High School Counselor Week Blog

Last week there was a report about how helpful guidance counselors were in the effort to guide students through the college admissions process. As you might imagine, the idea that school counselors are not viewed as particularly helpful in the process has set off a bit of a storm. Lynn O’Shaughnessy has basically argued that college admissions really is not part of what counselors are trained to do (never mind that they generally don’t have the resources either!). There is a post from Bob Bardwell in the NY Times Choice blog well worth reading on the subject, as well as some other postings. But be sure to read the comment sections of each, as they provide some interesting insights.

(Forgive me. Spring is coming which means readers of this blog will be subject to baseball analogies as the weather gets warmer. Get ready to step up to the plate.)
Looking for scholarships is always a daunting task, and almost everyone I talk with spends a lot of time searching for “The Big One – the Home Run”, the $10,000 scholarship, the “free ride”, or other quick solutions to paying for college. Those scholarships do exist, but they are few and far between, and your chances of getting one are slim, to say the least. But what about the smaller scholarships? I hear people all the time bemoaning the fact, “Those scholarships that are only worth $200…they’re really not worth it to apply.” Well, that’s certainly one approach. But consider another.

There are a couple of stories out there about plagiarism on personal statements and college essays. Check out the story in the latest Campus Technolgy. The problem appears to be wide spread, to say the least, at least according to the company that has developed the software to catch matching text.

“Plagiarism appears to be endemic in applications, according to a recently published study by plagiarism prevention vendor iParadigms. The company examined 453,000 applications submitted to institutions of higher ed that were provided by an application service used by those colleges and universities. It found that 44 percent of the personal statements contained matching text and that 36 percent contained significant matching text, suggesting, according to iParadigms, plagiarism, collusion, or the use of recycled or purchased documents.”

There is a lot of news today on how effective school counselors are when it comes to college admissions. High school guidance counselors get 'poor' score is the headline in today’s USA Today Education section. The statistics are alarming, “Sixty percent of young adults who pursued college say the advice they got from high school counselors was poor or fair at best, a survey shows.” It’s troubling, but not really surprising. Counselors are responsible not only for helping kids apply to college, but also for making sure the other kids are able to graduate, have the right courses, career options, counsel victims of bullying…the list goes on. In other words, high school counselors have a lot on their plates, never mind the fact that the ratio of counselors-to-students averages 1:265!

Spring is coming (we know this because it hasn’t snowed in DC in over a week). So what does that mean if you’re a high school junior? Well, a lot of things actually, but most importantly the end of high school is in sight. With the end in sight, the abstract notion of applying to college is becoming very real. One of the best ways to get started on the road ahead is to attend a college fair. There are many throughout the nation, and it a great way to kick start the process of finding the right school for you. Below is a brief video from the NACAC as to what to expect, and also a good article on what to do once you’re there. So get crack'n!

There is a post on the CBS MoneyWatch blog about 27 potential interview questions that Emma Williams College has posted. Knowing what potential questions might be asked always helps in the interview process. Beyond preparing for the interview, though, it is a good road map as to what colleges are looking for generally from their applicants. It does give you a bit of a map; i.e. read the paper, read books outside of school, know what you hope to get out of college. Before you get to any interview, you should spend a little time answering these questions. And for your own benefit, try answering these questions long before you apply to *any* college!

Sample Interview Questions
1. Why are you considering this college?
2. What makes you think that this college would be a good match?
3. Where else are you applying and why?
4. What do you hope to major in?

The early admissions have mostly been decided, and some students are even beginning to hear on their regular applications. There is no doubt that rejection is part of the whole college admission cycle. There is a very interesting article in Psychology Today on the very subject of college rejection. I find it fascinating. Obviously it’s very disappointing to be rejected from something you covet. But it goes much deeper than that. Children often feel that when they receive a college rejection, they have disappointed their parents or let them down. From the parents’ perspective, they often feel they have failed their child somehow. They come back to asking “what might we have done differently?” More help? More tutoring? Less involvement? A rejection hits from all sorts of angles…all sorts of deep feelings. It makes sense, I suppose. As a parent the college application of your child is, in a way, your final grade as the parent of a teenager. Of course you take that rejection very personally. But in most cases it’s not personal. It really is just a numbers game: too many applicants for a limited number of seats.
The Psychology Today article has some good advice on dealing with the rejection. For example, accept that rejection hurts; understand what it really means; and learn how to move on.
There also is a good piece from NPR on rejection. (Don’t take it personally.)

When deciding how to help improve your test scores, you may turn to all sorts of advice, courses, and consultants. But before starting to prep, you should really spend a little time deciding which test is best for you. There are two main college admission exams, the ACT and the SAT. Both the ACT and SAT are universally accepted by any college you may wish to apply. So what’s the difference? The difference is actually important and can be significant depending on what kind student you are. Lynn O’Shaughnessy of CBS News MarketWatch has an excellent post on the subject. It’s interesting. Here are some of the quick findings. If you’re a fast reader, the ACT might be better for you. If you pride yourself on a large vocabulary, then maybe you’ll do better with the SAT. Are you good at puzzles? SAT. Good memory?

There is an interesting article in the New York Times today about a college night at a local High School. Basically the story is about alumni returning to their old high school to share what they learned about the college search process now that they are on the other side. It’s a good article with some nice tips: Start early. That particular tip keeps coming up. Another thing mentioned by a lot of the alumni was the importance of the college visit and interviews. Several recommended spending an overnight at the school before you decide to attend. In general, they were optimistic that there was a good fit for everyone. The best piece of advice I gleaned from the article is that if you have a chance to attend one of the back to school nights, by all means go.

There is a story in the Boston Globe this past weekend about Tufts University admissions. Tufts is the first “elite” college to actively seek applicants to include a 1 minute video as part of their application. In the world of Facebook and Youtube, it something most high school students have little trouble accomplishing. It’s an interesting article that you can read below.

The thing I find most interesting is that all these videos are available for public viewing. As with most things on the internet (including this blog), there is a comment section. Although Tufts states that the comments do not influence their decision, it makes you kind of wonder. Reading the article and viewing the comments has the definite feel of a talent show. Now, I admit a great video probably cannot make up for poor SATs, but you have to believe that a popular video has to have some influence. Take a look at the video’s below, and don’t forget to vote for your favorite. Who knows? Maybe you can help with someone’s application.