True Stories Part 2

Dana’s grades would guarantee admission to the University of Texas, but acceptance to the highly competitive School of Communication was a different matter. Our application strategy was to showcase qualifications relevant for the particular program.

First, she focused her resume. She did not limit inclusion of her work in a youth organization as a single item on a long list of activities. She devoted a section to her responsibilities and accomplishments as an officer. Bullet points showed she had planned and run a campaign that increased membership 200%, and that under her leadership retention increased 30%. Her resume made her already look like a pro!

Then she focused her essay to demonstrate that she is creative and communicates effectively, without ever saying so directly. Elsewhere in the application, she referenced having both the quantitative (AP score of 5 in statistics) and people skills that would be useful in the fields of marketing, advertising and public relations.

True Stories Part 1

Worried that Don’s 6 transcripts, from two high schools and four junior colleges, with several D’s, arriving cold, could ruin his chances, I convinced him to write a cover letter, even though none of the colleges he was applying to required a personal statement.

He explained that after working part time jobs and taking occasional courses, he had in the past year focused more seriously on his studies and attended community college full time. Both his life and his school experiences now led him to choose a program in international relations. He had lived and traveled in the Middle East, and was comfortable with and knowledgeable about foreign cultures. While his academic performance was uneven, his grades in courses related to his intended major were excellent, with A’s in government, history and anthropology.

Don’s well crafted note drew attention to what he wanted to emphasize in his record and communicated that he had become mature, focused, and ready to succeed.

Let College Admissions Know

It is not enough to be a strong candidate, you must show that you are one.

The college admissions officer only knows what you and the application tell him.

The application is your tool...
• Establish a strategy for your application.
• Know your strengths.
• Know what you want to tell about yourself.
• Know why you picked each school you apply to.
• Convey your message.

Stay tuned for some real life stories about the application...

Junior Year is Important

Junior year is a time of blossoming. In your first two years of high school you learn the lay of the land, make new friends, try out new activities, hit your stride academically. By third year you have mastered the environment and are ready to participate more fully. Choose and concentrate on what you like and what is important to you - in school and out, in music or sports, intellectual pursuits or employment, in service activities or solo hobbies. As you develop who you are, you naturally develop as a college candidate.
Admissions officers pay a lot of attention to junior year.

Here are some key words to help spark some of your own ideas for this year
• Explore. Try something new. Take risks. Be adventuresome.
• Lead. Help shape, run, organize something you enjoy.
• Build. Develop depth. Demonstrate discipline and continuity over time.
• Achieve. If you can – excel. Win a prize, gain recognition.
• Initiate. Start a club or small business. Develop a computer program to solve a problem. Write and publish an article. Teach yourself a language.
• Create. Develop your originality and uniqueness.
• Contribute. Follow through. Participate. Help out. Not only leaders are valued.
• Read.
• Think. How you learn from and reflect on your experience, not only what you do, makes you who you are.

Apply these action verbs to any activity – martial arts or arts, academics, carpentry, scuba diving, church altar service, playing flute or baseball, writing, scouting, fixing cars.



Let me help you during junior year to:
• Recognize your strengths
o Learn simple ways to add to your resume while doing what you enjoy
o Apply the key words to yourself
• Start learning about college choices
o Perhaps widen the options you consider
o Know how to do research on your own
• Understand Standardized Testing and Design your Schedule
o SAT, ACT, SAT II, IB, AP
• Plan which campuses and when to visit
• Gain confidence

Picking Colleges

Colleges and universities in the US do not follow a single pattern. You have real choices when picking a college. When you take the time to explore alternatives, you
• Discover exciting options that you never dreamed exist
• Understand better what suits you
• Apply only to schools you know you like
• Become a stronger candidate

Many students and parents are unaware of the richness and range of possibilities. You may think the only major differences among colleges are size, location and how hard they are to get into. Your assumptions can needlessly limit which schools you consider.

For example, do you believe
• Curriculums are basically similar. The first two years you fulfill requirements in subjects such as science, humanities, social science, and then you pick a major.
• It will cost more to go to a private school than a state school.
• State schools are very large.
• With SAT scores below 1500 there is no point applying to an Ivy League school?

Consider this!

• Many colleges have absolutely no required courses or subjects other than your major. You choose whatever you wish from the catalog, as much or as little math or history as you like, or none at all. (Check out Amherst, Vassar, Brown.)
o Some schools go even further to allow each student to design his own education. Students “contract” individual programs of study with faculty mentors. Rather than emphasize preset courses and content, you focus on independent reading, research projects, tutorials, internships or field work. (Check out Hampshire College, New College of South Florida.)

• Many private universities generously assist students from families of low and moderate income. Some provide merit scholarships regardless of financial need. Your tab could be lower than at a public institution.
o A notable example: parents with incomes below $40,000 are no longer expected to contribute to the cost of their child’s education at Harvard.

• Some state schools have fewer than 5,000 undergraduates. Among them are Fort Lewis in Colorado, University of North Carolina, Asheville, Purchase College, State University of New York, Evergreen College in Washington State.

• Admissions officers at selective, private institutions often have more discretion than their state counterparts. Rather than fill entering classes with valedictorians and students with 1600 SAT scores, they look for applicants who distinguish themselves with their accomplishments, commitments and interests, and personal characteristics.
o Your essay, resume, and interview, and recommendations can be decisive.
o Do not necessarily write off a school because 95% of students have SAT scores higher than yours!

Interview: High School “To Do” lists

More from student interviews on High School "To Do" Lists:

Sam:

In high school I wish I had known how to set a schedule for myself. In high school it was you got up in the morning, I got up 5 minutes before I had to leave for school, went to school, every single class was run on a bell schedule, and then I came home, did my homework, hang out with my friends, and that was my day. In college it is … I drive to school so I commute in, so it was the having to learn how much time to schedule for myself to get to school so I don’t show up late at school. It’s the freedom of saying well, yes my schedule today is I must be at class at 11 o’clock, however I’m really, really tired so I think I’m gonna sleep in. It’s the homework is no longer scheduled in after school because your classes can run back to back all day, or you can have 3 hours here, 3 hours there. So it’s the making a time for yourself to sit down and get what you need to get done, done.

James:

You definitely want to be able to take notes while a professor is talking, your teacher is talking, so you need to practice taking notes in class and finding out the best way that you learn before going to college because once you get into that environment, you can be put in a lecture room and you have to … it’s better to figure out the best way for you to get information before going to college instead of getting there and having to learn from there.

Maria:

I wish my disability support service worker - love her to death, she was a great woman - would have told me more about how to speak to professors or teachers or maybe taking me along when she went to tell my teachers what I had, just so I would have felt more comfortable explaining what my disability was and how it’s supposed to be dealt with because I really only had the explanation from my mom and then reading the wording in the disability support services letter that I got to help me to formulate how I was gonna tell a professor, well these are my accommodations and this is what I need. So I would have liked in high school for someone, I guess who is in that area at the high school, to have explained to me well, this is how you can go up to your teacher or professor in the future.

Jenna:

Once I hit my junior year, I wanted to become a more well rounded student so I started participating in a lot of different organizations, I started volunteering because a lot of colleges love seeing someone who is out there volunteering, someone who’s out there in an organization or working. It’s not always all about having the highest grades, but more colleges focus on a well rounded student, someone who takes charge in life, participates, and can improve their school by participating in a lot of activities; and at the end of my junior year once I started getting the applications together, I started focusing more on my school work. I knew that college was gonna be a little bit more intense, especially in the classes so I asked teachers for help, asked them what could I do to improve in this area before I get to college.

Amy:

By taking classes in high school that challenged me, I was able to deal a lot easier with the workload; just because I knew what I was getting myself into and I already knew what I needed to do in order to succeed. One of the other things I did was start learning how to get a rapport with your teachers in high school, because high school teachers tend to be a lot more approachable than college professors do, and if you’re already in the habit of talking to your teacher, of asking them questions, going in after class, going in before class, it’s a lot easier to pick those habits up when you’re in college.

High School "To Do" List - Senior

Senior-year tasks

* Meet with your school guidance counselor early in the year to discuss your plans.
* Continue to develop your advocacy skills and to polish study skills.
* Learn about what faculty members in college will expect from you.
* Continue exploring possible college majors that are consistent with your career goal and your strengths and interests.
* Figure out how you learn best and how this will help you in college.
* Find out how to get accommodations in college. It’s a very different process from high school!
* Role-play talking with professors about your accommodations.
* Explore assistive technology that you may need in college.
* Research the resources in your state to find a college preview event for students with disabilities. If your community has this type of event, plan on attending.
* Role-play college interviews with counselors, family members and teachers.
* Finalize your “Going To College” portfolio so that it contains at least the following:
o Copies of your psychological and educational evaluations
o Transcripts
o ACT or SAT scores
o Your medical records (if appropriate)
o A writing sample or other work samples related to your choice of a major
o Your letters of recommendation from teachers and employers
o The current list of academic accommodations and auxiliary aids and services you may need in college (be sure to include assistive technologies)
* Visit colleges (start early in the year):
o Visit the college Web site and look at the admissions office to see when college tours are offered.
o Be prepared when you visit colleges to write or talk about your experiences.
o Admissions officers will provide information about admissions procedures and financial aid opportunities.
o Take your “Going To College” portfolio with you to share with disability service providers, if appropriate.
o Evaluate the disability services, service provider and staff.
o Talk with college students receiving disability support services about their experiences.
* Compare the various colleges and think about living in the campus community (e.g., housing, social activities, classrooms, leisure activities, services for students with disabilities and athletic activities).
* Apply to two or more of your preferred colleges — choose one that is a “reach” or your “dream” school, one where you expect to be accepted and one where you KNOW you can be accepted.
* Prepare your applications carefully, paying close attention to the instructions and deadlines. Be neat. Be accurate.
* When accepted, consider attending the pre-admission summer program (if available). It will be worth your time and ease the process when classes start in the fall.
* Take the SAT again, if appropriate.
* Send a thank you note to the individuals who wrote you recommendation letters.
* If not done in your junior year, contact the vocational rehabilitation counselor to determine your eligibility for DRS services while in college.