Socratic Society

Yesterday morning 32 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.

A special congratulations to "my" 4 students who were among those recognized this month - Sam Biglin, Megan Coogan, Katie Coppley, and Macala Dietz!  Unfortunately I wasn't able to attend the ceremony because of the conference I was attending so I don't have a picture of "my" students to include with this post, but I am proud of each of you!

Proud to be a wolf

I am proud to be a wolf!  When I first started working at Worthington Kilbourne High School, I remember walking in and getting chills because I was so excited.  Even now, all these years later, that feeling remains.  I am so blessed to be able to come to work each day in an amazing school with incredible students.

Last Friday night, in spite of the cold, as I stood at the game looking around, all I kept thinking was what a special place and community Worthington Kilbourne is and how lucky I am to be a part of it.  Even more than the outstanding athletics that was on display on the field, it was what I saw everywhere else that touched me most.  My favorite part is always when I spot "my students" -  boosting school spirit from the front row of the stands, cheering on the team, playing in the band with enthusiasm,and, of course, on the football field working so hard to achieve their team goals.  It was incredible to witness three of the football players (2 of which happened to be my students) participate in the presentation ceremony of the $1,000 donated to the American Cancer Society as a result of Worthington's cancer fundraising efforts.  The WKHS community has had to face too many cancer battles, but it has also provided the opportunity for students to focus on that which really matters and to step up to support one another in an incredible way.  The level of respect I have for our students continued to swell as I watched our student section's support of the opposing team's band and the excitement with which you joined the Kilbourne team on the field after the game.  I want you to know that I appreciate the fact that I can walk alongside you during your journey through high school and that I am thankful that my job allows me to have you in my life.

Tonight begins football playoffs and I am excited for all of my players who will be competing as well as everyone who will be supporting and encouraging them along the way.  A special acknowledgement to "my seniors" who I was able to grab a quick photo of last week during the senior night ceremony.  Good luck tonight!

 (L to R): Cainan Carlisle, Ryan Clay, Connor Alley, Ben Delay, Trey Flores, and Mike Bell

(L to R): Bailey Andrews, Averi Dauphin and Katie DiMauro


I am so proud to be a wolf!

Holistic Admissions

When I was preparing for the College Information Night presentation a few weeks ago I recalled seeing an article about how colleges evaluate applicants.  I went back and found it and wished that the time of the evening would have allowed me to be able to show it, but that just wasn't feasible with everything else we had planned.

Hopefully those of you who attended the presentation were able to get an idea of the factors that can plan into a college application evaluation by the admissions officers who are completing a holistic admissions review.  And for those of you who were not there - the bottom line is that it can be anything.

Holistic admissions review means that the colleges will evaluate students based upon a wide range of factors and not just grades and test scores.  Strength of academic schedule, essays, leadership, community service, activities students are involved with, demonstrated interest, recommendation letters, and interviews are examples of the components colleges may consider when evaluating applicants.

This is a link to the evaluation processing page that one college uses (and a good idea of what many colleges will do) to take your application and convert it over to a one-page form to have a quick snapshot of you.  Be sure to check on the different areas to get a description of what each means.

There were two articles connected to this evaluation page that helped give additional information about how the evaluation of applications is carried out.  Although they were from several years ago, I believe you will still find the content helpful and informative.

How one college evaluates a transcript

Shedding further light on how one college decides

College Application Checklist

The most common question I heard over the last two days (and I heard it a LOT) was, "Did I miss anything?"  The reality is a lot of seniors have been worried that they are missing steps related to their college applications. The most accurate and most important response that I can give to you is to look at exactly what the college is asking for and make sure that they have each item requested by the deadline date. (And remember, that means that they actually have the materials in their office - not the date that you request it from WKHS or even the postmark deadline - it is the date that they need to have your entire completed application packet.)

1. Complete your application - this will be online.

2. Write your essay. I have mixed emotions if I should list this as #2 because you can't actually complete your application without your essay if one is required, but you probably don't know what the essay questions are unless you have started the application. Some schools will not require an essay while others will require multiple essays. Please plan accordingly because they take a long time to perfect.

3. Fill out the blue Transcript Release card for each school that you are applying. You can find this card in Mrs. McDaniel's office (you do not need to wait to try to see me). There is a $1.00 transcript fee unless you are applying to a school that utilizes Common App or SendEDU as we can submit transcripts through those two systems for free.

Another side note related to the transcript release cards- if you are applying to schools with deadlines of December 15th - January 10th we ask that you complete your transcript release card by December 1st.

4. Send your test scores - You need to make sure that you have submitted your ACT or SAT test results directly from the testing agency to each college where you are applying. You complete this step directly with the testing companies. If you are not sure if your test was sent, please log on to their site and double check.

5. If your college requires a teacher or counselor recommendation I really hope you have already arranged for someone to write them. Again, you should be giving your recommender at least 30 days notice to write a letter.

6. Double check your entire application, pay your application fee and submit the application.

7.  Sometimes people ask what are the other papers that might need to be mailed. This is one of those pieces that goes back to what the colleges require. Some colleges will have other requests such as a resume, an extra essay, teacher recommendation letters, a picture, etc. If it cannot be uploaded and needs to be mailed to the college, then you should combine it all into the same packet and mail it to the college.

It truly is not meant to be overly difficult, but it does require a great deal of organization and follow through on your part. With 307 seniors in this year's graduating class it is important to remember that you have to stay on top of things because deadlines are real and you do not want to lose the opportunity to apply to a school or to earn a scholarship just because you had not taken care of all of the details required.

If you have questions, stop by and see me and I will try to help make sure that we are all on the same page regarding what you need to do before your deadlines to complete all of your college applications.

Making College Visits

Quite a few of my students have talked recently about their plans to visit to a college campus, so I wanted to provide you with some additional information and insights on making college visits. As I mentioned previously, making visits to a college campus allows students to get an idea of whether or not this campus is a school you can imagine yourself on for the next 4 years of your life. It is a great opportunity to think about what you are looking for in a school and how the college campus and the students/ faculty on the campus fit into your plan.

Don't forget to take a picture on every college campus that you step foot on - even if it is a school you are not seriously considering for your future. We would love to see the pictures, plus, every interaction you have with a college shapes your views on what you are looking for in the future.

Try not to let weather sway you too much on your view of a school - remember, it won't always be the perfectly beautiful, sunny day you might experience during one visit nor will it always be the terribly dreary, rainy day you are forced to endure on another campus visit.

Colleges also know that the quality of the tour guide you end up with influences your view of their school and they try to manage that accordingly, but if you end up with a guide that is or isn't ideal, try to make your opinion about the school separate from your opinion of the tour guide.

Here are some additional articles that might be helpful to you if you are preparing for college visits:

3 reasons college visits can increase admission possibilities for applicants

Fall college visits for seniors (Hint: Bring mom or dad)

How to make the most of a college tour

Visiting Colleges? Here’s a how to

Don’t skip the college visits

November is the perfect month for college visits

Also, a quick reminder to all students interested in participating in the field trip to the Delaware Area Career Center - don't forget, your field trip permission form should be returned to the Counseling Center by THIS Friday, November 6th.

Articles of Interest

Ready for some reading?  As you are probably aware, there are lots of details related to successfully navigating the high school years and especially the college application process.  I read a ton of articles and blogs and always try to save those that I think might be particularly helpful to my students and families.  Here are some articles that I think might interest you:

The importance of the high school resume

Differences, self-reflection key in college enrollment process

Here’s why you should only apply to colleges you actually want to go to

College admissions: School Specific Research

College scorecard called useful but limited

How to ace that college admission interview

3 student tips for getting great college recommendation letters

A close look at the new SAT

4 vocabulary strategies for the redesigned SAT

Colleges cope differently with ACT headache -  This is a legitimate mess for some students and some of their college applications.  Please double check that your scores have been sent to the appropriate colleges and that the college has received your scores.  If they have not, please look at the college’s policy to determine your next step and follow through immediately.

Everything you need to know about the new SAT

3 tasks to help high school juniors boost college success

4 steps for getting the best financial aid

Like fares on a plane, college tuition bills vary widely

Think locally to boost your college scholarship odds

College admissions: 5 majors you need to choose before apply

Jobs you can get with 2015’s most in-demand degrees

The cost of not attending college

16 personality types and the best careers for each one

Alcohol can rewire the teenage brain

Plan Ahead - Crazy November

Did you remember to turn your clocks back?  I love having an extra hour of sleep!  (I won't love that it gets dark so early, but for today, I love the bonus hour.)

November tends to be a crazy month in the world of school counselors.  Some students have finished your early action/ early decision college applications and many of you are in the midst of applying and completing the components needed for your December 1st, December 15th or January 1st deadlines.  Add to the college application aspect of my job, the academic pressures for those students who struggled during 1st quarter and the ongoing personal issues that students have throughout the year, but which are often exacerbated heading into the holiday season and it is busy.  The bottom line is it's pretty hectic normally... but this year it is going to be even more crazy for me and I need you to be aware as well.

I will be OUT of the building quite a bit this month for various meetings and opportunities.  I am really excited about some of these chances, but I hate that it means I won't be around in the way that I would prefer.  For example, I was selected to present at the All Ohio Counselor's Conference - a statewide conference for all counselors - this will have me out of the building on Thursday and Friday this week.  The following week I will be gone Thursday and Friday as well for a conference about College Credit Plus.  I will be out for a meeting at central office that will take most of the day on Thursday the 19th and going on the field trip to the Delaware Area Career Center on Friday, the 20th.  And then I am traveling with my family for the trip of a lifetime to NYC so I will be out the Monday and Tuesday of Thanksgiving week.

There will be a note on my door each day and if you have an emergency you can always see another counselor, but my hope is that for things like college applications and academic progress, you can try to aim to see me on Monday's, Tuesday's and Wednesday's as those are the days I will be easier to find since I will be in the building.  If you stop by and I am not available, don't forget - if you leave a pass for me I will find you.  And if you just have a question that you want to e-mail to me feel free to do that anytime.  Thanks for understanding and being flexible.