Winter End of Course Tests

Let's talk about End of Course tests for a moment.  And no, I am not talking about tests that count for grades in your actual classes.  The End of Course tests are those assessments required by the state of Ohio that all students must complete.  The tests are also how you will earn the various components that you need to graduate.

Today started the winter testing window for the End of Course tests.  You will be taking these tests if you are currently in Government, if you took a tested class during the summer, if you took a tested class last school year but due to illness or other reasons you weren't able to complete the tests when the state testing window was open, or if you need to try to improve your scores.

All students are strongly encouraged to check your school email to look for information about End of Course tests.  If you need to complete a test then you will have received an email giving you information about what date you will complete your test and which room to go to for testing.

I know that it is really hard to miss class time for the testing (especially when you only have 15 days of classes left in the semester), but remember that because these tests play a role in you earing the graduation requirements you want to try to do your best on the tests when taking them.

Most of the tests are this week - Government is next week - so please be sure to watch your email and remember to report to your test location on the appropriate days.

Pre-ACT Scores

Your Pre-ACT scores are already back!  I know that many of you picked up your scores last Tuesday or today, but if you haven't had a chance to do so, please be sure to stop by the Counseling Center to pick them up.  You can pick up your score sheets during your lunch periods or before or after school from any of the secretaries at the front of the counseling center. 

One nice feature of the PreACT is that you will get your test booklet and the score summary written report.  You can use this information to help you determine what you did well on and what you want to improve on in the future.

Don't forget, these are just practice tests so they are giving you an indication of where you might expect to score on the actual ACT and you can use your results to help guide you in preparing to achieve college readiness.

I hope your scores were what you were expecting (or perhaps even better).  If you have any questions don't hesitate to stop by and see me.

Also, on a separate note, last night started the Festival of Lights and so I wanted to pause and wish a very Happy Hanukkah to all of my students and families who are celebrating this week.

Get Organized

Here we go... as we start back to school tomorrow you have just 17 days left in the semester.  So, I strongly encourage you to pause tonight to try to get yourself organized and be geared up to finish out strong.

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.

Ms. Elliott, the English Academic Assistant, is outstanding with helping students get organized and you can also feel free to come by and talk to me if you need some help with organization strategies.

What a difference a year makes...

Happy Thanksgiving!  All day long I have been struck by how different today is compared to a year ago... at least it is drastically different in my life.  Last year COVID resulted in my family all staying separate to keep everyone safe.  I had been around students at school and so I couldn't be near my parents without putting them at risk - something I wasn't willing to do.  And so I was alone for the day.  Sure, I got delicious food off of my parents front porch and spent a little time on FaceTime and Zoom with different family members, but it definitely wasn't the same.  

At the time I remember thinking that it was quiet and weird, but not that bad...  And yet, I think I was able to keep that perspective because I knew that we were going to be remote learning leading up to December and so I would be able to quarantine so that I could safely be with my family for Christmas.  

Today was a complete and total opposite to the quiet and loneliness.  From the moment I woke up to even now as I write this it has been filled with noise, laughter, and togetherness.  (8 people and 5 dogs all under 1 roof will do that.)  And I am grateful for every second of it all!

I just wanted to pause and hop on here to wish you and your families a Happy Thanksgiving.  I am grateful for the honor of being able to work with you and know you.  I appreciate you sharing your lives with me.  So today as I celebrate with my family, I am also holding you close in my heart and hoping that your day is filled with joy as well.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Enjoy Your Break!

Woo-hoo!  It's Thanksgiving break.  I hope you have a wonderful and relaxing 5 days with lots of good food, family time, and positive memories on Thanksgiving.  If you are traveling over break, please be safe as we need you back at WKHS next week!

And then before I close for tonight, I have to say a HUGE Thank You to Worthington Presbyterian Church.  They donated all of the food to allow 40 WKHS families to enjoy a traditional Thanksgiving meal this holiday season.  We appreciate your generosity and kindness and it was such a privilege to be able to be a part of sharing that joy with others as we handed out the food today.

See you next week!  :-)

Financial Aid

Last Monday I was out of the building all day to attend a Financial Aid conference.  I have blogged about some financial aid related topics already, but I wanted to share a little more insight with you with information that I learned.

First, let's talk about Financial Aid Priority Deadlines... much like college admissions deadline dates, each college gets to establish the dates by which they would like to receive student's applications for financial aid (FAFSA and sometimes also CSS profile).  The priority deadline date is the day you would want to be sure they have your required forms completed by in order to put yourself in the position to get the maximum possible aid.  The colleges, as a whole, will continue to give out whatever available money they still have left over for those who submit their applications for financial aid later, but you are potentially dealing with less money being available.  They had a chart for us with Ohio FAFSA Priority Deadlines and I was stunned to see that there are a handful of colleges who ask for them by November 15th if students are also applying early action/ early decision.  Over a dozen more are asking for the FAFSA by December 1st... which means that if you and your parents have not yet filled out the FAFSA you may need to make that a priority in the coming week!

They also told us that with the new FAFSA families are running into problems if the student and parent haven't both requested their FSA ID in advance.  You can request an FSA ID while you are filling out the FAFSA, but they said they are hearing that it is kicking people out of the system, not saving information and then families have to start over again.  So go ahead and request your FSA ID at least 3-5 days before doing your FAFSA and please be sure to write down your user name and password because you will only use it 1 time per year and so it is likely you'll forget it later.  You can request your FSA ID by going to: StudentAid.gov/fsa-id/create-account

If you are trying to apply for financial aid, but are running into a challenge because your parents do not have a SSN, your parent will not be able to create an FSA ID so you will have to sign the forms via paper, but you can still submit the FAFSA.  Just enter all 0's for the SSN.  At the end of the FAFSA you will print the signature page, sign, and mail it in as a hard copy.

Selective Service Registration is still asked about on the FAFSA this year - all 18 year old males are required to register with the selective service.  For federal requirements, it is no longer required to have done this step in order to receive your financial aid money, but the state of Ohio still requires Ohio public colleges to confirm it so you will want to be sure you are taking care of that step as well if it is applicable.

If you are a student who has special circumstances, you will want to talk to the financial aid directors at your intended colleges.  This may be a parent's death since the tax year being submitted, significant changes in financial circumstances for your family, etc.  

Reminders:

- Parents must provide information for the FAFSA, but it does NOT obligate them to help pay for any of your schooling/ education

- If your parents are divorced and remarried, the information for the parent you live with most along with the step-parent in that home is the information which is submitted on the FAFSA

- There is a Data Retrieval Tool that can make it far easier to complete the FAFSA free of errors.  This tool also decreases the chances that you will be selected for verification.  (Verification means you have to provide lots of paperwork and copies of tax forms etc.  Colleges are given a certain number that they must verify each year and those are automatically flagged when students submit their FAFSA.)

- There are questions about student and parent assets.  When you fill out that information it is regarding your assets (Cash, Savings and Checking) as of the day it is being filled out.  So, for example, I might want to fill out that information on the day after I have paid all of my bills for the month vs the day I get paid.

- This year you are filling out the 2022-23 FAFSA and the tax information being pulled into it is the 2020 taxes.

- On the FAFSA it will ask if you want to be considered for Federal Work Study.  They encourage students to say yes.  You don't have to accept it, but it will be another possible opportunity for you down the road if you qualify.  They are not a guarantee of a job and it doesn't come off of your bill, but it can help you to earn money at various places (including professor labs, etc) to help pay for educational costs.

- When comparing financial aid offers, it is important that you really look closely at the full cost of attendance (not just tuition) and then compare the money being offered from each school based on what will have to be repaid, what won't and what will still be left over that needs covered in some way.

There was a ton more information shared as a part of the conference.  (As in they gave us 43 pages of notes plus other handouts!)  I can't share it all on the blog, but over the coming days/ weeks I will be adding even more information related to financial aid onto the Counselor website for you to be able to access and use as needed.

Student Shout-out's

Over the last few weeks two of my students have had big accomplishments that I wanted to pause to recognize and celebrate...

Kaden Emberton who is attending DACC full time was honored as a Student of the Month at the Career Center.  Their selection is to recognize a student who has gone above-and-beyond and I am so proud of Kaden for earning this award!

Evie DeCarlo has signed her National Letter of Intent to swim during college.  Evie will be swimming at Northern Michigan University.  Her signing to continue swimming is in recognition of years of hard work that Evie has put in both in her sport and in the classroom.  And even though I know she still has big goals for her senior year swim season, it is exciting to know that her career will continue beyond graduation.  Congratulations Evie and keep chasing after all of your dreams!

Every day in public and private ways, Kilbourne students are striving to make a difference and to have a positive impact... which is part of what makes WKHS so special.  Kaden and Evie, thanks for your positive leadership and impact.  I am proud of you both and thankful for you!

Delaware Area Career Center

Attending the Delaware Area Career Center (DACC) is a great opportunity to earn elective credits in an area that interests you rather than taking electives that you are selecting simply because they will fill up your schedule.  With over 25 different programs available, there are many unique experiences and opportunities available that can give you a jump start on a career and can also stand out to colleges. 

One thing to realize about the Career Center is that they partner with 15 different districts from across Central Ohio.  So by attending the Career Center you have the chance to meet new people who have similar interests.  Each student is still involved in the activities in their home school such as sports and clubs, but this just extends that network of friends and contacts.  I will also point out that while it is a huge advantage to have that many different schools all working with the career center, it also means that the 25 spots available in each program (except Digital Design which has 50 spots available) are going to be very competitive to apply and get a seat.  As a result, if DACC interests you, I encourage you to explore the websites, virtual tour and apply as soon as possible.

DACC will be hosting an Open House on December 2nd.  They will have 2 different sessions that span from 4:30-7:30pm and each student can register and bring one parent/ guardian with them for the visit to see the programs first-hand.  Please be sure to sign up for your preferred session ASAP so that you don't get closed out of the opportunity.

They also have an in-depth website that features virtual tours, videos of every program, and a great deal of information to help inform students and parents of the opportunities available.  

Their application went live yesterday and the priority application deadline is January 14th.

I strongly encourage you to check out the programs because the hands on opportunities to learn something new while also gaining your required elective credits can be a very appealing option! 

Stay Informed

Did you know that you can receive these blog posts to your e-mail automatically?  Perhaps that is how you are viewing them already, but in case you aren't I thought it might help to know that you don't have to try to remember the lengthy website address for my blog.  (Sadly, I know that it is not an easy address to find but back in 2007 when I started the blog I didn't realize how much of a problem it would become.)

The way I have it set up is that the title of the blog post will be the subject line of the e-mail so you can always delete the post without reading it if you realize that it will not be applicable to you.  To sign up for the updates, scroll part way down the page on the right hand side to the area that says, "Follow By E-mail" (it is below the Blog Archive & Contributor sections).  Type in your e-mail address and click "Subscribe."  Once you do this you are all set and the posts will come to you directly.  So, if you want to make sure you never miss out on a blog post, sign up for automatic updates.

The other key way that the counseling center tries to keep families up to date is through the Counselor Website.  We have recently made a lot of updates to the site so be sure to check it out at www.wkhscounselors.com.

At Kilbourne we are making a concentrated effort to streamline the parent emails that are sent out so instead of sending each separate message in it's own email, all of the messages are now being held and combined together into one weekly newsletter email message from the district.  Parents will want to be sure to open and read this newsletter each week to learn the latest updates.

It isn't necessarily hard work to keep up with all of the upcoming dates, deadlines and opportunities if you are staying organized, writing down key dates and maintaining your planner, but I want to make it as easy as possible so that you are never caught off guard.  By following my blog, visiting the Counselor Website, plus reading the weekly newsletters and following @wkhswolves on Twitter/ Instagram, I believe you won't have any difficulty staying informed.

4 A's Stress Management

The Mayo Clinic promotes a stress management strategy known as the 4 A's: avoid, alter, accept, and adapt.  The goal is that in every stressful situation we can look at it from the mindset of how we can apply at least one of these principles.

Avoid: Believe it or not, a lot of stress can simply be avoided. Plan ahead, learn to say no, and ditch parts of your to-do list (low priority items).

Alter: Take inventory of whatever stressful situation you find yourself in, then consider ways you change or modify it for the better.

Accept: Sometimes we have no other option than to accept things the way they are. When this is the case, it is important to talk to someone, to forgive, to practice positive self-talk, and to learn from our mistakes.

Adapt: There are times when we need to adjust or revise the standards and expectations we set upon ourselves, which many times are unreasonable. What can help to change one’s perspective is to ask yourself, “Will this matter in a year or in five years?”

If you want to read more in depth about this stress management approach, you can check it out on their website.

And hopefully you took the opportunity to participate in Yoga today as a way to help with your stress levels some during the day.

Yoga Tomorrow

Tomorrow, Wednesday, November 17th, during the last 15 minutes of all 4 lunch periods all students are invited to the main gym to participate in Yoga.  This short session of Yoga is open to everyone - no experience is needed, no equipment is needed, no reservation is needed... just walk down to the main gym and join in!  It is a great opportunity for students to focus on self care and to have fun with other students during a part of your lunch period.  A special thank you to the Activity Club for making this opportunity possible.

Study Strategies

Do you know how to study? I ask students that question a lot and, quite honestly, the most common response is "no." It really isn't a surprise though. The reality is that until high school gets hard enough that you hit the wall and it no longer comes easy to you, studying isn't something you typically have to worry about and spend a lot of time focusing on.

The challenging part of studying is that what works best for one person may not be what works best for someone else.  And, even if you figure out what works best for you in one particular subject area, that still doesn't mean that this particular strategy will be most effective for a different subject.

The best news is that there are lots of different ideas and strategies that you can use to develop a study strategy that works best for you!  For what it is worth, think of learning to study like you think of learning to run. You already know some skills that have helped you to know how to study and to be successful - just like you already know how to run, but if you practice and really train at running, you can improve significantly and studying will work just the same. Keep working at your study strategies, practice and continue refining your technique until you find the perfect combination that works for you.  

There are just 23 school days left in the semester and so making the most out of preparing for each test and quiz will only help you to finish out the semester strong.  We have a large number of study strategies, resources, ideas and information on the WKHS Counselor website in the academic section so I hope you will check that out.

Sleep

Did you enjoy the extra hour of sleep we got this past weekend?  I definitely did... while I don't love how early it gets dark outside, I always like being able to have the benefit of the extra hour of sleep on the night of the time change.  The reality is I know that I am not the only one who needs more sleep.  I hear kids say,  "I'm so tired!"  over and over again each day.  Often, I share the exact same feeling and the reality is that sleep is one of the best things we can do for ourselves and yet it is also something we frequently push aside.

The research about the importance of teen's getting sleep has frequently been touted and yet, as I talk to you, it is shocking for me to realize how little sleep many of you are getting.  Lack of sleep is not only exhausting, but it decreases your immune system, makes it more difficult to regulate your emotions, and can mimic the signs of ADHD.  

I wish it was as easy as saying you need to go to bed earlier, but for many of you, your schedules are so packed with homework, studying, jobs, sports, clubs, and other activities that it is hard to make everything fit into the window of time that you have between the end of the school day and a "reasonable" bedtime.  Additionally, many students have talked about the fact that it is hard for them to go to sleep once they go to bed because their mind races, they think of "one more thing" they need to do, or they lose track of time while texting late into the night.  And, although it isn't easy, sleep is important!

I am NOT a morning person and, quite honestly, I don't think I ever have been.  When my sister and I were in high school my mom set 9:00pm as our bedtime.  Every now and then we would argue that we should be allowed to have a later bedtime like all of our other friends and she would agree and say, "No problem, as soon as you can wake up in the morning without me having to say anything to you to wake up, then you can stay up later."  (FYI, my mom is really smart!)  She knew there was no way in the world we could successfully wake up without extra help because we were tired and needed the sleep.  We couldn't argue with her because she wasn't having us go to sleep earlier as a punishment - she was trying to help us get the amount of sleep that we needed.  Later, when I was in college and was getting WAY too little sleep, I would call my mom stressed and upset and she, with all her perfect motherly wisdom, would simply say, "Stop what you are doing and go to sleep."  She knew that I was too tired to think straight and that I wasn't doing a good job with studying or homework or whatever else I might have been working on at the time because I was exhausted.

While I am certainly not your mom and in no way am I saying that 9:00pm is the right bedtime for you, I do think that you could benefit from getting more sleep.  So, at least for now, enjoy the bonus of the extra hour of sleep from this week and try to plan accordingly so that you can continue to get as much extra sleep as possible every night.

Missing Application Items

I have been receiving so many emails and visits from seniors in a panic about the notifications they have received from colleges about additional requirements needed to complete their applications.

There are things that you have to know and take care of related to your applications - transcripts and test scores are two of the big ones that seem to be causing the most problem at this point.  See, the challenge is that colleges know these are components that many students forget to take care of those components, so as soon as they download your application, many colleges automatically generate an email to remind you about the need to send them.

So what do you do if you get one of these notification letters?

The first step is to stop and ask yourself - did you request your transcript?  That means, did you fill out the online transcript release form for us?  If you did, and the application was through Common App or SendEDU you can log onto the websites to verify that your transcript was sent and on what day it was submitted.  If you applied through a college that doesn't use Common App or SendEDU, you can stop in to see Mrs. McDaniel to make sure you had requested your transcript and that it was sent.

For your test scores, the first question to ask yourself is if you are applying test optional.  If you are then you don't need to worry about scores.  If you are not then it is often harder to recall off the top of your head if you had submitted your scores or not since you signed up for 4 free scores to go to colleges when you registered for the tests.  So, I suggest that you log into the ACT and SAT websites and double check that your test scores were sent to every college where you are applying.

Colleges get really back-logged at peak application times and so it can take them several weeks to get all of the various components of applications matched up and processed and updated on their computer systems.  So, if your materials were sent in within the last 2-3 weeks and you can see that your materials were submitted, then you can relax because it just means that their system is backed up.  You can continue double checking on the college website to verify that they have everything.  If you are reaching the end of the 3rd week and they still don't show that they have everything, then I would suggest that you (not your parents) give them a call to double check the status of your materials.  Like I said, chances are they just haven't made it there yet, but there are times where materials can get lost in the mail or filed in the wrong area.  If your transcript needs sent again, we can help you work to take care of that, but first make sure that it is really missing.

If you have done everything that you were required to do then for now, try to just relax and wait this process out - I promise, this is a common frustration for seniors at this time of year.

Socratic Society

Last Friday morning 40 students were inducted into the Socratic Society. Staff members are given the opportunity to recognize students for excellence in one or more of the core Socratic values of Scholarship, Integrity, Personal Effort, Compassion, or Lifelong Learning. Students are only eligible to be selected for this honor one time during their high school career.

It was nice to be able to celebrate this ceremony in person again.  I had 7 students in my part of the alphabet who were honored.  A special congratulations to "my" students who were among those recognized this month! (Alphabetically): Nehmat Amesh, Colby Beck, Brenna Burrell, Nanami Campbell, Max Capehart, Diego Cobo, and Meghan Deitrick. I am proud of each of you!

Survey Feedback about Worthington

Each year students throughout the district are asked to complete a Panorama survey giving feedback about your perspectives on Worthington schools and how we as a staff are working to support you.  This will happen again this year on Wednesday during the Pack Period.

For the first time, in addition to the student feedback being gathered, the district is asking all parents and guardians to consider providing their own feedback to the district as well.  The survey opened today and parents/ guardians can access by visiting the following website: surveys.panoramaed.com/worthington/family

The survey will take about 20 minutes to complete and topics will include family engagement, barriers to engagement, family support, school climate and school safety.  The district hopes to be able to use the family-school relationships survey data to help better understand the needs in the community and how our district can best support families.  The survey will remain open and accessible for families from today until November 19th.

Pre-ACT Reminder

If you are taking the Pre-ACT tomorrow, you will report directly to the gymnasium when you arrive to school in the morning. You will need to bring your student id with you in order to check in. You will also need a number 2 pencil (no mechanical pencils allowed), a calculator, and I would recommend a watch. The test will begin promptly by 7:45 and you will finish testing during 5th period.  (If you have lunch 4th period we will be sure you have time to eat and give you pass to go to 5th period.)

I was very happy to see so many of my students signed up to be taking practice test for the ACT and I wish you all good luck!  I hope it will be a meaningful practice opportunity for you in preparation for when you take the actual ACT in the future.

Good luck on the test!

Homework

Completing homework can be a challenge for some students. Homework has value because it is practice.  Your teachers are not assigning homework to you just because they think it is fun.  They are trying to extend your learning to make sure you know and understand the concepts being covered in class.  Being able to spend your time learning and fully understanding the material is worth the investment of your time and energy.

So let's talk for a second about those top reasons students often give about why they haven't been doing their work...

- I'll do it the next day... Saving your work to finish during academic prep or lunch sounds like a viable option, but if you have been saving your work for then and it isn't getting done then it is time to rethink your approach.  Getting through the work rather than having it hang over your head will take away the pressure and allow you to feel the success of having your work completed.

- It really isn't that important... I get it - in some of your classes homework is weighted really low compared to other assignments or tests and so it doesn't always feel as if the work is worthwhile, but here is the reality - Every Point Matters!  Especially if your grades aren't where you want them to be.  But think about it for a moment.  If homework is worth 10% of your grade and you don't do it then you're already starting with a 90% in your class and the only way you could earn a 90% would be if you get a perfect score on every other assignment outside of your homework.  And, let's be honest, if you aren't doing the homework to practice and develop a deeper understanding of the material, then it isn't realistic that you will be able to earn a perfect score on all of your other classwork and tests.

- You forgot about the work... time to get organized and keep a planner or use an app for tracking your assignments.  Your head is the place to think - not the best place to try to keep track of all of your work that needs to be done.  This is especially the case when you take into consideration all of the long-term assignments and projects which you have to keep track of throughout the year.

The reality is for some students you may be struggling with homework because you try, but aren't sure of what to do.  If that is you, then I need to stress the importance of doing the best that you can on what you know and then using your academic prep, lunch or before/ after school time to meet with your teacher or the academic assistants to ask questions to make sure you learn and understand the material.  I actually see this struggle as a possible strength because if you are trying the assignments and are able to seek help to learn the specific compoentns that you weren't sure about then you will have a much richer understanding of the material than anyone who didn't even attempt the work in the first place.

I know that homework can be frustrating.  I know you have other things happening in your life that can make dedicating the time to complete work a challenge.  But school is your job.  You need to maximize your learning and take care of this responsibility by doing your homework on a regular basis so that you don't fall behind and then have to dig out of a hole.  I am confident that if you do, you will see the reward in your grade and most importantly in your learning and understanding of the material. 

College Interviews

Some colleges require all prospective students to participate in an interview with an admissions counselor or an alumni representative as a component of the application process.  Others may offer it as an option for students, but not make it a requirement. If you are applying to a school which requires or recommends an interview – don’t panic!

It is important to relax and be yourself. This is your opportunity to shine. Display your personality and allow your interests and passions to be expressed.  In today's land of COVID it is possible that the interview will be done virtually or they may offer in-person opportunities.  Be sure to set yourself up for success by being in a setting that isn't distracting, is away from your phone, and that looks appropriate.  (In other words, don't do your interview while lying in bed.)

In addition to answering their questions, don’t be afraid to ask any questions you have about the school. Be sure to complete some research ahead of time so that you are not asking questions you easily could have found by visiting their website.  You can use the information on the WKHS Counselor Website for ideas on what you can ask as well as to help you think through the types of questions they might ask you.

If there is anything about yourself that you want to be sure that the admissions representatives understand – unique circumstances, experiences, or special traits that they might not ask about, don’t hesitate to offer up this information. This is your one opportunity to actually discuss these areas with a real person. By bringing up these topics, it may spur them to ask additional questions that you will be able to answer.

And, hopefully it goes without saying, but remember that first impressions are important – so be polite, smile, dress appropriately and arrive on time for your interview!

Virtues

I hope you had a relaxing and enjoyable day off today!  We had a day full of professional development meetings and, even though I would have loved to have the day off, it was a nice chance to be able to connect with colleagues to work and learn together.  

During today's meetings we had a keynote speaker who had a lot of interesting perspectives to share and one that resonated with me that perhaps you might relate to as well was the concept about how you are choosing to live your life.  He framed it in terms of if you are going for resume virtues or eulogy virtues. 

What does that mean? Well, essentially resume virtues are those accomplishments you achieve.  In school it might mean being team captain, student council rep, earning top grades in a class, or being the first to achieve a goal.  As you move forward in life it would be earning a degree, volunteering on a board for a local non-profit organization, or being the top sales associate, etc.  All of these have importance and value and they are the types of things you would list on a resume. 

Eulogy virtues are the personal qualities and characteristics you display.  These are the types of things that people would often remark about when giving a eulogy for someone rather than what you'd see in a resume.  So, for example that might sound like, "they light up a room" or "he was always willing to help anyone who needed anything including giving them the shirt off his back if needed" or "she was the person I could always count on to listen."  These eulogy virtues are more of the interpersonal skills that resonate with us as we interact with people around us.

There isn't anything wrong with either type of virtue and they both have immense value.  But, the reality is the accolades touted in the resume virtues are probably forgotten over time while the feelings created in the lives of others by the way you demonstrate the eulogy virtues may never be forgotten.

I just really liked the concept and thought it might be something you would also appreciate.  Know that I appreciate the good that I see in you and I know that you are making a difference by the way you live out your virtues.  And I hope you know that the way you treat yourself and others matters and will ultimately lead you to success.

Searching for Colleges

As you enjoy the day off tomorrow, perhaps you will have a little extra time to do some exploring for the future.  Starting the process to explore colleges that might appeal to you can feel overwhelming simply because there are so many colleges out there - colleges you may not have even heard of previously. 

No matter what grade you are in, when you start the college search – the answer lies in you! I know, that sounds a bit cheesy, but it is true. Before you really start looking for the “right” school it is important to figure out what you WANT in a school and that can only be found by looking in yourself and determining what factors are most important to you.

For example, for some students distance from home may be a big deal. Being close can have it’s advantages – like being able to come home and have a free home cooked meal or a place to do your laundry and also not having to worry about flying half way across the country any time you would want to come home for a visit. Going to school at a college far from home can also have it’s advantages – often a different climate, a new experience and adventure where you can be independent, and no concerns about mom or dad just dropping in unexpectedly. And, of course, there are some students who will elect to find a school that is not too far and not too close. (Remember, that by communicating with your family about what you are looking for in a school you may find that a college outside of your comfort zone is still worth considering because you and your parents may be able to reach some mutually agreed upon ground rules – so the concern that they might come see you or you might come home too often can be eliminated by talking about those issues up front.)

The size of a school is another factor for many students. Small, Medium, Large or somewhere in between – the challenge is that many students will say, “I don’t know” and that is where making a variety of visits to different sized schools can be advantageous. You can explore a small school and see if the experience of knowing lots of people on campus and in your classes is better for you than a medium or large school where you may have a class in a lecture hall with hundreds of other students. As you visit the schools you may find that there are experiences or advantages that a larger school can provide that a smaller school can’t such as a wider variety of clubs or groups for students to be involved. The key is to figure out what size school fits you and then you can narrow your search to explore more schools in that range.  However, it is important to keep an open mind about size because there is only 24 hours in a day so the way you will spend your time is going to be very similar no matter what size of a campus you select.

Other factors that often influence a student’s college decision will include the types of majors or programs offered at the school, their athletic programs – both collegiate sponsored and intramurals, the food, the dorms, the cost (but don’t necessarily completely eliminate potential colleges as possibilities simply based upon cost because often the private schools are much more expensive, but also offer a much larger financial aid package to make it competitive and comparable to a public school), extra-curricular opportunities, career placement services and on and on.

Again, I cannot stress the point that everyone is different and what is best for one person is not necessarily the ideal school for someone else. All too often I listen to students who are only looking at the 2 or 3 schools that their best friend or sibling looked at rather than trying to find the school that fits best for them. Also, I truly believe that it is about being a good match – for both you and the college and that there is not 1 perfect school.  You will be successful no matter where you end up attending.

I know, it can be a bit intimidating to search for a school and to try to figure out what you really want in a college and for your future, but it is also supposed to be fun so try not to put too much pressure on yourself to find “perfection” and try to take a step back and figure out what will make you happy. It really can be fun, but I know it is also overwhelming so remember that I am here to support and help you in any way that I can.