Bonnie R. Rabin, Ph.D.
focuses on guiding students and career professionals to better position themselves to reach educational and career goals. You'll receive unlimited one-on-one attention to create a focused and personalized strategic educational plan.
With over thirty years experience as a university professor, admissions committee member and HR Consultant, you're invited to leverage her extensive knowledge of university curricula and career opportunities.
Pre-College Academic Advising -
Anywhere - Anytime!
Be inspired!
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Educational & College Admissions Consulting:
- Academic assessment and extracurricular planning and refinement.
PRE-COLLEGE ADVISING
- Customized solutions for effective study habits, time management and test taking strategies
- Assistance with college research and program majors to create a list of target, reach and likely admit schools.
- Negotiating and maximizing your financial aid award, including targeted scholarship search
- Guided college application assistance and review, including application deadline management.
- Admissions essay- finding your niche, topic development and guided editing of multiple drafts of your Common Application core and supplemental essays and Scholarships
Summer Internships/Co-ops, REU and research assistantships application support
- Evaluating potential gap year programs and your admissions offers
Career Services:
- Customized and personalized attention
- Resume, cover letters and networking
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Coaching for new graduates
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Guidance for career changes
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Assisted preparation and review of cover letters
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Coaching and practice for effective job and promotion interviews
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Negotiating a salary offer or a raise
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NEWSLETTER CONTENTS:
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Curriculum Planning: AP, IB, AICE, Dual-Enrollment? What's right for your student and
WHY!?
- Some Mid Year-End Reminders!
- June College Writers Block Workshop for Juniors
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Please join me in offering congrats to all seniors and their families!!
Sample of our Early Decision & Early Action 2018 Acceptances: UNC, Emory, Cornell, NYU, Rice, University of Chicago, Drexel, Tulane, Maryland, Texas @ Austin, Miami, George Washington, University of Arizona, Penn State, Pittsburgh, Colorado, Boston, FSU, UCF, USF, FAU, FIT
Sample of 2017 Acceptances: Congrats !! Many students received merit-based scholarships and invitations to Honors Programs: Rose Hulman (Engineering), Cornell, Rice (Engineering), Emory, Penn State, U Michigan (Engineering), Carnegie Mellon, Johns Hopkins, Duke, West Point (Engineering), Boston, Purdue (Engineering), North Carolina, University of Southern California (USC), Northwestern, Syracuse (Newhouse), Villanova, Gettysburg, Arizona, Embry Riddle, Georgia Tech (Engineering) , Georgia, Miami, Tampa, Texas Christian, Drexel, Tulane, Colorado, University of Florida, FSU, UCF, USF, UNF, FAU, FGCU
Greetings Middle & High School Families!
It's Time for Course Planning 2018-19:
AP, IB, AICE, Academies,
Dual-Enrollment??!!
At this time of year, students and parents are focused on course selection and there is quite a bit of uncertainty about the value of "Academies", AP classes, AICE vs. IB diplomas and whether "Dual-Enrollment" classes are appropriate. In my practice, I meet families who seem unreasonably misguided about how course choices impact class rank and yes, I also hear unrealistic notions about the value of the weighted GPA. Families should aim to select a high school and a curriculum that encourages learning and discovery within a community that provides the support for your student's continued emotional development.
Let's get some facts straight:
- The single most important factor for academic success as an undergraduate and in the college admissions process, is taking the most challenging and relevant curriculum a student can comfortably manage.
- Foundation courses in high school are important to subsequent undergraduate studies. Understanding the potential impact of taking AP Lang or getting off the "calc-path" to your undergraduate experience is essential. For example, if you have an aspiring physician--there is a required set of undergraduate courses and high school can prepare you for success in those courses.
- Your transcript matters most! The National Association for College Admission Counseling (NACAC) annual State of College Admissions report confirms that universities continue to indicate that the high school transcript (your curriculum and GPA) is the single most important factor in the college admissions process.
While a student's GPA and transcript are a significant determinant of admissions and academic success, there are as many as five to seven qualified applicants for every available space in the freshman class. As a former admissions committee member and a current South Florida Cornell alumni interviewer, I can assure you that admission committees seek to create a freshman class that is diverse in intended majors, geographic origin and personal interests.
Students who are successful not only in admissions, but as actual undergraduate students, are those who have well defined interests, nurtured as early as middle school and further developed throughout high school.
Having an academic niche or a personal passion outside the classroom builds motivation, focus and academic success
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What inspires your student?
AP Classes
Yes, these are the most challenging courses available in high school and will prepare your student for the reality of the demands of the undergraduate academic experience.
Moreover, your scores on AP exams allow admissions to objectively compare students across high schools.
AP exam scores may also substitute for SAT/ACT scores at Test-Flexible universities.
Despite the best of intentions and the best time management, enrolling in too many AP classes can create hours of homework thus limiting time available for meaningful extracurricular activities (which are also essential for admissions success), needed sleep and family harmony (parent-child dynamics suffer when students are stressed and unnecessary homework completion "arguments" ensue).
For example, if your student is STEM focused, there is little admissions advantage gained from taking AP History classes which have exceptionally large homework demands.
Again, admissions representatives aren't impressed by APUSH on a STEM applicant's high school transcript. The flip side, humanities driven students might consider the importance of "big data"! All disciplines are now moving to analytics. So, while AP Physics isn't necessarily your cup of tea, if you're a pre-law, business or even an aspiring English major, consider AP Statistics, AP Psychology or AP Computer Science to add breadth to your file setting you apart from the typical humanities applicant.
Don't follow the crowd- but focus on
creating your unique high school curriculum plan
that is relevant to your education, college admissions and career objectives. Leverage my extensive knowledge of academic disciplines and
explore some unusual major areas of study (increasing your odds of admission and making you a stronger student).
Let's discuss whether Dual-Enrollment is right for you!
Some of my current juniors have expressed an interest in
Dual-Enrollment courses.
You may be interested in the University of Florida's course offerings and I share the link for your review:
Please review potential classes and give me a shout out to explore how a specific course might fit into
your strategic educational plan
. It's important to have very clear reasons for enrolling in any course, but especially an online course as these are not always reviewed favorably by admissions representatives at the most competitive colleges.
Rising seniors should only consider courses that truly interest you and the opportunity to swap something out of your high school curriculum.
Above all, aim for something you cannot take at your high school. This isn't a substitution process- but an enrichment opportunity.
If you are certain you plan to attend UF, FSU or a college within the Florida system, taking English as a Dual-Enrollment class as opposed to attempting a "5" on AP Lang/Lit would potentially offer a great chance of earning transfer credit towards freshman English as a Florida college student.
Given my experience as a University Professor, please keep in mind, the most competitive colleges outside of Florida will not likely accept online credits as transfer classes, and this is especially true for STEM classes.
For rising sophomores and juniors, Dual-Enrollment is an opportunity to possibly experience learning about an interesting subject matter not offered at your high school.
If you don't see any courses of interest at UF, please contact me to discuss some other competitive online programs available to high school students.
"Academies"
I work with students throughout the US and there is some version of South Florida's "Academy" or "Choice" program nearly everywhere. To middle school families, these programs look inviting and yes, there are electives that expose young adults to subject matter and readings outside the core curriculum. If you review suggested "high school curricula" at admissions websites, you'll not find "Academies" noted. These are considered "electives".
So, what is the value of these electives?!
Their value to 9th and 10th grade students is ongoing academy discovery. By 11th or 12th grades, these classes aren't as academically challenging nor as valuable to a successful transition to the undergraduate experience as enrolling in more challenging AP classes.
The core subject matter can spark or solidify an interest. I have yet to find one student who indicates the concepts in these courses or the workload have been challenging.
However, if you are working on an academic assignment/project that has the potential for submission to a science fair, essay contest or the like - these elective courses can be enriching and valuable additions to the curriculum. ASK YOUR TEACHER for support!
MIDDLE-OF-YEAR Reminders
CONFIRM EXAM REGISTRATIONS:
Please review your College Board and ACT accounts to ensure that registration has been completed for all SAT/ACT and SATII subject tests for April, May and June. Yes, invariably some registrations are not accomplished as intended.
I continue to encourage all families to focus on having students self-manage all their registrations,
I urge all students to take two practice tests under timed conditions.
Ideally, proximity to AP exams is desirable for taking most subject tests.
That said, Math IIC and foreign languages can be postponed for more practice time until the fall.
TESTING ACCOMMODATIONS: Current 9th and 10th grade students with testing accommodations/504 plans should begin the process now of registering with both the College Board (SAT) and ACT
ACTIVITIES RESUME:
All students should revise and update their "Activities Statement/Resume/Brag Sheet" to reflect all activities both formal and informal.
Juniors (2019)- Your Activities Statement is an essential step in building the contents for the first draft of the required section of your Common Application on Activities.
Competitions:
For those of you perfecting term 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. Please don't under-estimate yourself!
Competition venues are available in business, STEM, humanities, poetry, legal issues and more.
FINAL THOUGHTS:
YOUR COURSES for 2018-19!!
As noted, your student's GPA and transcript are the most significant determinant of admissions and academic success. High school is a time for academic and personal discovery. Developing and sustaining a passion for learning cannot be overstated. Sometimes that discovery is sparked by coursework and other times it is through an extracurricular experience.
There's very little variation in curriculum options across high schools in that all students will complete four years of english, four years of social studies, complete a foreign language and enroll in the math and science classes at a level they can manage.
The differences across high schools and across students are in the electives taken and in whether students enroll in Honors or AP/IB/AICE levels of classes.
Don't waste your electives !
Best Wishes for a meaningful and productive balance of the school year!
JUNIORS 2019: Our
June Writers Block Workshop Registration is now open- Please contact me for additional information about completing your Common Application Core Essay before Summer!
Bonnie
Bonnie R. Rabin, Ph.D.
Educational and College Admissions Consultant
561.509.0021
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Educational and College ADVISING ANYWHERE ANYTIME
Serving Clients by SKYPE/Zoom
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HIGH SCHOOL JUNIORS
-- There are still a few spaces remaining in my June College Application Workshop.
All clients have complimentary access to the June workshop and exclusive access to the Fall Sunday Afternoon Writers' Block series.
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