College Fair for Students with Learning Disabilities

Finding the ideal college fit is difficult for all students, but for students with learning disabilities there are additional factors that should be taken into consideration when evaluating colleges.  Next Tuesday, October 2nd, is the College Fair for Students with Learning Disabilities. This event is free and open to the public.  It will allow students and parents to meet with representatives from colleges in Ohio and around the country to compare the wide range of accommodations available at the different schools. The event will be held at Gahanna Lincoln High School in the cafeteria from 6:30 - 8:00pm. (Address is 140 South Hamilton Rd., Gahanna).

Pass/ Fail & Drop Deadlines

Just a few reminders related to your classes...

- Next Tuesday (October 2nd) is the last day for students to drop a class without having it appear on your transcript. Remember, for those of you who are athletes or compete in any co-curricular activities, this is only an option if you have more than the minimum number of courses required to remain eligible. (After dropping classes, students must still have at least 5 classes that are worth at least 1/2 a credit.)

- Tuesday is also the last day to be able to change a class from conventional grading to pass/ fail grading. If you are interested in this option, please start by making sure that pass/fail grading is a choice for the class and then stop by the counseling center to pick up a pass/ fail slip. (They are located on the shelves in the counseling center.)  After you have it signed by your parent return it to me for my signature.

These forms MUST be returned to the Counseling Center by the end of the day on Tuesday!

Infinite Campus

As you are all (hopefully) aware by now, this year the district has transitioned over to a new computer system called Infinite Campus.  It provides one system that is used for schedules, attendance and grades which will ultimately give consistency to students, parents and teachers.  Right now, we are all still learning the system and adjusting to the new program.  There are some pieces, such as transcripts that are not yet available online for students and parents to see, but our hope is that it will be online for you within the next month.  However, your teachers are updating their grades at least once a week (by Monday's) so that you can check and have an ongoing update on how you are doing in each class.  This provides you with the chance to celebrate if you are doing well and to identify what you might need to change if you are not meeting your own expectations for the goals you had set for the year.

Today we are about at the half-way point of the first quarter.  Hard to believe, isn't it?!?  Last year we stopped sending home interims, but this is the time when you are able to get a good feel for how you are doing in each of your classes.  I strongly suggest that you take a look at your grades and make sure you are on track for the quarter.

One challenge for me is that I cannot see the same things that you see when you look at Infinite Campus.  I have heard that the program is a bit more difficult to use on the computer, but that for people with smart phones, the free app from Infinite Campus is very easy to use and is a great tool.  If you are interested in downloading and using the free Infinite Campus app, you will need to know that the District Code is: YCWTRL

If you haven't figured out how to access Infinite Campus at all, please visit the Worthington Website at www.worthington.k12.oh.us and then you will click on the Login Icon that is located in the top Right portion of the page.  You can also look below the login boxes for a link to Frequently Asked Questions for more detailed information.

Recommendation Letters

Recommendation letters tend to create a lot of stress, headaches, and confusion for students, but the anxiety and drama over rec letters is not necessary!

Personally, one of the absolute FAVORITE parts of my job is the time that I get to spend sitting down, one on one, with each of my students to talk about your entire high school experience as a whole and listening to the stories you share when I am "interviewing" you to get information to write your recommendation letter. I find your stories fascinating, your insight remarkable, and quite often your humor to be very entertaining. Of course, I will also admit that the excitement goes away pretty quick when you walk out the door and I am left with pages full of notes and the actual letters to write. (Talking = Very Happy... Writing = Not so much...)

While the seniors are certainly the students who are more focused on the need for recommendation letters, it is also a great reminder of why it is important for students of every grade level (Freshman, Sophomore, Junior, and Senior) to drop by my office throughout the year to allow me to get to know you better. I sincerely want to hear about the things you are involved in and are accomplishing during high school. Plus, I am pretty good at saving random tidbits of information that I see or learn about you that might help me "someday" when I need to write your recommendation.

For the seniors, have you started looking at your college applications to see if they require recommendation letters from me or from your teachers? Some schools will require it and some will not. Ohio University, for example, does NOT require any recommendation letters. Miami University, on the other hand, will require a rec letter from a teacher or from me. If you are having problems determining if the colleges you are considering require recommendation letters – just stop down to see me and I can try to help you figure it out.

If you do need recommendation letters, give some thought ahead of time to who you would like to ask for the recommendations. Look at the requirements specified by the school – are they open to coaches or advisers writing letters or do they want them to come from academic teachers? If it requires that the letters come from teachers, can it be from any subject area or are they only looking for the core subjects of English, math, science, and social studies? Are you looking at a career in a specific area that a teacher at WKHS can write about your strengths in that field? For example, if you are considering majoring in Spanish perhaps a recommendation letter from one of your Spanish teachers would be appropriate. What teachers know you best? Who can speak to your work ethic and classroom contributions? If you need multiple teacher recommendations, when possible it is ideal to show your strengths across multiple subjects, so if you have a few teachers to pick from and 2 are math and 1 is science perhaps it would be beneficial to ask 1 math and 1 science teacher rather than the 2 math teachers simply to show that diversity. Remember, in recommendation letters from teachers, the colleges are asking for information about you as a student and your potential for handling the academic rigors of college.

Once you have figured out the teacher or teachers that you want to ask for a recommendation (if needed) it is then time to ASK them (nicely) if they are willing to write a letter for you. It is really important to be reasonable in the amount of time that you are allowing them to have to write your letter. (Think 30 days or more!) They are very busy with their classroom work and grading homework and papers and of course life in general and many teachers are often bombarded by students requesting recommendations. If a teacher is unable to write a recommendation letter for you – either because they don’t feel that they know you well enough to write a strong letter or because they have too much on their plate, don’t take it personally, simply ask another teacher. You will be thankful that you didn’t force them to write the letter because it wouldn’t be as solid of a recommendation letter if they were rushed or only had vague highlights to discuss. If you are applying to schools that do not need teacher recommendation letters, please do not waste your teacher's time by asking them to write a letter. Also, only ask the number of teachers that you need recommendations from - so if you are applying to two schools and both need 1 teacher recommendation letter, just ask one teacher to write a letter that will be used for both schools. You do not need to ask for more letters in case one is "better" than another - if you are not sure the teacher will write a positive letter for you, then you need to pick someone else. If you trust the teacher enough to ask them to write the letter, then you should trust them enough to be able to send their letter (without seeing it) to the college.

In the Counseling and Career Center and on the wkhscounselors.com website we have a form you can use to ask your teachers to write a recommendation for you. It is also helpful to provide information to your teachers regarding your involvement in their classes as a way to help jog their memory. (To make this easier, on the back of the recommendation request form, there are questions you can answer about your experiences in that teacher's class.) It is also really important to specify the number of letters that you need, for which schools, and, if they are not able to submit them online, to provide envelopes as well as any forms required by the schools for the teachers to complete. (For example, the common application has a 2 page form for the teachers to complete in addition to their recommendation letter. Most teachers will complete these electronically, but if your teacher is not completing their common app recommendation electronically, then you need to print this form and give it to your teacher.)

Once your teacher has completed his/ her recommendation letter they will return it to you in a sealed envelope with their signature across the seal. It is important that you do not open the letter as this is the format the college would prefer to receive the letters. You are ultimately responsible for making sure that you get your recommendation letters back in time to mail them to the college by their designated deadlines. Because colleges receive so many different items in the mail, I strongly encourage you to put together 1 large envelope of all of the supplementary materials that the college is requiring and mail it together. So, if you need your transcript, a teacher recommendation letter and a counselor recommendation letter you will be mailing 3 individual envelopes together to the college.

If a counselor recommendation is required it is beneficial to come and see me as soon as you realize it so that we can set up a time to meet. (Yes, I do require EVERY student that I am going to write a recommendation letter for to actually come in and TALK to me!) I write the letters on a first come first serve basis as that is the only way I know how to be fair. Writing recommendation letters is a very time consuming process taking multiple hours per letter which adds up quickly. So please, watch your deadlines and try to help me write the best letter possible by allowing me to have plenty of time. (Like teachers, you should be giving me at least 30 days!) The reason recommendation letters take so long is that each letter should (hopefully) capture the essence of you – and each of you are very different. Remember, when writing recommendation letters generalized praise is wasted space so I need stories and examples to help give admissions officers a better understanding of who you are and what you can bring to their campus. Plus, it needs to be more than just what they can read about you in your application. The short answer essays that are on the "Counselor Supplement Sheet" that you will complete along with a "Parent Brag Sheet" are important aspects to help guide our 1:1 rec letter conversation. Additionally, if you have developed a resume or list of activities and awards that can also be helpful.

So, for the next few months, if you are curious about how I will be spending my "free" time - the answer is writing recommendation letters. Thankfully, I will also be balancing that out with lots of time talking to each of you and getting to know you better... and I am REALLY looking forward to that!

Organization

The time to get organized is NOW! Yes, I realize that we are still at the beginning of the year, but trust me, it is better to start off organized and just maintain it rather than to let things get completely out of control and then work on cleaning everything up in order to find that *one* item that you needed.

For some students, being organized comes easier than it does to others and the reality is that one system of staying organized doesn't always work for everyone else so you really need to think about what does or does not work for you. Sometimes the best way to figure out an organization strategy that will work for you is to stop and reflect back on what has NOT worked for you in the past. For example, if you are a person who always tries to keep things in binders, but then ends up with the little pocket areas in the front and the back of the binder stuffed to the breaking point then this system of organization really isn't working very well for you so it is probably time to try something different.

Stress is usually the outcome of not being organized. You forgot a homework assignment, can't find a paper that you need, or didn't realize that you were supposed to study for a test. By being organized you can help eliminate (or at least cut back a great deal on) stress. Let's be honest... you don't always like writing down all of your assignments in your planner, but there are so many other things going on in your day and such a wide variety of activities and events competing for your attention that it is hard to remember exactly which questions you were supposed to answer for homework for a particular class. Having one place where you write down the information that you are going to need to know and the deadlines are essential for good organization skills.

And, staying organized isn't just an important task when you are doing school work - this is also vital for your entire college application process and it will be important to you for the rest of your life.

As far as the college application process is concerned - most of you should be making steady progress through the "getting organized" phase. Figure out and write down in one place all of the schools where you plan on applying. List out the other key pieces of information that you need to keep track of for that school - deadlines, recommendation letter needs, essays required, etc. Having one page with all of this information is not meant to stress you out - it is meant to be a way to help you look easily at all of the things you need to do and by when so that you will then be able to break it down into more manageable pieces in order to meet your goals/ deadlines. Also, you are hopefully organized enough to realize that the regular registration deadline for the October ACT is today!

As always, feel free to come by and talk if you need some help with organization strategies.

Writing College Essays

Writing a college essay is the most time consuming part of the college application – it 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 that you didn’t 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. :-)

There is a ton of information and resources available online to help you in writing your essays. 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 be smooth and easy to read. As you revise and refine the piece, be sure that it has an engaging 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 the application insists-write it neatly by hand. Don't let careless last-minute flaws keep you out of the college you want to attend.

When You Grow Up

How many times have people (including me) asked you what you want to be when you grow up? I often see many students stare back in a look of pure panic because you really don't have any idea what you would like to do when you grow up and are out in the "real world." Don't worry! It is normal to be uncertain of what career you will spend the rest of your life pursuing, but it is helpful for you to start exploring different career fields and considering different jobs that might be a good fit with your strengths, needs, and interests.  

I have been working with a committee of parents, teachers, counselors and other staff to help plan the 2012 Career Fair. Upperclassmen may recall the 2010 Career Fair as this is an effort we hold every other year. The Career Fair will give all students the opportunity to interact one-on-one in an informal setting (during the school day at WKHS) with a variety of different career professionals. I know that in addition to my students, many parents read this blog - and I desperately need your help with this project! We need to find more people to attend the Career Fair and we'd also like additional information about a wide range of careers even if people cannot attend as we will compile the responses in a Career Resource Handbook for students to use as a resource. Adults can help by completing the career questionnaire at www.surveymonkey.com/wkhscareerfair and I would also love it if you could forward the survey to any of your family members, friends, neighbors, or colleagues!

In the meantime, for students who still are at a loss and wouldn't even know a broad area that you might be interested in considering for your future, perhaps it would be worth your time to take a Career Interest Inventory.

The Ohio Career Information System (OCIS) has an online assessment that the district provides access to for WKHS students. You will need to know the username: Kilbourne and password: ohiocis03

And for those students who already have an idea about what careers they are interested in pursuing in the future, I'd recommend checking out the Explorer's programs.  You can find out more information about Explorer's on the WKHS Counselor website.

Here are a few other sites with career related information that you can explore:

Occupational Outlook Handbook: The Occupational Outlook Handbook is a nationally recognized source of career information, designed to provide valuable assistance to individuals making decisions about their future work lives. The Handbook is revised every two years.

O*Net (Occupational Information Network): source providing comprehensive information on key attributes and characteristics of workers and occupations. This site also includes a Skills Search section for students to complete as a self-assessment.

Enjoy exploring these different sites and learning about careers and opportunities available in your future!