College Fair for Students with Learning Disabilities

Finding the ideal college fit is difficult for all students, but for students with learning disabilities there are additional factors that should be taken into consideration when evaluating colleges.  Next Tuesday, October 2nd, is the College Fair for Students with Learning Disabilities. This event is free and open to the public.  It will allow students and parents to meet with representatives from colleges in Ohio and around the country to compare the wide range of accommodations available at the different schools. The event will be held at Gahanna Lincoln High School in the cafeteria from 6:30 - 8:00pm. (Address is 140 South Hamilton Rd., Gahanna).

Pass/ Fail & Drop Deadlines

Just a few reminders related to your classes...

- Next Tuesday (October 2nd) is the last day for students to drop a class without having it appear on your transcript. Remember, for those of you who are athletes or compete in any co-curricular activities, this is only an option if you have more than the minimum number of courses required to remain eligible. (After dropping classes, students must still have at least 5 classes that are worth at least 1/2 a credit.)

- Tuesday is also the last day to be able to change a class from conventional grading to pass/ fail grading. If you are interested in this option, please start by making sure that pass/fail grading is a choice for the class and then stop by the counseling center to pick up a pass/ fail slip. (They are located on the shelves in the counseling center.)  After you have it signed by your parent return it to me for my signature.

These forms MUST be returned to the Counseling Center by the end of the day on Tuesday!

Infinite Campus

As you are all (hopefully) aware by now, this year the district has transitioned over to a new computer system called Infinite Campus.  It provides one system that is used for schedules, attendance and grades which will ultimately give consistency to students, parents and teachers.  Right now, we are all still learning the system and adjusting to the new program.  There are some pieces, such as transcripts that are not yet available online for students and parents to see, but our hope is that it will be online for you within the next month.  However, your teachers are updating their grades at least once a week (by Monday's) so that you can check and have an ongoing update on how you are doing in each class.  This provides you with the chance to celebrate if you are doing well and to identify what you might need to change if you are not meeting your own expectations for the goals you had set for the year.

Today we are about at the half-way point of the first quarter.  Hard to believe, isn't it?!?  Last year we stopped sending home interims, but this is the time when you are able to get a good feel for how you are doing in each of your classes.  I strongly suggest that you take a look at your grades and make sure you are on track for the quarter.

One challenge for me is that I cannot see the same things that you see when you look at Infinite Campus.  I have heard that the program is a bit more difficult to use on the computer, but that for people with smart phones, the free app from Infinite Campus is very easy to use and is a great tool.  If you are interested in downloading and using the free Infinite Campus app, you will need to know that the District Code is: YCWTRL

If you haven't figured out how to access Infinite Campus at all, please visit the Worthington Website at www.worthington.k12.oh.us and then you will click on the Login Icon that is located in the top Right portion of the page.  You can also look below the login boxes for a link to Frequently Asked Questions for more detailed information.

Recommendation Letters

Recommendation letters tend to create a lot of stress, headaches, and confusion for students, but the anxiety and drama over rec letters is not necessary!

Personally, one of the absolute FAVORITE parts of my job is the time that I get to spend sitting down, one on one, with each of my students to talk about your entire high school experience as a whole and listening to the stories you share when I am "interviewing" you to get information to write your recommendation letter. I find your stories fascinating, your insight remarkable, and quite often your humor to be very entertaining. Of course, I will also admit that the excitement goes away pretty quick when you walk out the door and I am left with pages full of notes and the actual letters to write. (Talking = Very Happy... Writing = Not so much...)

While the seniors are certainly the students who are more focused on the need for recommendation letters, it is also a great reminder of why it is important for students of every grade level (Freshman, Sophomore, Junior, and Senior) to drop by my office throughout the year to allow me to get to know you better. I sincerely want to hear about the things you are involved in and are accomplishing during high school. Plus, I am pretty good at saving random tidbits of information that I see or learn about you that might help me "someday" when I need to write your recommendation.

For the seniors, have you started looking at your college applications to see if they require recommendation letters from me or from your teachers? Some schools will require it and some will not. Ohio University, for example, does NOT require any recommendation letters. Miami University, on the other hand, will require a rec letter from a teacher or from me. If you are having problems determining if the colleges you are considering require recommendation letters – just stop down to see me and I can try to help you figure it out.

If you do need recommendation letters, give some thought ahead of time to who you would like to ask for the recommendations. Look at the requirements specified by the school – are they open to coaches or advisers writing letters or do they want them to come from academic teachers? If it requires that the letters come from teachers, can it be from any subject area or are they only looking for the core subjects of English, math, science, and social studies? Are you looking at a career in a specific area that a teacher at WKHS can write about your strengths in that field? For example, if you are considering majoring in Spanish perhaps a recommendation letter from one of your Spanish teachers would be appropriate. What teachers know you best? Who can speak to your work ethic and classroom contributions? If you need multiple teacher recommendations, when possible it is ideal to show your strengths across multiple subjects, so if you have a few teachers to pick from and 2 are math and 1 is science perhaps it would be beneficial to ask 1 math and 1 science teacher rather than the 2 math teachers simply to show that diversity. Remember, in recommendation letters from teachers, the colleges are asking for information about you as a student and your potential for handling the academic rigors of college.

Once you have figured out the teacher or teachers that you want to ask for a recommendation (if needed) it is then time to ASK them (nicely) if they are willing to write a letter for you. It is really important to be reasonable in the amount of time that you are allowing them to have to write your letter. (Think 30 days or more!) They are very busy with their classroom work and grading homework and papers and of course life in general and many teachers are often bombarded by students requesting recommendations. If a teacher is unable to write a recommendation letter for you – either because they don’t feel that they know you well enough to write a strong letter or because they have too much on their plate, don’t take it personally, simply ask another teacher. You will be thankful that you didn’t force them to write the letter because it wouldn’t be as solid of a recommendation letter if they were rushed or only had vague highlights to discuss. If you are applying to schools that do not need teacher recommendation letters, please do not waste your teacher's time by asking them to write a letter. Also, only ask the number of teachers that you need recommendations from - so if you are applying to two schools and both need 1 teacher recommendation letter, just ask one teacher to write a letter that will be used for both schools. You do not need to ask for more letters in case one is "better" than another - if you are not sure the teacher will write a positive letter for you, then you need to pick someone else. If you trust the teacher enough to ask them to write the letter, then you should trust them enough to be able to send their letter (without seeing it) to the college.

In the Counseling and Career Center and on the wkhscounselors.com website we have a form you can use to ask your teachers to write a recommendation for you. It is also helpful to provide information to your teachers regarding your involvement in their classes as a way to help jog their memory. (To make this easier, on the back of the recommendation request form, there are questions you can answer about your experiences in that teacher's class.) It is also really important to specify the number of letters that you need, for which schools, and, if they are not able to submit them online, to provide envelopes as well as any forms required by the schools for the teachers to complete. (For example, the common application has a 2 page form for the teachers to complete in addition to their recommendation letter. Most teachers will complete these electronically, but if your teacher is not completing their common app recommendation electronically, then you need to print this form and give it to your teacher.)

Once your teacher has completed his/ her recommendation letter they will return it to you in a sealed envelope with their signature across the seal. It is important that you do not open the letter as this is the format the college would prefer to receive the letters. You are ultimately responsible for making sure that you get your recommendation letters back in time to mail them to the college by their designated deadlines. Because colleges receive so many different items in the mail, I strongly encourage you to put together 1 large envelope of all of the supplementary materials that the college is requiring and mail it together. So, if you need your transcript, a teacher recommendation letter and a counselor recommendation letter you will be mailing 3 individual envelopes together to the college.

If a counselor recommendation is required it is beneficial to come and see me as soon as you realize it so that we can set up a time to meet. (Yes, I do require EVERY student that I am going to write a recommendation letter for to actually come in and TALK to me!) I write the letters on a first come first serve basis as that is the only way I know how to be fair. Writing recommendation letters is a very time consuming process taking multiple hours per letter which adds up quickly. So please, watch your deadlines and try to help me write the best letter possible by allowing me to have plenty of time. (Like teachers, you should be giving me at least 30 days!) The reason recommendation letters take so long is that each letter should (hopefully) capture the essence of you – and each of you are very different. Remember, when writing recommendation letters generalized praise is wasted space so I need stories and examples to help give admissions officers a better understanding of who you are and what you can bring to their campus. Plus, it needs to be more than just what they can read about you in your application. The short answer essays that are on the "Counselor Supplement Sheet" that you will complete along with a "Parent Brag Sheet" are important aspects to help guide our 1:1 rec letter conversation. Additionally, if you have developed a resume or list of activities and awards that can also be helpful.

So, for the next few months, if you are curious about how I will be spending my "free" time - the answer is writing recommendation letters. Thankfully, I will also be balancing that out with lots of time talking to each of you and getting to know you better... and I am REALLY looking forward to that!

Organization

The time to get organized is NOW! Yes, I realize that we are still at the beginning of the year, but trust me, it is better to start off organized and just maintain it rather than to let things get completely out of control and then work on cleaning everything up in order to find that *one* item that you needed.

For some students, being organized comes easier than it does to others and the reality is that one system of staying organized doesn't always work for everyone else so you really need to think about what does or does not work for you. Sometimes the best way to figure out an organization strategy that will work for you is to stop and reflect back on what has NOT worked for you in the past. For example, if you are a person who always tries to keep things in binders, but then ends up with the little pocket areas in the front and the back of the binder stuffed to the breaking point then this system of organization really isn't working very well for you so it is probably time to try something different.

Stress is usually the outcome of not being organized. You forgot a homework assignment, can't find a paper that you need, or didn't realize that you were supposed to study for a test. By being organized you can help eliminate (or at least cut back a great deal on) stress. Let's be honest... you don't always like writing down all of your assignments in your planner, but there are so many other things going on in your day and such a wide variety of activities and events competing for your attention that it is hard to remember exactly which questions you were supposed to answer for homework for a particular class. Having one place where you write down the information that you are going to need to know and the deadlines are essential for good organization skills.

And, staying organized isn't just an important task when you are doing school work - this is also vital for your entire college application process and it will be important to you for the rest of your life.

As far as the college application process is concerned - most of you should be making steady progress through the "getting organized" phase. Figure out and write down in one place all of the schools where you plan on applying. List out the other key pieces of information that you need to keep track of for that school - deadlines, recommendation letter needs, essays required, etc. Having one page with all of this information is not meant to stress you out - it is meant to be a way to help you look easily at all of the things you need to do and by when so that you will then be able to break it down into more manageable pieces in order to meet your goals/ deadlines. Also, you are hopefully organized enough to realize that the regular registration deadline for the October ACT is today!

As always, feel free to come by and talk if you need some help with organization strategies.

Writing College Essays

Writing a college essay is the most time consuming part of the college application – it can be a frustrating, challenging process, but this is your opportunity to put your best foot forward and show the colleges what makes you special. Ideally the college admissions and scholarship officers will learn something about you and see how well you write.

When colleges review your application they can read things like your grade point and test scores, but they still want to know more about YOU – the person behind those grades, scores, and activities. It is important to remember that your essay will be one of hundreds or more-likely thousands that the admissions committee members will read. (Can you imagine reading all of those?!?) Try to interest them in what you have to say and be sure that it is written well so that it will hopefully stand out. Think of this as your opportunity to introduce yourself to the admissions and scholarship officers reading your application. Be open, honest and real.

When you have to write an essay you need to keep a few important points in mind:

1. Answer the question!
When they give you a prompt or question – be sure that your essay is answering what they are asking! These are smart people – they know when you are just trying to take a different essay and trying to make it fit for their question. Put in the time to write an essay that answers what they are asking. Also, be sure that you respond to all parts of the prompt.

2. Show me – Don’t tell me.Great, so you told me that you are organized and honest… good qualities for their future college students, but are you demonstrating that to them with your essay? Show them what you mean – that will usually be specific, concrete stories or examples to illustrate your point.

3. Did I learn something about you?
The whole point of these essays is so that the college admissions officers will learn something new about you. (And trust me, they are learning something about you – even if that lesson is that you didn’t care enough about getting into school to pay attention to details like spelling.) So, step back and look at your essay again – did they learn something about you that they wouldn’t have known prior to reading your essay?

Let me assure you – they really do read the essays! Don’t think you can just throw something down on paper and have it be “good enough.” These are formal essays for an application to a college that will be the launching ground for the rest of your life. I know that it is intimidating, but relax and start writing – and editing – and then do some more writing and editing… One of the biggest challenges as you write your essay is controlling the tone. You want to come across as confident but not boastful, self-assured but not aggressive, accomplished but not perfect. Try to avoid claiming that everything you've ever done has been unbelievably great. Don't be afraid to admit that you are human. Colleges want real, interesting people. Because it's so hard to control the tone of an essay about yourself, you will want to ask several people – teachers, friends, your parents, or even me – to read and respond to your essay. Get a variety of reactions, and then decide how you want to revise the essay. Remember, when getting help with essay revisions it is important to go into it with the thought that you want to get revisions so it can be the best possible essay (instead of going in hoping the editors will just say – good enough.) And yes, that also means you can’t procrastinate and put it off until the last possible second. :-)

There is a ton of information and resources available online to help you in writing your essays. Here is some additional college essay writing information that I really liked and copied from another high school counseling website:

PICKING THE TOPIC

More than likely, if you look at all of the essay prompts you are going to find that they all contain the word “you.” For example, they may ask you to write about a significant experience in your life. No matter what you choose to write about, the essay should say something about who you are, what you value, how you think, and/or what you hope to accomplish. As you search for a suitable topic, be sure to think about the relationship between YOU and the experience, issue, or person.

Be creative. Don't make the mistake of adding one more routine essay to the pile. Many topics that jump to your mind may also jump to the minds of thousands of others applying to college this year. Instead, explore a new angle. Explain how you are different from everybody else, or investigate an unusual opinion.Don't be afraid of controversy. If you have strong opinions about your topic, let them be known. It's probably a mistake to say what you think your readers want to hear just to keep from offending them. Instead, write what you believe. Admission officers often welcome strong opinions, especially if convincing facts and examples support the ideas.

Remember all the times your English teachers have said, "You write best about what interests you most?" Take their advice. Find a topic that excites you, one about which you have strong feelings. If you bring genuine interest to your writing, your readers will find it interesting as well. 

COMPOSING THE ESSAY

Your English teachers have given you other good pieces of advice to remember too. Show your topic, don't just tell about it. Use vivid examples. Describe the scene or the person with sharp nouns and active verbs, using details that will invoke the senses. How did it look? feel? smell? sound? What, exactly, did the person say? Don't just tell your reader that "Uncle Henry was odd." Show us his collection of paper clips and his pet slug, Seymour. Don't just say you've been involved in "various leadership positions." Show us how you talked the school board into changing the study hall policy and how you turned the annual church youth group chicken BBQ from a poorly attended, money losing embarrassment into a standing-room-only, budget-busting, finger-licking success.

REVISING THE ESSAY

After you've finished a draft, take a break-a couple of days if you can-before you begin to revise. You need to take a fresh look at the essay. Does it reveal who you are? Does it represent your best academic ability? Does it sound like you? Be sure to examine the overall structure of the essay. Does it make a stunning point at the beginning and then fizzle, or does it steadily build in interest and intensity? Have you made clear the relationship between your ideas? Is the essay well organized?

The essay needs to be smooth and easy to read. As you revise and refine the piece, be sure that it has an engaging introduction, carefully crafted body paragraphs, and a confident conclusion. Look for clear transitions between paragraphs, and try to vary sentence length and structure. Pay careful attention to the verbs of each sentence. They should be active rather than passive (not "A decision was made," but "I decided") and should give your reader a clear picture of you in action. Although the essay needs to be personal, you shouldn't overuse the pronoun "I." Use it, of course, but don't start every sentence of the essay with it. Sometimes putting another word in the subject position of the sentence will help. (Compare: "I cut lawns every summer during high school, and I learned a lot." "My lawn care business taught me to work hard, to manage my time and my money, and to communicate well with my customers.")

TARGET: PERFECTION

If you ever write an error-free essay, this needs to be it. Grammatical and mechanical errors may ruin the entire application. Ask a knowledgeable person to help you proofread, and be sure that you type it carefully or-if the application insists-write it neatly by hand. Don't let careless last-minute flaws keep you out of the college you want to attend.

When You Grow Up

How many times have people (including me) asked you what you want to be when you grow up? I often see many students stare back in a look of pure panic because you really don't have any idea what you would like to do when you grow up and are out in the "real world." Don't worry! It is normal to be uncertain of what career you will spend the rest of your life pursuing, but it is helpful for you to start exploring different career fields and considering different jobs that might be a good fit with your strengths, needs, and interests.  

I have been working with a committee of parents, teachers, counselors and other staff to help plan the 2012 Career Fair. Upperclassmen may recall the 2010 Career Fair as this is an effort we hold every other year. The Career Fair will give all students the opportunity to interact one-on-one in an informal setting (during the school day at WKHS) with a variety of different career professionals. I know that in addition to my students, many parents read this blog - and I desperately need your help with this project! We need to find more people to attend the Career Fair and we'd also like additional information about a wide range of careers even if people cannot attend as we will compile the responses in a Career Resource Handbook for students to use as a resource. Adults can help by completing the career questionnaire at www.surveymonkey.com/wkhscareerfair and I would also love it if you could forward the survey to any of your family members, friends, neighbors, or colleagues!

In the meantime, for students who still are at a loss and wouldn't even know a broad area that you might be interested in considering for your future, perhaps it would be worth your time to take a Career Interest Inventory.

The Ohio Career Information System (OCIS) has an online assessment that the district provides access to for WKHS students. You will need to know the username: Kilbourne and password: ohiocis03

And for those students who already have an idea about what careers they are interested in pursuing in the future, I'd recommend checking out the Explorer's programs.  You can find out more information about Explorer's on the WKHS Counselor website.

Here are a few other sites with career related information that you can explore:

Occupational Outlook Handbook: The Occupational Outlook Handbook is a nationally recognized source of career information, designed to provide valuable assistance to individuals making decisions about their future work lives. The Handbook is revised every two years.

O*Net (Occupational Information Network): source providing comprehensive information on key attributes and characteristics of workers and occupations. This site also includes a Skills Search section for students to complete as a self-assessment.

Enjoy exploring these different sites and learning about careers and opportunities available in your future!

Follow the Directions

I have to say that today’s topic is a lesson that can apply to lots of different circumstances throughout your life. From the time you were little you probably learned that there are always rules and consequences of not following those rules. Sometimes we don’t have any problem following the rules and sometimes… well, it isn’t always quite so easy to do *exactly* what we are supposed to do.

I can think of countless examples of this in my everyday life and many of them cross over into your life too – be at work/ school on time, don’t use cell phones in class or meetings, drive the speed limit, etc. Some times these are easy and sometimes we may struggle even though the reality is – they really aren’t that difficult to obey.

OK, I am rambling – the basic point is that I’d like to remind you to follow the directions! In everything and in every way – there are consequences of not following directions. This applies to your school work and – for those of you who are seniors – your college and scholarship applications.

When teachers or applications ask you to write an essay of 250 words or less – keep your essay to that length. If they ask for a list – give them a list. If they ask a question – answer the question completely. The difference is often in the details!  Please pay attention and do what they are asking you– you never want someone to have a reason to eliminate your hard work on a technicality. And yes, as far as college applications are concerned, even if they say it is optional or preferred that means they really want it that way, so just suck it up and do it their way. Remember, in class not following your teacher’s directions might result in a bad grade, but as you get out into the real world the consequences can be much more severe and have a lasting impact.

I recognize that this all seems very obvious, but at some point we all get tired and think, “oh well, this is good enough…” So remember I’m here if you need me to encourage you to push through and take it that one extra step. :-)

Concordance Tables

As a school counselor I receive questions about the ACT and SAT 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 last spring and have received their scores and are now considering which test (if any) to take again in this 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!

Reminders

I hope you are having a great weekend and enjoying the beautiful weather!  I wanted to give you a couple of important reminders...

- Don't forget that tomorrow, Sunday, September 16th, is the Columbus Suburban College Fair at Otterbein's Clements Center.  Check out my post from last week for more details and helpful hints for making your college fair experience productive.

-  The next ACT test date is October 27th.  If you plan on taking this test, the registration deadline is this week - Friday, September 21st.

-  The next SAT test date is October 6th.  Unfortunately the regular registration deadline has already passed, but if you are still hoping to take the SAT on this date, you can pay the late fees and register by this Friday, September 21st.

-  There is also an SAT test date on November 3rd.  The registration deadline for the November test is October 4th.

-  Beginning with the October testing dates, both the ACT and SAT will have new security measures in place.  The most significant one that you need to be aware of is the requirement to upload your picture when you register for the test.  Your picture will then be printed on your admission ticket as well as the roster that the testing staff will utilize to check you in when you arrive at the testing location.  Additionally, you will need to make sure you bring a photo id card with you to the test.  Check the ACT and SAT websites for more information and details regarding their requirements.

Class Rank

When completing college applications you will find that most colleges will ask “What is your class rank?”  The official answer is “We Do Not Rank.”

That is what I write on all of the forms that I complete for you and what you should indicate on your application – UNLESS you are one of the students with a grade point average of a 4.0 or higher for your high school career. If you have greater than a 4.0, then you are automatically ranked #1 in the class. (So yes, that would mean that there are multiple Seniors, Juniors, and Sophomores ranked first in their respective class.)

As you already know, WKHS is an academically competitive high school and we would not want a class ranking to hurt you in any way. For example, a GPA at WKHS might rank in the top 20% , but at a less competitive school the same GPA might rank in the top 5 or 10%. So, unless you have a 4.0 or better, do yourself a favor and write “Do Not Rank” when completing your applications.

College Admission Deadlines

As you start through the college application process you will be exposed to a variety of new terms. One area that can be confusing is what all of the different application deadlines such as Early Decision, Early Action, Regular Decision and Rolling Admissions mean.

Early Decision

The key to remember with Early Decision is that it is a final decision and a COMMITMENT! Applying to a school in this program is considered a contract between the student and the college. You can apply to only one school as an Early Decision school. If you are accepted, you are promising to withdraw all other applications. Few students will ultimately apply to a school Early Decision because you are promising to attend the school - without seeing their financial aid package - and most students are not 100% certain that they want to attend one particular school. If you are considering applying to a school under the Early Decision program, please stop in and talk to me.

Early Action

This is a non-binding option and significantly more students will apply to schools using this option. Early Action has an earlier application deadline and students will learn if they have been accepted to the school much earlier than regular decision dates. (Some schools will defer an admissions decision to the Regular Decision deadline if the student is on the bubble and they want to wait to see how the rest of the applications will look.) Early Action is not a contract and, as a student, you are not obligated to attend school at that institution.

Regular Decision

This is the deadline that you will generally see publicized from colleges as it is the most common. This means you are applying and will hear your decision on their regular time schedule. There are no commitments or early notifications. It is important to note that the Regular Admissions deadlines are often AFTER the deadline for scholarship consideration – which adds in a whole additional set of deadlines to watch, but that is a different story for another day.

Rolling Admissions

This means that the colleges look at each application as they arrive and they make a decision as they go. So, if you apply quickly to a school with rolling admissions you are generally going to receive your admissions decision quickly. Schools that function with a rolling admissions policy of evaluating applications will still generally have a regular decision deadline which is the final date that the college is willing to accept any applications for the fall class.

It is really important to be watching your deadlines carefully – I can’t stress that enough! If you are struggling to find the deadlines for different schools, please stop in to see me.

Making Campus Visits

Today was a wonderful day.  I had the chance to travel to Miami University (a truly beautiful campus as you can see in this picture I snapped while walking on campus today) where I attended a meeting called Articulation where all of the Ohio 2-year and 4-year colleges meet with high school counselors to provide us with an update about their latest information and any special admissions related details we need to be focusing on when working with students for the year.  This is always a helpful meeting, but what truly made today special was the fact that I had the opportunity to meet with 5 of my former students who are now attending Miami!  It was wonderful to be able to walk around campus with them, to see where they live and take classes, and hear about their experiences as a college student meant so much to me!  

I am pictured above with  Riley Brehm (Class of 2012) and Kristin Black (Class of 2010).  I am so grateful that Jonathan Black, Kristin Black, Riley Brehm, Carly Cameron and Cole Doran were able to set some time aside to meet up with me.

My visit to Miami and the chance to explore the campus reminded me of the importance of making a college visit and seeing for yourself the feel of a campus.  Please remember that you (the student) needs to be the one reaching out to the college admissions office to set up the appointment to visit campus.  During your campus visit, you should also ask questions as you tour the school to help you develop a clearer impression of the school. After each visit, review the list of questions that you use to see if there are any other questions you might want to add. Remember, you are visiting campuses to get a feeling for the atmosphere of each place – something you can’t get from a brochure or website.  Below are some questions that might provide a helpful starting point as you determine what you want to ask and see while on campus.

Questions to Ask During a Campus Visit:- What activities and services are available to help students get settled (academically and socially) during their first year?
- How big are the classes?
- (Ask students) How easy is it to meet with faculty?
- (Ask students) Are you able to register for the classes you want?
- What is the total cost of attending the college?
- What types of financial aid does the college offer and how do I apply?
- Are all freshmen assigned to an academic advisor?
- Where do most freshmen live?
- Can I take a tour?
- What activities are available for students?
- Who teaches the majority of the courses for first-year students?
- How successful are the college’s graduates in finding jobs?
- What services (such as transportation and shopping) are available locally?
- What is there to do on weekends? Do most students stay on campus or leave on weekends?
- Are the dorms spread throughout the campus or clustered in one area?
- Is there any kind of shuttle service between classroom areas, the library, the student union, and dorms? How late does it run?
- Is there a security system to bar outsiders from entering dorms?
- How large is the campus security police force? Does it patrol the campus regularly?
- What services are offered by the campus health center? How large is it?
- Does the student health center refer students to the local hospital? Is there a nearby hospital? How large is it?

Ask Students:- How many of your courses are taught by a big-name professor and how many by a teaching assistant?
- Is the teaching innovative and project oriented or is it mostly lecture oriented?
- Do most freshmen class lectures take place in an amphitheater?
- What are the strong majors? What are the weak majors?
- How hard do you have to work for your grades?
- What’s the reputation of the ________ department?
- How adequate for your needs is the campus computer network?
- Do fraternities and sororities dominate the social life of the college?
- What do students do on weekends? Do most go home?
- How is the advisement system? Do you feel your professors really care?
- How helpful are the other students if you miss a class? (Are they willing to share a copy of their notes or review the information covered with you?)
- There are a lot of organizations on campus. Are they dominated by a few groups or is anyone welcome?
- How active is the ___________ (fill in the activity in which you are interested)?

Pay Attention to/ Take note of:- Are the dorms quiet or noisy? Do they seem crowded?
- How large are the dorm rooms? Is there adequate space and light to study?
- Does each dorm room have access to the internet and the campus LAN?
- What’s advertised on dorm and classroom bulletin boards? What does this tell me about campus life?
- How good is the lighting around each dorm, classroom, and lab buildings?
- Do the buildings and grounds look well cared for or do they need painting and general repair work?
- Is the grass cut and are the grounds landscaped?
- What’s the condition of the playing fields and the sports equipment?
- How is the quality of the food in the cafeteria or dining hall? How are the sizes of the portions? Is it healthy or fast food? Are there meal plans?
- Does it look like there is much to do outside of campus?
- How easy is it to get to places off campus?
- Are there places within walking distance?
- Are there places to get extra furniture, like bookcases, for your dorm room?
- Is there a supermarket nearby to stock up on snacks and soda?
- If you move out of a dorm after freshman year, what are the options in apartment complexes or buildings?

Things to Ask Yourself:
- While waiting how did the staff members that you observed interact with students? Were they friendly or did they approach students – both potential freshmen like you and enrolled students – as if they were interfering with the staff members jobs?
- Was the Admissions office a friendly and inviting place with a great deal of information about the school or was it cold and sterile with little information to pick up?
- What did your parents find out about the career planning services offered to graduating seniors and to graduates? What do the services include?
- Do most of the students seem to be like you or are they completely different? Can you imagine being friends with the people you see on campus?
- How would you feel being in a classroom full of these students? Sharing a dorm with them?
- Do the students try to make you feel at home? Are they happy to answer your questions or do they make you feel like you’re intruding? How do they interact with one another?
- Does the campus seem too big or too small?- Do freshmen live in their own dorms? How do I feel about living in a single-sex or coed dorm?- Do you feel comfortable and safe?
- Think about the kind of person you are. Are you a self-starter or do you need someone to motivate you? Do you like being part of a crowd or would you rather be alone or in a small group? How important is it to be near your family? How comfortable are you with challenging courses?
- Compare your offers – financially and what the school has to offer. Make a list of pros and cons of each school and the key reasons for your decisions. Remember some factors may be more important to you than others.

After the Visit/ Interview:
- Write thank you notes to your interviewer and anyone else you met with formally, such as a coach or a professor.
- If you spoke with any students and traded e-mail addresses, send an e-mail thank you.

I also want to remind you that it can be very helpful to spend some time on campus simply observing - people watch, look at the campus newspaper and bulletin boards.  It can also be helpful to eat on campus to get an idea of the quality and variety of the food choices.  Often times many students feel that college visits are the part of the college search process that is the most fun.

Colleges Visiting WKHS

Did you know that many college admissions representatives come to WKHS in order to visit with you? 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 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. Possibly even more importantly, 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.

The visits begin this week and we have a list of the upcoming college visits posted on the Counselor website so that you can see which schools are coming to WKHS. (Go to Upcoming Events and then it will show you the first 5 college visits, but if you click on "Show Events" it will expand and show you all of the colleges scheduled to visit.  Right now there are 44 schools who have signed up to come to WKHS so it will be multiple pages long.)  You can then stop by the Counseling and Career Center to sign up for any of the visits that interest you.

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. (Pick up a pass to have your teacher sign when you are in the Counseling and Career Center to register for the visit.)

Freshmen and 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 periods. If you have academic prep, you will need to secure a pass just as the upperclassmen are required.

These are great opportunities to talk directly with the college admissions representatives so please take advantage of their visits.

I also wanted to give you all a heads up that I will be out of the building tomorrow and the next 2 Tuesdays for meetings.  I will be there the rest of the week though so just try to plan ahead if you know that you will need something and I will do my best to make up for the time out of the office.

Columbus Suburban College Fair

Mass Chaos… Let’s be honest – that is what a college fair can feel like, but it is also the opportunity for you to gain a lot of useful information from a large number of schools in a short period of time.

The Columbus Suburban College Fair is one week from today - Sunday, September 16th from 1:00 - 3:30pm at Otterbein University in the Clements Center (180 Center St., Westerville, OH 43081).

Here is some information that can hopefully help you if you plan on attending the college fair. Take a deep breath, relax, and try not to get too overwhelmed.

The good news is that college fairs give you a chance to meet with admissions representatives in person. They are all gathered together in one place in order to meet you and to answer your questions. Many schools also keep track of the number of interactions/ meetings you have with their admissions representatives during your search and application process so that they can gauge your interest level in their school. As a component of this, and also a way to expand their mailing database, a large number of the college fair booths will have cards for you to fill out with your contact information and interests. If you want to save time you can create and print out address labels that include your name, address, phone number, e-mail, high school name, year of graduation, intended major(s), and extra-curricular activities of interest. You can then just put the label on the card instead of re-writing the exact same information at table after table for each college.

Be prepared before you get to the college fair. Know that there will be far more schools than you are interested in or can even truly take in during one afternoon, so it is useful to come up with a list of colleges that you would be interested in learning more about by doing a search that looks for different criteria that seems to be a good fit for you. With that list in hand you now have a starting point for the colleges that you would like to talk to during the fair.

It can be useful to ask the same questions of each college so that you can compare them and their responses appropriately. The National Association of College Admissions Counseling (NACAC) has a handout that you can use to help with questions and I encourage you to also consider thinking about the things you most want to know about the school and can’t find in a brochure or website. Everyone is different so your questions are going to be different depending upon your interests, but if you are really interested in playing a club sport in college, you might want to ask about their club/ intramural program and the numbers of students that participate. You may want to ask what the top 2 or 3 majors are on campus as that will give you an idea of what most of the students are interested in studying. If you are undecided about what you would like to study, it would be a great idea to ask them what support and services are available to help students in exploring different majors.

Take something with you to be able to jot some notes on and also a pen or pencil. It is a crazy event with so much happening that if you don’t write it down as you go you won’t remember much after the fact. The admissions representatives are giving you a small look of the college – what do you think following each glimpse?

When you are walking through the college fair with the list of schools that you want to talk to don’t forget to leave some time for browsing – you may realize that a school you hadn’t previously considered has just what you are looking for in a college. It can be easy for us to get caught in the cycle of only looking at specific schools because that is what “everyone” else is considering.

Ideally you will be able to avoid getting caught up in the crowds and confusion so that you don’t walk away from the college fair with a lot of brochures, but no real ideas or impressions about which colleges most interest you. At the end of the college fair you will likely have a bag filled with information about colleges. As the “Faring Well at College Fairs” article says, “Don’t succumb to the temptation of just piling all those brochures in some obscure corner of your bedroom. If you’re feeling overwhelmed, take a day or two away from the college search. Then get out all of those brochures, along with the notes you took at the fair, and read through them. You may find that some colleges aren’t as interesting as you first thought. Others only look better the more you research them.”

Good luck and happy college searching… I can’t wait to hear about the schools that spark your interest!

Test Optional

Good morning!  Are you awake and feeling anxious about taking the ACT this morning?  I hope you're not worried - you will do great.  Relax, take a deep breath and simply do your best.

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!

Application Absolutes

In the college application process there are a few absolutes.

If you don’t apply, you won’t be accepted.  Now is the time that seniors should be working on your college applications. If you haven’t started this process, please make this a priority and know that I am willing to help you. Good first steps would be to list out all of the colleges where you plan to apply, identify their application deadlines, determine their application requirements (for example, do they require essays or any recommendation letters) and then set your plan with deadlines to complete each step of your applications. There is an organization chart in the college application process section of the WKHS Counselor website that you can use to assist you in this process.

Every college will require a copy of your official transcript.  Colleges carefully evaluate the courses you have completed during your time at WKHS. In addition to considering the rigor of your course selection, they will also be looking at how you performed in those classes. As a result, providing the colleges with a copy of your transcript is an essential step of the application process.

In order to grant permission for your transcript to be released to a college you must complete the transcript release card. I have your transcript release card in my office and you will simply come in and sign the form indicating exactly which colleges you want to provide with your transcripts. If your application is on the Common App or to BGSU, we will then submit your transcript electronically and there is not a fee. For all of the rest of the transcripts, there is a $1.00 fee per transcript and you will be able to stop back in the counseling center 3 days after you completed the request to pay and pick up your transcript(s).

It is important that you do NOT open your transcript envelope because this is how colleges will know that your transcript is an official copy. Transcripts that are submitted in unsealed and unstamped envelopes will not be accepted by the colleges!

After receiving feedback from parents and students in the past, we have given the control over mailing the transcripts to you so that you will know exactly when it was mailed and be able to take ownership over your application process. A helpful hint, if you have multiple pieces all going to the same college (such as recommendation letters and transcript), send each of the individual signed and sealed envelopes together in a single larger envelope. This will help the colleges keep your application materials together and decreases the potential of application items being misfiled.

As we discussed at Senior College Night, one potentially confusing item is actually quite simple. Many colleges request that a form be submitted along with your transcript – these are usually called a college prep form or secondary school report. Each college has their own individual form that they will instruct you to print off and provide to us, but they all contain the same basic information. In order to simplify and streamline the application process, we have created a single secondary school report form that covers all of the information all of the colleges are requesting that is submitted with each of your transcripts. Since the form is the same for all of the schools you will not need to print off the individual copies of the forms from each school nor do you need to worry about trying to differentiate about which transcript goes to which school as each copy will be exactly the same.

If you have any questions about getting organized with your college application process or with the steps for submitting your transcript, please stop in and see me.