We Do Not Rank

When completing college applications you will find that most colleges will ask “What is your class rank?” and if they can’t get you to give them an exact rank they might also ask you for a percentile ranking. (Some schools may not ask you and may ask on the counselor form that I am required to complete for you.) 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, this year, a 3.67 GPA ranks as a top 25% at Kilbourne, but at a less competitive school might rank in the top 10%. So, unless you have a 4.0 or better, do yourself a favor and write “Do Not Rank” when completing your applications.

And, for those of you who really want to know what your current class rank is – you can stop by to see me and I can show it to you.  Please, please, please, remember that no one else will see your class rank and we do not release it so it is NOT a reason to worry or be upset if your rank is not as high as you would have expected or guessed.

Digital Danger and Meet the Teacher Night

This coming Wednesday, September 11th, is this year's PTO Meet the Teacher Night. This is a night when your parents can come through school, follow your schedule, and meet all of your teachers. Just before the Meet the Teacher night, there will be a Digital Danger presentation for parents.  The Digital Danger event begins at 6pm and the Meet the Teacher part of the evening will be over by 9pm. Each class will be 10 minutes in length and yes, your parents will have the same 5 minute passing time that you have during the day. (Hopefully they won't get lost and be late or else they could end up with lots of tardies!) :-)

Here is the schedule for the evening:

Digital Danger - 6:00 - 6:50

1st period - 7:00 - 7:10
2nd period - 7:15 - 7:25
3rd period - 7:30 - 7:40
4th period - 7:45 - 7:55
5th period - 8:00 - 8:10
6th period - 8:15 - 8:25
7th period - 8:30 - 8:40
8th period - 8:45 - 8:55

Please make sure you give your parents a copy of your schedule or at least write down the room numbers for all of your classes so they know where they are heading for the evening!  Of course, if you have lost your copy of your schedule, your parents can print off your schedule on Infinite Campus. The parents of freshman will also have the opportunity to watch a video in the commons of your first day of high school during your assigned lunch period.

Please make sure your parents know about this evening because I know many of them will want to attend and they usually like putting a face with a name so that if you are talking about a test in Mr. ____'s class or an assignment for Mrs. ____'s class they will be able to keep it straight.

Also, don't forget that tomorrow is a late start day so you have the lucky fortune of being able to sleep in with classes beginning at 9:10am.

Colleges Visiting Kilbourne

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.  The visits begin this week and over 60 colleges are already slated to spend time in the building visiting with our students.

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.

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. You can then stop into 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.)

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.

Confidentiality

I wanted to thank all of you for filling out the Counselor Connection forms earlier this week.  I enjoyed being able to read through your responses and learning a little bit more about you!

It is very important to me that I work to earn your trust every day. During high school there are times when you may feel that there is no one there to listen and I want to remind you that I am here for you. Please remember that what you say to me is confidential between us unless you are a risk to yourself or someone else in which case I am required to report it.

If you want to meet with me - just drop by my office! That is honestly the BEST way to meet with me. You don't need to schedule an appointment in advance. I'm generally around before and after school as well as during your lunch or academic prep/ option periods for you to stop in and chat. You don't need a big reason to come down and say Hi. I am happy to see you even if you just wanted to tell me how well or how poorly you did on a test that day. If I am busy meeting with another student or parent - you can stop back down or leave a pass for me. If I don't know who you are and you have left a pass that leads me to search for you in the commons please try to help me out and let me know that "you" are the student. (I know, not always easy, but if you left a pass and I haven't tracked you down that day or the following day, chances are I can't find you in the commons - so please come back!)

Don't forget I have candy and toys in my office - so it is always worth just stopping by to say hello. :-) Nope, I am not above bribery if it means that I get to know you all better. :-)

Go Wolves!

This week is Kilbourne vs. Thomas week.  Tonight the girls and guys soccer teams took on TWHS and tomorrow night it is the football team's turn.  In order to help build positive school spirit, there will be a pep rally held during school tomorrow which means we will be on a modified bell schedule.

I am excited to see everyone at the game tomorrow night and while I'm confident you understand the importance of making smart decisions, I offer a reminder of the importance to be positive and "keep it classy!"

While the game will be an exciting battle on the field, it will also represent a chance for our community to pull together to support one of the TWHS teachers, Mr. Gussler, who is battling cancer.  The Kilbourne Krazies will be selling items during lunch and proceeds will go to the Gussler family.  Additionally, the "blue out" will honor Mr. Gussler.  In a spirit of building community, there will be a tailgate open to the public out in front of the building near the rock and the freshmen and 2013 Link Crew will be having their own private tailgate celebration inside the stadium before the game.

It will be a great day and hopefully will be topped off with a victory!  Good luck and Go Wolves!

Tomorrow's bell schedule:
1st period - 7:45 - 8:31
2nd period - 8:36 - 9:22
3rd period - 9:27 - 9:35
Assembly - 9:35 - 9:55
3rd period - 9:55 - 10:50
4th period - 10:55 - 11:41
5th period - 11:46 - 12:32
6th period - 12:37 - 1:23
7th period - 1:28 - 2:14
8th period - 2:19 - 3:05

OSU Admissions Update

I spent last Friday morning on OSU's campus to get an update about their admissions process.  With the majority of Kilbourne graduates attending either OSU or Columbus State, I felt this was important information to pass along to all students who might be considering applying to OSU.

My first reminder is that if you would like to attend OSU, you will have the opportunity as a graduate of Worthington Kilbourne High School, but you may be starting on a branch campus.  Admission to main campus continues to become more competitive with every passing year.

In fact, they gave us a review of enrollment data over the last decade and they are receiving about 10,000 more applications now and even though they are now admitting about 2,000 more students than they did 10 years ago, their percentage of students admitted was 72% in 2003 and last year it was 58%.  In the same time period, their average ACT score increased from 25.4 to a 28.1 and the number of students who were in the top 10% of their class rose from 33% to 54%.

So what are they predicting for this year's applicants?  They expect that their number of applications will increase from 28,675 (last year) to 35,475 this year and that the number of students who will enroll will be about the same or slightly less.  Their average ACT score is expected to increase slightly from 28.1 to between 28.4 - 28.5.  The students who are in the top ten percent of their class is expected to climb from 54% to between 57-58% and those in the top 25% of their class is expected to rise to 91-92%.  These are incredible statistics!  OSU is clearly dedicated to raising the academic bar each year and the students applying and being accepted to main campus are achieving at remarkable levels.

Of the students who were admitted last year, 99% exceeded the minimum course requirements in Social Studies, 92% exceeded the minimum requirements in Math, 90% exceeded the minimum requirements in Foreign Language and 88% exceeded the minimum course requirements in Science.  Clearly, a strong high school curriculum with challenging academic classes is very important to them.

If you are planning on applying to main campus, you have an essay to write (on Common App's website) and you will need to provide them with one recommendation letter from someone who knows you well (can be from a teacher or from me).  Their priority deadline to be considered for scholarships as well as the honors and scholars programs is November 1st!  (Yes, less than 2 months away and a month earlier than their scholarship deadlines of the past.)  After the November 1st deadline all applications will be looked at on a rolling basis which means that after they have evaluated and decided on which students they will accept from all of the applicants who apply by November 1st they will then continue to look at each application as it comes in and make a decision and let you know their answer in an ongoing basis until they have filled their class.

OSU stressed that they are not "admitting" a class - they are "building" a class so they will be completing a holistic review of your applications and will be taking into consideration more than just your grades and test scores.  (Although, as their stats show, your grades and test scores are still vitally important as is the case with every college.)

It is important to remember though, that all students have the opportunity to attend a branch campus of OSU once you graduate from WKHS.  The other good news if your plan is to start at a branch is that you do not have to write an essay and get a recommendation letter.  Rather than applying through Common App you will apply from a link on their website at apply.osu.edu.

I have a lot more information and data available if you have additional questions about applying to OSU so don't hesitate to stop by and see me.

Writing Your College Essay

Tomorrow morning I am going into one of the Advanced Composition classes to talk about writing your college essay and so I decided to share information with all of you about writing essays.  This is definitely a long post, but I genuinely hope that it will be helpful to seniors as they work on their college essays!

Writing a college essay 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 average and test scores, but they still want to know more about YOU – the person behind those grades, scores, and activities.  This is your chance to communicate to the colleges who you are and how your mind works.  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 stand out.  Think of this as your opportunity to personally introduce yourself to the admissions and scholarship officers reading your application. Be open, honest and real. 

I mentioned this at senior college night and I genuinely believe it is true – think of your essay as a blind date.  You are trying to make a positive impression on someone you don’t really know by showcasing who you are and all of the great things about you.  You want them to walk away knowing that you are special.  The best news of all though is that you don’t have to suffer from the nerves of making a silly mistake on this “blind date” – you can perfect your essay so that you can make sure you are putting forth a positive message with a good tone that also shows your ability to think and write clearly and logically.

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 taking a different essay and trying to make it fit for their question.  Put in the time to write an essay that answers the question 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 with vivid examples – that will usually be specific, concrete stories 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 you didn’t appear to 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 sounds 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, and 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 writing your essay until the last possible second.

PICKING THE TOPIC

The first step to selecting your topic is to think about what you want the college to know about you that will not be apparent in the rest of your application.  If you are given multiple questions to select from, it is often helpful to work backwards and focus first on what you want to convey and then identify stories and examples that can illustrate your point.  Next look at the various questions you can pick from and think about which of your anecdotal stories fits with the questions.

Remember, it is worth putting time, energy and effort into picking a good and meaningful topic that is powerful for you because the passion you have for your topic will naturally convey itself in your writing.  Additionally, many topics that come to mind immediately for you will also come to mind right away for hundreds of other students applying to college.  You want to explore a new angle and show how you are different from everyone else.  Try to think about what excites and interests you when picking your essay topic.  Be careful though, this is not “true confessions” time.

If you are still struggling to come up with topics for your essay or how to go into depth on an essay topic idea, try to brainstorm on the following questions:

What do you want me to learn about you in the essay?

List your top 5 personality traits and how they have helped you in various situations.

What did you do?

Where did you do this?

What were your responsibilities?

What was your best memory or experience there?

What inspired you to get involved or how did you get involved?

What did you learn from the experience?

How have your experiences changed or impacted you?

Why was this experience meaningful?

How have your experiences shaped your character?

What is significant to you about being involved in these activities or receiving the honors or awards?

How have your activities or experiences impacted you personally?

What is your personal motto in life?  How did you come to this?

What is the value of this experience to you?

If you are still completely stuck, go to your family members and friends and ask them to help you identify traits, stories and examples of “That is so YOU” moments.  (Those stories that are so perfectly you that it is hard to imagine them fitting or applying to anyone else.)

COMPOSING THE ESSAY

As you consider your purpose, you should focus on being creative and coming up with a plan for your writing so that you do not just ramble.  Look back at the question again before you begin to make sure you are fulfilling what the college is asking you to do (list, define, explain, compare/ contrast, evaluate, etc.)

When you are writing your essay, get specific.  It is often the small things or experiences in our lives that have the biggest impact on how we feel, think or act.  Sharing a specific example that speaks to who you are by illustrating your character, values and background is much more powerful than offering sweeping generalizations about yourself.

One tip is to select a topic that allows you a more narrow response and then you can use your word count to provide details and depth.  It can be helpful to describe the scene or the person with sharp nouns and active verbs or by using details that will invoke the senses. How did it look? feel? smell? sound?  Don’t just say that "Uncle John was odd." Show us his dog who smashed through closed windows and his unique decorating style of mixing plaid and polka dots.

Be sure to use your voice and stick to the word count.  (Hint: it is always easier to cut words than to try to squeeze more in later, so answer the question fully before worrying too much about word count, but plan ahead enough so that you are at least in the ball park of your word limits.)  This is a formal essay so you need to make sure that you are using proper grammar, punctuation and varying your sentence structure.

Whenever possible, start your essay with a catch – something that will engage the readers and compel them to continue reading.  And I hope this goes without saying, but don’t lie.  Do not make up stories that are not true or genuine.  You are the best you there is and this essay is about you so show yourself off and just be careful on tone.

Don’t forget, if you are writing the main common app essay, do NOT tailor the essay to one particular college because all of the schools that you apply to will receive the same version of the main essay.  Also, for what it is worth, when you are sending specific essays to individual colleges that are personalized, be sure to double check and make sure you are submitting the right essay to the appropriate college.

REVISING THE ESSAY

Give plenty of time to edit!  I understand that this is different than most of the essays you have written in high school, but it is worth writing a draft, walking away from it for a few days and then coming back to read it again to take a fresh look.  Many students are stunned at how the essay that they initially thought was great doesn’t meet their own expectations when they re-read it with fresh eyes.  It can help to read your essay aloud and see if it feels natural and sounds like you.  Time to edit and go through multiple drafts is a gift you can give yourself to drastically decrease your stress with the entire college application process.

When you begin reading through your essay again ask yourself:

Does it reveal who you are?

Does it represent your best academic ability?

Does it sound like you? 

Look at 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?

As you begin to get picky look at your word choice and make sure you are not overusing particular words.  Pay careful attention to the verbs - they 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."

The essay needs to read smoothly. As you revise and refine the piece, be sure that it has an attractive introduction, carefully crafted body paragraphs, and a confident conclusion. Look for clear transitions between paragraphs, and try to vary sentence length and structure.