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The College Essay – Baring Your Soul In 500 Words Or Less

Even students who fancy themselves as budding authors can be pretty intimidated by the blank page of a college essay and what it means: show me your soul in 500 words or less.  For the student who doesn’t like writing in any form, the college essay can bring about legitimate attacks of anxiety.  But like most angst-inducing obstacles, breaking the assignment into smaller pieces can make it manageable.

Before your student sets fingers to keyboard, he should think about just what he wants to say to the person on the other end of that send button.  Even when using the Common Application, he should consider what his first-choice college would be expecting of him.   The college essay is an important way that schools gauge a student’s interests, strengths and values, and how well they align with those of the institution. 

One option might be an essay that highlights a student’s traits and characteristics that fit well with the school she hopes to attend.  Not a bad idea.  Coupled with strong grades, GPA, class standing and a solid high school resume, a simple summary may be all that is needed.  However, for the student who wants to stand out, who is pursuing a “reach” school, or who hopes to fill in some resume gaps, the college essay is the one area where risk-taking can be a good strategy.  In fact that college essay may very well be what gets her in the door.

Talk about upping the ante!

So with the pressure on, what’s the magic formula to help your student wow the college of his or her choice?

The bad news is that there really aren’t any set-in-stone methods to guarantee that what your daughter writes will tip the balance in her favor.  The good news is that there are enough do’s and don’ts that she won’t be left floundering alone on that blank page. 

For starters, if your son’s a creative writer, let him create.  Some of the best essays, at first glance, don’t appear to be about the student at all.  What he chooses to write about and how he writes can say quite a lot about your son even if he doesn’t once use the “I” pronoun.  However, if your daughter doesn’t have much in her writing craft cupboard, have her start with a bit of brainstorming and an outline.  What’s important to her? Where do her passions lie? An essay that demonstrates qualities like enthusiasm, perseverance, determination, growth and maturity is a likely winner.  Focusing on significant successes is a good idea; writing about the positive ways in which your student dealt with personal setbacks is even better.  Writing about a great soccer season is one option; a better one is to talk about a single game and why it defined her entire soccer career.

Just as important as what to do in that essay is what not to do.  The essay shouldn’t tell what’s already available in the bulk of the application.  In fact, don’t tell the reader anything – show him.  Don’t boast or use vocabulary that sounds forced and phony.  Humor might be appropriate, but ONLY if it’s a natural fit.   

The best tip might be the most obvious – your student should be herself. 

Finally, make sure that what’s handed in is in its final form.  That means edit, edit, edit.  Your son should write and rewrite, but then have others look at his finished product.  Before he hits that send button, he needs to be confident that his essay is a polished representation of who he is and where he wants to go in life.

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By rfeil – November 4, 2010

A Single Person Can Make All The Difference

A single person can make all the difference. 

That isn’t just bumper sticker wisdom – it truly can be what sparks your child onto his own personal greatness.

As parents raising teenagers and trying to guide them out the doors of high school, we would all like to believe that we are the number-one influence in our children’s lives.  We probably are.  However, we do our kids a real disservice if we hoard them and all their talents to ourselves.  Just as you probably had some pretty influential adults in your own life when you were a child – family members, teachers, coaches, bosses – your child also deserves interactions and relationships with adults totally separate from you.

Mentors are men and women who offer support, guidance and their own personal wisdom to their young charges.  They serve as sounding boards and cheerleaders; counselors and coaches.  They can be experts in the field your child hopes to pursue, or a taste of diversity among the mundane.  And from a parental point-of-view, they can, without any prodding from you, reiterate what you’ve been telling your child for years: that what she does now really can matter in the long-term later.

Finding that perfect match, however, can seem like a pretty tall order.  And it is.  So step away from that notion of perfect.  Throw away your expectations and let your student determine a few of his own.  A good first place to look for someone willing to don the mentor badge is within your student’s school.  Coaches and teachers sometimes see students on a one-to-one basis.  But many high schools also have programs where they bring professionals from the community into the classroom.  Not only does this assure a selection of able and willing adults, but your student’s school will adhere to its state guidelines which require background checks on anyone working with children.

True mentors are the ones who connect and care.  Even without the school board’s stamp of approval, you can and should encourage your child to embrace relationships with safe people who understand where she wants to go and who may be able to show her the way.

If you are confident with the basics of the relationship – that it is trustworthy, safe, beneficial – accept the fact that not every word uttered from the mentor’s mouth will be perfectly in sync with the way you think.  Don’t look for your child’s mentor to duplicate your advice and guidance, but to complement it – to present it in a different light.  Trust your instincts and those of your child and let the relationship develop along its healthy course.  The person opting to guide your child will receive an immeasurable intrinsic benefit from his or her effort, and, to usurp the overused Mastercard slogan, the benefit to your child may indeed be – priceless.

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By rfeil – October 26, 2010

An Interests and Skills Assessment – The Right Way To Choose A College Major

Say your guidance counselor or college planner comes to you and asks that you take an “interests and skills assessment.”  Sounds totally boring, right?  Kind of like a test you might take in a forced “elective” class.  However, the reality is that not only are interests and skill assessments the opposite of boring, they can be extremely useful tools in your college search and planning process as well.

An interests and skills assessment tries to relate your unique qualities (like subjects you excel in, clubs you’ve joined, and hobbies you have) to college majors or to specific career paths. 

Many students find such assessments to be helpful in planning for college, because their interests are so diverse, they can’t imagine how to begin finding what direction to pursue in college.  The assessments can also teach you things about yourself, highlighting strengths that might just seem like average abilities, and weaknesses that you didn’t realize you needed to work on.  Other students have said that they enjoyed the assessments because they either received suggestions that they would have otherwise never considered as options, or because they had their initial feelings validated by the results of the assessment.

When using assessment tools, there are several important things to consider. 

1.)  Be honest! There will be no valid responses from the tests if you aren’t honest when answering the questions.

2.)  The first test might not be your best one.  There are lots of assessment tools out there, for helping you pick your college major, choosing a career, and just to identify your scholastic strengths and weaknesses.  Just because you don’t feel like you received valid results from your first questionnaire doesn’t mean you should try a different version of the same type of assessment.

3.)  The results are meant to be a GUIDE, not a final decision.  If your assessment results say you should become a pre-med student, but you get sick at the sight of blood, there’s a good chance you should discard that suggestion.   Take the responses that you receive from your questionnaire and objectively evaluate them, just like the assessment was supposed to objectively look at you.  Do you agree with its findings?  Could you consider putting into action some of the suggestions that the assessment had to offer, or were they completely irrelevant to your life? 

Most importantly—have a little fun with the assessments and the suggestions that they give you.   After all, you only plan for college once!

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By rfeil – October 22, 2010

College Application Deadlines Are Right Around The Corner

The start of the school year has everyone back to their routines, and with the school year being so new, many seniors aren’t ready to think about anything but making sure their class schedules are correct and getting through each night’s homework. However, early admission and early decision application deadlines are just around the corner for many schools. What are students of the Class of 2011 doing to prepare?

According to Jen*, a senior in the Freehold Regional School District, many students aren’t doing much at all to prepare themselves for the college admissions process. “ A lot [of my peers] think that college will just ‘come to them,’ and that the process doesn’t take much work.”

Jen, who started looking at schools the summer after her sophomore year, expresses concern that her classmates are in for a rude awakening. “There are still seniors that haven’t even really started looking into schools yet. I don’t think they know just how much work goes into finding a perfect college.”

Given that some seniors haven’t even started looking at schools yet, there’s a good chance that they will have a harder time once application season rolls around, and many may miss key opportunities.  Applying to schools is both time-consuming and energy-intensive—so waiting to research or visit schools until application time, on top of keeping up with current schoolwork, may prove to be overwhelming for many who don’t the take time now to prepare.

There are some advantages to telling a school earlier rather than later that you intend to attend their institution. Many schools offer prime scholarships to candidates who commit to their school earlier, as a reward for competitive students who complete binding admissions agreements early on in the year.

Finally, don’t lose sight of the fact that there are lots of resources available to help make the college process a faster, easier, and more enjoyable one.  Of course, receiving a free consultation from us at Waterfront College Planning goes a long way toward clearing away the mystery of college planning.  But Jen also noted that the times she had been to see her guidance counselor this year, the office was “pretty empty of seniors—I don’t think people have been taking advantage of the tools and services that guidance has to offer.” 

And don’t forget, while they aren’t there to do it for you, parents, teachers, coaches, friends and mentors will most likely be more than willing to help with college visits, letters of recommendation, making tough college decisions or helping with confusing spots on those long, detailed college applications.

But who knows? With the right mindset and the help from your resources, the process could even turn out to be fun!

*not her real name

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By rfeil – September 27, 2010

Does Gender Matter in the Admissions Office?

Here’s an interesting Op-Ed piece that recently appeared in the Philadelphia Inquirer.

http://www.philly.com/inquirer/opinion/20100908_Gender_divisions_in_college.html

Whether or not you agree with the writer’s premise, I think it would be a good move for women applying to selective liberal-arts colleges to have an extra “safety school” in mind, just in case they encounter the dreaded “wait list”.

In the world of enrollment management, all is not as it readily appears.

Any comments?

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By rfeil – September 23, 2010

Really Being Ready For College

As we head into a new school year, here are some thoughts to ponder:

-  Many smart high-schoolers become “C” and “D” students in college.

-  According to the annual study Your First College Year, 40% of the college freshmen surveyed said they felt “overwhelmed by all they had to do”.

-  The average college student takes five to six years to graduate.

-  In the next two or three months, many college freshmen will be saying, “This isn’t what I signed up for!”

I didn’t write this to spoil your holiday weekend, but how do we change all this?

One good resource was just published late last year.  It’s a book called Are You Really Ready For College?, written by Dr. Robert Neuman, formerly an Associate Dean at Marquette University.  If you have students in high school, I think you should take a good look at it.

Dr. Neuman writes that the skills students use to get through high school are not what they need to know to succeed in college.  He teaches them different strategies that will not only help them in high school, but translate into doing well in college, too.

Techniques like: 

  • How to talk (really!)
  • The difference between studying and doing homework.
  • How to think about tests and get high scores.

 Not only is this book a good read, but it also involves students with activities about really preparing for college.  I highly recommend it.

For more information about what students and parents don’t know that may be holding them back, go to this link:

http://www.areyoureallyreadyforcollege.com/professionals/a_national_problem.html

or get a preview of the book itself at www.amazon.com.

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By rfeil – September 1, 2010

College Sports Programs — Not Exactly What We Thought

Here’s something from the “not quite what we expected” department –

The National Collegiate Athletic Association released its annual review of Division I athletics revenue and expenses.  A major conclusion of the report is that nearly every Division I athletics program spent more than it made last year.  Athletic programs are relying more than ever on subsidies from their colleges to balance their budgets, not the other way around.

Here are some other interesting stats:

  • For the schools that participate in football bowl games (also known as Division I-A), only 57% of the men’s football programs turned a profit.  Interesting for a category where the eligible participants are defined by their emphasis on football.
  • The only other sport in Division I-A for which there are profitable programs at all is men’s basketball.   
  • No women’s sports are funded to the level that they can adequately pay for their expenses. 
  • The largest category of expenses in athletics programs is for salaries and benefits (typically about 33%), followed by athletic scholarships and grants (about 15-25%). 
  • The number of programs turning a profit in 2009 was down considerably from 2008 (for Division I-A, as an example, about 14 out of 125, down from 25 the year before).

Based on the report’s data, it is clear that almost all college athletic programs, far from being the “cash cows” that some assume them to be, are financial losers for their institutions.  Reliance on institutional funds has increased as the growth revenue generated directly by the athletics programs— from sources such as ticket sales and media contracts — slowed.  

One thing this report did not measure is the effect that having athletic programs may have on the enrollment of non-athletes to these schools (the “name factor” – prospective students may be familiar with a school, not because they play basketball themselves, but because they saw the team play in the NCAA tournament).  It seems to me that popular college sports programs may, from a business standpoint, be “loss leaders” for the school – not profitable in themselves, but promoted anyway for the potential of other sales.  In that case, the challenge to each university will be to determine when each program is no longer a “loss leader”, but just a financial “loss”.

Any other thoughts?

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By rfeil – August 23, 2010

College Rankings from USNews — Proceed With Caution

Today the annual College Rankings from US News & World Report were released.  These scores purport to tell families which schools will provide their children with the best education (“Find the Best College for You.  Use our tools to search for your perfect fit”).

While the rankings may be of some assistance, by taking a look at what’s “under the hood”, we can see some pitfalls in trusting these scores too much.

For example, here are the criteria that the National University rankings are based on, and what weight each has on the final score:

15% University Peer Survey This is a survey given to college presidents, provosts and other top officials, asking them to rank every school on a scale from 1 to 5.  Supposedly, all of the presidents keep up with each other and know how their competitors are doing.  But can any college officer really know enough about thousands of schools to rank them properly?  And besides, only 48% of the college officers responded to this survey.
7.5% High School Guidance Counselor Survey This is the same survey, but for the first year, guidance counselors were also asked for their opinions.  Again, how much does a counselor from New Jersey know about Boise State?  Only 21% of the counselors responded to this portion.
16% 6-Year Graduation Rate Yes, that’s a six-year graduation rate, not four.
4% Freshman Retention Rate How many freshmen came back to the school for their sophomore year.
6% Class Size Under 20 Based on the proportion of classes with 20 students or less.  That’s a good thing.
2% Class Size Over 50 Based on the proportion of classes with more than 50 students.  Not so good.
7% Average Faculty Salary  
3% Highest Degree Achieved Based on how many professors have doctorates, etc.
1% Student-Faculty Ratio This should track with class size.
1% Proportion of Full-time Faculty Vs. Part-time
7.5% Freshman SAT/ACT Scores This part reflects the levels of standardized test scores for the recent freshman class.  Note that the SAT scores here use the old scale (1600 points possible), not the new tests with the Writing section.
6% Top 10% Of Class How many freshmen were in the top 10% of their high-school class?
1.5% Acceptance Rate How selective is the university?
10% Financial Resources How much does the college spend per student?
7.5% Graduation Rate Performance Recognizing that it’s important for students to actually graduate, this number compares a school’s recent six-year graduation rate with its graduation rate from 2003.  Was there an improvement?
5% Alumni Giving How supportive are the alumni of their Alma Mater?

Some quick points to observe from this table:

-          A full 22.5% of the score comes from subjective opinions of college officials.  This percentage actually came down from last year’s 25%, because of complaints that it gave too much weight to a survey, rather than published data.  Many college presidents and provosts admit that it’s hard to offer a qualified opinion about more than a handful of schools that they’re familiar with.  In fact, there have been published reports in the past that some schools gave themselves (and maybe a handful of others) top scores, while everyone else got average scores.  Is that really reliable?

-          Many of these categories overlap.  For example, class size with student-faculty ratio, or SAT scores with top 10% of the class.  So you have additional variables that don’t really give you any more information.

-          I think it’s sad that we have been conditioned over the past few years to use a benchmark graduation rate of six years, instead of four.  Is graduation in six years really a goal to settle for?

-          Some schools were not ranked at all.  Noteworthy mentions are those colleges that do not use the SAT or ACT test scores in their admissions decisions.  Since the number of SAT-optional schools is increasing, it will be interesting to see how the rankings change over the next few years.

The most important piece of information that you need in your college search isn’t even included in these rankings – how competently can each school provide a top-notch education in the particular field that your student chooses?  Of course, there is no way that any set of general rankings can give you such a customized answer.

And ultimately, that’s my point.  The bottom line for your family is to make sure that you pick schools that will be the best match for your children’s educational needs.  No set of “rankings” or scores will help you with that.  Sometimes they won’t even give you a head start.  They make for nice “water cooler” conversation, but beyond that, proceed with caution.

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By rfeil – August 17, 2010

Learn About America’s Rising Stars

From August 23-27, we’ll be sponsoring the America’s Rising Stars youth leadership program.  This program will help young people develop personal leadership and life experience skills.  The five-day workshop is open to high school students entering the 8th, 9th, and 10th grades.

Students enrolled in the Rising Stars program will discover their potential and learn how to identify productive leadership styles.  They will also learn how to set goals and discover how to make their goals happen.  Other topics will include time management, communication skills and problem-solving techniques.  

This course has been offered to teens in over 26 states.  We are delighted to be able to offer this opportunity to Monmouth County residents.  Reserve your spot today by giving us a call at (732) 643-1005 or by registering at www.waterfrontcollegeplanning.com.

P.S.  Get a sneak preview of America’s Rising Stars!  Click on this link to attend our free teleseminar  – “7 Steps to Unlocking Your Teen’s Potential”.   It’s coming Wednesday, August 18, from 8 to 9 PM.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CdZBWcQ7HZ0

We look forward to hearing from you!

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By rfeil – August 16, 2010

Studying Abroad — Is It Beneficial?

Does studying abroad during college sound like something that would appeal to you?  A ten-year study recently completed by GLOSSARI — the Georgia Learning Outcomes of Students Studying Abroad Research Initiative — confirms that studying abroad for a year may not only be a culturally expanding experience, but also have an overall positive effect on your academic career.  The study found that students who study abroad have improved academic performance upon returning to their home campus and higher graduation rates. They’ve also found that studying abroad helps, rather than hinders, the academic performance of at-risk students.

“The skeptics of study abroad have always made the argument that study abroad is a distraction from the business of getting educated, so you can enter the economy and become a contributing member of society,” said Don Rubin, professor emeritus of speech communication and language education at the University of Georgia and research director for GLOSSARI.  “I think if there’s one take-home message from this research as a whole it is that study abroad does not undermine educational outcomes, it doesn’t undermine graduation rate, it doesn’t undermine final semester GPA. It’s not a distraction.”

Colleges are increasingly emphasizing study abroad programs because of globalization and an obvious advantage in learning a new language.  The GLOSSARI study just confirms the possible rewards of stepping outside your comfort zone and taking a semester or so to study in another culture. 

What do you think?  What kind of students would do best with a trip abroad for a year?

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By rfeil – August 6, 2010