More from interviews with students on taking standardized tests:
Lisa:
I’ll take the SAT and the ACT. I did better on the ACT than I did on the SAT. I don’t really know why but I did better accommodation wise on those tests. I didn’t even know you could get accommodations on those kind of exams, nobody told me, and I guess I just never really took the time and figured it out on my own. But that’s definitely important if you’re planning on going to college and you’re gonna take those exams. Make sure if you are qualified for the accommodations that you get those and that it helps you on your exams … because those exams are pretty important for when you apply.
Andrea:
I’ve not always performed as well on standardized tests so it was really, really critical for me to have accommodations and even with those accommodations I found them to be very anxiety provoking experiences, so I had to take them more than once to just kind of tweak out … how to best take those exams. They were not easy for me. But I did have accommodations, I had … I had extra time and I was able to take breaks when I needed to, and I had a scribe, so I had quite a few and they were tremendously helpful - the only way I could have gotten through.
Maria:
On the SAT test, I definitely used my accommodations. I got time and a half testing for the SAT, and with that I think I got an extra break during the SAT because it’s so long anyway. I started at the same time as the other students, but I was in a room with other people with a learning disability or other forms of disabilities, and we just got an extra break I think, so our testing went a little longer.
Andrea:
It’s similar to when you need accommodations for college, you have to have letters from your doctors stating that it’s required, so you need like a formal documentation. And then you sent it to, if you contact the SAT office or the GRE office, they have a special section for people with disabilities, so basically you just ask to speak to them and then they’ll tell you what the process is.
Showing posts with label interview. Show all posts
Showing posts with label interview. Show all posts
Monday, February 14, 2011
Monday, January 17, 2011
Interviews: Applying for college
More from the students interviewed about applying to college:
Jenna:
I went ahead and started getting my application for college at the end of my junior year, and with the application you fill it out, a lot of times you can do it online but I did a paper application so that way I could make sure everything was right and also wanted to make copies of it in case something happened and it got lost in the mail, or something happened online I wouldn’t be able to have that paper right in front of me. So you fill out the applications, usually you have to get recommendations from teachers, maybe somebody in the community that knows you very well, and you want to get it from people who will say good things about you, and people who know you well, know you very well, you don’t want to get relatives - a mom or a dad - but you want to get maybe a teacher that you’ve had for a couple of years, or that you feel comfortable with giving you that recommendation. And also you have to write an application essay. The essay doesn’t have to be like 3 pages. Most of the time sometimes you get to pick your own essay and write whatever you want and it’s about maybe a page and a half long. I think mine was about 2 pages. And then another college that I applied for, they actually gave you questions that you had to answer, and it was like 2 questions and had to be a page long for each one of them. A lot of the times the … the essay is optional but you want to make yourself stand out in front of all those other applicants, so put in the essay.
Maria:
I did disclose my disability in my essay. I think a lot of the college essays were asking like, who are you, why are you going to this school, and your family background or something. So for me, it just came up because it fit in the question. I don’t think I went out of my way to say it, if the question had been like well what do you think of world peace in 20 years or something, I don’t think it would have come up. But because it fit within the college application question, I did put it out there because I felt it was a unique part of me and the whole college experience, the application process is, you’re supposed to make yourself stand out. And I don’t think a learning disability is anything anyone should be ashamed of, so I felt it was something I could use to make me stand out from another student.
Andrea:
I’d definitely disclose my disability in my master’s level of my PhD level applications, but only to the extent, like very briefly to the extent to express why I was interested in the field I was … how my interest got sparked, how my research interests were sparked. And then I move right away from that right into my interests. That can be … I feel very careful about including that information up front. There’s a way to do it if you’re going to do it, to do it in a way that shows … how that helped you be where you are without going into incredible detail because you want the people in the college to focus on your academic ability, and then the disability is part of who you are but it’s not all of who you are and don’t want your academic ability and your other abilities to get overshadowed by the talk of disability up front. So I think it can be really good to put it in there, but like weave it into your story rather than it’s the primary focus of your story.
Jenna:
I disclosed my disability in my essay but I made sure that I talked about all my strengths and didn’t focus so much on my weaknesses and what I couldn’t do, but I focused on how it helped me become a better person in life and what I plan to do and my career goals.
Jenna:
I went ahead and started getting my application for college at the end of my junior year, and with the application you fill it out, a lot of times you can do it online but I did a paper application so that way I could make sure everything was right and also wanted to make copies of it in case something happened and it got lost in the mail, or something happened online I wouldn’t be able to have that paper right in front of me. So you fill out the applications, usually you have to get recommendations from teachers, maybe somebody in the community that knows you very well, and you want to get it from people who will say good things about you, and people who know you well, know you very well, you don’t want to get relatives - a mom or a dad - but you want to get maybe a teacher that you’ve had for a couple of years, or that you feel comfortable with giving you that recommendation. And also you have to write an application essay. The essay doesn’t have to be like 3 pages. Most of the time sometimes you get to pick your own essay and write whatever you want and it’s about maybe a page and a half long. I think mine was about 2 pages. And then another college that I applied for, they actually gave you questions that you had to answer, and it was like 2 questions and had to be a page long for each one of them. A lot of the times the … the essay is optional but you want to make yourself stand out in front of all those other applicants, so put in the essay.
Maria:
I did disclose my disability in my essay. I think a lot of the college essays were asking like, who are you, why are you going to this school, and your family background or something. So for me, it just came up because it fit in the question. I don’t think I went out of my way to say it, if the question had been like well what do you think of world peace in 20 years or something, I don’t think it would have come up. But because it fit within the college application question, I did put it out there because I felt it was a unique part of me and the whole college experience, the application process is, you’re supposed to make yourself stand out. And I don’t think a learning disability is anything anyone should be ashamed of, so I felt it was something I could use to make me stand out from another student.
Andrea:
I’d definitely disclose my disability in my master’s level of my PhD level applications, but only to the extent, like very briefly to the extent to express why I was interested in the field I was … how my interest got sparked, how my research interests were sparked. And then I move right away from that right into my interests. That can be … I feel very careful about including that information up front. There’s a way to do it if you’re going to do it, to do it in a way that shows … how that helped you be where you are without going into incredible detail because you want the people in the college to focus on your academic ability, and then the disability is part of who you are but it’s not all of who you are and don’t want your academic ability and your other abilities to get overshadowed by the talk of disability up front. So I think it can be really good to put it in there, but like weave it into your story rather than it’s the primary focus of your story.
Jenna:
I disclosed my disability in my essay but I made sure that I talked about all my strengths and didn’t focus so much on my weaknesses and what I couldn’t do, but I focused on how it helped me become a better person in life and what I plan to do and my career goals.
Monday, December 20, 2010
Interview with a Counselor - Picking a Major
Hi. I’m Erica Lovelace and I’d like to talk to you all today about choosing a major and some considerations that you might want to look at as you’re planning your future. One of the things that I first want to tell you is where I’m from. I’m from the Department of Rehabilitative Services which is also known as Vocational Rehabilitation. And I say that because you all might be interested in contacting your local VR office to see whether or not they may be able to offer you some assistance in helping you determine your major. They have the ability to do some career assessments, career guidance and counseling and exploration. It’s an excellent resource that you all might wanna consider as you’re planning your college career and looking at what is your major study and what types of employment opportunities might you engage in once you’ve completed your education.
Some of the things that you might wanna consider on your own when you’re looking at a major is what are you interested in, what are the things that you like to do as a hobby, as a vocation, those are things that might direct you in choosing your major. Some of the other things that you might wanna consider are not feeling that you have to choose a major immediately. You don’t have to declare your major until sometimes after your second year. The first year to that you’re enrolled in a college program, you’re really concentrating on your core courses: Your English, your math, your history, your science. You also have to get some electives in. What an opportunity to use those electives to help you determine what your major is going to be. You can look at all of the programs that are available, take a few electives in courses that you think you might be interested in and have that help you as a guide and a tool to use as you’re choosing your major.
Some other things that you wanna consider are following your heart. Look at what it is that you truly want to do. I’ve worked with students for quite a few years and I’ve seen so many students that go into a program based on the amount of money they’re going to be able to earn and it really hasn’t been a good match. The money is not the most important thing when you’re considering choosing a major in your ultimate employment. You’re gonna work many, many years. It’s important that you’re working in a field that you enjoy and that you have a passion for. So keep that in mind and follow your heart in what it is that you really wanna do and the environment that you really wanna be involved in.
You’re also going to get a lot of information from many, many different people. Don’t feel pressured into choosing a major based on the influence and the opinions of others. It has to be something that you’re really interested in. Once you’re looking at your major consider the entire course work. There’s probably gonna be some courses that you may or may not like. So as you’re picking your major look at the entire requirements for the degree program and what the courses are that you’re gonna have to take to satisfy that major.
You might also wanna look at the employment areas that are going to be available to you once you complete a major. You certainly don’t wanna pick a major only to find out that the employment arena for that major is either decreasing and or the jobs are being outsourced, so your likelihood of finding suitable employment is not very great. So keep that in mind. And along those lines some things that you might wanna do while you’re still in high school during your summers in helping you choose a major is to actually visit some employers where you think they have the types of jobs that you might eventually be interested in. Do some informational interviewing where you meet with the employer or you meet with an employee within a certain company and you talk to that employee and you ask some very pointed questions. What type of training do they require, what were their interest, what do they like about the job they’re doing, what do they dislike about the job that they’re currently doing, what is a typical day like for them. And maybe one of the most important questions is if they had it to do over again, would they still choose the same field.
The next step that you can do after the informational interviewing is visit a job site. Ask an employer or an HR Department if you could do some job shadowing where you actually are with an employee for a day, a half a day or a prescribed amount of time and you actually follow that individual for a day and you observe what their activities are and the interaction that they’re required to do with others and the actual work that they are assigned. Those are some good ideas to consider when you’re looking at choosing a major.
The other thing that you might wanna consider when you’re looking at your major and as it ties into employment opportunities what types of additional training might be required beyond completion of a bachelor’s degree. Are you looking at a field that is going to require a master’s degree or certification training or perhaps a PhD? Those might be things that you want to consider as you’re looking at choosing a major. There’s places where you can get information on labor market trends, so that you can look at. What are the jobs that are increasing in demand over a period of time? And if those are jobs that are going to become available and their areas of interest you might wanna look at at the majors.
One of the things that as a VR Counselor, I encourage individuals to do is focus on your employment goal. Look at your employment goal and what are the requirements of that employment goal as opposed to necessarily focusing in on a degree or a major, but look at the actual work that you’re interested in and what are the requirements to meet those work requirements.
Another thing that you might wanna consider in choosing a major is what are the expectations from the university. Are you required to get above a 2.0? Some universities require that you have a 3.0 in your chosen major. Those are some things that you might wanna consider before selecting a major.
Some of the other things that you might wanna look at is whether or not a foreign language is required. Do you have to take a foreign language to satisfy that major? And you need to know these things at the beginning of selecting your major. Not at the end when you’re anticipating having your degree.
In closing, I hope that you found some of these ideas helpful and that you’ll use some of the ideas. Most importantly follow your heart, have fun, explore your options as you’re choosing your major. Thank you so much.
Some of the things that you might wanna consider on your own when you’re looking at a major is what are you interested in, what are the things that you like to do as a hobby, as a vocation, those are things that might direct you in choosing your major. Some of the other things that you might wanna consider are not feeling that you have to choose a major immediately. You don’t have to declare your major until sometimes after your second year. The first year to that you’re enrolled in a college program, you’re really concentrating on your core courses: Your English, your math, your history, your science. You also have to get some electives in. What an opportunity to use those electives to help you determine what your major is going to be. You can look at all of the programs that are available, take a few electives in courses that you think you might be interested in and have that help you as a guide and a tool to use as you’re choosing your major.
Some other things that you wanna consider are following your heart. Look at what it is that you truly want to do. I’ve worked with students for quite a few years and I’ve seen so many students that go into a program based on the amount of money they’re going to be able to earn and it really hasn’t been a good match. The money is not the most important thing when you’re considering choosing a major in your ultimate employment. You’re gonna work many, many years. It’s important that you’re working in a field that you enjoy and that you have a passion for. So keep that in mind and follow your heart in what it is that you really wanna do and the environment that you really wanna be involved in.
You’re also going to get a lot of information from many, many different people. Don’t feel pressured into choosing a major based on the influence and the opinions of others. It has to be something that you’re really interested in. Once you’re looking at your major consider the entire course work. There’s probably gonna be some courses that you may or may not like. So as you’re picking your major look at the entire requirements for the degree program and what the courses are that you’re gonna have to take to satisfy that major.
You might also wanna look at the employment areas that are going to be available to you once you complete a major. You certainly don’t wanna pick a major only to find out that the employment arena for that major is either decreasing and or the jobs are being outsourced, so your likelihood of finding suitable employment is not very great. So keep that in mind. And along those lines some things that you might wanna do while you’re still in high school during your summers in helping you choose a major is to actually visit some employers where you think they have the types of jobs that you might eventually be interested in. Do some informational interviewing where you meet with the employer or you meet with an employee within a certain company and you talk to that employee and you ask some very pointed questions. What type of training do they require, what were their interest, what do they like about the job they’re doing, what do they dislike about the job that they’re currently doing, what is a typical day like for them. And maybe one of the most important questions is if they had it to do over again, would they still choose the same field.
The next step that you can do after the informational interviewing is visit a job site. Ask an employer or an HR Department if you could do some job shadowing where you actually are with an employee for a day, a half a day or a prescribed amount of time and you actually follow that individual for a day and you observe what their activities are and the interaction that they’re required to do with others and the actual work that they are assigned. Those are some good ideas to consider when you’re looking at choosing a major.
The other thing that you might wanna consider when you’re looking at your major and as it ties into employment opportunities what types of additional training might be required beyond completion of a bachelor’s degree. Are you looking at a field that is going to require a master’s degree or certification training or perhaps a PhD? Those might be things that you want to consider as you’re looking at choosing a major. There’s places where you can get information on labor market trends, so that you can look at. What are the jobs that are increasing in demand over a period of time? And if those are jobs that are going to become available and their areas of interest you might wanna look at at the majors.
One of the things that as a VR Counselor, I encourage individuals to do is focus on your employment goal. Look at your employment goal and what are the requirements of that employment goal as opposed to necessarily focusing in on a degree or a major, but look at the actual work that you’re interested in and what are the requirements to meet those work requirements.
Another thing that you might wanna consider in choosing a major is what are the expectations from the university. Are you required to get above a 2.0? Some universities require that you have a 3.0 in your chosen major. Those are some things that you might wanna consider before selecting a major.
Some of the other things that you might wanna look at is whether or not a foreign language is required. Do you have to take a foreign language to satisfy that major? And you need to know these things at the beginning of selecting your major. Not at the end when you’re anticipating having your degree.
In closing, I hope that you found some of these ideas helpful and that you’ll use some of the ideas. Most importantly follow your heart, have fun, explore your options as you’re choosing your major. Thank you so much.
Wednesday, July 7, 2010
Step #6: Filling Out a Successful Application
When your teen receives an application to one of the colleges of his choice, he’ll need to do some preliminary work before filling it. Encourage him to read the entire application over and take notes on what he needs to gather up in order to answer all of the questions. He may need to ask for teacher recommendations, make copies of awards or class certificates, etc. Have him answer the entire set of questions on a separate piece of paper first, so that he can go over his answers and make any changes he feels is necessary without ruining the application paper.
Possibly an Interview Too:
Your teen may also have to attend a college interview as part of the application process. If he does, role-play the interview until your teen feels confident that he can answer any question that may be asked.
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