National College Decision Day

Tomorrow is May 1st and it is national college decision day!  The colleges have all united in the fact that they will not require you to make decisions about where you will attend prior to May 1st, but this is one of the deadlines that is firm.  As you are aware, through the college application process each college has their own timeline and often have different application deadlines, financial aid deadlines, and announce their admission decisions at different times, but May 1st is a universal deadline among all colleges requiring students to declare their decision.  Please remember that this not only means that you have informed the college of your choice that you intend to attend their college, but it also typically includes submitting a deposit.  As you reach the final hours of your decision making window, if you need to talk out your choice with someone, please feel free to stop in and talk to me, but tomorrow is it - you need to make your decision.  And, no, you absolutely should NOT double deposit!  Congratulations, in a matter of hours you will know for sure where you are heading for college.

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!

Letter of Intent

Congratulations to Sam Beerman and Michael Duzzny who signed their letters of intent to wrestle at Otterbein next year.  Sam and Michael had their "signing" ceremony after school last week representing an accomplishment that had been years in the making. They were surrounded by family members, coaches, teammates, and friends who attended to show their support and to celebrate this great accomplishment with them. Congratulations Sam and Michael! We are so proud of you!

What Should I Do This Summer?

Summer is a great time to relax and unwind from the hectic schedule of homework, studying and the general day to day expectations of school. But your summer shouldn’t just be wasted away into day after day of doing “nothing.” The summer is a perfect time to explore your passions, investigate your interests and indulge in fun activities that you might not have time for during the regular school year. As we approach the final few weeks of school, I wanted to encourage you to start thinking about what you will do this summer to make sure that you have a productive summer and don’t spend the entire break being bored.

So, what are some ideas of how you can spend your summer? Consider taking a class (or two) in summer school. This is especially important if you are behind in credits and not doing well in school. Success rates of summer school completion are very high – in part because you are able to focus on just one subject at a time and you generally have smaller class sizes so the teacher can focus more one-on-one time with each student. If you are planning on taking a class in summer school it is important to sign up as soon as possible to make sure that you will not be closed out of the class of your choice.

Perhaps you are looking for ideas that do not involve more school… Summer vacation is a great time to expand your resume and pursue your passions by volunteering or working a summer job. Many students don’t know where to volunteer and the truth is the sky is the limit – anything that interests you has the potential for being a volunteer service project. Get creative in your approach! For ideas about existing needs for volunteers you can visit HandsOn Central Ohio. Speaking of resumes, during summer break, you should really spend an hour or two updating your resume. (And if you don’t have a resume, the summer is a great time to make a resume.)

If you are starting to consider different careers, perhaps you have a family member or friends that would allow you to shadow them for a day or two on the job to see what their particular career is really like as this will help you determine if that career is truly of interest to you.

Current juniors (Soon to be Seniors) – this summer is going to be busy as you prepare for your senior year. Hopefully you are taking the time to visit colleges from your list and getting an idea of what you think about different schools. (Don’t forget to take a picture of you somewhere on campus for me!) You can also begin drafting your college application essays and preparing for the ACT and SAT exams.

Of course, there is always spending quality time reconnecting with your family and friends, going on vacation, reading, and even attending camps or other formal activities which can be a part of the summer for many.  If you are interested in learning about some of the camp opportunities - many of which are offered on college campuses, please be sure to check out the WKHS Counselor website as we continue adding summer enrichment experiences to the site as we receive them.

The bottom line is try to be productive this summer – at the very least it will give you great stories to share next fall when people ask you what you did over the summer.

Making the Final College Decision

Before I get to the point of this post a quick reminder - tomorrow night is the Parent presentation about Helping Your Children Deal with Anxiety!  This is such a critical topic and I hope you will plan to attend!

Now, on to college decisions... This is the final week for seniors who are trying to decide what college they will be attending next year. Remember, there is no right or wrong choice – it is all about what school is the best fit for you and your individual wants and needs in a college. Try to take a deep breath and relax as we head into this week. Trust yourself and know that you will be successful in the future – no matter where you end up!

As you think about your different schools and compare and contrast them, it is essential that you determine what you really want in a school and what is most important to you in a college. If you are still struggling with your choice, then chances are pretty good that the schools that you have narrowed your decision down to are probably relatively similar.

Take the time to go back and look at the same factors you considered when picking which schools you wanted to apply to and try to get really picky about the different factors that played into your choice. Perhaps creating a chart can help you clarify how important each factor is to you and how each school compares in that category. For example, think about the location of the school. How important is that issue to you in picking a college? The schools are likely within your comfort zone of a location from home, but when looking at two colleges consider how far or close they are from your family. What does it mean to you if the school is 10 minutes away, 4 hours away, or a flight away? How important is it to you to be able to come home for an evening, a weekend, or a holiday? You can also look at the size of the school. Consider the advantages and disadvantages of the different sizes of schools. For example, the larger school might provide additional choices and the smaller school may provide better teacher/ student ratios. What is more important to you? And if both are important to you then you will need to consider what you will do to adapt to make sure that the school will meet your needs. Consider the social life and activities on and around the campus. Is it what you picture for your college years? Most importantly, you need to figure out what categories and issues are critical to you and compare the school on those aspects.

I know that the time remaining is very limited, but if your school comparison charts are equal and you still can’t decide – try to go visit the schools again. Sit in on the classes and, if possible, arrange for an overnight visit (yes, you are really running out of time for overnight visits). People watch and consider your interactions with the students on campus. Are the students friendlier at one school over the other? What about the professors that you talk to? Are they engaging and whose classes are you most interested in attending? How was school safety? What strategies are in place to help keep students safe? Which campus support staff (admissions, financial aid, etc.) is friendlier and more helpful? (While this is not necessarily a key factor it can give you an image of the school and a glimpse at their values as an academic institution.)

Ask yourself if the school will meet your academic needs, if you will have the social life you desire, and if your family can make the investment. As you are progressing through your decision making process, remember not to be shy about asking questions and getting them answered because you are entitled to feel confident in your decision. This is your choice. You are not a victim in this process – you are the key active participant. Remember that if you want to stop in and talk about your college decision I am always here for you, but know that I can’t make this decision for you – just like your family and friends can’t make this choice for you. The good news – the stress is almost over and you will be relieved to be able to finally answer the question that everyone asks endlessly of “Where are you going to college?”

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 and career 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.

Mental Health

Did you know that, according to the National Institute of Mental Health, 20% of youth between the ages 13-18 live with a mental health condition and 8% of youth have an anxiety disorder?  What is even scarier to me is that according to the same data reports, nearly 50% of youth between ages 8 – 15 didn’t receive any mental health services in the last year.

If you stop to really reflect on that, it would be unheard of for people to be ill with a physical illness and not receive any health care.  So that brings us to the question of why people aren’t getting the help they need.  “Many people feel embarrassed or ashamed of symptoms because our society places illogical taboos on mental health issues over physical conditions,” said clinical psychologist Nikki Massey-Hastings, PsyD.

This can be seen even in the school setting.  When someone walks back into school with a cast or brace after breaking a bone or having ACL reconstructive surgery, other students will rush up to offer sympathy and support.  When students return after being out with the flu, classmates will welcome them back and ask how they are feeling.  But it isn’t always that easy when someone returns after being out due to a mental illness.  Sometimes it is because the students returning are worried about being judged by others and sometimes it is because their classmates are worried that they might say something stupid so they refrain from saying anything at all. 

This cartoon shows some of the things that people have said to those with mental health issues, but we would never dream of saying to someone who was sick with a physical illness.  With all these barriers, it is no wonder that mental health goes untreated so often.  So what can you say to someone after they have missed school due to mental illness?  Welcome back.  I’m glad to see you again.  I’m here for you.  I care about you.  You are important.  You were missed.  Actually, let’s be honest, that is what we all want to hear from those around us if we have been gone and that simple act of compassion can help minimize the stress and stigma and make a transition back to school more positive.

It is important to me that all students know that you can talk to me, a teacher or another staff member because every adult at WKHS is here to help support you.  If you have been feeling down, crying a lot, can’t sleep or facing another concern that is worrying you, please know that there is help available.  Don’t be afraid to seek help!  People will understand, there are plenty of resources of support available and even if you don’t have something significant going on you can always just stop by my office to chat – I look forward to that!

Academic Assistants

Are your grades where you want them to be?  With just a few weeks remaining in the school year and final exams looming ahead, there is no better time than to pause and look at where things stand for you academically.  If you are not where you'd like to be, please make sure that you are working with your teachers in any of the subjects you are struggling with and also remember to take advantage of the opportunity to work with the Academic Assistant's in the Teaching & Learning Center.

WKHS is incredibly fortunate to have the support of four outstanding academic assistants.  If you have never been into the Teaching and Learning Center for help, it is time to make a visit!  Ms. Elliott is the English academic assistant, Ms. Davis focuses on Science, Mr. Hinklin takes care of Social Studies and Mr. Freisner works with Math.  Each of the academic assistant's are always ready to help you and to answer any questions you have to help you learn the material for your classes.  The Teaching and Learning Center is housed in Room 209.  

Students can drop by before school, during lunch, prep or options to get extra help on assignments or for assistance in studying for upcoming tests.  It is a more structured environment so you can be certain that you will be able to find a quiet place to study and get your work done.  When you walk into the Teaching and Learning Center you can sit at any of the tables in the room if you want to work independently, but if you need help in a particular subject you can also just go and sit at the table with the academic assistant responsible for that subject area.  And, as if this wasn't enough, the academic assistant's are also outstanding resources for helping students to get organized, to stay on top of assignments and to assist you in making plans for completing projects in a timely manner.  

They are an unbelievable asset to the students at WKHS and you are missing out if you are not taking advantage of their free help!  I consistently see the significant difference in grades for those students who are working with teachers and academic assistants to get caught up vs those who try to manage it on their own.

Senior Reminders

Seniors, this is a busy time of year and you have a lot of pieces to pay attention to so I thought it might be helpful if I gave you a few reminders...

-  Caps and Gowns: You should have picked up your Cap and Gown already.  If you forgot to order your cap and gown, please stop by the counseling center to get the phone number for National Recognition Products and call to place your order right away!  

-  Diploma Presenter Form:  If you plan on asking someone to present you with your diploma at graduation - the deadline for submitting your presenter request form to the co-curricular office has technically passed, but you can still turn in your form if you forgot to submit it. I love the fact that you all have this opportunity as a way to make graduation an even more memorable experience. If you do not select someone to give you your diploma, an administrator from WKHS or central office or a school board member will present your diploma to you.

-  Senior Pictures:  I sincerely hope that you have already taken care of submitting your senior picture to Mrs. Mullen so that they can be included in the Yearbook.  If you didn't get your picture taken, please see Mrs. Mullen to make alternate arrangements.

Selfishly I will also mention that I love having pictures of my seniors!  As of right now I still do not have ANY pictures of seniors for the class of 2017.  Each year I put together a small album of pictures from that year's graduating class along with any notes or other mementos I wanted to save to remember your year.  It will be a very sad album if it doesn't have any pictures.  So, if you are a senior student or parent reading this, I hope you will consider giving me one of your pictures. (PLEASE!!)  :-)

-  Mandatory Graduation Information Form: Included in the senior packet that was mailed to your house was a mandatory graduation information form that contains a place for you to highlight your post-secondary plans and to complete your final transcript release form.  This is a mandatory form that you must return no later than May 3rd.  This form not only outlines your college decisions and scholarships received, but it also allows you to indicate where you would like your final transcript to be mailed after graduation. The information collected about colleges and scholarships will be used when putting together the information for Senior Recognition Night and when they are creating the graduation program so it is very important that the information is accurate! (For example, in the past a student called one scholarship by the wrong name and the parents were upset that it was listed wrong, so please double check to give the correct details.) If students do not complete the survey the school will not have anything to list in the commencement program, so please take a few minutes and complete the survey!

Back to School

Today marked the last day of spring break.  I hope you had a wonderful and relaxing break.  I had a ton of fun with my niece and nephews, but Lexi and I are both anxious to get back to school again just so that we can see all of you and hear about your break... so I hope that you will stop by and update me on your week!

As we head back to school it is hard to believe how little time there is left in the school year.  This also means that it is time for the end-of-course exams to start up again.  As you may recall from previous years, this also means that we will be on funky bell schedules with extended periods for testing during either 1st, 2nd or 3rd periods.  I know that it can be frustrating and the assessments can sometimes feel overwhelming so if you are struggling, please stop by to see me.

We return to school tomorrow on a normal bell schedule and then testing will start up on Tuesday.

The bell schedule for Tuesday and Wednesday will be 1st period testing and only students taking Math 2 will be testing on those days and everyone else will be in their regular classes.

1st Period: 7:45 - 9:35
2nd Period: 9:40 - 10:23
3rd Period: 10:28 - 11:11
4th Period: 11:16 - 11:58
5th Period: 12:03 - 12:45
6th Period: 12:50 - 1:32
7th Period: 1:37 - 2:19
8th Period: 2:24 - 3:05

On Thursday and Friday of this week, the testing period will be 2nd period and only students taking Math 1 will be testing and everyone else will be in their regular classes following this bell schedule:

1st Period: 7:45 - 8:28
2nd Period: 8:33 - 10:23
3rd Period: 10:28 - 11:11
4th Period: 11:16 - 11:58
5th Period: 12:03 - 12:45
6th Period: 12:50 - 1:32
7th Period: 1:37 - 2:19
8th Period: 2:24 - 3:05

Happy Easter! See you tomorrow!

April Students of the Month

On the Friday morning before Spring break was the ceremony to honor April's Students of the Month. Students are nominated as students of the month by Kilbourne faculty and staff for their academic achievement, good citizenship, and/or contributions to the school or community. Students can only earn this recognition once in their high school career.

A special congratulations to "my" 8 students who were among those recognized. Pictured (L to R): Phil Allison, Sam Cottrill, Mackenzie Bell, Kennedy Dauphin, Cassidy Crouch, Maddie Domecq, Chase Brown and Aidan Beck.

Spring Break!

Hooray! We *finally* made it and are now officially on Spring Break! 

I hope you have a wonderful and relaxing break. Good luck to all of the individuals, groups, and teams that will travel this week or continue competing here at home. Don't forget, if you end up on a college campus, please take a picture for the "Oh the Places You'll Go" display. 

I don't anticipate updating much over break, so I hope you have a great week and please stay safe!

Wait Lists

For high school seniors, the question that is asked over and over is "Where are you going to college?" It can be a exciting to share the answer when it is the school you had your heart set on for your future. It can be overwhelming when you still haven't decided and are still trying to figure out which school is the best fit for you. For some students though, this question still brings anxiety and uncertainty because the top school on their list didn't fully accept or reject them - they put them on their Waiting List. I have had many students stop in to talk about their feelings about life in limbo and I understand how difficult it can be as I'm not always the most patient person either.

I need to be brutally honest (even though I know you don't really want to hear this...) and say that there is not a lot that you can do to improve the chance of coming off the wait list and being accepted to the college. You need to make plans and start getting your mind set on attending one of the other schools who accepted you. If, in time, you find out that you have the opportunity to attend the school that had previously put you on their wait list, then you can re-evaluate and decide if you still want to attend. The reality is that very few students actually end up being selected off the wait list for acceptance. (Once again, this is why it is so important to tell colleges as soon as possible when you know that you will not be attending in the future so that they can make plans to potentially accept other students off their wait list.)

In the mean time, if you decide that you want to remain on a college's waiting list, be sure to follow their directions (usually mailing back a post-card indicating your desire) and then you can also consider sending them a letter updating them about any new achievements, awards, or other information that you have accomplished since your application to their college so that might be able to take that into consideration when making their waiting list decisions.

As always, if you have questions about the waiting list process, please feel free to stop in and see me!

On a separate note, tomorrow is the last day of high school for those seniors who will be participating in Senior Project.  Enjoy!

Anxiety Workshop

Parents, do your children struggle with feelings of anxiety?  Worthington Schools will be hosting Norman Shub, Ph.D., the Clinical Director of the Gestalt Institute of Central Ohio.  Norman Shub is an author, teacher and psychotherapist who is a leader in the guiding of individuals, couples, families and communities toward solutions.  He will be presenting to Worthington parents about what parents can do to help your children deal with anxiety on Wednesday, April 26th from 7:00 - 8:30pm in the WKHS Auditorium.  This presentation is made possible through a grant from the Worthington Education Foundation.  Please RSVP for the presentation at https://goo.gl/forms/LVxePFEOy9gMWPRp1

Reminders About Tomorrow

Seniors, don't forget that tomorrow is the deadline for turning in your diploma presenter request form.  I encourage you to take advantage of this opportunity to personalize the graduation ceremony so that it can be as memorable as possible.

Tomorrow we will also be on a modified bell schedule so that all freshmen, sophomores and juniors can hear the speeches for the students running for student body president and vice president.  Seniors will be participating in a special event related to staying safe in college.

The bell schedule is below:
1st: 7:45 - 8:30
2nd: 8:35 - 9:20
3rd A/B Assembly: 9:25 - 10:56 (you will all go to 3rd and then go to the assembly with your class at your designated time)
4th: 11:01 - 11:46
5th: 11:51 - 12:36
6th: 12:41 - 1:26
7th: 1:31 - 2:16
8th: 2:21 - 3:05

Articles related to College Admissions

I read this article that was in the LA Times written by a College Admissions officer from Pitzer College, in California. It is very insightful and I strongly recommend that you read the whole piece. When I read it I thought of so many students who have been struggling after receiving admissions decisions (especially if they didn't get the news they had wanted) and felt as if they had done everything right, but it still wasn't enough. This article points out the sentiment that I have shared often that you all are amazing individuals with incredible talents and will be valuable contributors on your college campuses and in the future. Yet, there is not just one perfect school - it is about finding a good match - for both you and the college.

I also came across the following information from the Yale Admitted Students Website. And although you may not have been considering Yale, the information shared are applicable for ANY colleges that you are considering.

What to Do When They ACCEPT You!
By Jeff Brenzel

For the past year, you have likely focused heavily on where to apply, and then how to win the hearts of admissions officers. Oddly, this effort may have left you surprisingly unprepared for a task that is just as challenging, but far more important: deciding where to go now that you (undoubtedly) have choices.

After some years of observing what happens now, I’ve cobbled together a few words of advice that I hope will be useful to you:

1) As your responses come back, you may receive some rejections, and if you do, you will tend to dwell on them. It’s only natural - what you didn’t get and can’t have may suddenly seem infinitely more valuable than what you did get and can have. You will tempted to revisit every step of your high school career and your application process, pondering what you might have done differently to produce a different outcome. But there is one and only one good answer to any thin envelope you may receive, dream school or not: “Your loss, baby.” Then move on to step two.

2) After all your trials of selecting, applying and waiting, the universe has done the final winnowing for you. Be grateful, because the outcome is wonderful: you are now looking at a handful of admission tickets to the greatest shows on earth. Every one of your colleges has infinitely more opportunities to offer than you could pursue in a lifetime. At one of these places you are going to take friendship to a new level, go adventuring and exploring to your heart’s content, make your own decisions about what to do and how to do it, perhaps develop a permanent intellectual interest or personal mission. Put your acceptance letters up on your wall. Recognize how profoundly fortunate you are to live in this country and to be presented with opportunities that most of your peers around the world would give virtually anything to experience.

3) Now for something practical. To the extent humanly possible, wipe out every assumption you have made up to this point about these schools that want you. Let there be no reaches, good fits or safeties. Throw away U.S. News and World Report. Stop obsessing over selectivity or prestige. You now know more - a LOT more - about colleges than you did when you first researched any of these places. You will start getting calls from admissions offices. Bulletin boards and facebook groups and admitted students websites will light up with people who actually attend these places. Treat all of this as a brand new game, and do not be hasty about putting ANY of the schools aside. I cannot tell you how many times I have heard a student say, “I wish I had looked more closely at the schools to which I was accepted. I wish I had talked to more students who attended those schools and also more students at the school I actually picked. I was blinded by what I thought I knew, about what I thought was my first choice school.”

4) Most important step. If you possibly can, visit the schools that accepted you, even if you have visited them already. Let me repeat this. Go back for another visit. Remember, you know a lot more than you did a year ago. And now the visit is for real. When you arrive, act like you have never been there before. You will be amazed at how some of the schools seem to have changed since you first visited.

Why? It’s because you have changed and you are continuing to change now that you have those admission offers in hand. When you walk onto campus, try to avoid finding reasons not to like a place - things that turn you off. Instead, try the much more useful exercise of trying to picture yourself there as a student, thriving and enjoying both the educational opportunities and the campus scene. This may involve picturing yourself in some new ways as well. This is a good thing.

5) Do something that can be very hard: ask your mother, father and/or guardian what they truly think about the schools that have admitted you. Insist that they be specific about their impressions, and weigh what they say in the light of what you know about their sense of judgment. Why do this? First, they care about you and know you in ways you don’t know yourself. Second, they have usually been paying very close to what they observe. Third, they are going to be paying or helping to pay for this. Make it clear that you would like to make up your own mind. Make it clear that you may view certain things differently than they do. But ask them, listen to what they have to say, and weigh it carefully against what you think yourself.

(You may need to call a physician to revive them if you follow this piece of advice. Most parents will be quite surprised if a son or daughter approaches them directly, asks them to provide a detailed rundown of exactly what they think and why, then listens to them carefully. By doing this, you also save them, and yourself, the agony of their trying to communicate their views by subtle hints, bizarre facial expressions, comments to relatives in your presence, or desperate pleas.)

6) If you can follow these steps and hold off the rush to judgment, you may be very surprised to find yourself strongly considering a school you would not have originally put at the top of your list. And if instead, you end up confirming your first choice after all, you will have only done so after giving it a very sober review in light of the competition. This is not only healthy, but it is going to make you much more knowledgeable and realistic about what to expect when you arrive on campus. Remember above all else that NO college is going to be paradise, and that ALL colleges have something truly outstanding to offer you.

As much as we hope to see you at Yale next year, we hope even more that you will wind up at the school that feels most right for you.

Using Visits as Part of College Search

We are just a week away from spring break and that is a key time when I know that lots of families will be visiting colleges and exploring campuses.  One great advantage of our late spring break is that very few (if any) colleges will be on break at the same time as us so you will be able to see the campus full of students and with activities, events and normal life going on during your visit.  Please be sure to contact the colleges as soon as possible and set up your visit.  Some schools will be able to squeeze you in without a problem and others may have busier schedules that require advanced planning.

For some students and parents trying to decide where to go look at colleges can feel overwhelming.  The reality is that you don’t fully know what you will like or dislike in a college yet because you have never been to college, but that is where the fun starts.  You can explore all different types of campuses to try to figure out what you like or, often easier and even more telling, what you DON’T like about a college.  Looking at all different types of schools - large, small, urban, rural, etc. - will help you figure out exactly what you do and do not like. This will also help you refine and narrow your search to find other schools that will best fit your interests.

I also encourage you to consider looking at schools that are outside of your first instinct of where you think you would like in a college.  For most of you, chances are that the schools on your list are the same schools you hear lots of other WKHS students talk about.  And if one of those schools ends up being the college you love, that is wonderful news.  But, you are not all cookie cutter replicas of one another.  You have different interests, likes, dislikes, and anticipated majors of study.  So, while I am not saying that in the future you should attend a college that does not make you happy and where you don’t see yourself fitting in, I do think there is incredible value by exploring as many different types of colleges and a variety of campuses so that you will know what is truly the best fit FOR YOU.  (Not your parents, not your siblings, not your friends, etc.)

If you are going to use part of your spring break for college visits, I also encourage you to try to use the visits as a time to connect and enjoy being together with your parents.  Yes, I know that your parents often drive you crazy.  And yes, you drive them crazy too. But the reality is that high school flies past and you will soon be moving out of your parent’s home and starting college. Making positive memories together and enjoying the time you are spending while looking at schools is important. Try to approach the college search and your college visits with a positive attitude and cut your parents a break if they are driving you crazy about it all… you will need their feedback, insight and help later in the college process so their views will be important too.  Remember, they are trying to help, they are stressed about this too and, most importantly, they want what is best for you.

The college search and selection process can be stressful, but it should also be fun.  Please try to take a deep breath, relax, enjoy exploring the schools you will be visiting and have fun imagining yourself as a college student.  Also, don’t forget that I want a picture of you somewhere on campus for the “Oh the place’s you’ll go board!”