Greetings,
As the school year winds down, it’s a great time for reflections and introspection. Is Your Student on Target? Building a college plan for success throughout high school will increase chances of success during the college admissions and college application process. But first…
REDUCING STRESS: No matter what part of the country you reside– I imagine almost everyone is aware that there are very few school days remaining until you are officially ready for summer break! WOO HOO! That also means, that our amazing young adults may be sleep deprived as it’s crunch time to tip those grades that may be hovering between A/B or B/C over the edge. I encourage everyone to assist our teens to remain well rested, well fed and offer gentle reminders about the importance of embracing healthy ways to let go of stress. Students- I want you all to appreciate that your future and your goals do NOT rest on the results of any one exam.
As you continue preparing for AP, AICE and IB exams, focus your energies on the concepts you know well. Some of you are also taking SATII subject tests. Please take two practice SATII subject tests under timed conditions at home. If you aren’t breaking the score hurdle discussed with your Guidance Counselor for the colleges on your list, please push to a later test date. UNCLEAR About your practice scores? Call me to discuss!! This is also a great time of year to replace your calculator batteries!
For those of you perfecting final papers and projects, keep in mind your best work may be suitable for submission to a variety of state and national essay competitions (and scholarship applications during the admissions cycle in your senior year). I look forward to discussing and reading any of your papers you would like to share. Let’s discuss whether you have any work in progress that is competition-worthy. Please don’t under-estimate yourself! Competition venues are available in business, STEM, humanities, poetry, political science and more.
SCHEDULE A YEAR-END EDUCATIONAL & COLLEGE PLANNING ASSESSMENT
Great grades are presumed and are far from sufficient to securing a spot at your best “fit” college.
What Do College Admissions Representatives Consider?
Please don’t be misguided and focus on College Acceptance rates. When you set goals, these are achievable. In an earlier blog posting 2023 COLLEGE ACCEPTANCE RATES– IMPACT ON YOUR COLLEGE ADMISSIONS PLAN? I discuss some misconceptions. With all the hype about ever-shrinking college acceptance rates and record number of applicants, you may not only be worried about where you’ll be accepted, but have been led to believe you too need to apply to several colleges in an attempt to increase your chances of acceptance to your “dream school”.
HOW MANY COLLEGES SHOULD I BE APPLYING TO ON MY COMMON APPLICATION?
THAT’S THE WRONG QUESTION! WHICH COLLEGES SHOULD YOU APPLY TO – THAT’S THE QUESTION YOUR COLLEGE ADVISOR SHOULD HELP YOU ANSWER. I’M GOING TO GIVE YOU THE SHORT ANSWER AND MOST STRATEGIC STRESS-FREE RESPONSE– : EVERY STUDENT SHOULD APPLY TO TWO “SAFETY” COLLEGES THAT THE STUDENT WOULD BE THRILLED TO ATTEND- FITTING THE STUDENT ACADEMICALLY, SOCIALLY AND FINANCIALLY. ONCE WE IDENTIFY THOSE CHOICES, WE CAN TURN ATTENTION TO SELECTING “MATCH” AND “REACH” COLLEGES. EVERY YEAR STUDENTS LEARN OF ACCEPTANCES TO THEIR MATCH AND REACH COLLEGES– PLEASE DON’T APPLY TO 20 COLLEGES- THAT’S SIMPLY TOO MANY!
