Colleges Visiting WKHS

Did you know that many college admissions representatives come to WKHS in order to visit with you? Stop for a moment and think about that – the schools are paying someone to come to Kilbourne in order to meet with you and showcase the opportunities available at their college.

While meeting with a representative cannot replace the actual experience of walking on campus, seeing the people, and experiencing the classes, it can be an important piece of your information gathering process. Possibly even more importantly, you are expressing your interest and desire to attend their college! The admissions representatives who are traveling to the schools keep track of who they see. Many colleges can go back and tell you exactly how many times a student has come to tour campus, contacted the admissions office, or had an official interaction with a representative of the school. You never really know what can make a difference so if you are able to attend a meeting with a representative, it can only help you.

The visits begin this week and we have a list of the upcoming college visits posted on the Counselor website so that you can see which schools are coming to WKHS. (Go to Upcoming Events and then it will show you the first 5 college visits, but if you click on "Show Events" it will expand and show you all of the colleges scheduled to visit.  Right now there are 44 schools who have signed up to come to WKHS so it will be multiple pages long.)  You can then stop by the Counseling and Career Center to sign up for any of the visits that interest you.

Juniors and Seniors have unlimited opportunities to attend these sessions. Please be reasonable though. If a visit is scheduled during a time when you have class, you MUST get your teacher’s approval in advance of attending the information session. You are responsible for all missed work and teachers are not supposed to excuse you from tests, quizzes, or labs. (Pick up a pass to have your teacher sign when you are in the Counseling and Career Center to register for the visit.)

Freshmen and Sophomores are also invited to attend the sessions with the college representatives, but are limited to participating in the visits during your lunch or Academic Prep periods. If you have academic prep, you will need to secure a pass just as the upperclassmen are required.

These are great opportunities to talk directly with the college admissions representatives so please take advantage of their visits.

I also wanted to give you all a heads up that I will be out of the building tomorrow and the next 2 Tuesdays for meetings.  I will be there the rest of the week though so just try to plan ahead if you know that you will need something and I will do my best to make up for the time out of the office.

Columbus Suburban College Fair

Mass Chaos… Let’s be honest – that is what a college fair can feel like, but it is also the opportunity for you to gain a lot of useful information from a large number of schools in a short period of time.

The Columbus Suburban College Fair is one week from today - Sunday, September 16th from 1:00 - 3:30pm at Otterbein University in the Clements Center (180 Center St., Westerville, OH 43081).

Here is some information that can hopefully help you if you plan on attending the college fair. Take a deep breath, relax, and try not to get too overwhelmed.

The good news is that college fairs give you a chance to meet with admissions representatives in person. They are all gathered together in one place in order to meet you and to answer your questions. Many schools also keep track of the number of interactions/ meetings you have with their admissions representatives during your search and application process so that they can gauge your interest level in their school. As a component of this, and also a way to expand their mailing database, a large number of the college fair booths will have cards for you to fill out with your contact information and interests. If you want to save time you can create and print out address labels that include your name, address, phone number, e-mail, high school name, year of graduation, intended major(s), and extra-curricular activities of interest. You can then just put the label on the card instead of re-writing the exact same information at table after table for each college.

Be prepared before you get to the college fair. Know that there will be far more schools than you are interested in or can even truly take in during one afternoon, so it is useful to come up with a list of colleges that you would be interested in learning more about by doing a search that looks for different criteria that seems to be a good fit for you. With that list in hand you now have a starting point for the colleges that you would like to talk to during the fair.

It can be useful to ask the same questions of each college so that you can compare them and their responses appropriately. The National Association of College Admissions Counseling (NACAC) has a handout that you can use to help with questions and I encourage you to also consider thinking about the things you most want to know about the school and can’t find in a brochure or website. Everyone is different so your questions are going to be different depending upon your interests, but if you are really interested in playing a club sport in college, you might want to ask about their club/ intramural program and the numbers of students that participate. You may want to ask what the top 2 or 3 majors are on campus as that will give you an idea of what most of the students are interested in studying. If you are undecided about what you would like to study, it would be a great idea to ask them what support and services are available to help students in exploring different majors.

Take something with you to be able to jot some notes on and also a pen or pencil. It is a crazy event with so much happening that if you don’t write it down as you go you won’t remember much after the fact. The admissions representatives are giving you a small look of the college – what do you think following each glimpse?

When you are walking through the college fair with the list of schools that you want to talk to don’t forget to leave some time for browsing – you may realize that a school you hadn’t previously considered has just what you are looking for in a college. It can be easy for us to get caught in the cycle of only looking at specific schools because that is what “everyone” else is considering.

Ideally you will be able to avoid getting caught up in the crowds and confusion so that you don’t walk away from the college fair with a lot of brochures, but no real ideas or impressions about which colleges most interest you. At the end of the college fair you will likely have a bag filled with information about colleges. As the “Faring Well at College Fairs” article says, “Don’t succumb to the temptation of just piling all those brochures in some obscure corner of your bedroom. If you’re feeling overwhelmed, take a day or two away from the college search. Then get out all of those brochures, along with the notes you took at the fair, and read through them. You may find that some colleges aren’t as interesting as you first thought. Others only look better the more you research them.”

Good luck and happy college searching… I can’t wait to hear about the schools that spark your interest!

Test Optional

Good morning!  Are you awake and feeling anxious about taking the ACT this morning?  I hope you're not worried - you will do great.  Relax, take a deep breath and simply do your best.

I know that the college admissions tests can be stressful to students (and parents), but it is important to know that not every college requires strong test scores... in fact, there are many colleges that do not require test scores when evaluating applicants for admission.

The website Fair Test is the National Center for Fair and Open Testing. Their site features a list of colleges that are test score optional schools. This hopefully reminds you that any one aspect of your college application does not make or break you - there are always more options to explore until you find the college that is the best fit for you. So please, don't allow the college admissions tests give you nightmares!

Application Absolutes

In the college application process there are a few absolutes.

If you don’t apply, you won’t be accepted.  Now is the time that seniors should be working on your college applications. If you haven’t started this process, please make this a priority and know that I am willing to help you. Good first steps would be to list out all of the colleges where you plan to apply, identify their application deadlines, determine their application requirements (for example, do they require essays or any recommendation letters) and then set your plan with deadlines to complete each step of your applications. There is an organization chart in the college application process section of the WKHS Counselor website that you can use to assist you in this process.

Every college will require a copy of your official transcript.  Colleges carefully evaluate the courses you have completed during your time at WKHS. In addition to considering the rigor of your course selection, they will also be looking at how you performed in those classes. As a result, providing the colleges with a copy of your transcript is an essential step of the application process.

In order to grant permission for your transcript to be released to a college you must complete the transcript release card. I have your transcript release card in my office and you will simply come in and sign the form indicating exactly which colleges you want to provide with your transcripts. If your application is on the Common App or to BGSU, we will then submit your transcript electronically and there is not a fee. For all of the rest of the transcripts, there is a $1.00 fee per transcript and you will be able to stop back in the counseling center 3 days after you completed the request to pay and pick up your transcript(s).

It is important that you do NOT open your transcript envelope because this is how colleges will know that your transcript is an official copy. Transcripts that are submitted in unsealed and unstamped envelopes will not be accepted by the colleges!

After receiving feedback from parents and students in the past, we have given the control over mailing the transcripts to you so that you will know exactly when it was mailed and be able to take ownership over your application process. A helpful hint, if you have multiple pieces all going to the same college (such as recommendation letters and transcript), send each of the individual signed and sealed envelopes together in a single larger envelope. This will help the colleges keep your application materials together and decreases the potential of application items being misfiled.

As we discussed at Senior College Night, one potentially confusing item is actually quite simple. Many colleges request that a form be submitted along with your transcript – these are usually called a college prep form or secondary school report. Each college has their own individual form that they will instruct you to print off and provide to us, but they all contain the same basic information. In order to simplify and streamline the application process, we have created a single secondary school report form that covers all of the information all of the colleges are requesting that is submitted with each of your transcripts. Since the form is the same for all of the schools you will not need to print off the individual copies of the forms from each school nor do you need to worry about trying to differentiate about which transcript goes to which school as each copy will be exactly the same.

If you have any questions about getting organized with your college application process or with the steps for submitting your transcript, please stop in and see me.

Searching for a College

When you start the college search – the answer lies in you! I know, that sounds a bit cheesy, but it is true. Before you really start looking for the “right” school it is important to figure out what you want in a school and that can only be found by looking in yourself and determining what factors are most important to you.

For example, for some students distance from home may be a big deal. Being close can have it’s advantages – like being able to come home to have a free home cooked meal or a place to do your laundry and also not having to worry about flying half way across the country any time you would want to come home for a visit. Going to school at a college far from home can also have it’s advantages – often a different climate, a new experience and adventure where you can be independent, and no concerns about mom or dad just dropping in unexpectedly. And, of course, there are some students who will elect to find a school that is not too far and not too close. (Remember, that by communicating with your family about what you are looking for in a school you may find that a college outside of your comfort zone is still worth looking at because you and your parents may be able to reach some mutually agreed upon ground rules – so the concern that they might come see you or you might come home too often can be eliminated by talking about those issues up front.)

The size of a school is another factor for many students. Small, Medium, Large or somewhere in between – the challenge is that many students will say, “I don’t know” and that is where making a variety of visits to different sized schools can be advantageous. You can explore a small school and see if the experience of knowing lots of people on campus and in your classes is better for you than a medium or large school where you may have a class in a lecture hall with hundreds of other students. As you visit the schools you may find that there are experiences or advantages that a larger school can provide that a smaller school can’t such as a wider variety of clubs or groups for students to be involved. The key is to figure out what size school fits you and then you can narrow your search to explore more schools in that range.

Other factors that often influence a student’s college decision will include the types of majors or programs offered at the school, their athletic programs – both collegiate sponsored and intramurals, the food, the dorms, the cost (but don’t necessarily eliminate potential colleges simply based upon cost because often the private schools are much more expensive, but also offer a much larger financial aid package to make it competitive and comparable to a public school), extra-curricular opportunities, and on and on.

Again, I cannot stress the point that everyone is different and what is best for one person is not necessarily the ideal school for someone else. All too often I listen to students who are only looking at the 2 or 3 schools that their best friend or sibling looked at rather than trying to find the school that fits best for them. Also, I truly believe that it is about being a good match – for both you and the college.

I know, it can be a bit intimidating to search for a school and to try to figure out what you really want in a college and for your future, but it is also supposed to be fun so try not to put too much pressure on yourself to find “perfection” and try to take a step back and figure out what will make you happy. It really can be fun, but I know it is also overwhelming so remember that I am here to support and help you in any way that I can.

News for Today!

Tonight is this year's PTO Meet the Teacher Night. This is a night when your parents can come through school, follow your schedule, and meet all of your teachers. The evening event runs from 7:00 to 9:00pm. Each class will be 10 minutes in length and yes, your parents will have the same 5 minute passing time that you have during the day. (Hopefully they won't get lost and be late or else they could end up with lots of tardies!) :-)

Here is the schedule for the evening:

1st period - 7:00 - 7:10
2nd period - 7:15 - 7:25
3rd period - 7:30 - 7:40
4th period - 7:45 - 7:55
5th period - 8:00 - 8:10
6th period - 8:15 - 8:25
7th period - 8:30 - 8:40
8th period - 8:45 - 8:55

Please make sure you give your parents a copy of your schedule or at least write down the room numbers for all of your classes so they know where they are heading for the evening! 

Also, please make sure your parents know about this evening because I know many of them will want to attend and they usually like putting a face with a name so that if you are talking about a test in Mr. ____'s class or an assignment for Mrs. ____'s class they will be able to keep it straight.

Additionally, we will be on a Homeroom Bell Schedule today. This means that you will have homeroom in between 2nd and 3rd period.  During homeroom, every student will be asked to complete a short "Counselor Connection" form and return it.  This is an opportunity for me to start getting to know you all a little better.  I can't wait to read your responses!

*Sorry that I didn't get this post up last night, but my cable and internet were down all night yesterday.  Hope you have a great day!

A Fun Weekend!

Let me warn you right up front - this post has nothing to do with Kilbourne or college... it is all about my weekend of fun.  As those of you who have already been following my blog for a while know, I try to occasionally provide updates that allow you to have a glimpse into my life.  I understand that it can be hard talking to someone that you feel you don't know, but it is also hard for me to share information about myself with you 1:1 in my office in the limited time we have available.  I do have signs up around my office and lots of pictures that I hope will help you get to know me better, but from time to time I like to be able to share updates on my blog that give you a better glimpse into my life.

I spent the long weekend in Kentucky at my sister's house.  My sister and her husband have 2 kids (with a 3rd on the way!) and she needed me to watch the kids for the weekend.  My niece, Carly, is 9 years old and my nephew, Colton is 6 years old.  We had a blast together this weekend... but I am exhausted!  :-)  I took a lot of work with me thinking I'd do it in the down time, but once I was there and in the midst of playing with the kids, I quickly decided that work could wait and it was important to stop and simply be there with them and be the best aunt possible.

We didn't do anything extravagant over the weekend - although my nephew asked if we could go to Florida and my niece wanted to go to the Humane Society with the hope that she could pick out a puppy for me to adopt.  (Again, those are examples of things we didn't do!) But we turned the house into our own playground for the rainy weekend.

We built a massive fort - I don't have any pictures that can do it justice, but we could all easily stretch out in the fort without being in one another's way.  (Colton reported that his favorite part of the weekend is when he got to knock down the fort.)

We played hide-and-go-seek, lots and lots of board games (and no, I didn't let them win - I'm not that nice!), and we even adventured outside where I let them play in the rain.

I took them to the grocery store and bought them pretty much any food that they wanted and so they are set for donuts, fruit roll-ups, chips, oreos, and ice cream for quite a while.  :-)  We did some baking together - and by together I mean, Carly helped stir for about 2 minutes and Colton said his job was to be the smell tester to make sure it smelled good before we'd eat it.

We built with blocks (initially intended for his stuffed dog, but later he decided the "castle" should be for him.



We read books, colored, drew pictures, watched movies, snuggled, had a dance party, cheered the Kentucky Wildcats in their football game (let's not talk about how that turned out...) and they put on a piano recital for me.

Carly's favorite part of the weekend was that we painted t-shirts.  What the picture (below) isn't able to capture is that the paints we picked out also had a glow-in-the-dark paint and so the kids loved that their shirts had aspects that glowed in the dark.  (Colton's shirt had so much paint on it I'm not sure it is ever going to be completely dry!)


I don't know what how you spent your weekend, but I am definitely looking forward to hearing about it so I hope you will stop by my office and update me.  I also hope that if you are given the opportunity to make memories that will last forever, that you will embrace the moment.  I might be working a few late nights this week to get caught up on the things that I didn't get done this weekend, but if I were to die tomorrow, I know that my niece and nephew would know they were loved completely!