Time to make your summer plans….

Although it is still early spring, this is the time to make your summer plans. Here are a few ideas. Remember, you can’t go wrong with plans that make you feel happy and fulfilled. But, you can go wrong if you don’t do anything over the summer. Do something, for sure.

1. Job: Job rates for summer employment are down but that does not mean that it’s looked down upon to hold a job. In fact, your resume and college application will look great with some type of work experience, especially if you find the work fun and rewarding. Every type of job has a take away, in fact, working by waiting tables, serving food or helping others teaches many life long learning skills. (I worked for the US Post Office for two summers and I learned a lot about myself from that job experience! See picture below)

2. Volunteer: To me, this too is a job and can be more rewarding than a paid position if you find a volunteer opportunity that fits your interests. I worked with a student who was interested in nursing, so she volunteered at a local hospital. She delivered menus, newspapers and magazines to patients. This position exposed her to the operation and administration of how a hospital functions. And it also helped her decide whether she definitely wanted to pursue a nursing degree.

3. ‘Job Shadow’: This entails reaching out and asking a person who works in a professional field that may be of interest to you and ‘shadow’ her for a day. The summer is a great time to do so. A student I worked with last year, job shadowed a physical therapist so he could not only get invaluable hands-on exposure to the profession he wants to pursue but also determine if it was the right profession for him. He loved it!

4. Create something new and think outside the box!: Use your time over the summer to create a business, organize a camp or create a project. For example, a student I work with, who is an avid golfer, created a golf camp for kids. It is a three day camp, that he and his former high school teammate organize and they even have a tournament and trophy on the last day. He used creativity, leadership, and management skills to design the golf camp from scratch!

5. Rest: Yes, you read it, rest. Although I do not mean to say, rest all summer but make sure you travel, rest at home, take time off to re-charge between your school years. Summer is a time to enjoy yourself!

Ten Essential Tips for a College Visit!

10 Essential Tips: All you need to know when visiting college campuses.

There’s no substitute for visiting a college. Here are some tips on what to do before, during and after your visit. It’s up to you to make the most of a campus visit. You’ve got this!

1. Gather Information and plan out your visit.

a. Students should research the college’s website and register via the Admissions website page for a formal visit. The school wants to gain the student’s contact information, not the parents. Formal visits are necessary for a prospective student to gain ‘demonstrated interest’ which is what some schools factor into their admissions criteria.

b. You can email the admissions office to ask if you can arrange to sit in on a class, eat in one of their cafeterias and arrange to meet a coach if you are interested in pursuing a sport.

c. Arrive on campus early so you can make sure to find parking and have time to arrive at the admissions office without rushing.

2. Explore and visit the campus:

a. Typically, a visit includes a student-led tour, an admissions information session and/or a financial aid information session. Whatever they offer, attend! You are already on campus and the more you learn of the school, the better feel you will gain from the visit.

b. Schools offer discovery days and open house events throughout the year. These events typically provide more exposure to certain areas of study or offer tours led by specific students who are studying in a certain major (engineering, pre-med, etc.)

c. Ask the student tour guide questions

d. Check out first-year dorms and ask about whether or not you can choose your roommate during your first year and how housing works as an upper classmen.

3. Check out campus media:

a. Listen to the college radio station

b. Grab a copy of their student newspaper, follow their paper on X, Instagram, TikTok. The student newspaper tells you a lot about the campus culture!

c. Read other student publications, such as department newsletters, alternative newspapers and literary reviews.

d. Scan bulletin boards to see what daily student life is like.

4. If you have any specific needs or questions about a specific resource- ask about what resources the college provides and go and visit the office such as:

a. Disability/Accessibility Resource Center: If you had an IEP or 504 accommodation, inquire about the school’s resource center. How many people work there? Do they provide training for faculty? Timeline for working with the DRC prior to enrolling and during each term, etc.

b. Mental Health Office: What type of services does the college provide? Does it provide a wide range of programming and services? Where is it located on campus? What are their office hours? How do they work in tandem with the university health center?

c. Housing needs: If you have specific housing questions ask them during your visit and go check out the office for residential life etc.

d. Campus Safety: Crime statistics, safety in classroom buildings, campus security patrol

5. Financial Aid: This is the time to ask about:

a. If the school is need-blind or need-aware?

b. Is there a work-study program?

c. What kind of academic and need-based scholarships are offered?

d. What percentage of students, not just how many students, receive financial aid?

6. Career center: This is an office that the admissions office and tour guides will talk about. Here are some questions to ask:

a. Where have students interned and are there formal internship arrangements with local companies?

b. What’s the job placement rate for the past few years?

c. How long does it typically take recent grads to find a full-time job in their career field?

d. What career advising services are offered, and how long are they available to graduates?

e. What networking and career fairs are held each year?

f. How accessible and involved are alumni?

g. What kinds of on-campus or local part-time jobs are available?

7. Here are a list of questions to ask your tour guide and/or students you meet during your visit:

a. What are the best reasons to go to this college?

b. What’s it like to transition from high school to college?

c. What do you do in your free time? On the weekends?

d. What do you love about this college?

e. What would you like to change about this college?

f. What’s it like to live here?

8. Get the business cards and names of the people you met during your visit and write a quick thank you note after returning home.

9. Upon getting home, write down your thoughts about the college: Your memory of each college visit will fade and blend into one another so writing down your thoughts upon returning home is helpful!

10 . Here is a list of questions to NOT ask during your visit:

a. Do you think I’ll be admitted?

b. How much financial aid do you think I’ll get?

c. Don’t ask your tour guide personal questions. They may offer information but don’t put them on the spot.

d. Don’ waste your time asking questions a 4 second Google search could provide you such as:

i. What’s the weather like here?

ii. How many students attend this college?

iii. How much is tuition?

A campus visit should help you:

Try to envision whether you would like to be on campus or not: class size, attentive professors, social and athletic activities, Greek life, etc.

Remember: It’s up to you to make the most of a campus visit. Have fun!!

How to read financial aid letters and information

Typically, in late winter/early spring, a student will receive financial aid letters from the schools where they were accepted. What to do now? Here are a few tips:

1. Determine the Cost of Attendance. If this is not listed in your letter, call the college and ask. The COA includes all costs: Tuition, fees, room & board, books, supplies, etc.

2. Subtract Grant and Scholarship amounts, if applicable, from your aid offer and from the COA. You can then subtract any college savings so you can see the actual amount you will need to pay out-of-pocket.

3. Each financial aid letter will differ per college. Read and review each and compare what your Net Price will be at each school. Net Price is what you are expected to pay by using income and loans.

4. If your situation has changed, for example, you decided to commute instead of living on campus or your financial circumstances have changed since you completed the FAFSA or from what your tax information shows, call each college’s financial aid office to discuss.

5. Local scholarships opportunities are a chance to help assist in your net cost. Apply! When your high school releases its annual scholarship book, take the time to scroll through and apply to as many applicable scholarships as you can. It’s worth the time to write any required essays for FREE money.

6. Make sure to line up a summer job, now. A few saved dollars leading up to your first year in school can help!

This website has more tips and valuable information.

https://studentaid.ed.gov/sa/fafsa/next-steps/comparing-aid-offers

How to build a balanced college list…..

There are many factors to consider when creating a college list. Here are some thoughts on what to focus on from the beginning.

1. During your junior year, you will meet with your school counselor in late winter or early spring to discuss your courses for senior year and to also discuss a potential college list. This list is the beginning of what you can call a ‘work in progress’ list. It will be a work in progress up until you actually apply the following fall.

2. There are many factors to consider and since every human is unique, these factors will vary in type, style and importance. Here’s a brief list of what to think about:

   1. Location: How far from home would you like to be? Urban, suburban, college town, rural, study abroad: These are the type of location categories you need to consider.

   2. Size of School: Under 1,000, or over 20,000? The size of school can help you determine which schools to consider.

   3. Academics: Is there a certain field of study that you are interested in or do you have no idea? Think about which type of school and which degree(s) you may want to pursue. Did you have an IEP in high school? Inquire about the Accessibility Resource Center at each school. This will help you decide where to consider applying to.

   4. Extracurriculars: Are you looking for a strong theatre department? A big rah-rah sports team to cheer for? Strong LGBTQ+ community? What about Greek life? Are you interested in pledging for a certain fraternity? It’s important to visit as many campuses as possible so you can determine what type of campus life fits your personality.

3. By the beginning of your senior year, you should have visited a few schools and made your list as final as possible as it’s time to apply. 8-12 schools is your target number. Consider the following aspects while making the list:

   1. Your list should have a range of ‘safety’(likely)-’target’-’reach’ schools.

      1. Safety (likely) schools: An applicant falls well above the 50th percentile of all applicants.

      2. Target schools: An applicant falls in the middle of the 50th percentile of all applicants.

      3. Reach school: An applicant falls well below the 50th percentile of all applicants.

      4. Read online, follow colleges’ social media accounts and attend local college fairs. This will help you firm up your college list.

The Classic Learning Test: What is it and which schools accept it?

The Classic Learning Test (CLT) is a college-entrance exam that has begun to be accepted along with the SAT and ACT in a number of places. It has been around since 2015 and it is known to be most notably accepted as an alternative to the SAT and ACT in the Florida public state system. So if you are student applying to a state school in Florida, you could take the CLT instead of the ACT or SAT.

According to the CLT website, other than the 12 public university system in Florida about 200 private and religious institutions accept the test. Florida state system requires that you take an exam for applying to their public universities so this is an alternative to the SAT and ACT. It is most popular with students who are home-schooled or attend private school. The most notable public institutions other than the Florida state system that accepts the test are Christopher Newport University and the University of New Mexico. Some private institutions that accept it are Liberty University and Catholic University of America.

It is a 2 hour test, shorter than the SAT and ACT and it covers verbal reasoning, quantitative reasoning, grammar and writing. Only a fraction of the number of students took the CLT over the past few years compared to the better known SAT and ACT: 21,000 students took the CLT between 2016-2023 and 1.7 million students took the SAT and 1.3 million took the ACT in 2022 alone.

College Cost Transparency Initiative

Starting typically in February, families will begin to receive financial aid letters from colleges and universities where their student was accepted. These letters are often confusing and hard to compare; there is no standard form used by schools. Families are left confused about whether an offer is just for one year or renewable and/or are grants really loans, etc.

But recently, a new initiative was created by a task force organized by leaders from 10 higher education associations to create the College Cost Transparency Initiative. It calls for colleges and universities to follow standards that include simple and easy to understand language to explain their financial aid package so families are not left confused.

Currently, 485 institutions are signed up to partner with the College Cost Transparency Initiative. It is a drop in the bucket but it is a start to help families navigate financial aid.

The College Cost Transparency Initiative aims to improve “clarity, accuracy and understanding of student financial aid offers by producing a set of guidelines and principles and minimal standards to be used when communicating aid offers.” (www.collegeprice.org)

Institutions can join on a rolling basis. The majority of schools that have joined are public (81%) but that’s not surprising since that’s roughly the breakdown of how many students attend public institutions vs. private institutions.

For more and current information go to: www.collegeprice.org

Hey sophomores and first-year students: Advice for 2024!

As you near the latter half of the school year, here are a few topics to keep in mind and to work on going forward.

1.     Course selection for next year:

Over the next two months, you will most likely meet with your school counselor. You will talk through your remaining required courses and how best to complete them before the end of senior year.

For sophomores, as you move into your upperclassmen years, you will have more selection and electives to chose from. Read your high school course catalog and programs of study before choosing junior year courses.

 Trying to determine if you should take a CP, Honors or AP level course? A good indicator is to determine if you are struggling at the current course level. If you are receiving a ‘B’ or better, you are most likely at the right level. If you are struggling, it may be good to speak with your school counselor to move into a better fit next year. And if you are sailing through and are bored, try a higher-level course next year.

2. This leads me to say to each and every one of you to make sure and ask questions if you are struggling in a course. The only person who will regret not taking ownership of their studies is yourself.

 Time management and taking ownership of understanding course content is the student’s responsibility. Make sure to stay on top of both of these items by using a planner or app, meeting with teachers during after school hours, during lunchtime or during ‘drop’ class sessions to make sure you understand what will be asked of you on the next test or quiz. 

3.     Standardized Tests: If you have taken the PSAT already, you may want to take a practice ACT next in order to assess which test you will focus on preparing for. Students should not take both but should choose and prep for one of them. Two attempts at a test is the maximum. Typically, students take one of the tests twice. There are practice tests on www.suzannelagemann.com/helpfulinks and they are free!

4.     Summer Plans: Are you traveling, working, or attending camp during the summer months? It’s time to start to think about applying to jobs, registering for camps and discussing with your parents what you would like to do over the summer break.

Hey high school juniors! It’s 2024! It’s your year to apply to college. Here are my tips and advice just for you….

This is your year to apply to college. Here is a short list of items to either keep working on or to get started on.

 1.     Junior year grades and activities: This year is the most important for your grades and activities. If your transcript shows an improvement in your grades during 11th grade, it will be looked upon highly. Keep up your studies.

2. Time management and taking ownership of understanding course content is the student’s responsibility. Make sure to stay on top of both of these items by using a planner or app, meeting with teachers before or after school hours, lunchtime or during ‘drop’ class sessions to make sure you understand what will be asked of you on the next test or quiz.

3. ASK QUESTIONS if you are struggling in a course. Show initiative. It builds character and good interpersonal skills too.

4.     In April or May, you will need to ask 2 teachers for letters of recommendation.

a.     Ask in person

b.     Say thank you

c.      Share with them why you are asking

d.     Ask a teacher that has had you in their class preferably during junior or sophomore year(s).

5.     Standardized Tests: Do you know which test you are taking? SAT or ACT? Create a plan on when to take it and either take a prep class or hire a tutor to help you prepare. Test strategy is KEY to succeeding on either test. (And by all means, do not register for the June ACT if your Junior Prom is the night before.)

6.     Also plan time to visit campuses and research schools with your parents. Spring break is a great time in April as colleges are still in session. Many offer open houses on the weekends too.

7. Follow colleges’ TikTok, Instagram and Twitter (X) accounts. You will learn a lot about the school through their social media accounts!

8.     Summer plans: Working, going to camp, going on a big vacation? Regardless, please plan on writing your common app essay during the summer months. You will not regret this.  

What do you do if you are deferred from the early action or early decision round of admission?

When a student gets deferred from either applying early decision or early action, your application gets moved to regular decision. If you applied early decision and your application gets moved to regular decision, your admission is no longer binding.

You are still in the running for admission. There are many reasons why a student’s application may be deferred to regular admission. The admissions committee may want to see the student’s mid-semester grades, review most recent standardized test scores, or compare the applicant to the regular decision applicant pool.

I highly recommend that you write a letter of continued interest (LOCI) if the school is your first choice and if the accept a LOCI. This will communicate to the college that you are set to attend if granted admission. You should also express a deep interest in the college. Describe your visit to the college, mention a club or activity you would get involved in upon matriculating, discuss your intended major or delve into an area of study you’d like to pursue while attending this university. Make sure you clearly state that you will attend if granted admission to the college or university so there is no doubt that you will attend.

Today’s Achievement Culture Problem and Solution(s)…

Jennifer Breheny Wallace’s recently published book, Never Enough: When Achievement Culture becomes toxic and what to do about it really hit home for both personally and professionally. I have been working with teens for 25 years and I currently have three teens of my own; one in college and two still in high school. The pressure is real. Parenting today is different from thirty-to-forty years ago. Parents today feel a sense to be more involved, hands-on and to be on top of their children’s activities and achievement both in-and-out of the classroom. 

This starts at an early age but when I meet with families of teenagers, I often learn of how much this pressure has affected them. The anxiety has been developing for decades and parents have been feeling it grow. With the development of globalization and hypercompetition, parents feel they need to be involved in every step of their child’s development and achievement to prepare them for their future. Parents link their success to their child’s achievements which in turn puts pressure and causes anxiety. 

What can parents do to help their teen feel less anxious, more confident and happy? 

Here are some tips:

1. Tell your teen that they matter. They are special just the way they are and no matter how high their achievement goes, they are special none-the-less. Mattering, according to Breheny Wallace, is the most important action a parent can take to help their teen feel loved and build self-esteem. 

2. Minimize Criticism: I always tell my students that the most important voice they listen to is their ‘inner-voice’. How parents talk to their children helps develop that inner-voice. Speak with supportive words. 

3. Add Value: Make time to ask your teen how their day was? Ask about a small moment, not just how was a test or quiz which can make the teen feel that achievement is the only thing that matters to the parent. 

4. Self-Care: Make sure to take care of yourself. You will not be able to be a loving, supportive parent if you do not take care of yourself first. 

5. Seek help when needed: Today’s Generation Z is comfortable seeking help when they feel they need it. Don’t be a barrier to that as older generations are typically not accustomed to seeking professional help as easily. Mental health problems need to be addressed immdiately.