Dear Teachers and Lay College Advocates:

Happy holidays. December goes by so quickly, so please help kids with their college and scholarship applications. There is still so much we can do to help these amazing kids.

Note: I spoke at LA Cash for College December 7 and 8. You can access presentations from dozens of presenters at http://www.lacashforcollege.org/home.html

Find similar events in your cities or regions.

Here are ten college access tips to get you through the rest of 2011.

1. More applications. You have survived many public application deadlines, but there are numerous private college and scholarship deadlines coming up. Please encourage your students to apply for these. Private colleges are desperate for interested under-represented minority and first generation students. Center for Student Opportunity has a great guide of colleges friendly to these students and has an Opportunity Scholarship for them. http://www.csopportunity.org/

2.  Free applications. Did you know that there are multiple ways for students to apply for free to private and many public colleges?

• Free or reduced lunch gets kids four free apps on the Common Application. They can apply for free to lots of out of state public colleges.
• NACAC provides fee waivers that most colleges accept. The forms require official stamps. Trio programs can provide these stamps. http://www.nacacnet.org/studentinfo/feewaiver/Pages/default.aspx

3. Educational Opportunity Program. Please assist and encourage students to complete their EOP applications and applications for other support programs at college. Each college, including CSU, has a separate deadline. http://www.csumentor.edu/admissionapp/eop_apply.asp

4.  Scholarships. Scholarships. Scholarships. There are multiple ways for first generation and under-represented students to pay for college. The Hispanic Scholarship Fund is due December 15. Many colleges have specific scholarships. Encourage students to find national, state, local, and college specific scholarships. USC for example has the USC Norman Topping Fund that provides scholarships. It is due February 10. http://www.usc.edu/student-affairs/ntsaf/prosp_overview.shtml. Undocumented students: Dated but still working links: http://www.maldef.org/leadership/scholarships/2010_Scholarship_List.pdf

5.  Test scores. Students need to send their test scores. Make sure they send them as soon as they can. Students with free or reduced lunch get to send scores for free to eight colleges. If they can’t afford to do this, you can contact a college and see if you can fax the scores to the college for the students. Remember, the UCs and Cal States allow scores to be sent only once. Cal States: CSU Mentor for SATs and ACT Score Manager for ACT. UCs: Just send to one campus and the scores will be distributed.

• January SAT: The next SAT, which can be used for Cal States and UCs, is January 28. Registration is December 30.
• February ACT: Next ACT is February 11. Kids must register by January 13.

6.  Essays. Kids need to keep write powerful college and scholarship application essays. Remind them, they can use essays more than once. They need to push themselves to write specific, empowering essays.

7.  Recommendations. Please, please write as many great, specific letters as you can. Students needs these letters and often ask you rather late. But they need these to get into college and EOP and to receive scholarships. Short letters don’t work. Give specific examples from their assignments, so you may need students to give you their former graded work to remind you. If you don’t have something nice to say, then perhaps refer them to someone else.

8.  Alumni. Remember, your alumni are back in town and eager to help. Ask them to wear their college sweatshirts and to be able to describe how they manage their workloads, social lives, and more. Sophomores are ideal as they have already navigated freshmen year and are not so embedded in upper level experiences yet.

9.  Application Crunch Game. With your younger students, begin to do college access work with your younger grades. USC just released a game. It’s relatively cheap. Perhaps someone can get you this game for a holiday present. http://interactive.usc.edu/2011/09/07/application-crunch-reviewed-on-play-this-thing/

10.  Enjoy your holidays. Please, please help students with any last minute college application questions. Perhaps hold an application party during the break. They shouldn’t wait to the last minute, but they do.

Again, you are the best at what you do. Your students are so lucky. Enjoy this time of year!!! Let me know if I can help in any way.

Sincerely yours,

Dr. Rebecca Joseph

www.getmetocollege.org

rjoseph@calstatela.edu

FB: getmetocollege freeadvice

Twitter: getmetocollege

Accepted Early Decision?: Five Things to Avoid  To Keep Your Spot

Congratulations for getting accepted Early Decision (ED) to the top college of your choice.  You deserve knowing that you have found your match college so early. YET, every year I work with students who lose their ED spot, because they enter what I term the “black hole of senior year.” If you mess up, a kid from the school’s waitlist will thank you.

Students: Truly, keep working hard. Mild senioritis is normal. Extreme is not. Enjoy your summer after graduation. Stay committed to high school.

Parents: You need to keep a keener eye on your Early Decision child than ever before. Contact the school once a month to keep track. Contact teachers and ask for any notifications of lower grades or conduct.

Please read and these examples and avoid THEM!!

1. Do not let your grades fall!! Kids ask all the time, can I let my grades fall now that I’m in to college. NO. What college would want you to slack off so much that your grades go down more than 1/3—B+ to B; A to A-? You must keep up the hard work. KEEP YOUR GRADES UP.

Faith got accepted to her top school. Then she chilled beyond belief in the spring and got two Ds. Her college contacted her and withdrew her acceptance. She had to go to summer school and is now back in but on a provisional basis with a GPA expectation.

2. Don’t skip class or start getting to school late.. Your teachers get very offended if you stop going to class. They can take action in more than just lowering your grade. GO TO CLASS.

Two years ago, Steven decided to start skipping some of his classes. His English teacher gave him a D third quarter, which he raised to a B. He received a C in another key class. In the meantime, his English teacher contacted his college, which withdrew his acceptance. He had to fly there and beg for forgiveness. Not wanting someone who couldn’t take his responsibilities seriously, the college made him take a year off and do an approved program.

3.  Don’t get suspended for pranks on campus. You may feel you’re safe and can do things you’ve never tried before. Don’t even do a senior ditch day if your school has severe consequences.

Orren decided to push authority with a major prank on campus and got suspended. His school contacted his ED college, which required him to submit a series of letters proving his maturity to keep his spot. Are you kidding me?

4. Don’t do stupid things off campus. Again, your college will find out. If you get in trouble for drinking or doing something truly ridiculous on a school trip or event, trouble will follow.

Jenny had too much fun at an off-site school dance. She got busted by her school, which suspended her, and ED colleges require notification. Her high school notified her campus, which has a no tolerance policy. She now attends a community college.

5. Don’t drop classes. You got accepted to your ED college on the presumption your schedule would stay the same. You can’t drop a tough class without replacing it with another one.  You must notify your ED campus of any class changes that you did not put on your application.

Mark got into college ED and decided to drop his math and foreign language class. When his counselor submitted his end of year report card, his college contacted him and said unless he took the classes over the summer, he was out. What a rotten summer Mark had.

Introduction: Here are 15 tips for completing the Fall 2012 University of California application system. Remember, while the UC application opened on October 1, you cannot submit your application until November 1-30.  

But remember-this is a tough year for University of California (UC) admissions. The UCs implemented their new admissions requirements, including no mandatory SAT Subject Tests, new eligibility requirements, including the completion of 11 out of 15 A-G courses by the beginning of 12^th grade. More students than ever are applying, the November 30 application deadline for freshmen and transfers is fixed, and you need to make sure your application is correct and complete.

You only need to complete and submit one application for the 9 campus UC system. Unlike the CSU system, you get to submit your application to all the campuses you select at once. You also pay one total application fee (by number of campuses) to a centralized payment system.

Please let us know if you need help convincing your family of the value of letting you attend a UC, even one a few hours away from home.

1. Have a working email address: Create an email address if you don’t have one. Gmail and hotmail are free and easy to use. Your high school may provide you with an email as well. YOU MUST CHECK YOUR EMAIL OFTEN. The UC campuses will only communicate with you via email. Please save your user name and password.
2. Investigate how the UCs evaluate applications. The UCs look at several factors when evaluating applications: Freshmen: http://www.universityofcalifornia.edu/admissions/counselors/freshman/fall-2012/index.html   Transfers: http://www.universityofcalifornia.edu/admissions/counselors/transfer/index.html
3. Determine your UC eligibility-

 a. California Residents

     Freshmen- 

1. 11 out of 15 required A-G courses completed by beginning of 12^th grade.
2. A GPA of 3.0 or higher on all A-G courses in 10^th and 11^th grade and no A-G grade lower than a C. Extra GPA points for honors and AP classes, but only award for two classes in 10^th grade.
3. The SAT or ACT w/writing
4. SAT Subject Tests can help fulfill A-G requirements

     Transfers-

1. Check the academic requirements for transferring by checking whether you have 60 semester or 90 quarter transferrable units.
2. You need to have completed the majority of the IGETC and major requirements for your campus.

b.       Non CA residents

Out of state, international and home-schooled students must provide other materials.  http://www.universityofcalifornia.edu/admissions/freshman/other-applicants/index.htmlhttp://www.universityofcalifornia.edu/admissions/freshman/other-applicants/index.html

4.  Send your test scores to UC campuses. Freshman only-Send your SAT, SAT Subject Test, and ACT scores to only one UC campus. Then the UCs will send your scores to the other UC campuses to which you apply for free. Remember, the UCs only use your highest overall one-day test score.

5. Send other test scores: If you have taken AP tests, you must send your test scores to the UC campuses to which you apply. Transfers- you report these scores if you are using them for course credits. Contact the College Board to do this.  http://www.collegeboard.com/student/testing/ap/exgrd_rep.html. You must also sent IB, TOEFL, or IELTS scores.

6.  Collect required and optional identification numbers. If you qualify for a guaranteed admission, include the 12-digit identification number that was included in your notification letter from UC. This is called your ELC ID number. Optional: Each K-12 student in California public schools is assigned an ID number. If it’s not printed on your transcript, ask your counselor or registrar.

7.  Gather family personal and financial information: You will need your family’s educational backgrounds and income for the past two years if you want a fee waiver for the UC applications and want to be considered for each campus’ great support programs for low-income students.

8. Determine residency status: You need to know your residency status. Ask your parents or family members. You do not need a SSN number but you need to know how long you have been in the California as the UC system calculates your tuition based on how long you have lived and attended school in California. Remember, AB 540 student can get admitted to the UC system but you cannot qualify for state or federal financial aid this year. You can qualify for private scholarships.

9. Prepare to check interest in scholarships and EOP: The UC application allows you to select 16 scholarships to be considered for without completing any additional paperwork. Go through each category and apply for as many as 16 scholarships that fit your qualifications and background. The application asks if you want to participate in EOP, the program for under-represented students. If you are a low-income student, say yes. You will benefit so much from EOP programs at each UC, including Summer Bridge and year long support programs. There is no separate application for scholarships or EOP.

10. Have access to official transcript(s). You self report your grades. You only send your official transcripts to the UC you elect to attend. But DO NOT lie. The UCs will take away your acceptance if you lie and if your grades fall. Enter each course from the list. But if you can’t find a course, then add it in. Transfer students will need to enter in fall 2011 grades in five weeks to the UC system. All students who change courses in the spring must notify the UCs in writing.

11. Collect information on all of your activities, jobs, honors, specialized programs, and non-A-G courses. The UCs look for special talents, achievements, and awards in particular fields-in and out school and academic and non-academic. The application provides room for five examples within each of the following six categories:

• Coursework Other Than A-G (freshmen only)
• Educational Preparation Programs
• Volunteer & Community Service
• Work Experience
• Awards & Honors
• Extracurricular Activities

You need to provide the hours per week and weeks per year and provide short descriptions of each activity. Focus on your leadership and initiative. Prepare to enter 160 character or less descriptions for each item you list. Remember that working for your family, including childcare counts.

12. Draft the two mandated UC essays: The UCs require you to write two essays (totaling no more than exactly 1000 words) that you paste into the application. It only gives you 30 minutes on the actual pages so prepare your essays in advance. You can write the essays now and make sure you reveal unique information and qualities about you that are not evident elsewhere in your application. Be brave and describe who are really are as this is the only way the UCs can learn about your life and the powerful ways you will enrich their campuses.

In each essay, connect to some major activity or experience you have had.

Some tips:  http://www.universityofcalifornia.edu/admissions/how-to-apply/personal-statement/index.html

• Here are the UC prompts: “Respond to both prompts, using a maximum of 1,000 words total. You may allocate the word count as you wish. If you choose to respond to one prompt at greater length, we suggest your shorter answer be no less than 250 words.”
• You can no longer go over the 1000 word limit.
• Prompt #1 (freshman applicants): Describe the world you come from — for example, your family, community or school — and tell us how your world has shaped your dreams and aspirations.
• Prompt #1 (transfer applicants): What is your intended major? Discuss how your interest in the subject developed and describe any experience you have had in the field — such as volunteer work, internships and employment, participation in student organizations and activities — and what you have gained from your involvement. Use this essay for your common application long essay.
• Prompt #2 (all applicants): Tell us about a personal quality, talent, accomplishment, contribution or experience that is important to you. What about this quality or accomplishment makes you proud and how does it relate to the person you are
• Additional information. If you wish, you may use this space to tell us anything else you want us to know about you that you have not had the opportunity to describe elsewhere in the application (no more than 550 words) Use this section to explain any limitations at your school-few AP courses, new school with few activities, etc.

14. Pay for applications via fee waivers, credit cards, or check and apply for specialized program for low-income students. Provide household size and income for 2010 and 2011: To qualify for application fee waivers and to be considered to special programs for low-income students, you need to provide your family’s household size and income for the past two years. You can get fee waivers for four UC campuses if you qualify. Additional campuses are $70 a piece. Undocumented students can use of the four fee waivers.

15. Research Blue and Gold Plan: Most low-income students than ever are attending a UC campus because the UCs have the Blue and Gold Plan.. If your family makes less than $80,000 per year, you may qualify for the UC’s Blue and Gold Opportunity, which covers the majority of your tuitions, fees, and living expenses. http://www.universityofcalifornia.edu/admissions/paying-for-uc/financial-aid/grants/blue-gold/index.html

November College Readiness Tips for Teachers and Lay College Advocates

1.      End of senior year testing reminders.

• November 11 is the new deadline to register for the December10 ACT. http://www.actstudent.org/regist/dates.html).
• November 8 is the deadline for the December 3 SAT. http://sat.collegeboard.org/registerhttp://sat.collegeboard.org/register
• Remember kids can take each test twice for free and send four test scores for free per test.

2. Good news for undocumented students:

• In October, Governor Brown signed AB 131 into law enabling undocumented students to qualify for California financial aid. Bad news. It doesn’t go into effect until the 2013-2014 school. Year.
• Earlier this summer he signed AB 130 into law that allows undocumented students to qualify for private scholarships at public universities. That goes into effect January 1, 2012.
• So tell your undocumented students to have patience and to apply for scholarships from this list. http://www.scholarshipsaz.org/collateral/scholarships.pdf. For high school seniors attending public school in Los Angeles, there is a $500 scholarship available. Students must attend a workshop on November 12.  Students can download the College is For Everyone (CIFE) application and get more info at the CORE website at http://www.ca-core.org/resources.

3.  The UC applications can be submitted November 1- November 30. Remind students to apply for EOP. It doesn’t require an extra application. Just a short explain why. Low-income students (including undocumented students) can apply to four UCs at no charge. Remember, students can send test scores to one UC, and that UC will send the scores to the other UCs on the students’ lists.

4.   The Cal State applications are due November 30. The EOP application is separate. http://www.csumentor.edu/admissionapp/eop_apply.asp/ Please remind them to provide details in the EOP short answers. Low-income students (not undocumented) can apply for four Cal States for free. Students can send SAT scores to CSU Mentor and ACT scores through ACT Score Manager.

5. Essays, essays, essays!!! Tell your students to spend time on their essays. This is the only way they can differentiate themselves in the application process. They need to tell specific stories and make clear their leadership and initiative. I have attached my 10 tips for writing powerful college application essays below. Ideally, in at least one essay, students should describe the world they come from and show how they have made a difference in it.

6.  Scholarship applications. Many scholarships are due this fall. Please beg your students to apply to as many scholarships as possible. The Hispanic Scholarship Fund is a great place to start.  Students can reuse essays that they write for their college applications. http://www.hsf.net/.

7.  Private colleges. Encourage students to apply to four or five private colleges. Again, these applications are free for low-income students. The Center for Student Opportunity has a list of colleges that are friendly to first generation/under-represented students. http://csopportunity.org/. Many private colleges offer full scholarships to top undocumented students. For a list of these schools, go to http://getmetocollege.org

8. Remind kids to keep their grades up. Private colleges see fall grades. The UCs and Cal States don’t see grades until the end of the year, but they take away acceptances from kids whose grades fall and who receive any Ds or Fs.

9. Encourage kids to get ready to apply for financial aid. Kids need to apply for financial aid. Attend Cash for College events in your area and other events to encourage kids to apply for financial aid. The LA Cash for College is December 7 and 8. Book a bus to take your students to this great event. http://www.lacashforcollege.org/home.html

10.  Plan alumni visits. Please invite kids who are attending college to come visit your classrooms in November. Many can come in the Tuesday or Wednesday before Thanksgiving. Ask them to describe what makes college so fun. Ask alumni to mentor a student or two in your class.

1. Help students with their state university applications. In California, the Cal State and UC applications came online October 1. Both must be submitted by November 30. The Cal States can be submitted October 1-November 30, while the UCs can be submitted November 1-30. Both applications have students self-report their course and grades, so they need access to their transcripts. Please help them with their application completion. Other public university systems are all online. Help students!!!

2. Encourage seniors to apply for EOP and other support programs. These programs provided amazing support for low-income students throughout the admissions, college readiness, and college survival process. The Cal States have a separate EOP application with several short responses and two required recommendations. As space is limited, have students apply as early as possible. http://www.csumentor.edu/AdmissionApp/eop_apply.asp

On the UC application, students just have to check that they want to be considered for EOP.

3.  Inform students about college application fee waivers. Students who qualify for free or reduced lunch qualify for fee waivers for most college applications. The Cal States and UCs allow students to apply to four of their campuses for free. Private colleges accept NACAC or College Board fee waivers or will waive fees if counselors, teachers, or students request them for students. http://professionals.collegeboard.com/guidance/applications/fee-waivers

Undocumented students qualify for fee waivers for most colleges, except for the Cal States and public colleges in Arizona and some southern states.

4. Hold college application and college essay workshops before, during, and after school. Your students need help with their essays. These essays make them pop for college admissions officers who are desperate for your students. Make the essays requirements for English or hold workshops after school. Help them read great samples and see ways to use their essays more than once. They need to tell unique stories that grab reads from the first sentence. See our ten tips that we have attached with this email. Read the article about our approach in the New York Times. http://thechoice.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/09/23/nacac-essa/

5. Remind seniors of upcoming standardized tests. Yes, students can still take the SAT, ACT, or SAT Subject Tests. They can qualify for two fee waivers per test. Encourage them to keep trying as their scores usually go up.

SAT/SAT Subject Tests (http://sat.collegeboard.org/register/sat-dates)

• Nov 5 (Oct 9 registration). Listening part of foreign language tests offered.
• Dec 3 (Nov 8 registration)
• Jan 28 (Dec 30 registration)

ACT Tests (http://www.actstudent.org/regist/dates.html)

• Oct 22 (Late and walk in registration)
• Dec 10 (Nov 4 registration)

6. Help students learn more about colleges by attending college and non-profit events in your area. Colleges are in your area in October. Find out where they are or take your students to a college fair. If your high school doesn’t have a college night, perhaps you can crash one at a local public high school in your area. The Hispanic Scholarship Fund is holding free Steps for Success on Saturdays this fall in key states. http://www.hsf.net/workshops.aspx

7. Continue to encourage students to research colleges online. Colleges want your students. But students need to apply to match colleges. The Center for Student Opportunity (CSO) has a great guide that features colleges that welcome diverse students and free resources. http://www.csopportunity.org. You University offers great video tours of colleges. http://www.youniversitytv.com/ Take advantage of College Week Live. This free website offers amazing webinars and workshops for students applying to college. http://www.collegeweeklive.com/

8. Write great letters of recommendation. Please write recommendations that make your students pop. Follow our Into-Through-Beyond approach so that you can help colleges see why these students belong on their campuses. Give details about their academic performance if you’re a teacher. Highlight their leadership and initiative if you’re a counselor. If you can’t remember or just don’t know them, have them submit detailed brag sheets. These letters can make or break an admissions or scholarship decision for a first gen student. PLEASE WRITE YOUR LETTERS ONLINE!!!

9. Connect with current college students. Keep ongoing contact with your graduates. Ask these students to write tips for your students and post them around the classroom and college center.

10. A PLEA…Help homesick college freshmen. We send out students away, and in October they begin to get very homesick. Their parents often can’t visit them, and they are beginning to struggle, at times, with their workload. So please keep in touch with freshmen. Send them care packages. Or just FB message or text them. They need your ongoing support.

There are many different types of college admissions. Keep track of college acceptance types and make sure you don’t apply too early if you need to wait for higher test scores and fall grades.

Some colleges have specific deadlines, while others accept students as they apply or who meet certain minimum criteria. Some have binding early decision options, while some let you get in early and then still apply to other colleges. Many state colleges have only one fixed deadline. Be smart in choosing how you will apply to a college.

Early Action (EA)- Many colleges enable you to apply Early Action in November-December, and you receive a decision by mid-December (or January). Early Action is NOT binding. You can apply to as many Early Action schools as you like. You have until May 1 to accept.

• Pros- 1. You can get an early acceptance to a great college before the winter holidays and eliminate some colleges from your list. 2. You don’t have to accept the EA college.
• Cons- 1. Colleges don’t see your fall senior grades or late November-December test scores. 2. Early Action doesn’t really offer any increased chances of admissions.

Early Decision (ED)- Many private colleges offer Early Decision which is an early BINDING route to college admissions. You apply in early to mid November to ONE college, and you find out by mid-December. You must attend if you get accepted.

Some schools even offer Early Decision II which means you apply in January and find out in February. You should really investigate this college in person by visiting it or meeting with college representatives in your city. You should contact admissions officers, alumni, and classmates who attend this college. Take this decision very seriously.

• Pros- 1. If accepted, you know where you will go to college by mid-December. 2. Colleges deny it but there are distinct advantages to applying early especially if you have a connection to the college or a true passion.
• Cons- 1. You must go. You cannot accept another college if you are accepted Early Decision.2. You cannot always get the best financial aid package as financial aid forms aren’t due until January. So Early Decision is not for those students whose financial resources are iffy. 3. Early Decision colleges don’t see your first semester senior year grades or late November to December test scores.

Note Brown allows ED students to apply to Early Action schools. We think this is because they reject so many ED students that they want these students to have other options. Check to see whether an ED school will let you apply EA to other schools.

Early Response or Notification- Many public colleges are now offering Early Response or Notification which is very similar to Early Action. You submit your application in the fall and find out within a couple of months whether or not you are accepted.

• Pros- Same as Early Action.
• Cons- Same as Early Action.

Guaranteed Admissions-Many public universities offer automatic admissions to students who meet certain academic and/or test scores requirements. Students must still apply but get admissions offers earlier than other students. Some state colleges accept all students who meet certain guidelines. Some guarantee admissions to schools in local service areas or at certain sets of colleges. UC eligibility is now for students who are in the top 9% of their high school class and who meet UC admissions requirements. They are guaranteed admissions but not to any particular campus.

• Pros- You know early on where you can go to college.
• Cons- Really strong kids not in the top % set by a college have a harder time getting admitted.

Priority Applications- Some private universities send priority applications to highly qualified students reducing some application requirements and guaranteeing earlier admissions. They reduce or waive application fees.

• Pros- You can get a great scholarship to such a college.
• Cons- These schools may be too easy for you.

Priority Deadlines- If you apply before this deadline, you have a higher chance of getting admitted and/or receiving a scholarship to a public university. Many state and/or public universities use priority deadlines to encourage early applications. They do not guarantee admissions to those who apply afterward the priority deadlines but do accept some of those applications. The University of Maryland, for example, has a November 1 Priority Deadline.

• Pros- You get a greater chance of receiving a scholarship and getting admitted to competitive majors and programs.
• Cons- Earlier application preparation. Same as Early Action.

Regular Admissions- This is a set deadline for applying to a college. You apply by one date-usually January 1-February 1 for freshmen and February-April for transfers. You find out in March-April for freshmen and March-June for transfers whether you get admitted. Freshmen must let the college you accept of your decision by May 1. Some major public universities have fall regular admissions deadlines. The University of California and the Cal States have a November 30 deadline for freshmen and transfers. The University of Texas has a December 1 deadline.

• Pros- 1. You get to submit your fall grades and all fall test scores. 2. You get to apply for Financial Aid and compare offers. 3. You get stronger consideration if too many kids from your high school are applying early. 4. You can ask a senior teacher to write a recommendation.
• Cons- You have to wait until springtime to find out.

Restrictive Early Action or Single Choice Early Action-These are the same as Early Action-early deadlines and not binding. ONLY, you CANNOT apply to another other school Early Decision or Early Action. Harvard and Princeton just re-introduced this option.

• Same pros and cons as Early Action.
• Two additional Cons. 1. Also a risk for kids in very competitive classes as you may get deferred, and regular admission may be the way to go for stronger consideration. 2. You can’t apply to another other private college Early Action or Decision.

Rolling Admissions- Many public universities and some private colleges offer Rolling Admissions. You apply as soon as you can and within a few weeks you can find out whether or not you get in. This goes on throughout most of the admissions cycle for a college. Once your application is complete, you can get a decision. Some of these colleges do defer students to see fall grades.

• You can get an admissions decision really early.
• If you apply really early in the fall, schools won’t see fall grades or test scores. Kids at really big public high schools sometimes have a challenge getting all the paperwork work in early.

Beat the SAT or ACT: Don’t let these tests beat you!!!

Read this advice my current expert column on Unigo. http://www.unigo.com/expertnetwork

I am a second semester senior. Life is good. That is all.

Actually, just kidding. J There’s a lot more to it than that. Why? Because even though I am a second semester senior and even though life is good, there’s still a little thing called school work that doesn’t just disappear because I’ve finally reached the final moments of my high school career. Realistically speaking, I must admit that this semester I have not worked as hard as I usually do—nevertheless my grades remain solid. Sometimes it’s hard to find motivation to keep up with school work, but it is absolutely necessary. Senioritis must be crushed.

Sheryln

It really is all about attitude. In order to keep your grades up and stay motivated, you first have to DECIDE that you are going to do it. Once you’ve made a mental commitment, you can then proceed to set standards (which may or may not be slightly lower than your usual standards, but not by much J would be my suggestion). You can let loose once in a while—just remember that balance is key.

I loaded my schedule with all Honors and AP classes this year. Inevitably, this means that school work must still be completed. Although sometimes it feels like my teachers are smiting me with all that work, I have to remind myself that they are simply following the College Board’s AP curriculum—I chose this, after all. When my motivation reaches an all time low and I am tempted to give into the seemingly sweet temptation that is senioritis, I remind myself that I will be taking an AP test at the end of the school year which could potentially allow me to place out of college introductory courses. Invest a little work now and save room in my college class schedule to explore new interests!

Of course, don’t forget that there’s a lot of value in simply learning for the sake of learning. Enjoy your classes—get interested. I am currently taking AP Comparative Government. While I do plan on taking the AP exam at the end of this school year, I find that this course is highly applicable to real life. I read articles on nytimes.com and economist.com before class every other day and try to apply what I’m learning to how those countries currently interact with each other and with their people. I am now more informed about international news than I’ve ever been! Maybe even explore a new interest: take that art class you never thought you’d be good at just for the fun of it!

Moreover, as a scholarship recipient, my grades still remain important. For some, keeping your grades up second semester senior year could even allow you to obtain a scholarship depending on what college you choose to attend. These grades do matter.

So yes, second semester senior year is meant to be fun and exciting and everything you always dreamed of. But it is possible to keep your grades up and remain motivated through this wonderful closing to this wonderful phase of our lives.

“There’s a 104 days of summer vacation and school comes along just to end it. So the annual problem for our generation is finding a good way to spend it. Like maybe…”

Phineas and Ferb

Summer vacation is a perfect opportunity to explore and develop your interests. With your months off school, you finally have the opportunity to do the things you wanted to do during the school year but just didn’t have the time. I used my summers well, and now I’m into my top colleges.

Interested in science after sophomore year, I spent my summer learning about stem cell research in a lab in the Texas Medical Center. I enjoyed it so much that the summer before my senior year, I went to Pittsburgh to partake in a cancer research internship. I learned so much about myself and the field of science during those two summers—I was able to see the difference between classroom science and real life science. In a classroom, all your experiments are set up to work—they’ve been done before. In the lab, however, you don’t know what your results are going to look like before you try an experiment. Through my summers I discovered the satisfaction of being able to turn a mystery into a known.

To plan your summer, I suggest you make a list of your interest and priorities. Are you interested in career exploration? Sports camps? Community Service? Animals? Learning a new language? Tutoring younger kids? Once you have that list, do some research online to find opportunities available in your area. You could also ask one of your teachers if they have any suggestions for opportunities. You could volunteer at the zoo, the hospital, or even your favorite museum! You could even do multiple things if time permits.

One thing that I learned early: a lot of these summer opportunities require applications and even teacher recommendations. Start these early! There are a vast number of applications that are due in February and March and some even work on a first come first serve basis—this is no time to procrastinate! These applications will determine how you spend 1-3 months of your life.

Using your summer months wisely could enhance or complement your school curriculum, as my science research complemented my biology and chemistry classes. Summer activities are a great way to learn more about yourself and your interests. What if you also did research in a lab one summer and hated it with a passion? Did you waste your time? Not at all — at least can you rule that career option out. But what if you campaigned for a candidate in a local election and realized you loved politics? All I can say is that the risk might be worth the reward.