COLLEGE PLANNING TIP: CHARACTER & PASSION MATTER!
Regular readers of my newsletters know that as part of my practice, I often write about trends in education and college admissions as well as highlighting issues impacting the emotional well-being of young adults. Some of my recent newsletter links are in the sidebar. On a daily basis I post to share information from several periodicals and invite you to follow my Facebook-College Career Consulting or LinkedIn pages providing links to variety of informative pieces I know you'll enjoy. Today I want to talk about a few recent research studies that echo my recurring message of the importance of
DISCOVERY, PASSION & KINDNESS.
In particular, several of my recent newsletters continue to highlight the importance of high school students engaging in discovery of their emerging interests directed and inspired by personal interests. In College Admissions Essays I specifically asked "WHO ARE YOU?" !
".... I encourage everyone to begin implementing a student-led p
ath of exploration of both personal and academic pursuits
throughout middle and high school.
Experiences both within and outside the classroom are transformative and help to shape a young adult's unique academic and personal identity. Experiences involve connections with family and members of "communities" that help our young adults become more introspective to learn how they will leverage their strength to find their place in the world. These same experiences are also the basis for the essay(s) students will write at the end of their junior year providing readers of thecollege application with information that reveals who each student has become -and, in particular-- the potential impact each young adult may have on a college campus and as a potential alum!
But most important, pre-college experiences build confidence, motivation and better prepare each student for a seamless transition to the undergraduate experience - academic and personal success throughout high school and beyond."
Does your student have an Educational & College Admissions Plan? Are you on target?
In Gifted kids turn 50: Most successful followed heart, not just (their) head, the data were revealing! In this three
-decades long ongoing longitudinal study of the impact of tests scores and psychological assessments measuring participants' personal values, there was a strikingly clear implication.
The results,
indicate that parents should not only be aware of each child's academic strengths, but equally aware of their child's unique values and passions
.
WHY??
The study confirmed a somewhat obvious point - - every individual has a different and unique combination of talents and passions. What was particularly important for guidance counselors, private college admissions counselors and parents to hear is that we know that children's abilities and preferences can be measured by age 13, so it makes sense to guide young adults to develop in the fields they will likely have their greatest impact if they so choose to do so. EARLY EDUCATIONAL and COLLEGE PLANNING SHOULD EMPHASIZE BOTH THE MIND AND THE HEART!
Read the full study - fascinating!
About a year ago, I had written another Newsletter entitled: "Check This Box if You're A Good Person" as the message resonated strongly and aligned with my educational philosophy. In particular, my
partnership with each family aims to guide young adults to becoming self-directed and inspired to ultimately seize the opportunity to discover their strengths and passions in ways that will enable young adults to contribute to their communities.
Will your student "check the box?!"
A quick refresher: In
CHECK THIS BOX if YOU'RE A GOOD PERSON, Dartmouth Admissions Officer Rebecca Sabky spoke about the admissions process and her views
reflect my own personal experiences as a Professor Emeritus and current South Florida Cornell Alumni Admissions representative where I've reviewed hundreds of undergraduate and graduate admissions files.
"The problem is that in a deluge of promising candidates, many remarkable students become indistinguishable from one another, at least on paper."
"Yet in the chaos of SAT scores, extracurriculars and recommendations,
one quality is always irresistible in a candidate: kindness"
"Letters of recommendation are typically superfluous.... they generally fail to provide us with another angle on who the student is, or could be as a member of our community
"
With another high school class completing the college admissions cycle, I'm reminded again of just how important these points are.
This year, as in years past, those students of mine who had "impactful" experiences throughout high school were once again more successful in their college admissions and scholarship applications than their equally and sometimes even less academically-qualified peers.
Please don't misconstrue my message. All students work very hard, and in many cases they are over-programmed . Yet, students who received the most attractive offers of admissions and merit-based scholarships were those who had engaged within their communities in authentic ways. Re-read the quotes above and this point will be very clear.
Authenticity is NOT measured by the numbers of community service hours- but rather, it's evident through sustained heartfelt endeavors throughout high school. How does your student spent time outside the classroom?
When I look back at many of my 2019 graduates, I also recognize the value added by parents and siblings who shared involvement with these graduates in many of the students' incredible endeavors including organizing fundraising initiatives for charitable causes, tutoring peers, planning and serving meals for the homeless and elderly. Our children learn by example.
In
Want to Raise Well-Adjusted Kids?,
John Write discusses the benefits of hosting an exchange student. A few of my clients have done so. What the article shares in common with the seemingly unrelated NY Times piece on Dartmouth admissions is that
both authors speak to the importance of young adults engaging in character-developing opportunities outside-of-the classroom ultimately raising their awareness of their connections with others within their communities.
So how does this all relate to college admissions and academic success at the high school and undergraduate levels?
While our goal as parents, educators and college counselors is to help each young adult reach their academic potential, perhaps even more important is that each emerging adult be
inspired to find their place within their community.
Through example, we can help the next generation recognize the important role each individual assumes in making connections with others to ultimately enrich the lives of many and make a lasting contribution.
You've heard me say it before- the high school experience should not be a forced march to the finish line in preparation for yet the next educational march on the horizon.
Our role is to assist each adult in being intrinsically motivated to take the next steps on their academic and social paths.
Start early, have the conversations and spend your time meaningfully.
ADMISSIONS TIP: Acceptance Rates: Don't Obsess Over Them!
My recent newsletter:
2019 Acceptance Rates: Myths to Understand
shared some important information to hopefully clarify why you should NOT be concerned or focused on these data. For the curious, the newsletter did conclude with a chart of the previous two years of acceptances rates at several universities.
If you didn't see your colleges of interest on my list, you can find more information by reviewing these statistics at individual college websites.
Acceptance rates do provide a baseline metric in building your balanced college list of reach, match and "safety" choices. As discussed in my newsletter on selecting a college (see sidebar for link), focus your efforts on creating a list of universities that fit you in these three ways: "academic", "social" and "financial".
Acceptance rates are aggregate numbers that give you a sense of the degree of competitiveness of a given university, but it's more important for you to research the academic profile of the most recently admitted class as an indicator of your chances of acceptance to a particular college. You'll find this information, along with acceptance rates available at the university website.
An invaluable source of information on application numbers, acceptance rates and some fascinating statistics on admitted students is available in the COMMON DATA SET INITIATIVE
where colleges can voluntary release this information in detailed reports aimed at providing accurate information about their incoming class profile
. The easiest way to find this information is to search for "University Name + Common Data Set". The reports are exceedingly and overly detailed.
Another option, although slightly less reliable is
College Navigator
.
Again, the point to be appreciated and understood is that aggregate acceptance rates vary widely by major, gender, location and your actual academic profile. So please don't focus on aggregate numbers which aren't personally relevant to YOU.
Finally, another informal indicator of your chances of acceptance and which I previously mentioned is Talk.CollegeConfidential where a few hundred discussion threads provide self-reported "results threads" of student profiles of admitted, waitlisted and denied applicants at nearly every college.
Here's the link to the results thread for:
ADMISSIONS TIP: EXPLORE AND DISCOVER
If you want to minimize the stress associated with the college admissions process, build your Educational and College Admissions Plan as early as 8
th
grade! This will allow you to carefully select classes and extracurricular opportunities to encourage academic and personal exploration preparing you for success as a high school and undergraduate student.
Don't follow the crowd nor march through high school without a smile ! BE INSPIRED!!
What is your student passionate about? Now is the time for discovery!
In the past few weeks I've been contacted by both anxious and confident parents of high school juniors ('20) getting ready for the college admissions process ahead. I've also spoken with parents of middle school students about to begin high school ('23) expressing concerns about taking too many or too few AP or AICE courses and wondering whether their GPAs should be boosted through Dual Enrollment.
|
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| College Application & Admissions: AICE/AP/IB - High School Curriculum Planning! |
A Strategic Educational plan not only includes a curriculum mapping of challenging, relevant and manageable courses. A plan that balances academic experiences with meaningful student selected extracurricular activities leads to confident, mature, self-directed and grounded young adults.
Admissions staff look favorably upon students with a sustained commitment to activities throughout all four years of high school.
JUMP START YOUR STRATEGIC EDUCATIONAL PLAN -
Summer is the perfect time to engage in a guided process of discovery. Parents of incoming high school freshman are already thinking about how many AP classes to consider and whether their students will be off to strong start.
I ask you: will your student be able to "Check the Box?"
Given thirty years of university experience, I am thrilled to offer complimentary summer career and educational independent study programs for 8
th
to 10
th
grade clients.
Together, the student and I customize a program that may involve summer reading, written assignments (short assignments involving guided student-directed research on potential careers, current events or professional reading relevant to a potential /emerging area of academic interest) and hands-on projects.
There's a project for everyone!
STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math
)
students are provided with a list of Do-It-Yourself (DIY) projects and ideas for potential entry into science fairs this fall.
At your school consider:
MU Alpha Theta (Math), NACLO (Computational Linguistics Competition), FIRST Robotics, Science Olympiad, TSA or the Google or Intel Science Fairs.
ARTISTS and MUSICIANS
should be working on developing their portfolio and honing skills in disciplined creative work thinking ahead to competitive local venues.
BUSINESS/LIBERAL ARTS
- I will guide students to exploring a topic of interest with an eye towards writing an essay you can enter into any number of local and national essay competitions (business, history, etc.) sponsored by a variety of organizations. Need suggestions? Start a blog on a topic you're passionate about and when school begins in the fall, bring your best Blog pieces to the school newspaper.
Another meaningful and joyful way to spend your time as well as demonstrating your passion about your interest is to become a volunteer mentor for younger students. There are many opportunities to do so through tutoring, religious organizations, middle school clubs, sports teams and even starting your own business assisting others to learn more.
A
DMISSIONS TIP: Social Media: Yes They're Watching You!
Well there's no accounting for taste, but there most certainly is a need to have a taste for a good online filter. Whether you're applying to an undergraduate or graduate program or changing careers, job hunting or the like, the culturally accepted practice of keeping one's personal and professional life separate has never been more important than in our digital age where information about you is essentially seamless and readily available.
In a recent SURVEY of admissions officers, 70% indicated that checking an applicant's social media was acceptable. There were striking differences among public and private universities where 47% indicated that online applicant profiles are viewed! An astounding 42% said what they found had a negative impact! (Hard to believe-click the survey link at the start of the paragraph for full details.)
NOPE!!
As you explore universities, post-graduate opportunities including fellowships, potential employers, and assorted organizations, you'll be faced with the choice to connect through social media. First, let's talk about Facebook "Fan" pages. Many organizations - including potential employers as well as colleges and universities will invite you to "like" their page. There is essentially nothing to be gained by becoming a "Fan", and you invite yourself to public scrutiny from admissions and scholarship representatives and organizational hiring recruiters. (Not to mention we really don't know where that data goes !!) Unless you have your Facebook privacy settings locked down, once you hit the "fan" page, you've established a connection that allows others to see your posts and to view pictures you may unknowingly be tagged in which without explanation can cast a dark shadow on your integrity. We all make mistakes, but you don't get a second chance to make a first impression. Aside from doing your best to keep your Facebook, Instagram and Twitter accounts positively spotless, think about settings that limit others from viewing information about your personal life.
Embrace the process of spring/summer cleaning and delete questionable and less-than-flattering posts, pictures and the like.
In contrast, consider
using your social media accounts to actually build a portfolio of that showcases your interests and accomplishments including: ADMITSEE and ZEEME
and even Linked-In.
(Admitsee is also an option for those families unable to retain the services of a College Advisor - giving you access to student applicants for feedback on your portfolio/essays.)
Here are two additional resources offering some interesting insights on the trends in social media. For example, Carnegie Mellon has an optional question on the CommonApp allowing you to enter your ZeeMe profile!
This some advice for Parents: Another accepted life practice is not to burn your bridges behind you. Are you consistently missing out on interview invites? If you smell smoke, it's probably a burning bridge and a recent feature on LinkedIn may be the reason your former colleagues have less than flattering comments or remain silent when asked to recommend you. You cannot control what others say about you, but you can make sure you don't end job and employer relationships on a sour note. Recruiters are using a LinkedIn feature allowing them to make connections well beyond those you selected and noted on your resume as a recommendation. Check out this resource:
Students and Parents: Missed opportunities are just that and you may never know why you didn't receive an acceptance letter to the college or job of your choice. What you do control is your own behavior and the safeguards for sharing of information.
