Deadlines

Deadlines are real. Often times I worry that the tendency we have in high school to set a deadline and then extend it or accept late materials creates a major problem when it comes to college applications and the rest of the world. The reality is that outside of high school, deadlines are real. If they say you need to have something done by a particular day, then it is essential that you have it done by that day. College applications fit into this strict rule so this is your friendly reminder to watch your deadlines!

It is really important that you stay organized and submit all application materials to colleges prior to their designated deadlines. There are several schools that have scholarship deadlines of November 1st. (This means that if you want to be considered for the maximum scholarship offering that you need to apply by November 1st.) Other schools have November 15th, December 1st, December 15th, or even later deadlines, but because every school is different it is really important that you stay on top of this and meet the requirements with plenty of time. If you have a college application with a November 1st deadline and you have not seen me already, please be sure to come in and see me!

Don't forget, it also takes us time at WKHS to process all of the applications so you need to allow plenty of time to turn your application around and get it back to the college. Some schools (like OSU) hold firm to the requirement that their deadline doesn't just mean that the application has been received by that date, but that all supporting documentation is also in their hands by that particular date. This means that they also need to have your transcript, School Report Form, and official ACT/ SAT test scores prior to the deadline date. All the more reason to watch this closely and give us plenty of time to get your materials to the college.

If you are having trouble figuring out the deadlines, stop down to see me and we can look it up together.

Also, I wanted to let you know that I have a meeting at central office tomorrow morning, but I will be back in the afternoon so if you are planning to stop by tomorrow, please swing by in the afternoon.

Ben Corcoran

It absolutely breaks my heart to have to post another update with such tragic news. As many of you have heard, Ben Corcoran, died yesterday evening. Ben graduated from Worthington Kilbourne High School this past June as a member of the Class of 2010.

Calling hours will be held at Rutherford Funeral Home in Powell on Sunday from 2:00 - 6:00pm.

Funeral will be on Monday at 11:00am at St. Peter Catholic Church on Smokey Row.

Here is a link to Ben's complete obituary. His obituary will also appear in the Columbus Dispatch.

I would like to remind all of my students that you are important to me, I care about you and want only the best for you. Remember that there are always people (like me) who are ready and willing to lend a hand and if you need someone to talk to, please know I'm here to listen.

Students of the Month

I am running a bit behind on this post, but earlier this month 15 WKHS students were honored as October Students of the Month. The recognition as a Student of the Month can only be earned once during a student's high school career. 4 of these fine young men and women were "my" students. Congratulations to (L to R): Carmen Casillas, Katie Baldwin, Haley Defibaugh, and Connor Dahn. I am proud of you all!

Homecoming

It has been a week full of fun activities to celebrate Homecoming weekend. The painted windows looked great and I enjoyed seeing the students dressed up in their interesting range of themed outfits each day. The football game last night was a great victory and it was wonderful to see so many former students who came back to cheer on the wolves.

A special congratulations to one of "my" students, Sarah Bear, who was crowned Homecoming Queen during yesterday's assembly.

(I loved the Homecoming Themed Lobo's!)

Congratulations also to Naomi Barker and Robbie Davidson who were honored as Sophomore Homecoming attendents.

I love to chaperone the homecoming dance beause it is great to see all of you dressed up and having fun. I hope you enjoy your time with pictures, dinner, and the dance! Have fun and be safe!

Assembly Schedule

Thanks to all of the students who took the PSAT and PLAN tests today. You did a great job and I was pleased to see so many of "my" students taking advantage of the opportunity to prepare for the testing that will be a part of your future college application process. I also would like to express my sincere gratitude for all of the students who volunteered to stay and help us tear down the tables and chairs after the PLAN test at the end of the day! You were amazing and I appreciate it very much!

Tomorrow, Thursday October 14th, will include a fun afternoon at WKHS. As a part of the homecoming festivities there will be an assembly (also known to most of us as a pep rally). Below is the modified bell schedule.

1st Period: 7:45 - 8:30

2nd Period: 8:35 - 9:20

3rd Period: 9:25 - 10:10

Announcements: 10:10 - 10:15

4th Period: 10:20 - 11:05

5th Period: 11:10 - 11:55

6th Period: 12:00 - 12:45

7th Period: 12:50 - 1:35

8th Period: 1:40 - 2:25

Assembly: 2:35 - 3:05

I doubt that I need to remind anyone, but Friday is also a day off of school! :-) Between having a three-day weekend and the homecoming festivities, it should be a great weekend!

PSAT and PLAN Update

I know that having both the PSAT and PLAN test on Wednesday have created some questions for students...

If you are taking the PSAT, you will report directly to the gymnasiums when you arrive to school on Wednesday 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 7:45 and you will finish testing at the start of 4th period.

If you are taking the PLAN test, you will go to your 1st through 3rd period classes and when announcements begin you will be released to head to the commons to eat your lunch and then check in at the gymnasiums for the test. Check in begins at 11:00am and you will test for the remainder of the day. (As with the PSAT, don't forget to bring a number 2, non-mechanical, pencil, a calculator and a watch.)

If you are one of the students who love testing so much that you have elected to take both the PLAN and PSAT, you will test 1st through 3rd, have a quick break for lunch, report back to the gym and test again for the remainder of the day.

Generally speaking, the majority of juniors will be testing in the morning and the majority of sophomores are testing in the afternoon so teachers have adjusted the coursework being covered in class accordingly. Ultimately though, you will be responsible for making up any missed work from class.

Writing your College Essay

Writing a college essay can be a frustrating, challenging process, but this is your opportunity to put your best foot forward and show the colleges what makes you special. Ideally the college admissions and scholarship officers will learn something about you and see how well you write.

When colleges review your application they can read things like your grade point and test scores, but they still want to know more about YOU – the person behind those grades, scores, and activities. It is important to remember that your essay will be one of hundreds or more-likely thousands that the admissions committee members will read. (Can you imagine reading all of those?!?) Try to interest them in what you have to say and be sure that it is written well so that it will hopefully stand out. Think of this as your opportunity to introduce yourself to the admissions and scholarship officers reading your application. Be open, honest and real.

When you have to write an essay you need to keep a few important points in mind:

1. Answer the question!
When they give you a prompt or question – be sure that your essay is answering what they are asking! These are smart people – they know when you are just trying to take a different essay and trying to make it fit for their question. Put in the time to write an essay that answers what they are asking. Also, be sure that you respond to all parts of the prompt.

2. Show me – Don’t tell me.
Great, so you told me that you are organized and honest… good qualities for their future college students, but are you demonstrating that to them with your essay? Show them what you mean – that will usually be specific, concrete stories or examples to illustrate your point.

3. Did I learn something about you?
The whole point of these essays is so that the college admissions officers will learn something new about you. (And trust me, they are learning something about you – even if that lesson is you didn’t appear to care enough about getting into school to pay attention to details like spelling.) So, step back and look at your essay again – did they learn something about you that they wouldn’t have known prior to reading your essay?Let me assure you – they really do read the essays! Don’t think you can just throw something down on paper and have it be “good enough.” These are formal essays for an application to a college that will be the launching ground for the rest of your life. I know that it is intimidating, but relax and start writing – and editing – and then do some more writing and editing… One of the biggest challenges as you write your essay is controlling the tone. You want to come across as confident but not boastful, self-assured but not aggressive, accomplished but not perfect. Try to avoid claiming that everything you've ever done has been unbelievably great. Don't be afraid to admit that you are human. Colleges want real, interesting people. Because it's so hard to control the tone of an essay about yourself, you will want to ask several people – teachers, friends, your parents, or even me – to read and respond to your essay. Get a variety of reactions, and then decide how you want to revise the essay. Remember, when getting help with essay revisions, it is important to go into it with the thought that you want to get revisions so it can be the best possible essay (instead of going in hoping the editors will just say – good enough.) And yes, that also means you can’t procrastinate and put it off until the last possible second.

Here is some additional college essay writing information that I really liked and copied from another high school counseling website:

PICKING THE TOPIC
More than likely, if you look at all of the essay prompts you are going to find that they all contain the word “you.” For example, they may ask you to write about a significant experience in your life. No matter what you choose to write about, the essay should say something about who you are, what you value, how you think, and/or what you hope to accomplish. As you search for a suitable topic, be sure to think about the relationship between YOU and the experience, issue, or person.

Be creative. Don't make the mistake of adding one more routine essay to the pile. Many topics that jump to your mind may also jump to the minds of thousands of others applying to college this year. Instead, explore a new angle. Explain how you are different from everybody else, or investigate an unusual opinion.

Don't be afraid of controversy. If you have strong opinions about your topic, let them be known. It's probably a mistake to say what you think your readers want to hear just to keep from offending them. Instead, write what you believe. Admission officers often welcome strong opinions, especially if convincing facts and examples support the ideas. Remember all the times your English teachers have said, "You write best about what interests you most?" Take their advice. Find a topic that excites you, one about which you have strong feelings. If you bring genuine interest to your writing, your readers will find it interesting as well.

COMPOSING THE ESSAY
Your English teachers have given you other good pieces of advice to remember too. Show your topic, don't just tell about it. Use vivid examples. Describe the scene or the person with sharp nouns and active verbs, using details that will invoke the senses. How did it look? feel? smell? sound? What, exactly, did the person say? Don't just tell your reader that "Uncle Henry was odd." Show us his collection of paper clips and his pet slug, Seymour. Don't just say you've been involved in "various leadership positions." Show us how you talked the school board into changing the study hall policy and how you turned the annual church youth group chicken BBQ from a poorly attended, money losing embarrassment into a standing-room-only, budget-busting, finger-licking success.

REVISING THE ESSAY
After you've finished a draft, take a break-a couple of days if you can-before you begin to revise. You need to take a fresh look at the essay. Does it reveal who you are? Does it represent your best academic ability? Does it sound like you? Be sure to examine the overall structure of the essay. Does it make a stunning point at the beginning and then fizzle, or does it steadily build in interest and intensity? Have you made clear the relationship between your ideas? Is the essay well organized?

The essay needs to read smoothly. As you revise and refine the piece, be sure that it has an attractive introduction, carefully crafted body paragraphs, and a confident conclusion. Look for clear transitions between paragraphs, and try to vary sentence length and structure. Pay careful attention to the verbs of each sentence. They should be active rather than passive (not "A decision was made," but "I decided") and should give your reader a clear picture of you in action. Although the essay needs to be personal, you shouldn't overuse the pronoun "I." Use it, of course, but don't start every sentence of the essay with it. Sometimes putting another word in the subject position of the sentence will help. (Compare: "I cut lawns every summer during high school, and I learned a lot." "My lawn care business taught me to work hard, to manage my time and my money, and to communicate well with my customers.")

TARGET: PERFECTION
If you ever write an error-free essay, this needs to be it. Grammatical and mechanical errors may ruin the entire application. Ask a knowledgeable person to help you proofread, and be sure that you type it carefully or-if it is a scholarship application that absolutely insists-write it neatly by hand. Don't let careless last-minute flaws keep you out of the college you want to attend.