Colleges Visiting WKHS

Each year college admissions representatives travel to high schools across the nation in order to visit with students interested in attending their schools. Stop for a moment and think about that – the schools are paying someone to come to Kilbourne in order to meet with you and showcase the opportunities available at their college.

While a meeting with a representative cannot replace the actual experience of walking on campus, seeing the people, and experiencing the classes, it can be an important piece of your information gathering process. And, because visiting schools might not be possible until after you have applied to the colleges, this may provide your best view of the school. Possibly even more important, you are expressing your interest and desire to attend their college! The admissions representatives who are traveling to the schools keep track of who they see. Many colleges can go back and tell you exactly how many times a student has come to tour campus, contacted the admissions office, or had an official interaction with a representative of the school. You never really know what can make a difference so if you are able to attend a meeting with a representative, it can only help you.

It is easy to find out what colleges have visits scheduled – simply look at the College Events section on PrepHQ (in the College area) and scroll through the list. (Also, remember, this is one of the reasons that it is important to keep your college list current as you will automatically receive an e-mail alerting you to an upcoming college visit if one of the schools on your list schedules a visit.) If you are looking at the summary page on a college, you will also be able to see there if they have a college event coming up.

If you want to sign up to attend one of the visits, it is simple – all you need to do is click on the button that says, “Sign Up” next to the college event. If you make a mistake or realize that you cannot attend, you can also cancel your visit in the same way. It really couldn’t be any easier. If you are not using PrepHQ (why not?!?) you can also stop into the Counseling and Career Center and look through the list of college visits and sign up for any that interest you that way.

Juniors and Seniors have unlimited opportunities to attend these sessions. Please be reasonable though. If a visit is scheduled during a time when you have class you MUST get your teacher’s approval in advance of attending the information session. You are responsible for all missed work and teachers are not supposed to excuse you from tests, quizzes, or labs. (You can pick up a pass to have your teacher sign in the Counseling and Career Center or you can download one off of PrepHQ in the Shared Files section.)

Sophomores are also invited to attend the sessions with the college representatives, but are limited to participating in the visits during your lunch or Academic Prep/ Probation periods. If you have academic prep, you will need to secure a pass just as the upperclassmen are required.

There are LOTS of colleges that are scheduled to visit WKHS in the coming days and months so please take advantage of this opportunity! (In case you need it - you can link to PrepHQ using the link on the right side of this page.)

Reminder

I realized last night when I posted that I had not been doing very well with my back to school blog posting routine. I promise I will be trying to improve on that. As a reminder, my goal is to post at least 4 of the 7 days each week we are in school. Looking back, some weeks I post more frequently, and some weeks, when things are really crazy (like last week was) I don't get the posts up as I had planned. Thanks for being patient with me though.

An important reminder for anyone considering a change in their schedule for this semester... tomorrow (Monday, August 31st) is the last day to ADD a class to your schedule. (This also means that it is the last day to drop a class if you need to add something else to keep you above the minimum number of classes.) If you have 7 classes (or 6 if you are a senior) then you have 6 weeks to be able to drop a class without having it appear on your transcript. You also have 6 weeks to submit a pass/fail form for any classes that you want to take with that option.

Mixed Emotions

This time of year always seems to have a variety of emotions for me. I am grateful to start another year and see all of you again. I am happy hearing about your summers and what has been happening in your lives. I dread all of the schedule changes. I strongly dislike (well, actually hate would be more accurate) getting up early in the mornings. I am proud of and excited for the students who are heading off to college and I am also (selfishly) a little bit sad to say good-bye as they head on to the new chapters in their lives.

Don't get me wrong, I really am glad that they are moving on to the next phase of their lives, but once college starts, they no longer need their high school counselor. Again, a good thing, but selfishly I miss that connection with the students that I had grown to care about so much. It is always nice to think about the new students starting high school and to wonder about how much they will grow and change over the coming four years. If I am lucky, I will get to enjoy the journey with them... and then in 2013 as they head off to college I will still have these same emotions. It's a cycle that repeats itself every year and so I would think that by now (my 3rd year of saying goodbye to former students) I'd be used to it, but I'm not.

Many of you - students and parents - are facing the same variety of emotions. I know that a lot of the parents who read this blog are sad that their kids are (or will soon be) out of the house and yet also thankful that there will be more food left in the house and less laundry to do each week. :-) For students, some of you are also struggling to deal with the separation from the person you are dating which adds a whole different level of stress to the circumstance.

And, of course, there is the range of emotions that the "now college" students have for themselves - excitement, nervousness, uncertainty, and perhaps even some sadness as they begin this new chapter of their lives and the independence that comes along with it. There are a lot of wonderful websites that are out there with information and tips for students about being successful in college. One of the blogs that I love to follow is called the Professor's Guide and it is from the US News website. I strongly recommend college students add it to their list of blogs to follow as they often feature great tips. For example, two relatively recent posts that I think everyone should read (college or high school student) because they are great tips in general include:

Top Ten Things You'll Discover in College

and

Getting Good Grades in College

Another blog I follow had a great article called Freshman 15: Coping with the First Year of College

I think you will enjoy reading all of their insight and tips! Hope you are having a great weekend!

Let the Fun Begin!

Wow! After being closed out of the building at the end of last week and trying to play catch up to squeeze everything into too few days, I have to admit that I am exhausted... and school hasn't even started yet! :-)

Tomorrow, the real fun begins for all of the freshmen students and those students who are serving as Freshmen Mentors.

One thing that I wanted to alert all of my students to is a slight change in the way you would stop in and see me. As always, you are welcome to stop in and visit anytime that you are not missing a class. With so many students, I am not always available right when you stop by to see me. As in the past, if I am busy, you are welcome to leave a pass and I will come and find you, you can stop back a little while later, or you can wait. The change is that we are asking all students to wait in the front area of the counseling center rather than waiting in the hallway just outside of the counselor doors. This will help protect student confidentiality and limit noise that might disturb those in surrounding offices. I don't think it will be a big deal for anyone to make this adjustment and we posted a bunch of signs to help remind you, but in advance I wanted to thank you for helping to make this new area for waiting work.

Welcome Class of 2013! It will be a fun four years... and believe me, it goes fast!

Local News

Today's Columbus Dispatch features three different stories that I thought might interest you...

The first deals with the culture of cheating.

The second deals with bullying.

And the third is regarding Ohio University's tuition increase.

Happy Reading... :-)

Building Update

Just wanted to provide an update to my previous post... we received word that the building will be closed until Monday morning at 7am for repair and cleaning work due to the fire. Obviously, this means I will not be able to work on any remaining scheduling issues until Monday. Thanks for your patience and understanding. Hopefully the extra time will allow them to get the overwhelming electrical fire smell out of the building!

A Small Fire

This morning when I arrived at school the secretaries were standing outside of the building and informed me that lightening had struck the building sometime in the middle of the night and caused a computer to catch fire. (The fire department responded and prevented it from spreading.)

I actually thought they were kidding because they explained that the power was out in the building and therefore the air conditioning unit (that was finally just turned on yesterday afternoon) was also not working.

Unfortunately, it wasn't a joke and there was a fire that resulted in some damage to one of the business computer classrooms. For safety reasons the building is closed for today while they try to assess the damage and determine the ability to turn on the power to the building. Hopefully things will be back to normal tomorrow, at least down in our office area, but for today, it is an extra afternoon of summer vacation for me. :-) In all sincerity though, please do not try to enter the school building today and know that your phone calls will not go through (as there is no power). Thanks. I will update you if I hear anything else today.

Please Be Patient

As the "FUN" of schedule change requests start pouring in I beg you to be patient with me. Not only in the process of waiting in line to see if your schedule can be changed, but, more importantly, in helping me to remember your names. I am absolutely terrible at remembering names! I will recognize faces, but coming up with the names to go with those faces is a challenge for me especially after the summer break and with so many of you streaming in one right after the next. So, please, know that I am doing the best I can and forgive me if I can't come up with your name.

Also, I will forewarn you, it is *HOT* (very, very hot) in the school since we still don't have air conditioning working.

Summer's Over

It is hard to believe, but the summer is already over for me... I know that you are happy to have another few days of freedom. Now that it is time to head back to school full time, I wanted to share some of the my favorite high points from the summer.

Hands down, the best part of my summer involved time with my niece and nephew. Carly and Cole are growing up so fast and they are such a joy. I am blessed to have them in my lives and having summers off enables me to spend some extra time with them.

Carly and Cole were in town for the 4th of July and we went to Red, White, and Boom, the parade, had a cookout, took naps, and headed back out for more fireworks.

(Carly at the parade...)

Carly then headed out of town with my mom leaving Cole with me for the week. We had a great time together. He is full of energy so we spent lots of time on the go and he always had me laughing. While he was here we went to the movies, the zoo, the splash pad, and the playground. At the zoo he really liked the baby elephant and the penguins, but his favorite was the zoo's playground and the carousel.

(Cole on carousel... can you see how red his cheeks are? He was such a trooper - he is only 3 but he walked on his own for the entire time we were at the zoo.)

Here is a picture of Cole playing at the playground... how is it that little boys find playing in the dirt as much fun as playing ON the playground equipment?? :-)

I also had the chance to spend some time in Kentucky. While there Carly lost her other front tooth and was VERY excited that the tooth fairy came to see her. ;-) And my sister's family also has a new addition... they adopted a puppy and named her Lucy. She is very sweet. And yes, when arriving home, everyone calls out, "Lucy, I'm Home..."

So, in short, it was a great summer, but it went too fast. I'm definitely not ready for early mornings! Now that I have shared the highlights from my summer, I hope you stop in to see me and let me know how your summer went and what you did to stay busy.

School Pictures

Just a quick reminder that schedule pick up days are also the same days when you will have your school pictures taken. It really is pretty incredible all the stuff that Mr. King has organized and squeezed (efficiently) into these schedule pick up days.

Any Requests?

Since the school year is about to start it is time for me to head out and buy candy to fill up the candy jar in my office. I am curious, do you have any special requests?

The candy jar is just one of many small things I do to try to make sure that my office is welcoming and that you always have a reason to stop by and say hi - even if it is just to stop in and pick up a piece of candy. :-)

Schedule Pick Up

By now you all should have received the new school year information packets in the mail, but I wanted to make sure you were aware of the upcoming schedule pick up days!

9th graders: Monday, August 17th - You will be picking them up based upon the first letter of your last name, so all of "my" students will be in the A - H group and you get to pick your schedules up first thing on Monday morning between 8:30 - 10:00am. (In case you are curious, students with last names I-Q will pick up their schedules between 10 - 11:30, and those with last names R - Z have the 1:30 - 3:30 time.)

Marching Band Members (All Grades) also pick up their schedules on Monday, August 17th between 12:30 - 1:00.

10th graders: Tuesday, August 18th - morning (A - L is between 8:30 - 10:00am and M - Z is 10:00 - 11:30)

12th graders: Tuesday, August 18th - afternoon (A - L between 12:30 - 2:00pm and M - Z between 2:00 - 3:30)

11th graders: Wednesday, August 19th - morning (A - L between 8:30 - 10:00am and M - Z between 10:00 - 11:30am)

Also, for any new students there will be a new student orientation on the afternoon of Wednesday, August 19th at 1:00pm in the library.

Don't forget, schedule pick up day is packed with lots of activities - finding your locker, getting your school picture taken, picking up your books, etc. (All non-freshmen students need to bring your ID's with you... the freshmen will have their ID cards made while at schedule pick up.)

I'm sure it will be a few crazy days in my office, but I am looking forward to seeing you so don't forget to stop by and let me know how your summer vacation was and update me on your lives.

I still have a little more summer vacation left (YEAH!), but I will be back at school on Monday to try to make sure everything is good to go for you when you pick up your schedules.

See you soon!

Tests Optional

My last few updates have been regarding the ACT and SAT tests and I want to continue the theme for one more post. I know that the college admissions tests can be stressful to students (and parents), but it is important to know that not every college requires strong test scores... in fact, there are many colleges that do not require test scores when evaluating applicants for admission.

The website Fair Test is the National Center for Fair and Open Testing. Their site features a list of colleges that are test score optional schools. This hopefully reminds you that any one aspect of your college application does not make or break you - there are always more options to explore until you find the college that is the best fit for you. So please, don't allow the college admissions tests give you nightmares!

Concordance Tables

As I mentioned in my last post earlier this week, the ACT and SAT tests are a part of the lives of nearly all high school students. As a school counselor I receive questions about these tests all the time - which test should I take, do I *have* to take a test, how many times should I take a test, what does my score mean, what if I didn't score as high as I think I should have and how do you figure out how the scores compare to one another... and quite honestly the list goes on and on.

Today, let's talk for a second about the score comparisons. A lot of seniors took both the ACT and SAT this spring and have received their scores and are now considering which test (if any) to take again in the fall. It's important to review the requirements for the schools you are considering and see what they are looking for and where you fall compared to their averages. Some students will want to repeat both tests and some will elect to focus on the test they did "better" on the first time through and try to improve that score.

But how do you know which test you did "better" on? Well, the ACT and SAT actually test different information, but you can see what scores would be most comprable by using the concordance tables. These tables can help students (and colleges) compare scores for students across the different tests. I'll be honest - these tables can seem a little confusing at first, but if you read the information on the pages prior to the tables then you will understand them. Table 1 will let you compare your SAT score based on a 1600 scale with the ACT without writing. Most of you will have taken the ACT with writing (and if you didn't, you NEED to take it with writing in the future as colleges are moving toward considering the writing test more and more) so you will use the data on Table 2 to get the writing score and then you will add that to the results from Table 1 to get an accurate overall score based upon the 2400 scale.

Try not to get stressed out about the college admissions tests... I know it can be frustrating, but remember it is only one piece to the puzzle that the colleges will be considering when evaluating students!

The ACT and SAT

Registration deadlines for the upcoming fall ACT and SAT tests are rapidly approaching so I wanted to give you all a quick review of some of the basic information that I thought might help you. There are two main college admissions tests – the SAT and the ACT – that enable colleges to compare students from different schools and backgrounds. Most colleges will accept scores from either test, but it is important to double check with the college admissions office to be sure they will accept the test you plan to take. One test is not better than another - take the test that is best for both you and the school to which you are applying. And yes, you may take both tests.


The Scholastic Aptitude Test I (SAT I)

When people are talking about the “SAT” they are generally speaking about the SAT I test or the SAT Reasoning Test. No matter what you choose to call it, this is a 3 hour and 45 minute long test. There is a critical reading, math, and writing component to the test. Scores for each section range on a scale of 200 – 800.

SAT Subject Tests

The SAT Subject Tests are sometimes also referred to as the SAT II Achievement Tests. They are one-hour tests in specific subjects such as English, history, mathematics, or foreign languages. Some of the more competitive schools require two or three tests for first-year placement. Be sure to check to see if these tests are required (and if so, in what areas) before you sign up to take them!

The ACT Tests

The ACT tests assess specific academic abilities in English, math, reading, and science reasoning, and writing. Scores range from 1 (low) to 36 (high) for each of the four tests and for the composite. The composite is the average of the four test scores, rounded to the nearest whole number.

Submitting Your Test Scores
When you register to take your test they will ask you which schools you would like to have notified of your scores. You automatically have 4 “free” choices of colleges to be notified of your scores. It is to your benefit to take advantage of this because the colleges will consider your highest score (and disregard your lower scores) and it will cost money to send the scores to the schools after you receive your results. Nearly all schools want the ACT/ SAT directly from the testing provider rather than from WKHS.

When should I take the test?
Students usually take it in the spring of their junior year, early in their senior year or both.

When is the next test offered?
The next testing date for the SAT is October 10th. The registration deadline is September 9th.
The next testing date for the ACT is September 12th. The registration deadline is August 7th (which is this Friday!). There is another ACT scheduled for October 24th. The registration deadline is September 18th.

Do I need to take the writing test?
Yes. For the SAT it is now a standard portion of the test. With the ACT you will need to pick if you will be taking the test with or without the writing portion. At least one of the test score reports to your college should include the writing test.

How do I register, figure out costs, and find more information?
Visit the SAT and ACT websites. (I also have a link to the websites on the right side of the page.)

And, last but certainly not least, do I *HAVE* to take the test again when I did OK the first time I took it?
Unfortunately this isn’t an easy answer. No, you don’t *have* to do anything. If you are confident in your score then relax and be done with the testing. If you are confident in your score, but know that you could do better… well, then I’d say relax (there is no testing pressure because you are confident in your score) and take the test again. Some of you are sitting there wishing you hadn’t read that last line… but the reality is that if you take the test and improve your score it can only help you. You can benefit in the eyes of the college if you ended up on the bubble for their admissions decision and you can benefit financially if you are applying for any scholarships that consider your test scores. If you are not confident in your scores or if you know that you can do better – then the answer is simply, yes, take it again and see if you can improve your score.

Wow, that was a lot of information – hopefully you are not too overloaded… after all, it is still summer.