Conversations About College

Sometimes we can get so caught up in our own lives that we forget not everyone is in the same situation or feels the same way we do. How we talk about colleges is like everything else in life and we need to approach it with sensitivity and kindness.

What do I mean?

As college admissions decisions arrive, students will sometimes start announcing where they were accepted and their feelings on different schools, forgetting that other students are around. Being accepted is wonderful news and it is completely understandable that you want to shout it from the roof-tops when you have been accepted to a school, but it is also important to be sensitive to those around you and to remember that some of your friends and classmates are NOT being accepted into those very same colleges. 

Receiving a college rejection letter is hard enough, but it is even more hurtful to hear someone else proclaim, "Oh, I was accepted to ___ (insert name of college) but I would never actually go there." Particularly if the school mentioned was the one where a student was recently rejected and had been their top choice college. 

This also plays out when people are talking about colleges where they intend to apply.  Students or parents saying things such as "I would never apply to _____."  This is hard because that college is most definitely someone else's favorite school.

Please understand, in no way am I trying to dampen your excitement, but I just want to encourage you to please try to be respectful and aware in what you say about schools and how you "rate" colleges. Remember, no one school is perfect for every student and every student is not right for every college- it is important to find the right fit and I sincerely believe that every student WILL be able to find the college that is right for them!

AP Test Registration Reminder

Just a quick reminder that the late registration deadline to sign up to take an AP Test this spring is coming up this Friday, February 20th. So for those students who weren't prepared to make the decision on if you wanted to take an AP Test in the spring before the deadline back in the fall can reassess how you are doing in the classes you are taking and if you want to take the AP Test.  Remember, the AP tests are a required step in order to try to be granted college credit for your AP classes. Each college sets their own policy on what classes they will grant credit for and what scores you must earn to receive that credit.  You can search for the policy on the colleges you are considering on the College Board Website.  Registering for an AP Exam now costs $140 ($100 for the test and $40 for the late fee) and you will complete the registration process on the My Payments Plus system.

February Students of the Month

Earlier this month there were 21 students honored as being Kilbourne's February Students of the Month. Nominated by WKHS staff, these students are recognized for demonstrating the characteristics that are the foundation of the Portrait of a Learner - Confident Communicators, Adaptable Leaders, Critical Thinkers, Responsible Collaborators, and Resilient Learners. Students are only eligible to receive this recognition once throughout their high school career.

Congratulations to the following students who were honored this month: Idir Ben Zaid, Ben Blankenship, Kenzo Burgher, Leandro Cobo, Sa'Kiyah Coleman, Murphy David, Layla Graeff, Hannah Karnai, Pierce Malinowski, Alex McCracken, Kelsey McFadden, Reese Miller, Henne Montooth, Andrea Pelcastre, Logan Poe, Jessica Pugh, Luke Renneker, Justin Serralde Romero, Addison VanLear, Cami Vantell, and Megan Vargas. We are proud of you all!

Pass/ Fail & Drop Deadline

Each semester students have the first 6 weeks to be able to make adjustments to their classes. The options involve switching from traditional to pass/ fail grading. This option is not available for core classes, but can be done for many of the introductory level elective courses. Additionally, students who are currently taking above the minimum number of classes can drop a class before the 6 week mark and not have the class appear on their transcript.

This semester, 6 weeks is next Monday, February 16th, which, obviously, is a holiday. As a result, you have until 8am on Tuesday morning to drop your class or to switch to pass/ fail grading. The forms for both of these options are available in the front of the Counseling Center and on the Counselor website.

College Visits

Just a reminder, you can take advantage of the fact that we have a long weekend coming up.  For many students this is the perfect opportunity to make a college visit. Friday will be a traditional day at colleges where students will be going to class and engaging in activities like normal making it an ideal day to visit campus. Additionally, many colleges will host special visit days on Monday because they know high school students are off and so they often plan days to will allow students to learn more about the different programs and opportunities available on their campus. No matter if you are trying to decide what colleges you might want to apply to in the future or if you are a senior trying to decide which of the many schools you applied to will be your future home, I hope you will try to take advantage of the long weekend and make visits.

If you have no idea what colleges you might be interested in for the future, you can still make use of the long weekend by exploring colleges. You can, of course, begin your search online and try to find colleges that fit your interests, but more often than not, students tell me that they don't know what they want in a college. If that is you, then perhaps starting your college search by exploring some nearby campuses would be a valuable use of your time. As you walk around the campus, people watch and listen to the presentations by the college admissions representatives. From these observations and conversations you will begin to gain insight into various aspects of college life. These impressions will help you to start forming more of an idea about what you like and what you don't like in a college. These views will be extremely valuable to you as you start narrowing your college search.

And finally, a reminder that students should be the one to call the admissions offices to set up the college visits rather than having your parents do this for you. The good news is that many colleges have the visit appointments available online so you may be able to do it electronically, but if not the student should make the arrangements. Remember, you are trying to show the colleges that YOU are interested in their college and that you are mature and responsible enough to take this level of initiative.

A 4 day weekend is going to be great and we will be excited to hear about the various colleges you explore during the weekend and what your impressions are of the schools.

Honors Diploma

For some students, earning an Honors Diploma is an important goal. I have to be honest, this is not a factor for the colleges because the honors diploma recognition isn't granted until you graduate so colleges are not considering it when making their admissions decisions. The requirements for the honors diploma are established by the state department of education.

Here is a link to the state's explanation of the Honors Diploma requirements. If it is something you are working towards, please check the requirements and make sure you are planning your classes so that you can earn at least 7 of the 8 required components.

Super Bowl & Olympics

I love watching sports. And, as a result, I absolutely LOVE watching the Olympics! It doesn't even matter what random sport is on, I am willing to watch. And tonight, I will shift gears and watch the Super Bowl too even though I honestly don't care who wins for that game either.

So why? Why do I care to watch when I don't know the athletes and for many of the sports, I don't even know the rules of what I am watching? Because, to me, it is about watching people chase their dreams. And yes, the vast majority of the competitors won't win the gold medal or hoist the Super Bowl trophy in the air at the end of the night, but they all dedicated themselves to a goal that at one time someone probably told them would never happen. And even if they don't win the ultimate prize as being the "best" I still believe that they have achieved their goals and therefore made it all worthwhile.

I suspect you have probably had similar experiences in your life. When you loved something or had a dream for yourself and your future. Maybe it was never so big as to be an Olympian or to play in a Super Bowl, but your own personal goal and dream for your life. I hope you never let anyone tell you that something is impossible. I hope that if you decide to shift your goal/ dream, it is because you have a new, better defined vision for yourself. And I hope that as you watch people chasing after their dreams you can pause, even privately in your own mind and heart, to cheer them on just as we all hope people will cheer for you as you take on your own challenges.

There is no question, these moments of glory - the standing on a podium or on the field getting applause can certainly feel good. But don't ever forget the hundreds of thousands of hours of work, commitment, dedication, and perseverance that was required before they ever reached this point in their lives. Your goals and dreams may (or may not) require that same level of commitment to achieve them and you might not have a crowd giving you a standing ovation when you reach the goal, but it doesn't mean it is any less meaningful if you set your mind to something and achieved it.

And, if you are not a sports fan, I get that too... hopefully if you end up finding yourself watching the Super Bowl or the Olympics you will find yourself inspired by the stories of the athletes, or captured by the creativity of the commercials, or at least able to enjoy some good food while you watch.