College Essay - Topics to Avoid

It's been a few weeks since our Essay Brainstorming workshop for the juniors.  Have you continued to work on your blue sheet to come up with ideas that appropriately help describe you and can potentially transition into college essays for you in the future?  I hope so.  Don't let it slide too far into the back of your mind and continue to work on it periodically even if it is just 5-10 minutes a week to come up with some more "that's so you" stories or reflecting on times you have changed.

We talked a little about some of the cliche essays that you likely want to avoid because they are overdone and won't make you stand out. I wanted to share a few more "avoid this" reminders for you.

- Some essays are simply predictable.  Even if you're trying to make it unique, the colleges know better.  So, for example, if you write an essay with a 3rd person and then try to say the unique thing is the "twist" and it is really about you, they actually already knew that as they were reading it.  This is not a strategy that tends to work.

- If you focus only on the story without the reflection, you're writing about someone else who has impacted you, or you stay focused on something from a long time ago in the past without tying it back into you today, then you are missing the opportunity to give the college insight into who you are today.  You need to have the reflection and do it within the word count given.

- Remember that it doesn't have to be a BIG thing in your life.  Small moments are perfect.  This is an essay, not a life memoir or complete biography about yourself.  As a result, don't try to embelish the story to make it more dramatic.

- Watch your tone.  You need for the essay to sound genuinely like YOU.  Not a thesaurus, not AI, not your parents or your teacher.  You also need to make sure that it doesn't sound elitest (I am the greatest/ unlike other people), defeated (oh poor me), and that the way you're writing it translates to whomever is reading it.  This usually comes from having lots of people reading it to make sure that the tone is sounding genuine to you without rubbing people the wrong way.  (Which also means you have to be open to editing your essay lots before you ultimately submit it!)

As we discussed in the workshop, you CAN still write about one of these topics, but it just tends to be more challenging because if you are picking a common topic like these then you need to work to make uncommon connections.  If, on the other hand, you pick a unique topic that hasn't been overdone, you are safe to make common connections.

Teacher Recommendation Letters

Juniors, remember when we talked in our junior meetings about the fact that I'd remind you when it was time to start asking teachers about possibly writing a recommendation letter on your behalf?  Now is the time.  :-)

Recommendation letters are a time consuming process requiring a great deal of thought and time. Juniors, as you finalize the list of schools where you will be applying next fall, it is important to determine if you are going to need a recommendation letter from a teacher (or two). Many of the Ohio schools - Ohio State University, OU, BGSU, Kent State, etc. do not require teacher recommendations.  Because rec letters are a time consuming process, if the colleges where you are applying do not require recommendations, then do not waste your teacher's time by requesting letters that won't be needed or used!

If you are applying to schools that need teacher recommendation letters, it is very helpful and beneficial to the teachers if you can give them as much time as possible to write your recommendation letters. That means, if you know now that you are going to be applying to a school which needs a teacher rec letter, then I would like for you to ask the teachers this spring allowing them to have the entire summer to write your letter. (These next few weeks are a great time to ask!)  After you ask your teacher(s), you will want to provide them with information that can help them as they write your letter. We have several handouts in the Counseling Center and on the WKHS Counselor website that you can use for this purpose. 

And yes juniors, this is also a reminder that you need to be working now toward finalizing a list of where you plan on applying to college because, as the seniors can definitely tell you - it goes by fast!

Deposits, Financial Aid and Wait Lists

I wrote a week ago about how complicated the college decision process is this year, but there are a lot of nuances that I want to go into a little bit more...

First, let's talk about deposits.  You are only supposed to put in your deposit to the ONE college that you have decided you will attend.  These are typically non-refundable and are due by the designated date for the college.  Historically, that is May 1st.  This year though, the universal decision and deposit deadline doesn't exist.  That is because of the craziness of the FAFSA that is limiting colleges from getting all of their financial aid offers out to students.  Now, some colleges still have a May 1st decision deadline while others have extended their deadlines to May 15th or June 1st.  That can be a particular challenge if where you will attend is dependent on your financial aid offer.

So what do you do if one of your colleges has a May 1st deadline because they have processed their financial aid offers and another one of your colleges has a later deadline and hasn't released their financial aid details yet?  If you're hoping to attend one of those other colleges with a May 15th or June 1st deadline assuming that financial aid comes through, then I would suggest calling the May 1st college and talking to their admissions office to find out if you can have an extension on your decision so that you can hear back from and compare all of your financial aid offers.  However, if you know that no matter what, you're going to attend the May 1st college, then absolutely pay now.  The same thing applies if you are set on attending a college with a May 15th or June 1st deadline.  If you know your financial aid information for them or if your decision doesn't rely on that financial aid decision and you know that you are going to attend that college then, by all means, go ahead and deposit now!  It will help the college know who to anticipate attending and will allow you to start moving forward with housing deposits and selection, getting orientation set up, and so much more that you'd rather do earlier than later to have the best options available.  I believe that the May 1st colleges will ultimately be flexible on their deposit deadlines if you call and talk to them, but if you're struggling with that and want to discuss it more, please stop and see me!

Now, the other big one is wait lists.  And this is totally different than what I talked about above.  If you are on the wait list then you still need to go ahead and make the decision about where you plan on attending from the colleges that have accepted you.  You need to pay your deposit and start the full process for attending there in the future.  At the same time, you can also move forward with the process with the college that has wait listed you.  You want to be sure to fill out and follow up with them on all of the pieces that they want to hear and know about you in a letter of continued interest.  But you still need to get your head and heart wrapped around the idea that you will, most likely, be attending the college where you are turning in your deposit.  And if you are sitting there thinking, "but I don't want to go there" then we need to talk about this some more.  The reality is that you applied to those schools that accepted you for a reason - there were things about those colleges that appealed to you.  And the college believes that you will be a good fit there.  So while it might not be your dream college, is it a place where you can go, be happy, find success and enjoy?  If not, it might be necessary to pause and consider other options for your plans and we can discuss that more individually if you come and meet with me.  For most students that are on the wait list though, they will feel good about one of their accepted colleges and can move forward with that as their plan.  If you later get accepted off the wait list (which this year will happen even later than usual due to all of the decision deposit deadlines being later than normal), then you can switch and make the college which has accepted you off the wait list.

Here are a few articles related to the wait lists:

What you can do if you're waitlisted

Do's and Don'ts of the Wait List

If you have decided - Congratulations!  I know that is a huge weight off of your shoulders.  If you are still weighing your options, I will also remind you that the senior mandatory graduation form that is due back by May 2nd does ask for where your final transcript should be sent.  If you change your mind or don't have a decision by then, know that we will need you to forward that information on to us as soon as you do have a decision finalized because all colleges will want a final transcript.

The End is Near

Seniors have just 13 days of school remaining and underclassmen have 18 days (15 days of classes plus the 3 exam days) before summer break.

Obviously that means every moment counts if you are not doing well in your classes and you are trying to pull off a passing grade for the semester.  It is essential that you spend the remaining weeks taking care of your classes so that you do not jeopardize your future.

The truth is that this last month of the school year is essential for many WKHS students.

For seniors, I realize that there is a rampant case of senioritis running through the school, and I must remind you again that next year most of you will be heading to college. You have already received your acceptance letters and many have (hopefully) decided where you will be attending school next year so it seems like your grades this last semester don't really matter... except they do! You must submit a final transcript to your college. If you go back and read the acceptance letters that the colleges sent to you, you will notice the fine print that points out that they can turn you down if you don't maintain the level of grades that they expect from you and your past performance. Last year schools did turn away students and I can't even imagine how hard it was for a student to believe they knew where they would be attending to suddenly find out that they could no longer attend there because they blew off school during their final semester.  The other comment I hear from seniors often is that school doesn't matter now, but that next year, in college, when it matters they will turn it around and try. Well, while I would love to believe you (and I hope you are right), the reality is that it isn't always that easy. Bad habits are hard to break. Next year there won't be anyone bugging you about turning in homework or reminding you that a paper or project is due next week. They won't accept late papers. Most teachers won't check attendance and they don't care if you want to throw your money away by not attending class. It is your introduction to the real world. At WKHS if you show up late to class and get a tardy or two you end up with a detention. In the real world, if you show up late for work, you get fired. At WKHS if you can't manage to turn in a paper or project on time teachers take points off and it might hurt your grade, but in the real world the devastation of not following through and meeting the expectations of your boss are much more serious. I know, you think I am just nagging and I promise that I am not trying to lecture you, but I am worried. The last few weeks of high school need to be a time to practice developing some good habits. For many of you, you have taken a long enough break at the beginning of this quarter. Spend time studying. Work on your organization skills. Practice taking better notes. All of those things will help you in college and in the future.

For the underclassmen... it is far too early for you to be claiming senioritis. The classes that you are taking now will impact your grades and grade point average. Having a higher grade point average doesn't guarantee you admission to the school of your dreams, but it does provide you with more options. For most of your classes - you need it to meet graduation requirements. (Even your elective classes as you need 5 credits of electives to graduate.) It always surprises me when students give up at this point in the year. I don't understand it. If I was faced with the option of working really hard for the last few weeks of school and kicking butt on the exams or taking the class for an entire semester (or year) again over the summer or next year there is no question that I would apply myself now. That is what so many of you need to do. Stop and think about it for a moment. Your 3rd quarter grade was worth 45% of your semester grade. This quarter's grade is worth another 45% of your semester grade and your final exam makes up the remaining 10%. That means that with your exam and this quarter you are dealing with 55% of your total points for the semester. Hopefully you realize that this also means that you can still pass, but you must commit yourself now and not let a single point slip by without trying to earn it.  Every point matters! Talk to your teachers, get input from them on what you need to do differently in order to turn things around in your classes. Please, don't wait until it is too late. If you have already realized that there is no way to pass the class and your teacher agrees that there is no hope, please come and see me so that we can talk about what your plan will be to make up the class. Are you going to take it during the summer? Are you going to take it next year? If you are taking it next year does that bump out any of your other classes because you are now missing the requirements? There is a great deal to consider. If you aren't going to be able to pass one class, please work hard to make sure that you pass all of the others. As soon as you realize that one class is a lost cause it doesn't mean that all of the others are gone too. Try to use your time wisely and put more effort into the ones that still have hope. Feel free to stop in and talk to me if you need help developing a plan on how to focus your energy and effort to passing your classes.

Believe me, I do understand that it is hard to focus right now. And yes, I admit that I don't always want to get up and come to school when there are other things that sound more appealing for the day. But we only have one today and the decisions we make today have a much bigger influence than we can imagine. Please make the most of today!

Prom

Tonight is prom night for WKHS juniors and seniors. This is an exciting and memorable night for students and I hope you have a great evening. Let's be honest, I also hope that it is a safe evening! You want prom to be memorable because it was a positive experience...

Hopefully you are looking forward to a fun night at both prom and at After-Hours. 

One last reminder about safety - please remember to talk with your parents before you leave tonight about what you will do if you end up in an unexpected situation and need help. Have a good time - be smart and please be safe!

Tomorrow's Bell Schedule

We will be having a Pep Rally at school tomorrow morning ahead of prom this weekend.  I wanted to make sure that you knew what the bell schedule will be for tomorrow.

1st Period- 8:40-9:20

2nd Period- 9:25-10:12

Pep Rally- 10:12-10:50

3rd Period- 10:55-11:35

4th Period- 11:40-12:20

5th Period- 12:25-1:05

6th Period- 1:10-1:50

7th Period- 1:55- 2:35

8th Period- 2:40-3:20

The Pep Rally will be a fun celebration of spring sports and to boost the connection and school spirit within the building.

Mandatory Senior Questionnaire

Today, all seniors received an information link for the Senior Information Questionnaire that we need for you to complete and submit prior to May 2nd.

Every year, the graduating high school seniors have the option of picking a teacher, coach, administrator, counselor, secretary, or other Worthington staff member who has played a significant role in their lives to give them their diploma.  This is one of my favorite traditions at Kilbourne!  It is a way to make the graduation ceremony much more personal and memorable.  You will select your 1st choice and 2nd choice diploma presenters on the form.

The form also allows you to request where you want us to send your final transcript.  When you head off to college or enlist in the military, they will all want a copy of your final transcript to confirm that you did officially graduate.  The information you submit on the form is what will enable us to make sure we send your transcript to the appropriate location.

We are busy working on preparing for the senior recognition and commencement ceremonies and we need additional information from you in order to put together the programs!  As you complete the senior questionnaire you will be asked to list what scholarships you received and are accepting and how much they were worth.

And finally, the form also allows for you to share some thoughts about your reflections related to high school because we value the insight and perspectives that our seniors share each year.

These forms are due back ASAP, but no later than May 2nd.  

If you have updates/ changes after you have submitted your form - such as you received an additional scholarship, please email that new scholarship information to Mrs. Focht at afocht@wscloud.org.  We will try our best to include your updated scholarships in the program, but it is possible that information received after May 2nd may not be able to be included if the program has already been printed.