Asking teachers for letters of recommendation….

Now that the end of the school year is near, it is time for high school juniors to ask teachers for letters of recommendation. Spring is the best time to ask. This gives teachers the summer to write letters. Remember, teachers do not get paid extra for writing letters of recommendation. They write them on their own time. Here are my tips for how to ask.

1. Ask in person: Find a time, either before school, after school or at lunch time to ask a teacher when they are not too busy. Make eye contact and ask if they’d be willing to write you a letter of recommendation for your college application. During the conversation, share with the teacher anything of interest about you that may help the teacher write a compelling letter. What major you may be interested pursuing, courses you might be interested in taking, an internship you are looking into etc. If your school provides a brag sheet for you to complete to help the teacher write the letter, make sure you complete it.

2. Ask a Core Course Teacher: Admissions offices look for letters of recommendation to be written by core course teachers. So, request a letter from your science, math, history, English, or foreign language teacher. If you are applying to a specialized college (STEM) and they request that you have a science or math teacher recommendation, make sure you follow through.

3. Ask a teacher that gave you an A (or B): Did you do well in the class? Even if you received a B for one quarter but improved your grade after that you can still ask that teacher. You want to ask a teacher from a core course that you did very well in and showed participation and enthusiasm.

4. Is the teacher from 11th or 10th grade? You should request a letter of recommendation from a teacher from 11th grade. But if that is not possible 10th grade would be the next best option. 9th grade is too far in the past. 11th grade teachers can write about your most current performance which admission offices look for.

5. Does the teacher specialize in what you want to study? If the teacher teaches in the field in which you want to study, bonus! This will help support your application tenfold!

Last, make sure to say thank you when asking for the letter of recommendation. Send a thank you note after the letter is written. Teachers who write letters of recommendation should be thanked!

4 Tips on how to complete your parent brag sheet.

Each Spring, high school guidance departments request that each rising senior and his parent(s)/guardian complete their own brag sheet. These brag sheets help the guidance counselor write his own letter of recommendation for the student . The brag sheets can be very helpful. Here are a few tips on how to complete it.

1. Be descriptive: Use as many adjectives and nouns as you can to describe yourself or the student throughout the brag sheet. Tell specific examples of how and why.

2. Do not describe your weakness or biggest struggle. This will be used if you write it so leave it out. Only use positive stories and description about the student.

3. Do not list awards, honors or accomplishments. This can be found in a resume or on the application. It should not be duplicated in a letter of recommendation.

4. Do not pigeonhole yourself by mentioning a major unless you are 100% sure you want to major in that field.

A few thoughts on how to make the final decision…..

After you receive all of your college admission decisions, you will need to assess your choices and make a final decision.

1. Lay out all of your acceptances on a table. Look at each school and think over how each makes you feel.

   1. How does the college make you feel?

   2. Review the location and size of each school

   3. At which college can you imagine yourself at most? Why?

2. Re-visit Campus: Many schools offer an accepted student day. If not, make a plan to re-visit a few campuses, if you are unsure of which to choose to attend.

   1. Meet with financial aid if you have any questions.

   2. Ask about important issues to you such as housing, res life, support services for students such as disability resource center or mental health support.

   3. Talk with current students while on campus.

3. Compare financial aid awards and contact the offices with questions.

4. While there is no rush, make sure you do not miss the deadline for notifying a college.

5. There is NO perfect school. Sorry folks, but it’s true. Just like all decisions in life, it’s part of your journey and what YOU make of college is what you’ll gain. And congratulations!

Six Tips for attending Accepted Student Day!

So you’ve been accepted into a number of colleges and universities. Now you need to decide which to attend. A great exercise to help you make the big decision is to attend Accepted Student Day events. Here are my six tips on how to make the best of these events:

1. Talk to as many current students as possible. Ask them about campus life, courses, housing and everything else.

2. Go on a campus tour and ask the student tour guide as many questions as possible. Read bulletin boards around campus during the tour as well. This will give you a feel for events held on campus.

3. Eat a meal in a dining hall. It is a great way to see a lot of current students and to check out the food.

4. Sit in on a class to get a sense of the faculty.

5. If offered, attend an activities/club fair. This will help you determine what activities are available to students.

6. Meet other fellow accepted students. You can get a feel if you feel as though you socially ‘fit in’.

   Good Luck!

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