Email

I realize that many students do not utilize e-mail regularly, however, it is very important to have an e-mail account of your own when it comes to college application time.  And please note, I recognize that you have your own wscloud email address, but that account cannot be used for college applications or any out of district emails. College applications will ask you for your e-mail address. Often times the colleges will use your e-mail as their way to communicate with you including notifying you of your admissions decision. (This also points out that it is important to regularly check your e-mail.) 

Some questions to ask yourself: 
Do you have an account? (If not, you need to create one. There are tons of free choices available - gmail, yahoo, hotmail, etc.) 
Do you have an appropriate account? (In other words, is the name of your account appropriate as the college admissions officers will be seeing the e-mail address when reviewing your application.) 
Is it YOUR account? (A lot of times students just rely on their parents e-mail addresses which works a lot in high school, but when you are at the college application point it is important to have your own account as many of the colleges will ask for your address and your parents address.)

In addition to having an e-mail account, it is also important to remember to use proper etiquette when communicating with college representatives via e-mail. For example, when you need to e-mail admissions officers for any reason, as well as any other college representatives (advisor, professor, etc.) that you communicate with, please remember that the way you write your e-mail is a reflection of you. Please do not use text talk, use appropriate capitalization (avoid ALL CAPS, avoid all lower case such as "i", etc), be mature, and write it in an official format “Dear _(insert their name with Mr/ Mrs)_, Text of your message, Sincerely, _(insert your name)__”.

What NOT to do on Campus Tours

I have recently been talking about my trip to LA and the campuses that I had the chance to visit.  While I was sitting in on the admissions session and tour on USC's campus I was struck by how many people are COMPLETELY inappropriate while making college visits.  So, I thought it might be helpful to give you a heads up on a few things NOT to do while visiting campuses.

1.  Do NOT fall asleep during the admissions session.

2.  Do NOT sit there looking at your phone the entire admissions session and campus tour.  (I know that some people prefer to take notes on their phone, but I have to be honest, it just looks like you are texting and not listening so either wait until the end to make notes about what you want to remember or write it down on paper instead of typing it in your phone.)

3.  Do NOT take phone calls in the middle of the admissions session (especially in the room) nor during the campus tour.

4.  Do NOT wear inappropriate clothes.  (Hint - if it wouldn't meet the dress code at WKHS then you shouldn't be wearing it for a campus visit.)

5.  Do NOT dominate the admissions session or campus tour.  It is important to have your questions answered, but the admissions representatives also need to address the needs of all of the participants.  If you have a ton of specific questions it might necessitate an individual conversation following the presentation.

6.  Do NOT sit through the admissions session looking totally disengaged and bored by what is being covered.  (Imagine head propped on hand with mouth gaping open and staring off into space.)

7.  Do NOT leave the volume on your phone/ iPad or other electronic devices on during the visit.  (The inevitable phone call or text message is bad enough, but this also applies to your little brother playing his video game - the volume needs to be off!)

8.  Do NOT show up late and then try to have other people move seats so that you can fit your large group in seats together.

9.  Do NOT wear college shirts featuring the name of rival colleges.

10.  Do NOT roll your eyes, act annoyed and behave rudely during the visit. (You only have one chance to make a first impression so make sure it is a positive impression.)

Remember that all of these things NOT to do apply to you and also to your parents, siblings, grandparents, or any other people who come to visit the college with you.

For what it is worth, yes, I actually saw ALL of these things happen during my visit to USC.  I even started taking pictures of the people to use as examples on my blog, but then I decided that wouldn't be appropriate, but really, please, represent yourself better than this when you are on your campus visit.

Oh The Places *I'll* Go...

I'm don't typically travel a lot, but this past year I have had the chance to take some great, memorable trips and while on these trips I have included college visits whenever I could.  I know that some of you are traveling this summer and I'd like to remind you that I would like a picture of you on EVERY campus that you step foot on - even if it is not a school you are considering for your future.

I already mentioned my trip to LA to visit NYFA.  While I was in Los Angeles I also took the opportunity to visit a few other area colleges including...

Pepperdine University - Pepperdine is frequently cited as one of the most beautiful campuses in the nation and it is certainly a stunning setting.  These pictures don't do it justice, but the top photo shows me with the campus buildings in the back left, the athletic facilities below, and the Pacific Ocean in the back right.

University of Southern California - USC has a great tradition of academic and athletic excellence and I loved the campus.  I took the chance to eat while on campus and, FYI, it is something I suggest that all students do while they are on exploring possible colleges.

University of California Los Angeles - UCLA is yet another outstanding LA college with great traditions and a beautiful campus.  (Can I mention that with the gorgeous LA weather, it makes it hard not to love these college campuses.)  One of my favorite parts of visiting UCLA was a stop at Diddy Riese which had the most incredible ice cream sandwiches... I'd go back to LA just to have another one!  :-)

New York Film Academy - Los Angeles

Last month I had the opportunity to visit the Los Angeles campus of the New York Film Academy (NYFA).  It was a wonderful experience to learn so much about a college that specifically targets fields that I knew very little about and I am so grateful to the staff at NYFA for not only inviting me to see their campus, but also for making sure that I (along with all of the other counselors and teachers attending) had a chance to learn about their college and the experiences available to students.

As their college name indicates, the New York Film Academy is focused on film, but this is not just a college for actors!  In fact, part of what amazed me was all of the different aspects that are involved in successfully creating what we see on television and in movies.  Yes, there are definitely actors, but there are also screenwriters, directors, producers, photographers, animators, and game designers.  NYFA is focused on helping students with a passion and drive for these fields to make their mark and get the hands on education that will help them in the future.

One of the hallmarks of their college is the fact that 100% of their faculty and staff are actively involved in the fields that they are helping students pursue.  So, for example, the professor teaching the students about screenwriting is also working in the industry as a screenwriter.  Even the admissions officers and academic advisors work as actors or hosts or producers or directors.  They are individuals who are passionate about what they do and they enjoy having the chance to share their love of film with the world and especially with their students who have shared interests.

Located in beautiful, sunny LA, NYFA has great facilities and incredible opportunities available to their students in part because of their location.  Students film on the Universal Studios Backlot.  Students are able to access this AMAZING (huge) props and costume facility called the Edith Head Building which is also on the Universal Studios lot.  It was fascinating as we walked through the building to see all of the different things that are stored there.  For example, there is an entire aisle full of telephones (old phones, new phones, cell phones, etc.), a complete section of furniture, an aisle that featured different swords (some that all looked the same, but were in a range of weights from real and very heavy to fake and light as a feather) and so when someone is designing their scene they will go through and pull the various items that they need to help bring that scene to life.  NYFA students have the added bonus of being able to rent the props and costumes for 50% off.  Personally, I thought it was cool to walk through the building and see tags on carts for supplies that current popular TV shows were pulling for upcoming tapings.

I have to be honest, I thought the entire experience was fascinating because I really didn't know anything about all of the different jobs that go into a production, but without a doubt my favorite part was seeing what the animation/ game design staff can do.  It absolutely amazed me.


NYFA also has camp opportunities available for high school students so if you are interested in learning more, those might also be a good chance to learn more about the college and the industry.

I took a lot more pictures and have a wealth of information and resources that they provided to me so if you are interested, stop and see me once we are back at school and I'd love to talk to you more about everything I learned at NYFA!

Summer Assignments

Can you believe that we are already halfway through summer break?  I wanted to remind you that many of you are enrolled in classes for next year that require you to complete summer work.  Hopefully you have started making progress on the work that is expected of you.  It is important to remember that you are responsible for completing all summer work and that it will impact your grade in your class.  Sometimes, in the past, students would procrastinate on completing their summer assignments and then decide at the last minute that they would drop out of the advanced course in favor of the non-advanced version (so, for example, dropping AP US History in favor of regular US History).  Remember, per school policy, you only had until June 15th to make that change so now if you decide that you want to change levels, you will still be responsible for completing the summer work because even if you change levels your summer assignment is a part of your academic record and so your grades on the summer assignments will go with you to the new class.

Hopefully you are feeling good about your summer assignments and how you are progressing on your summer work.  If you haven't started, please get moving on it!

Test Scores

I have to be honest, I have been completely overwhelmed about the thought of getting back on my blog and writing a post because it has been SOOOO LONG since I have posted and I have so many updates that I still need to make.  In the 10 years I have been blogging I have never waited this long between posts.  I hope you will forgive me for the lengthy delay as well as for the fact that I will still be posting some long over-due updates through the rest of the summer.

The most timely things for you to know now:

Scores from the spring IB tests are available today.  I hope that you achieved your goals and have the scores you were hoping to achieve!

Additionally, scores from the AP tests taken during May will be available online tomorrow.  Remember, scores are not being mailed home and are only available electronically. 

To access your scores log in using your college board account information.  (If you don’t have a college board account, you will need to create one.)

As you are probably aware, colleges determine the tests and scores needed in order to grant college credit.  Typically a 3 is the minimum score needed for credit.  Additional information is available on the college board’s AP website - http://www.apscore.org/credit.html.

If you have more questions related to AP tests then please visit the AP website: http://www.apscore.org/schedule.html

I hope you are happy with your scores!

And, since this is my first time posting in more than a month, I also need to give a HUGE congratulations to the WKHS Boys Lacrosse Team for being STATE CHAMPIONS!  Well done gentlemen, I am proud of you all!

State Bound

School may be over (and as of today I am done too!), but for a handful of athletes, the best is yet to come!  Reaching States is a goal for every team and every athlete - there is no greater thrill and payoff for all of the hard work and dedication that you have put in all season and throughout the off-season to make this a reality.

If you haven't already heard, the WKHS Boys Lacrosse team will compete for a state title on Saturday at 1:00 at Thomas Worthington.  They absolutely dominated in the state semifinal game and are eager to have a full house of fans cheering them on.  You can buy your ticket for $8 in the WKHS co-curricular office tomorrow (Friday).

A huge good luck to the entire WKHS Boys Lacrosse team, but especially to my students including: Connor Alley, Alex Cash, Keegan Bartok, Sam Biglin, Nick Clay, Aidan Cameron, Alec Bickell, and Max Arnold.  I am so sad that I can't be there to watch the game in person, but I will be cheering you on from afar!

And that's not all!  Ndidi Anaraodo has also qualified for states in Track and Field.  Ndidi competes in the shot put and has been having an incredible season.  I cannot imagine how challenging it must be to be the only athlete from your team still competing in your sport, but Ndidi seems to be handling it all with poise.  Good luck Ndidi!  We are proud of you and are cheering you on!

Good luck to all of you competing in States!  You represent Kilbourne well and we are excited to see what you accomplish.  Go Wolves!