Digital Footprint & College Admissions

Sometimes I think students tend to roll their eyes when they hear us talking about encouraging students to be smart about your digital footprint - the information that you are posting and sharing through various social media outlets.  As a component of that we have often mentioned that the internet and social media can impact your college admissions or scholarship offerings.  Because I know that you get tired of hearing it from me, below are a few articles that speak to this as well as social media use in general:

Social Media

Social Media, but not video games linked to depression in teens

Why colleges look at student social media

Yes, Your Social Media Feed Can Impact College Admissions


What's social media's role in college admissions

Cap and Gown Orders

Cap & Gown and Announcement Ordering Information

Yesterday, seniors received information about ordering their cap and gowns and announcements.  I talked to several seniors who mentioned that it was one of those moments that made them realize how quickly graduation is approaching.

If you missed homeroom yesterday then we will have extra copies of the handout available in the Counseling Center.  You can also access the ordering information directly from Buckeye Scholastic at www.buckeyescholastic.com 

A few notes about ordering your cap and gown...
- On December 5th and 6th representatives from Buckeye Scholastic will be in the commons to take your cap and gown orders.  There is a 10% early bird coupon for students who apply online or in person by December 6th.  (If ordering online, use coupon code EARLYBIRD)
- All orders must be submitted by January 31st.  After that time there will be a higher fee and your cap and gown will not be delivered with everyone else's on April 23rd and 24th.

College Interviews

Some colleges give the option of interviews and others will require all prospective students to participate in an interview with an admissions counselor or an alumni representative as a component of the application process. If you are applying to a school which requires 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 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.

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.

In order to try to help you prepare, we have information on the Counselor website of topics that you might want think about in advance that the interviewer may ask you as well as questions you could consider asking to gain additional insight about the college.

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!

Here is an article from Tulane University with suggestions for Knocking Your Interview Out of the Park.

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 at the start of 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!

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 so as soon as they download your application, many colleges automatically generate an email to remind you about needing 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 should have received an email from Mrs. McDaniel when your transcript was submitted or you can stop in to see her to make sure you had requested your transcript, paid your $1 and that it was sent.

For your test scores, 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 you can 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.

It's Not About Motivation

Lately, I seem to find myself having the same basic conversation with a wide range of students.  They are struggling because they "aren't motivated" to do whatever it is they are needing to do.  And that has been a different responsibility for each - getting out of bed to come to school, going to practice, doing their homework, studying, taking care of their chores at home, or working when they are scheduled at their job. 

But here is the thing... it ISN'T about motivation.  You won't always feel motivated.  Sometimes you will never feel motivated.  But it IS about discipline.  It is about doing the thing directly in front of you that needs to be done so that ultimately you can have the outcome you want in the long run.

The first time I really heard about this was during the times when I had met with students who were at boot camp working towards becoming Marines.  They were definitely NOT always motivated for the tasks in front of them, but they definitely wanted to achieve their long term goal of becoming US Marines.  So they talked a lot about focusing on the moments directly in front of you and doing what must be done.  They had a concept of waking up and making it from there to breakfast.  Once they made it to breakfast, they turned their focus on making it to lunch.  At lunchtime, they shifted their attention to making it to dinner.  And at dinner they aimed to make it to bedtime.  That process was repeated day in and day out.  It was the discipline to take care of each day one day at a time.  Granted, in the effort of becoming a Marine they had drill instructors helping to push them, but, let's be honest - you have people trying to help push you too.  They may be your parents, teachers, coaches, boss, friends, or even me, but ultimately it still comes down to you doing what you need to do - movitation or not.

So, perhaps it will help you too... quit searching for motivation and just start practicing the acts of discipline to do this one thing right now and then repeat with the next thing that is required and keep repeating that practice over and over until you achieve your goals.  If you only work on days when you feel good, you won't get a lot accomplished.  Please just take it one step at a time - you can and will get there!

And, since it is Veteran's Day and this was a concept I learned from some of the men and women serving in the military, I want to say a huge thank you to every individual who has had the courage to choose to serve our country in any of the branches of the military.  I am so thankful for all of the freedoms we have today because of your service.

Volunteering

Volunteering allows you to use your gifts and talents to help someone else.  This not only means that someone else's life is bettered, but research has also shown that we feel better when we are able to help someone else.

As if that was not enough of a reason to try to volunteer, as you begin applying to college and for scholarships there are many times that questions come up about what community service experiences you have had. And, even if not asked directly, if you had memorable experiences they can often be used to support your essay responses.

Please don't panic though, your volunteer work doesn’t have to be a huge project or consist of thousands of hours of time.  What is important is to get involved!  Community service opportunities are as different as each individual who decides they want to help make a difference in the world around them. The sky is the limit and I encourage you to find something that inspires you.

Some volunteer ideas that could help get you started could include – community beautification projects (cleaning up parks or areas of the city), helping elderly neighbors, visiting nursing homes to perform music or talk with residents, homeless outreach, packing groceries for a food bank, assisting at the humane society or other animal shelters, wrapping and handing out gifts to those less fortunate, organizing and attending holiday parties for kids or the poor that would usually have nothing to celebrate, serving in a project for those who are disabled or ill (such as Make a Wish, Adventures for Wish Kids, or the Special Olympics), fundraising or recruitment events, becoming the champion for a cause and helping with awareness (Diabetes, Cancer, Organ Donation), organizing campaigns to donate food, books, or clothes to groups that need it, putting together care packages for deployed members of the military, and the list literally goes on and on. Also, don’t forget that there are several co-curricular groups at WKHS that focus on community service such as Interact, Wolves for Cubs, Project More, REACH Buddies and Student Council and you are encouraged to look into those opportunities as well.

When you put others before yourself, good things always happen.  Who knows, maybe you will even learn something about yourself as you serve others.