Tag Archives: college prep

Strategies for Academic Success

academic success

While there are no single shortcuts to academic success, there are fortunately a number of beneficial ways for students to actively increase the chances of it. Here are the best techniques to encourage your college-bound student to stay motivated and achieve.

Start Preparing Early

It’s widely known that successful students are often those who are forward thinkers. Before leaving for college and starting the first semester, encourage your student to research the syllabus of the course and learn what it entails, such as the deadlines and dates of any essays or exams they will have, as well as any academic books that they may require. Building forward thinking structures such as this can prepare them for the organisational skills that they will need at college.

Learn Effective Note-taking

Note taking is a valuable skill for college life and can make the difference between passing and failing an exam. Numerous studies surrounding students and note taking have proven that those who effectively take notes remember the material better than those who don’t. Students that write down everything that their professors say can prove to be inefficient. It’s best to encourage them to take time to actively listen and jot down the most significant points that can aid their study, and to review and organize their notes to ensure that they are coherent for when they need to refer back to them.

Don’t Be Afraid to Ask for Extra Help

Most colleges offer an array of support services to make the student experience as helpful as possible. While it can be rewarding to feel academically challenged, it can sometimes cause unnecessary stress which can affect student’s overall work quality and performance. If applicable, encourage your college-bound student to attend workshops, one-to-one meetings with their professors, academic writing classes, or even online course training and exam preparation websites such as https://www.athomeprep.com.

Embrace New Opportunities

Keeping an eye out for academic opportunities such as societies and work experience through flyers or social media can greatly impact your student’s academic success. Getting involved can enable students to be recognized, network with others, and learn new invaluable skills that can be instrumental to their desired future careers. It can also be a great way to meet like-minded people and quickly make new friends!

Learn the Art of Balance

While putting effort in at college equates to success, it’s important to remind your college-bound student that their well being should remain a priority above all. Students who spend all their time studying may begin to neglect their sleep, nutritional habits, physical and mental health, as well as their social lives. This can result in the feeling of “burn-out” and can even induce feelings of anxiety. College life can easily be balanced through allowing well-deserved breaks from studying, and smart time management. For example, it can be useful to create daily reminders in digital calendars on their phones and laptops to outline their schedule and set goals, as well as know when to organize study days and rest days. 

8 Facebook Pages and Groups to Help With College Prep

facebook

Have you ever had a question about college prep and there was no one to ask? Do you wonder what other parents have done in your situation? Is there a question about paying for college that you simply can’t find the answer to?

Odds are, you can find most answers to your unanswered questions on Facebook (or at least a suggestion on who to ask). From parenting a teen through the college process, paying for college, financial aid, scholarships and connecting with college parents, you can find groups or pages to help.

Here’s a list of my favorite Facebook groups and pages:

Grown and Flown

This is a widely popular group for parents of both college-bound and college students. You can connect with experts in college prep here or get advice from other parents who have been through the process and/or have current college students. It’s a friendly, conversational group and if you have a question, it’s easy to post it and usually get an instant response from another parent or expert in the group.

Paying for College 101

If you have a question about paying for college, this group is available to help. Helpful articles are posted daily and questions are answered quickly by experts and mentors on the page. They cover topics related to college prep and often offer training sessions and webinars to help you with the college admissions process.

College Talk

Financial aid can certainly be confusing for parents and students. College talk provides parents with tips and strategies related to college financial aid.

How to Find Merit Scholarships

Looking for merit scholarships? This group is devoted to sharing merit scholarship opportunities and discussing ways to find schools generous with financial aid and merit scholarships.

How to Win College Scholarships

Need help searching for scholarships? Need help with scholarship applications? Have a question about the scholarship process? You capayn find the answer on this page, along with endless lists of scholarships available. Check this page daily for the best in scholarship information.

Parenting for College

This is my page and you can find the answer to any college-related question here. I post informative articles daily and am happy to answer any question you might have about college prep. I also frequently post scholarship opportunities and free training opportunities as well. Check back often to see new news about college admissions.

Parents of High School Students

This is the portal for you to ask any question, raise out any concern or get feedback from the group. This type of forum rarely exists in the college admissions space, but it’s space for parents to expand their network, build connections, establish relationships and form a support system in this competitive field. This is also the place for parents and students to grow and even enjoy their college admissions journey.

College Essay Guy

Everything you need to know about the college essay, personal statements and supplemental essays can be found on this page. From podcast episodes to essay samples to expert advice, the College Essay Guy is available to help. Your student can also join his private group page for personalized essay help: College Admission and Application Forum.

…and one more

College Connections Educational Consulting Services

A page with over 14,000 members offering great college advice, current articles in the news, and a forum for students and parents to comment on them and ask questions. College Connections’ main objective is to have our students gain admission to the college which is their best match, and where they find happiness, success and a solid academic program.

Is College the Right Path?

college

Life can throw us curve balls when we least expect it, don’t you think? It doesn’t matter how old we are, what we are doing at that precise moment, rich, poor, in love, on our own. Life can be full of champagne but easily be filled with bitter lemons at a moments notice. Often we don’t really know what path we should be taking, we just go with what feels right, what we think we should be doing, or just basically making the best out of the deck of cards we have been dealt. So what is next when life can be ever-changing? If you find yourself at crossroads don’t despair especially about education. Here are some of the things that you could consider to help you make the right decision on what might be next for you. 

Learn something new and go back to school

Maybe learning is going to be the right thing for you, and perhaps you want to study to work towards gaining qualifications and degrees in specific areas or industry. This can be a great way to understand what career you want to take. Whether you decide to study from home or attend a university, the experience not just studying can really help you decide on what you want from life moving forward. 

Taking a job that’s linked to your degree 

Once you have gained your qualifications and degrees you may be wondering what is next and there are a number of things you can do with it. You could continue your educational journey, be more specific in the areas you work in and learn on the job. You could use your degree to gain a graduate job where you can be given an underlying overview of a company and a different role to play, there is more information here about how this could be a good option for you. Or you may have done all you can with the educational side of things and secure yourself a job that is specific to your degree and qualifications. 

Travel

Traveling is often the most popular way to spend a GAP year, and many students backpack across different countries, exploring their hidden gems and enjoying experiences like no other. However, you can also incorporate travel into your studies, and take advantage of trips for University students. They can work well alongside your courses as well as giving you amazing experiences. Traveling to remote parts of the world can also give you a new perspective on life and how you see things. Which can often change you as a person and help you later on in life. 

Volunteer and gain work experience

Maybe you want to use the time out for something good, and volunteering can be a great way to do it. Not only sure you doing good for someone or something, but you are also gaining valuable work experience in a different environment, which could help you seek out employment in the future. Volunteering can be something you do sporadically, or you could choose to focus on it full time. 

Let’s hope these suggestions help your consider your options regarding further education. 

5 Ways Your High School Counselor Can Help With College Prep

You would be surprised at the amount of material that comes across your high school counselor’s desk: from scholarship opportunities, to college admissions counselor recommendation requests, to leadership positions, to volunteer opportunities. Making friends with your counselor may well be the most important and valuable relationship your teen cultivates during high school.

It’s no surprise to parents that high school counselors are busy. They juggle regular counseling duties, paperwork and college prep. Most have too many students to advise and most are required to spend so much time on paperwork that it’s impossible to speak with every student. Research shows that the average counselor to student ratio is 470-1. All the more reason to cultivate that counselor relationship and ask for help.

High school counselors are eager to help when asked and recognize their value and part in the college prep process. Here are five ways high school counselors can help with college prep:

1. Help with planning high school courses

A school counselor can guide your teen in choosing courses that will challenge them academically and prepare them for college. There is no substitute for a solid academic, college focused education. Your teen’s transcript will be the cornerstone of their college application and college admissions counselors weigh the content of that transcript to determine your teen’s ability to handle a rigorous college course load. A college education builds on the knowledge and skills that your teen has acquired during junior high and high school. Most selective colleges with the highest admission requirements look for students who have taken challenging science and math courses beyond the basics.

If you high schools offers AP (Advanced Placement) courses and exams, the counselor can recommend the courses that colleges look for on a transcript. AP courses are college level courses in approximately 16 different subjects helping students to prepare for college level work while still in high school. After the course is completed, your teen can take an AP test in the subject and many times receive college course credit. There is a difference between Honors classes and AP classes. Honors classes are advanced classes. AP classes and AP Honors classes offer the opportunity for testing once the course is completed. Having these difficult courses on your teen’s transcript communicates that they are up for the challenge of college and they can successfully complete college-level courses.

Many schools also offer an opportunity to take Dual Credit courses. Counselors should be able to provide you with information if this program is available. A dual credit course is a college course taken by a high school student for which the student earns both college and high school credit at the same time. Some courses are taught at the high school campus during high school hours while others are taught at local colleges during the day, evenings, and weekends. By participating in the dual credit program, it enables your teen to make substantial progress toward their college degree before finishing high school. Students who begin taking courses in their junior year can earn thirty or more college credits by the time they graduate from high school if they also take summer classes at the college. It is possible to earn sophomore status even before they start college full time.

2. Recommend colleges

High school counselors stay in contact with colleges and their admissions representatives. They can recommend the colleges that best fit your student’s interests, academic profile and other criteria such as size and location. Helping a student understand his or her academic standing and how it can affect the chance for admission is a key part of the college prep process. Counselors have mounds of literature about colleges and universities that can help your student choose the right route while looking at their interests and career aspirations in the process.

Counselors have information related to college fairs and on-campus meetings with college admissions representatives. These opportunities help students gather the information they need to help make an informed college selection.

3. Put you in touch with volunteer opportunities

Counselors receive information about volunteer opportunities and community service projects. Once the counselor knows your student’s areas of interest, they can put them in touch with the activities that fit those interests. Some high schools even offer academic credit for volunteer work through service learning — a program that offers hands-on learning through service to the community. To find out if your school offers service learning, talk to your school counselor.

Your student’s volunteer work illustrates your interests and character. When you list your volunteer work on your college applications, you show admission officers the value you’ll bring to their campus community. Since volunteer and community service are important aspects of the college application, be informed about these opportunities when they become available by staying in contact with your high school counselor.

4. Provide you with scholarship applications

High school counselors receive scholarship information and applications each year from those companies, organizations, and colleges offering scholarships. They provide information about the PSAT and National Merit Finalist Scholarships as well.

Students should visit their counselor regularly to inquire about any new scholarship applications their counselor has received, especially during senior year. In many cases, the counselors also have information about local scholarships, which can be hard to find online. These scholarships offer the best odds of winning for your student since few apply and the competition for the scholarship is less than widely popular national scholarships.

5. Write recommendation letters

One of a counselor’s most important responsibilities when it comes to college prep is providing a recommendation letter to the colleges. It stands to reason that if your counselor knows your student and has assisted them in college prep, they will be more likely to write a much more knowledgeable and personal recommendation letter.

My daughter and son attended a rather large high school. At the time, being uninformed and unaware, we did not understand the value of this relationship. When senior year came along she missed several scholarship opportunities because the counselor did not even know she was applying to several of the colleges. When recommendation letter time came along the counselor refused to complete her recommendation stating that she did not know my daughter well enough to write a letter for her. My daughter had to explain to several admission committees why she was not able to obtain a counselor recommendation. Spare yourself this complication by cultivating the counselor relationship.

The high school counselor relationship is a key part of the college prep process. They exist to help parents and students work toward their goals after high school—college prep is a key part of the help they provide. Start each year off with a meeting with the school counselor, ask questions, and ask for help with college prep. Utilizing this resource can help parents and students stay informed and equipped throughout the college prep process.

What Factors Do Colleges Use When Filling their Freshman Class?

freshman class

What factors influence colleges when filling their freshman class?

College admissions is definitely a subjective process. Colleges must delicately balance a student’s application along with the goals and priorities set by each individual college. While much is written about admissions criteria for students, it’s normal to wonder how the colleges fill their freshman class.

In 2014, Rachel B. Rubin, a doctoral student in education at Harvard University, researched and authored a study on how and why colleges choose some students over others. In her study, she found that most colleges focus first on academic merit. They base the first cut on grades, rigor of high school courses, test scores and so on. Although each college has an individual formula differentiating the relative weight that is given to these various factors, the result is the same: students who do better than others in this area are more likely to be admitted.

Beyond the academic factors, colleges look to create a well-balanced freshman class. This means they look at demographics (where a student is from), minority factors, special talents such as sports or music and any other attributes that might set the student apart and be a welcome addition to the college student body.

Large public universities tend to follow this admissions pattern and a student with an excellent academic record is likely to be admitted. In Texas, all students in the top 10 percent of their class receive automatic admission to any state university.

How are elite colleges and large public universities different?

Elite institutions and small private colleges are a whole other ball game. Ms. Rubin’s findings revealed that these colleges group applicants into “pools” and applications are compared within these individual pools, but not overall. “Certain pools receive preference, largely as a result of the perceived benefits of a particular applicant’s background, academic characteristics, and exceptional talents, and their relationship with a university’s needs.”

For elite colleges, institutional fit is often more important than a student’s academic merit. These colleges do the initial cut based on other factors: student essays, recommendations, and specific questions related to whether a student will contribute to the college in various ways. Each college has their own unique set of qualifiers based on the type of freshman class they want to achieve.

Although academic merit is considered important, the vast majority of applicants to these elite colleges have the appropriate level of academic merit. This allows the colleges to weigh this later, and focus on other parts of creating a freshman class.

What are the most favored factors used to determine institutional fit?

For these elite colleges, the two most favored factors are underrepresented minority status and exceptional talent, which is, of course, any talent the college feels might add to their freshman class. For those colleges who responded to Ms. Rubin’s survey that started with “fit” as their focus, these four factors were the top contenders:

  • Underrepresented race/ethnicity–42%
  • Exceptional talent–42%
  • Recruited athlete status–7%
  • Likelihood of enrolling–7%
  • Fund-raising potential–2%

These practices may not be considered “fair” among parents and students. A student with a strong academic background that doesn’t fall into any of these categories might not be offered admission. But another student with a lesser academic resume who does fall into one of these categories and helps the college create a diverse freshman class might be.  However, each college is allowed the freedom to create their own ranking system for applicants.

What happens after the initial cut is determined?

After colleges have made the initial cut, whether by academics or institutional fit, most colleges have a more formal system. Two readers review the application and all its corresponding documents, with a third reader or entire team to help make the difficult calls. At this state, the colleges that made the first cut using academics, discuss “fit”, and colleges that made the first cut with “fit”, discuss academics.

How can this information help applicants?

While it’s impossible to “get into the heads” of admission officers, it’s important to take into account the college’s means of choosing applicants. If a student is applying to a public university, it’s important to have a strong academic record. If a student is applying to an elite college, it’s important to remember that most all applicants will have a strong academic record. The student will need more than exceptional grades to receive an offer of admission. He will need to fall into one the other categories these colleges use to determine admission.

As always, the key ingredient to applying to college is fit. If a student does his homework, researches the colleges, is at the top of the applicant pool, and fits well with the current body of students, his chances of being offered admission are extremely good. Without that fit, the chances of being offered admission are slim.

Surviving a Busy summer

summer

If you have a high school student, especially one who is focused on the goal of attending college, your summers aren’t just vacations. Gone are the days when you took the kids to the pool, the library and the park. Gone are the days when your time was consumed with planning the summer family vacation and creating a chore chart for the kids to complete chores before play time.

You (and your teen) have other goals in mind.  You’re thinking about using the summer to take care of some college prep tasks to get ahead of the game. Searching for scholarships, doing some test prep, visiting colleges, and having some serious talks about money will consume your summer days. How do you survive?

Share the tasks

It’s unthinkable in this competitive college market to expect a young teen to handle it on their own. Times have changed since we applied to college and there is much more to do than simply apply. You can help them make decisions, help with scheduling, even do some detective work searching for scholarships they are eligible for. This will ease the burden on them and alleviate the overwhelming stress that most teens feel about college.

Schedule and plan

We all know that we don’t ever have the time for a task if we don’t make the time and schedule it. Use any planning tool that works best for your family: an online calendar, an app for your smartphones, a huge wall calendar or a Google doc. Everyone knows—without a plan, you plan to fail!

Stay organized

I’m a huge fan of a college landing zone—everything in one place. Colleges still send information through the mail, registration forms and receipts need to be printed and saved, and flyers about scholarships need to be catalogued and filed. With everything in one place, it’s easy to find anything related to your student’s college preparation.

Make time to talk…and listen

Conversations are crucial to staying on the same page with your teenager. Make the time to talk, even if it’s driving to sports practice or shopping together at the mall. These small conversations are key moments for you to gauge their temperature and share some encouragement. If stress is present, you can help relieve it. If they feel overwhelmed and need help, you’re there for them. Talking about their future and truly listening prepares you both for senior year when things will proceed at the speed of light.

Of course, you want to have fun this summer; but a little work and some focused preparation will make the next school year seem doable. Use the summer time wisely.

Attending a Suburban College

suburban college
Bentley University in Waltham, Massachusetts

When my daughter applied to college, she knew she wanted to make the move from Texas to an eastern college. She wanted to live in or near a large city and she applied and was accepted to colleges in New York City and Boston. Coming from a small city, I feared New York might be overwhelming since she was traveling thousands of miles from home and was barely 18. But Boston offered the next best things—a suburban college near an urban environment.

Bentley College (now Bentley University) was the perfect option. It was nestled in a small community, Waltham, Massachusetts; but it was close enough to Boston to make it feel like she was attending an urban college. The mass transportation available made it easy for her to take advantage of all the culture and entertainment available without feeling swallowed up by the big city.

Suburban colleges offer some qualities of both urban and rural schools, and might be the best choice for your student.

What is a suburban college environment?

Suburban colleges give students more options for activities off campus in the surrounding rural and urban areas. They often give students the freedom to choose between outdoor activities similar to those at rural colleges and urban offerings such as museums, concerts, plays and other cultural events.

Colleges often provide local transportation to and from the local community and the urban areas surrounding the college. Local venues surrounding the college often offer student discounts for access to eating, shopping and entertainment in the area.

What are the benefits of attending a suburban college?

If your student is looking, as mine was, for the benefits of an urban college in a suburban environment, this would be an excellent choice. In a suburban college you can enjoy the benefits of an urban college experience but escape to the comfort of a college that feels more like home, usually surrounded by nature and part of a local community. Essentially, you get the best of both experiences.

For my daughter, her small college in a suburban area was the perfect fit. Coming from a small high school in a midsize city, the large population in New York City and the overwhelming size of the colleges she applied to would have swallowed her up. When homesickness set in, as it always does, her tight knit community rallied around her and helped her through.

If your student needs more support or feels a smaller, suburban environment would suit them better, this type of college might be the perfect fit.

Busting 5 college myths

college myths

Have you ever heard someone say, “College is a waste of time and money”? Or, “There’s no way I could afford to go to college”? These are some common college myths that many people believe to be true. But the reality is that neither of these statements is true.

Following are some common myths about college, examining the reality of each of them:

Myth #1: College is a waste of time and money.

College is only a waste of time and money if you waste your time and your money. Choose the right college at the right price and you will recoup your investment ten-fold. Choose the wrong college and incur a tremendous amount of debt and the myth could become a reality. Waste your time drinking and partying without devoting time to academics and that tuition money could fly out the window.

Myth #2: There’s no way I could afford to go to college.

Many students and parents believe that financial aid is only for the extremely poor or highly gifted students. That’s simply not true. Everyone qualifies for some form of financial aid and there is an affordable college solution for everyone. Community college is an affordable option. Winning scholarships can decrease your college costs as well. Working during college can also help defer some of the costs. If college is your dream, there is a way to finance it.

Myth #3: The college with the lowest price is the most affordable.

This is not necessarily true. Colleges with high sticker prices often give the most financial aid based on alumni contributions and generous donors. After taking financial aid into consideration, a seemingly more expensive college may be more affordable than one with a lower sticker price.

Myth #4: The only good degree comes from a 4-year college.

Nothing could be further from the truth. There are many satisfying and good paying jobs that require 2-year or technical degrees. If those type of careers interest you, then you should not discount that type of education. Getting the degree you need for the career you want is more important than graduating from a 4-year college.

Myth #5: Small colleges offer limited opportunities.

The size of a college isn’t enough to make a complete judgment. Small colleges and large universities all offer unique opportunities for the students who are looking for that perfect fit. The philosophy and vision of the college and its leadership is much more important that the size of the student body or campus.

Don’t believe everything people say about college. Do your own research and evaluate using the information you gather. Separate the myths from the realities.

Should Your Student Delay or Skip College?

skip college

The increase in college costs and fears about the inability to secure employment after graduation causes many students to consider delaying college or even skipping college altogether.

While college costs can be high, consider that the majority who delay college regret not going and a high percentage continue within the workforce without a college degree. In this competitive job market, a college degree is necessary to compete with other degreed applicants and increase your lifetime earning potential.

Instead of choosing to delay or skip college, consider these options:

Take AP or dual-credit courses during high school

If you take AP classes during high school, you can take AP tests and many colleges will give you college credit based on your test score. Dual credit classes allow you to attend college while attending high school, giving you college credit when you graduate. Securing credit before starting to college can reduce your costs dramatically and many times allow you to complete your degree in three years.

Begin your college career at a community college

According to the study, 41 percent of adults and 35 percent of teens said schools like Harvard or Princeton are important, but not necessary to get ahead. Only 17 percent of teens though going to a top tier school would give them a better chance of finding a job. Start your college career at the local community college and save some big bucks. Just make sure that those credits will transfer to a 4-year college after completion.

Pay as you go

The most effective way to offset high college costs is to adopt the “pay-as-you-go” method. Many colleges allow you to break the tuition payments up into affordable monthly installments. If you choose this method, you can work during college and pay the tuition while you attend. Of course, you will need to choose an affordable college option, such as a state university.

Live at home and work during college

While living at home and working might not be your optimum choice, it’s a viable option. It’s possible to arrange your classes around your work schedule. Your income from your job can offset tuition costs. Living at home will save you money on room and board, reducing your college costs significantly and allowing you to apply that money toward tuition.

Take some classes online

Taking classes online can be less expensive and also cost effective. But before you drop some of your hard earned money check with your college and verify that they will accept those courses as credit. Many students take some courses over the summer and/or winter breaks, saving higher credit costs for those classes that are only offered at their respective colleges.

Delaying college might seem like the best choice when faced with the high cost; but if you think creatively and work hard, you should be able to attend college and pursue the degree of your choice.

Can Homeschooling Prepare Your Student for College?

homeschooling

Before you head to the college fairs, and go through the emotional rigmarole of enrolling your children into college, you’ve got to prepare them for numerous changes in life. While homeschooling is becoming a more popular approach, there can be concerns that children aren’t prepared for college in this manner purely because they have been educated at home. Can a child get a better education at home to prepare them for college? Let’s answer the question.

Does Homeschooling Hinder Their Socializing?

From an outsider perspective, a child that is educated at home by themselves can seem ill-equipped to deal with what college throws at them. But in fact, while being homeschooled means they’re not engaging with people on a regular basis, it means that they can interact with other people with more vigor. In fact, many children are better socialized through homeschooling than those that go through the standard education system. It could also be because homeschooled children are less bound by time in class, so they have the opportunity to go out and engage with the world.

Are Homeschooled Children “Less Academic?”

There are two strands of thought to this. Because many homeschooled children choose their education they naturally have more of a passion for the subject, and when they apply to college, this authenticity shines through their application making them more of an asset to a specific college. But on the other hand, there are plenty of educational organizations, like cyber charter schools, that provide a structured education that children can follow. Because a child chooses their own education through homeschooling, or can follow a set routine provided by these cyber schools, it makes them more skilled regardless of the avenue they go down. It’s not a question of them being “less academic” but more about having the time out of school to add more strings to their bow, making them very attractive to college admission officers.

They Will Savor College

There are many kids that get into college and treat it like a vacation. But for those who have been educated at home, and have had to seek out their own passions in life, they will make more of college life. The opportunities that present themselves can be a logical extension of what they’ve already done. But in fact, as college provides more of an opportunity, from numerous extracurricular activities to social functions and more valued friendships, the child that’s been homeschooled won’t take this for granted in comparison to many others. It’s not just the fact that they will turn up for lectures and knuckle down, but they’ll find all aspects of college rewarding.

If anything, it would appear that home education is the way forward. There was a study that followed students between 2004 and 2009 at a doctoral university, and those that were homeschooled outperformed their peers and graduated at a higher grade. Even from an academic perspective, it appears that homeschooling isn’t the act of the parents wanting to bring their child out of formal education. In fact, it could give them a leg up in life!

If you’ve thought about homeschooling and wonder if it’s right for you, this infographic should help you weigh the pros and cons.

Homeschooling 101