College? But I’m Only a Freshman! - Part 2

by Mrs. Brown

Tip # 4:  Research.  Get to know “your” college now.  Even if you have only a broad idea of the kind of job or career field for which you’d like to prepare, start some searches and conversations about schools that are well respected in those programs. Get a solid idea of what those colleges expect of their students—average GPA and SAT scores of the admitted freshmen, for example.  Find out what tuition costs at the school. All of this is a few Google searches away!  Narrowing your search now will help you tailor your high school career to best meet the admissions requirements for your dream school.  I once had a young lady in my ninth grade homeroom who adored Duke University—she practically bled blue and always talked a mile a minute about all the Duke sports events and programs and how she’d be going to school there herself one day.   When I met up with her again as a junior, she was crushed.  She had just met with her guidance counselor and discovered that her C average was never going to get her past the first round of Duke applications. She asked me, “How come no one told me I’d have to do better in my ninth and tenth grade years? I didn’t think ninth grade mattered all that much!”

 Of course the answer is that there is no magical college advisor who will drop a perfect roadmap for life into your lap—you need to search out and learn some of the basic information about colleges, and then work--- and work NOW--- to meet those requirements.  There’s probably no need to start visiting universities in person, but spend some time online so you know the parameters of  the schools you are most interested in, or at least the type of school (state university, technical college, Ivy League, etc.) you think you will be most interested in.  Choices you make now--- the homework you do or don’t do, the tests you do or don’t study for—all will open or close doors and pathways to your future.  Know what kind of college you aspire to and then make choices starting today to make those dreams come true. 

One great resource you should sign up for NOW is The College Foundation of North Carolina, or cfnc.org.  This website is a total treasure chest of college tools for all steps in the search and application process.  It can help you match your interests to college programs, plan the right course of study, figure out how to pay for all that secondary education, and finally, prepare for the standardized tests most students will need for college.  Which leads to:

TIP # 5:  Prepare for Testing  College testing seems like a crazy alphabet soup:  SAT, AP, ACT, PSAT, PLAN, etc.  What are these tests and why are they so important?  First, look at it from a college’s point of view.  The college wants to recruit the best students possible, right?  But how do you know who’s the best? You’d look at the grades the students earned, right?  But not all grades and GPAs (grade point average) mean the same thing.  Some schools use letter grades.  Some use numerical averages.  Some use a 10 point scale and others a 7.  Some use pluses and minuses and others don’t.  Some schools offer a ton of Advanced Placement classes and others few or none.  So not all “As” are created equal.

This is where standardized tests come in. “Standardized” means they are the same for every student in every location, so colleges have a better chance of comparing "apples to apples" when it comes to student academic achievement rather than the mishmash of information that a simple GPA will give.  So you will want to do the best job you can on those tests.

• Which tests to take?  This is where your research pays off. Some colleges require one test, other ask for different ones, some will take any and all.  Find out what’s most common for your top schools and focus there.   The most common tests are the ACT and the SAT.  The ACT is an achievement test, measuring what a student has learned in school. The ACT has up to five parts: English, Mathematics, Reading, Science, and an optional Writing Test. The SAT is more of an aptitude test, testing reasoning and verbal abilities, and it has only three components: Critical Reasoning, Mathematics, and a required Writing Test.

• When should I take them?  Most students take a standardized test at least twice, with the most common pattern being once in junior year and once near the start of senior year.  But you may want to start sooner.  There’s no age limit on when you can test, and if you are a strong reader and are taking advanced math classes, then taking your first  SAT in your ninth or tenth grade year may be appropriate.  You will also have a chance in school in your sophomore year to take the PLAN (pre-test for the ACT) and often the PSAT (pretest for the SAT) in your junior year.  Whenever you decide you take the test, don’t dawdle in registering.  The tests are usually given a half dozen times or more each year, but you will need to be registered for them at least a few weeks ahead of the test date, and popular test sites often fill up, too. Local high schools usually act as hosts for the test sites, and different schools host on different dates, so signing up early means a better chance of getting a test site near your house. If there’s still space at a test site you may be able to get late or even same-day registration, but be ready to pay a (very expensive) fee. 

   

•  How many times should I take the tests?  Again, this is a very individualized decision.   The College Board will “bank” your scores, meaning if you take it the first time and score very high on math but not so high on language arts,  but the second time you take the test you reverse this, your prospective college will receive your highest scores no matter which test date they come from. Some colleges like to receive ALL your score reports and others will let you choose which ones to report. There’s no maximum number of times you can take the test, but there is a fee (about $45) each time. And I’ve never seen this confirmed, but rumor has it that colleges look down on kids trying to take the tests too many times, especially if there is little improvement in the scores. Most students find that their test scores increase, sometimes dramatically, the second or third time they take the test.  This is due in part to just having a better sense of the test itself and in part to having more advanced classes from school that prepare you better.  

• How do I study for the test?  The simple answer is, you don’t.  You focus really hard on your regular class work, you read everything you can get your hands on, and you will accumulate the broad core of knowledge the test is measuring.  BUT:  you can study HOW to take the test.   Each test has its own rules and strategies and you will absolutely improve your scores by getting familiar with the test format.  If you want to throw money and time at the problem, most test prep programs do a fine job, but you can also do it on your own.  Try picking up one of the test prep books at any bookstore or for a free solution,  go to collegeboard.org and sign up for the free daily practice question.  A different test question will arrive in your e-mail every day, with the answers and reasons behind the answers.  Start now and work through these faithfully and you can save a lot of time and money on test prep courses and tutors.

College? But I’m Only a Freshman! - Part 1

By Mrs. Brown

Even though the day you will wear a funny hat and walk across a stage to receive a piece of paper may seem far away, what you are doing right now in your first year of high school is laying the groundwork for what kinds of opportunities you will have on that day you graduate. For those of you who are interested in college, military academies, or other forms of higher education, there are some things you can be doing right now to strengthen your portfolio for when you begin the admissions process.

Since I’ve spent the majority of my teaching years working with juniors and seniors, and since I have now shepherded two of my own kids through the college application process, I’m pretty familiar with what the average admissions officer is looking for. The following is the first part of this ongoing series of hints and tips I’ve learned from guidance counselors, college admissions officers, and experience.

Tip #1 Strength of Schedule. A college is mostly interested in two things—what you can add to their university and whether you will stick around for the full four years, or even longer for graduate work. I’ll discuss what you can add to their campus later on, but first let’s look at the academics. The last thing a college wants to see is for you to be unable to handle college level classes and college life in general, and drop out. Dropouts equal a huge loss of money and time investment for universities, and much of the application process is geared to making sure your high school achievements have prepared you for the same level of work you will face in their classrooms.

So when planning your high school career, you want to take the most difficult courses at the highest level where you can be successful. The old saying that a college would rather see a B in an AP class than an A in a standard level class is very true. Of course they’d like to see As everywhere, but the more you can show that you have been successful in higher-level academic classes, the more confident an admissions officer will be that you will also be prepared to handle the rigors of that particular college.

Tip # 2 What do you bring to the table? As mentioned above, colleges want to cultivate a climate of achievement and distinction, so they want students who have been successful in something, so you can bring that success to their campus and translate it into more glory for that university. So what would a college be looking for?

      Extracurriculars: These include clubs, sports, jobs, volunteer work, music—anything that shows you have a passion and an interest in contributing to something beyond the classroom. Don’t make the mistake a lot of kids do and try to “pad” your resume by joining every club in the book—most schools would rather see dedication and excellence cultivated over time rather than a laundry list of every possible club. In other words, it’s better to have played the same sport or played with the school orchestra or stayed on the debate team for all four years than to have tried to do all of the above for one year each. Don’t fret if it takes time to find your passion—just find one, stick with it, and show dedication and progress towards excellence. And remember things like holding down a steady part- time job, volunteering on a regular basis in your community or your place of worship. All of these accomplish the same goal: They show a college that you can persevere, learn, and grow. And remember, not all extracurriculars are created equal. Certain activities will be more impressive to college admissions officers because they either show academic connections, significant leadership opportunities, or community service/impact. NEVER join a club or a group just because you think it will look good on your college application, but do keep in mind that a college would rather see that you spent you time, say, researching for debates, being president of a recycling group, or engineering bridge structures for competitions than playing Frisbee, even if it is Ultimate Frisbee : ) This doesn’t mean you shouldn’t follow your passions, but again, college want to see dedication and excellence over time, so choose activities that will help you grow as a student, person, and citizen.
     Projects: Colleges have a name for students who come in with pretty good grades, pretty good test scores, and pretty good extracurriculars, but have no special achievement that separates them from the pack. They call those applicants “unhooked.” So how do you get a hook? Start (and finish, if possible!) a project that shows creativity, leadership, or involvement. Charter a new club. Write a novel. Design and manage a web page. Job shadow or intern with a professional. Do mission work for your place of worship. Raise money for a charity. Work on an election campaign. Do something, ANYTHING, that shows who you are and how you stand out from the rest.


 Tip # 3: Relationships: At some point around your junior year, you are going to have to ask two or three people to write your letters of recommendation. Depending on the school you apply to, these letters can make or break your application. A strong rec letter can push a mediocre application over to the “admitted” pile, while a lukewarm letter can sink even a strong academic record. Colleges want to hear from people who know you as a person and as a student, and who can attest to your ability to handle the academic and social pressures of college life. Mainly, they will want to hear from your teacher, but coaches, club advisors, youth leaders--- anyone who is NOT family---can also fill this role. So start now to build the kinds of positive relationships with these people so that when the time comes, they know you well enough to be able to write about you so that you shine for the admissions officers. Some of the worst moments of my teaching career have come when a student I really don’t know—one who maybe was in my English class at some point but who never really worked with me in class or out—comes and asks me to write him or her a rec letter. I always agree, but have to warn the student that I may not know him or her well enough to write the best possible letter, and I always stop and ask if there isn’t another adult who might know that student better. Sadly, there often is not. Don’t be that person! Cultivate your relationships now by being a student who is engaged, curious, tenacious, and positive. Your teachers will know you better—and remember you—when it comes to recommendation time.

This Imperial Life

In World History, students completed a project where they were asked to make a podcast about Imperialism called This Imperial Life (after NPR's award-winning radio show and podcast This American Life).  We had some wonderful submissions!

Below is the video students watched to get them excited about the project.


Myles and Ethan's project on Imperialism in China: