Common Application

The Common Application is an application website that many colleges use allowing students to fill out one application that can then be submitted to various colleges.  The Common Application has announced that the essay questions from this fall will continue to be the prompts for next year's applicants.  So, juniors, take a look at these prompts and start brainstorming what your answers might be for each question.  After you list your thoughts for each question, look at which response tells the best story of who you are and will be the best introduction of you to the admissions committee.  Then it is time to start drafting and editing and drafting some more.  :-)  Students who utilize the common app will be asked to select and answer one question in 250-650 words.  (Please don't worry about word count on your first draft - it is always MUCH easier to cut words than it is to try to add more in later.)

Below are the common app essay questions to help you get started: 

1. Some students have a background, identity, interest, or talent that is so meaningful they believe their application would be incomplete without it. If this sounds like you, then please share your story.

2. The lessons we take from failure can be fundamental to later success. Recount an incident or time when you experienced failure. How did it affect you, and what did you learn from the experience?

3. Reflect on a time when you challenged a belief or idea.  What prompted you to act? Would you make the same decision again?

4. Describe a problem you've solved or a problem you'd like to solve. It can be an intellectual challenge, a research query, an ethical dilemma-anything that is of personal importance, no matter the scale. Explain its significance to you and what steps you took or could be taken to identify a solution.

5. Discuss an accomplishment or event, formal or informal, that marked your transition from childhood to adulthood within your culture, community, or family.

Local Scholarships

Have you been on the Kilbourne Counselor website lately to check out the local scholarships that are now available?  The Kilbourne Counselor website is www.wkhscounselors.com.  These scholarships provide a great opportunity for students to earn some additional financial help for college. And, with the scholarships being local, it means that there would be less people applying for the scholarships (compared to national scholarships) which gives you a better chance of receiving one of the scholarships.

Please take the time to carefully read through the criteria for the scholarships to see which ones would be appropriate for you to apply for and then start working. When you go to the WKHS Counselors website and read through the local scholarships you will be able to click on the link to each scholarship application.

Most of the deadlines for completed applications is the end of the school day on April 11th (some are earlier) and no late applications can be accepted. I cannot stress enough the importance of planning ahead and starting to work on these scholarships now!

Also, please pay attention to see if the applications require a written recommendation letter and ask your teacher(s) for a letter as soon as possible - especially if they have not already written a rec letter that you can use for the scholarships.

Also, don't forget that a complete list of all the other scholarships that we are aware of are also featured on the Kilbourne Counselor website in the scholarship area.

College Admissions Decision Week

This is a big week for college admissions decisions. Most of the schools that have yet to announce their decisions will be releasing them over the next several days. This can be a VERY stressful time for students. Try to take a deep breath and relax – you have done the best job to put yourself in the best situation possible with your applications. If you are stressing out awaiting the news, feel free to stop in and see me so we can talk about it.

The other reminder that I would like to make is intended for all students (in all grades) who are not currently waiting to hear if you have been accepted into a particular school...

Getting the decision can be hard enough, but often the more difficult aspect is being asked, “Did you get accepted?” by well-meaning friends. Trust me on this one, if they were accepted, the students would be telling everyone – you won’t need to ask. If they don’t offer up the news sharing if they were accepted or not, then be sensitive to the fact that more than likely they did not get accepted and don’t ask about it as it puts them on the spot to share disappointing news.

CC+ Deadline Reminder

All students looking to earn free college credit in classes next year MUST turn in the College Credit Plus intent to participate form by Friday, April 1st!  This is a firm deadline established by the State of Ohio and we cannot extend it so please make sure you get your form turned in to us!  

Just as a reminder, this includes college classes on the college campus, online college classes, college classes taught by college instructors at WKHS (English, Psychology, Government, Sociology, African American History, Physical Geology, Ethics, Classical Mythology, or Art History), and the regular WKHS classes taught by the WKHS teachers which can get you college credit for the exact same class you may have already signed up to take (Pre-Calculus, Honors Pre-Calculus, AP Calculus AB, AP Calculus BC, Intro to Programming Logic and Intro to Business).  If you have any questions about College Credit Plus - stop and see me or watch the video on the counselor website.  (www.wkhscounselors.com).  The intent to participate forms and video sign-off forms are also available on the counselor website.

Admissions & Demonstrated Interest

I know this is a stressful time for all of the seniors still waiting to hear back from the schools where they applied. Interestingly, college admissions officers are also nervous. They are trying to figure out which students to accept and how to guess with today's economic times which students will actually attend if offered the opportunity. 

I decided this is a good time to remind you that colleges are keeping track of every contact and interaction you have with them. They want to know that you are interested and that applying to their school is something you have investigated and feel like it would be a good fit. Don't get me wrong, that doesn't mean that you should call a school multiple times a week - that would definitely get on their nerves, but they want students who are truly interested. You can show that by meeting with their admissions representatives when they come to WKHS or to the Columbus area, participating in "optional" interviews and essays, and visiting their campus.

The reality is that it is always a guessing game - colleges do their best to get as close to their target number of new students with their acceptances and make up the difference from their wait lists. I know that last year several of my students ended up on the wait list at colleges of choice and it was a tough choice to figure out if they were going to try to stay on the wait list or simply be happy with the school where they had been accepted. Even though this is stressful, it really will all work out in the end.

Take a Picture!

With spring break nearly here, I wanted to remind everyone that if you are going to be out on college campuses - for formal tours, to visit friends or simply on vacation - please Take A Picture!  The picture can be of you anywhere on campus... a pretty area, a building where you might spend a lot of time in the future, or (as most of the pictures on my "Oh the Places You'll Go" wall show) in front of a college sign. Enjoy your visit, make a few notes about what you think of each school, and when we are back in school I will look forward to seeing your picture and hearing about your visits!

Using college visits to help your search

A few years ago I read an article written by a mom regarding her experience taking her daughter to start looking at colleges. On the road again, looking for the perfect fit points out the importance of trying to figure out what you are really looking for in a school and what is most important to you when selecting a college.

A few of the points I particularly liked from this mom's reflections include the fact that she encouraged her daughter to look at schools that were outside of her first instinct of what she thought she would enjoy for her future. Let me clarify that point, in no way am I saying that you should go to a college for the future where you will not be happy and do not see yourself fitting in, but I have realized that a lot of students don't really know what it is that they do or do not like about a campus. Looking at all different types of schools - large, small, urban, rural, etc. - will help you figure out exactly what you do and do not like. This will also help you refine and narrow your search to find other schools that will best fit your interests. 

The other point that I liked was the fact that the mom and daughter used this as a time to connect and enjoy being together. The reality is that high school flies past and you will be moving out of your parents home and starting college before long. Making positive memories together and enjoying the time you are spending while looking at schools is important. Yes, I understand that this process can be stressful, but it can also be fun. Try to approach the college search and your college visits with a positive attitude and cut your parents a break if they are driving you crazy about it all. Remember, they are trying to help, they are stressed about this too and, most importantly, they want what is best for you.

School Details

It's a short week, the last of 3rd quarter, and spring break is about to start.  I suspect you are already aware of those points, but you may not be aware of some other exciting and unique school related details for this week.

- Tomorrow is the 3rd "Counselor Lunch Chat."  Held in Room 120 during each of the lunch periods, take the time to come in and meet with us and talk about relationship issues.  Friends, parents, teachers, classmates, boyfriends/ girlfriends, and anyone else you come into contact with on a daily basis can be both a positive interaction or the encounters can be stress-inducing.  We look forward to spending time talking with you!

-  Tomorrow is also the Staff/ Student basketball game.  We will be on an assembly bell schedule tomorrow with the basketball game taking place at the end of the day.  The students playing in the game are the members of the team who won the intramural championship (in other words, they are good basketball players).  Those who are on the staff team... Well, let's just say it could get ugly, but it should be fun.  If the past years are any indication, the staff's best hope is for some "home court advantage" calls by the refs and some creative scoring by the people running the scoreboard.  :-)

Here is the bell schedule for tomorrow:
1st Period: 7:45 - 8:29
2nd Period: 8:34 - 9:18
3rd Period: 9:23 - 10:07
4th Period: 10:15 - 10:59
5th Period:  11:04 - 11:48
6th Period:  11:53 - 12:37
7th Period: 12:42 - 1:26
8th Period: 1:31 - 2:15
Basketball Game: 2:25 - 3:05

-  As you may have heard on the announcements, the Worthington Kilbourne Activity Club and the administration have partnered together to arrange for a weekly Yoga experience during lunch periods once per week.  This is to help support our students and promote the importance of staying balanced by creating opportunities that support positive mental health.  The actual opportunity to participate in the Yoga sessions will begin on the Tuesday after Spring Break, but all students are invited and encouraged to attend the information session this week on Wednesday, March 16th.  The two Yoga instructors, Anna Gilboy and Ali Hill, along with Corey Linsley, current center for the Green Bay Packers and an OSU alumni will be here to talk about the benefits of participating in the Yoga experience.  If you're interested in learning more I strongly encourage you to stop by the main gym during your lunch period on Wednesday!  You don't want to miss out on this great opportunity!

-  Some juniors and seniors are taking OGT's this week.  Good luck!  I know you will do great.  Try to relax and just do your best... I believe in you!

- And last, but not least, don't forget that Thursday morning is the competition deadline to submit your ideas for the new coffee shop name and logo design!  Your design should be submitted to Ms. Adrean's e-mail (aadrean@wscloud.org) by Thursday, March 17th at 8am for consideration.

Anxiously awaiting decisions

This is a key time for college admissions decisions. Most of the schools that have yet to announce their decisions will be releasing them over the next few weeks. This can be a very stressful time for students. Try to take a deep breath and relax – you have done the best job to put yourself in the best situation possible with your applications. If you are stressing out awaiting the news, feel free to stop in and see me so we can talk about it.

Picking a College

Can you believe it is already the middle of March?!?  This year is going quickly (too fast for some of you and not fast enough for others).  For seniors, the countdown to final decision time for picking the college of your dreams is rapidly approaching - less than 2 months until you will all know where you will be attending next year. For juniors, you are beginning your search and trying to determine which schools you can imagine in your future.

There are so many resources available to review and consider to aid you in making your decision. Campus visits, reviewing the college websites, and meetings with admissions representatives when they visit Kilbourne are all great strategies for learning more about the college and finding the school that is the best match for you. I want to remind you that there are also a wealth of information and resources available in my office that you are welcome to come in and read to help you in making your choice. There are books that give perspectives of different colleges based upon the responses current college students have provided in surveys about school, others that rank selectivity of schools based upon majors, and others that provide insight about the schools from expert researchers. I know that this process can be stressful and overwhelming, but hopefully you are also finding it fun and exciting. As always, let me know how I can help you sort out your options.

College Decision Terms

As more and more students begin hearing from colleges I thought it might be helpful to know some of the most common terms you will see in response letters from colleges. Everyone hopes they will receive nothing but acceptances, but the reality is that far too often that is not the case. Below are some of the more common college related terms/ phrases for admissions decisions. If you receive a letter and you are uncertain what it means, please feel free to let me know or to contact the college directly. I would also like to remind you that we keep track of the admissions decisions that you receive from your colleges so please stop in and keep me posted on what you are hearing from each of the schools.

- Accepted: Congratulations - they are inviting you to join and be a part of their college/ university

- Declined/ Rejected/ Denied/ Not Accepted: For whatever reason the college did not feel that you would be a good fit. While it is understandably disappointing, please remember that there are lots of colleges and universities out there so don’t give up on finding a good match.

- Decision Deferred: The college is not sure yet… usually they will tell you what additional data/ information they are interested in receiving to help them make their decision. The most common piece of data they will look for are senior year grades at the semester time. Please be sure to follow through on getting this information to them promptly.

- Wait List: The wait list is not a denial, but it is not an acceptance either. Colleges use wait lists as insurance to make sure that their freshman class will be the appropriate size. If enough students decide to attend, the college will not accept anyone off of their wait-list. If you are interested in accepting a spot on a college's wait list, stop in and see me so that we can discuss some of the steps you should take to put yourself in the best situation should the college be able to accept students off of their wait list.

Academic Honors Night

Congratulations to all of the 317 students who were honored at tonight's Academic Honors ceremony. As a component of the award ceremony, students are presented with gold, silver, and bronze keys in recognition of their achievements in academic excellence.

Gold keys are awarded to students who have earned a cumulative GPA of a 3.5 or higher at the end of 7 full semesters. 28 of "my" students were among tonight's gold key recipients.

Silver keys are awarded to students with at least a 3.5 cumulative GPA at the end of 5 full semesters. 27 of "my" students received silver keys tonight.

Bronze Keys are awarded to students with a cumulative GPA of 3.5 or higher at the end of 3 full semesters. 21 of "my" students were presented with bronze keys.

Congratulations to each of you for your academic commitment and achievements!

AP Exam Registration Reminder

If you wanted to take an AP exam, the deadline to sign up to take the AP exams is next week.  Taking the AP exam (and doing well) is how students have the opportunity to earn college credit for the classes you completed in high school.  Please remember that the colleges are responsible for establishing their own policies about what scores are required to be able to earn credits at their school.  The fee for each AP exam is $100 (unless you're on free/ reduced lunch) and must be submitted online by March 16th.  Additional information about the AP tests and the online registration link is available on the Worthington website at www.worthington.k12.oh.us and then you will find it in the Gifted Services area (which is located in the Academics tab).

WKHS PTO

Tonight the Worthington Kilbourne High School Parent Teacher Organization met for their monthly meeting. We are incredibly fortunate at WKHS to have parents who care enough about our students and staff to volunteer their time, energy, talents and effort to help make our school community a better place.  The PTO sponsors scholarships for students, facilitates student recognition events, coordinates events to boost morale, and promotes communication efforts between parents and the school.  They are unbelievably valuable and make a positive difference!

At tonight's meeting, they invited me to bring Lexi to meet with the parents in attendance.  Lexi loved being able to meet the parents and show off some of her favorite tricks.

If any of the PTO parents are reading this, thank you for allowing us to attend your meeting tonight.  Thank you for all that you do to help make Worthington Kilbourne High School a positive place.  And, I forgot to mention this at the meeting, but thank you also for the flower at Valentine's Day as well!

College Admissions Tests

Juniors, you should plan on signing up to take a college admission test this spring.  You can take either the ACT or the SAT (or both).  Most students will take at least one of the tests this spring and then will repeat the test this semester or in the fall.

Please be aware that Friday is the regular registration deadline for the April ACT.

Here are the upcoming test dates and the regular registration deadlines:

- April 9 ACT: Register by March 4th

- May 7 SAT: Register by April 8th

- June 4 SAT: Register by May 11th

- June 11 ACT: Register by May 6th

To register for the tests, please visit their websites.

ACT: www.actstudent.org

SAT: www.collegeboard.org