance.
  • I will not gloat to other parents about my child’s college acceptances or complain about denials.
  • I will not ask any other parents about their child’s college acceptances or rejections.
  • I will not speculate about why admissions teams made the decisions they did.
  • I will allow my senior to make important choices and trust his or her judgment.
  • I will allow my senior to fail and learn from her or his mistakes.
  • I will make clear agreements with my senior before he or she ventures off to college.

For Seniors
  • I will stay focused on my academics for both semesters of senior year.
  • Once I hit the final “submit” button on my applications, I will celebrate. 
  • I will not spend January through March obsessing over admissions outcomes I cannot control.
  • I will trust the process and believe that I will end up at the perfect college for me.
  • I will be truly happy for my friends’ college acceptances.
  • I will enjoy senior year and focus on friends and family.
  • I will appreciate my parents even if they are imperfect.
  • I will make the most of my college experience wherever I end up.

For Juniors
  • I will put forth my best academic efforts this year.
  • I will build relationships with at least two junior-year teachers so they know me when I request recommendation letters.
  • I will take time to interact with my high school’s college counselor.
  • I will complete at least three job shadows to explore potential careers and college majors.
  • I will tour at least three colleges by May 2015.
  • I will prepare for and complete all my standardized testing (SAT or ACT) by June 2015.
  • I will increase my leadership in at least one extracurricular activity.
  • I will plan early to use my summer well.
  • I will work on my college application essays over the summer.

For Freshmen and Sophomores
  • I will learn how I learn best and do more of what works.
  • I will take the hardest classes I can handle without sacrificing sleep or sanity (from my favorite blogger Kevin McMullen at Collegewise).
  • I will ask for academic help whenever I need it.
  • I will not use social media while doing homework or studying.
  • I will explore my interests in and out of school.
  • I will stick with my favorite extracurricular activity all four years of high school.
  • I will use my summer to try something new and increase my skill in something I already love doing.
  • I will not make decisions based on what I think will impress some college

Best wishes for a fabulous 2015 to all my readers!

Wednesday, December 24, 2014

Twelve Gift Ideas for Future College Students

This article first appeared in GoLocalPDX.com on December 24, 2014.

Need some gift ideas for a future college student? Sing this revised version of the 12 Days of Christmas to learn what college freshmen want.
♫ Before I left for college, my parents gave to me a laptop with Dragon Naturally*.
♫ Before I left for college, my parents gave to me 2 Bluetooth speakers, and a laptop with Dragon Naturally.
♫ Before I left for college, my parents gave to me 3 fuzzy blankets, 2 Bluetooth speakers, and a laptop with Dragon Naturally.
♫ Before I left for college, my parents gave to me 4 college sweatshirts, 3 fuzzy blankets, 2 Bluetooth speakers, and a laptop with Dragon Naturally.
♫ Before I left for college, my parents gave to me 5 chocolate bars 4 college sweatshirts, 3 fuzzy blankets, 2 Bluetooth speakers, and a laptop with Dragon Naturally.
♫ Before I left for college, my parents gave to me 6 taxi vouchers, 5 chocolate bars, 4 college sweatshirts, 3 fuzzy blankets, 2 Bluetooth speakers, and a laptop with Dragon Naturally.
♫ Before I left for college, my parents gave to me 7 dozen cookies, 6 taxi vouchers, 5 chocolate bars, 4 college sweatshirts, 3 fuzzy blankets, 2 Bluetooth speakers, and a laptop with Dragon Naturally.
♫ Before I left for college, my parents gave to me 8 Starbucks gift cards,  7 dozen cookies, 6 taxi vouchers, 5 chocolate bars, 4 college sweatshirts, 3 fuzzy blankets, 2 Bluetooth speakers, and a laptop with Dragon Naturally.
♫ Before I left for college, my parents gave to me 9 months of Netflix, 8 Starbucks gift cards,  7 dozen cookies, 6 taxi vouchers, 5 chocolate bars, 4 college sweatshirts, 3 fuzzy blankets, 2 Bluetooth speakers, and a laptop with Dragon Naturally.
♫ Before I left for college, my parents gave to me 10 family photos, 9 months of Netflix, 8 Starbucks gift cards, 7 dozen cookies, 6 taxi vouchers, 5 chocolate bars, 4 college sweatshirts, 3 fuzzy blankets, 2 Bluetooth speakers, and a laptop with Dragon Naturally.
♫ Before I left for college, my parents gave to me 11 online textbooks, 10 family photos, 9 months of Netflix, 8 Starbucks gift cards,  7 dozen cookies, 6 taxi vouchers, 5 chocolate bar, 4 college sweatshirts, 3 fuzzy blankets, 2 Bluetooth speakers, and a laptop with Dragon Naturally.
♫ Before I left for college, my parents gave to me 12 gigs of cloud storage,  11 online textbooks, 10 family photos, 9 months of Netflix, 8 Starbucks gift cards,  7 dozen cookies, 6 taxi vouchers, 5 chocolate, 4 college sweatshirts, 3 fuzzy blankets, 2 Bluetooth speakers, and a laptop with Dragon Naturally.
Also appreciated: an extra-cushy mattress pad, a popcorn popper and popcorn, Ziploc baggies, movie passes, any care package containing food, laundry detergent, extra sheets and towels, extra socks and underwear, batteries, granola bars, a first aid kit, a desk lamp, sticky notes and highlighter pens, scissors and a stapler, a sewing kit, and plane tickets home for school breaks.
*Dragon Naturally Speaking is voice to text software that is great for dictating school papers.

Wednesday, December 17, 2014

Following up after Applications are Submitted

This article first appeared on GoLocalPDX.com on December 17, 2014.

Seniors, you are responsible for making sure that all the needed components for your application have arrived at the colleges you’ve applied to. Tips for getting this done:
  • Check your email daily. This is how schools will communicate with you. If something is missing, this is the way that you will likely be notified. Even if you think email is so “old school,” from now through May you need to check it daily. Set a reminder on your phone if that helps you get it done.

  • If you applied via the Common App, you can see whether your counselor, teachers and outside recommenders have submitted their letters by checking the recommenders page. If they are not all marked as done, don’t panic! Be polite and check in with the person about the status of your recommendation. If a recommender thinks something was submitted but it does not show as such, ask the recommender to file a help ticket or make a help hotline call to the Common App. Your full name and CAID must be included.

  • If your school uses Naviance, you can see the status of documents on your Naviance account. This is how you can tell if transcripts, counselor letters, and teacher letters have been sent. There have been computer interface challenges between Naviance and the Common App. If Naviance shows something as sent but the Common App does not show it as received, file a help request. Your full name and CAID must be included.

  • You should have sent SAT or ACT test scores directly from the College Board or ACT website. If you log in to your College Board or ACT account, you can see where scores have been sent. The most common error students make is adding a school to their list after they have sent test scores and forgetting to go back to the SAT or ACT website and send the scores to the added school. If you did not self-report test scores on the application and are waiting to send scores until you get results from the Nov or Dec test date, please note that your early action applications will probably be rolled into the regular decision pool.

  • Reminder: If you took a class for college credit and reported on your Common App that college transcripts were available, you need to send them. Go to the college website (of the school where you took the class) and follow their directions for sending transcripts to other colleges.

  • Many colleges send you an email when they receive your application. It often contains a student ID number for their college and a link to a portal where you can check your application status. I suggest you check at least every other day until you know that all needed materials were received.

Colleges do expect you to be responsible for follow-up. If you need to, email or call the rep from the relevant college to address any problems. Be sure to include your Common App ID # or school-specific student ID #. This is the time of year when admission reps start working very long hours, so be considerate of their time and try to get the info online first.

Wednesday, December 10, 2014

Disciplinary Disclosures On Your Application

This article first appeared in GoLocalPDX.com on December 10, 2014.

It’s possible that you have been in minor trouble at some point in your high school career. Maybe you got called out for plagiarism by “Turn It In” software that showed too much of your essay was lifted from Wikipedia. Perhaps you were at a party where there was underage drinking, and it got reported to your school. Maybe you defended a kid who was being picked on during lunch, but you and the bully both got pulled into the principal’s office. Regardless of the circumstance, it is possible that you have a disciplinary infraction on your school record.
When you apply to college, it is critical for you to know whether there are any disciplinary infractions on your record and what your school policy is about reporting these infractions to colleges. You can get this information from your school counselor by asking. Many school districts publish their disclosure policy in a school handbook. For example, some high schools keep all records closed and disclose nothing to colleges. Other high schools disclose any infractions from 9th grade onwards. Some schools don’t report infractions from 9th and 10th grade, but do report those that happened in 11th or 12th grade. You can take appropriate action once you understand what a college will be told.
On most college applications, there is space for you to explain any disciplinary infractions. The college is giving you a chance to tell your story.
If the school reports an infraction and you do not address it in your application, chances are you will be denied admission. If the school reports something and you own up to what happened and take full responsibility for your actions, you stand a chance of being admitted.
Here’s what doesn’t work: blaming someone else (my friend passed me the joint); brushing it off as trivial (everyone copies stuff off the internet); or being defensive (I would not have punched her if she didn’t pull my hair first).
Here’s what does work: tell the story in a factual way without emotional or judgmental language; reveal exactly what you did and why; and tell the reader what you wish you had done differently and what you have done since to make amends.

Wednesday, December 3, 2014

Get Started on Scholarship Applications

This article first appeared in GoLocalPDX.com on December 3, 2014.

Scholarships are free money! Although everyone claims to want some, only a small percentage of students put in the work needed to win some. 
If you dedicate time to applying for scholarships, you may get a great return on your investment. Let’s say you spend four hours preparing a packet for the Elks Club Scholarship and win $1300 from your local chapter. That was $325 per hour for your time. It sure beats the $10 per hour you might earn working at a fast food place.
Seniors, if you have finished submitting your applications, this is a great time to turn your attention to scholarships. First and foremost, be sure you have applied for all the reasonable-for-you scholarships that are offered directly by the schools you applied to. It is important to check the school website carefully. Many schools consider all applicants for scholarships, but some schools have separate scholarship applications or even scholarship applications that are due before the actual college application deadline.
9th–11th graders, you too can begin to apply for scholarships! You might not know that there are thousands of scholarships available to 9th–11th graders. While 85% of scholarship money comes directly from colleges and the federal government, it is not too early to try for that other 15% of scholarship funds (usually referred to as “outside scholarships”).
If you have not already created profiles on some free scholarship search websites, you should do so. You might want to set up your email to automatically put scholarship matches into a separate folder (that you check frequently) so that your regular email is not too stuffed with potential scholarship matches. The free sites I recommend are Fastweb,Cappex and Zinch. Don’t create a profile on any website that charges you! 
Some of the scholarship suggestions you get (about 70%) will be junk, but there should be some good matches in the bunch. I suggest you create a spreadsheet to track the good possibilities and keep yourself organized about deadlines and requirements. The spreadsheet I give students has the following headings:
  • Due date
  • Scholarship name
  • URL of scholarship website
  • Type of application (paper or online)
  • Essay questions with word limit
  • Recommendations required (indicate number)
  • Transcript required (yes or no)
  • Resume required (yes or no)
  • Additional notes, such as judging criteria
  • Date you submitted your application

Parents, if you are eager to help your student with the college process, this is a good place to volunteer to be of assistance. You could sort through the suggested scholarship matches and log those you feel have potential on the spreadsheet.
Students, here is my suggestion for making time to complete scholarship applications. Set aside one Sunday afternoon per month as “Scholarship Sunday”. Complete all the scholarships applications for the next month. This means that in November you work on the scholarships due in December and in January you tackle the February due dates. This system allows you extra time in case you discover that you need to gather an extra document (such as a recommendation or transcript) to finish your application.