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Getting On Top of the College Application Game Early

By Marjorie on July 29, 2010

July 30, 2010

Every year approximately 2 ½ million students apply to college. In some instances, students apply only to local state colleges and universities. However, more and more apply to a wide array of colleges, public and private, as well as close and far away from home. The process is demanding, complex, and stressful. However, there are some things you can do early on to make the job easier and also end up with unique, better-than-the competition’s applications.

1. START EARLY

Procrastination is a deadly trap for students involved with the college application process. Dragging your feet about completing applications often results in a rush at the end and a less than credible job. Particularly if you plan to apply Early Action (a non-binding program where students apply by November 1 and receive their answers by the middle of December) or Early Decision (A binding contract application where you apply by the first of November and hear back by the middle of December. If you are accepted, you must say yes or no in a short amount of time. If you apply Early, you must start completing the application in September or at the latest early October in order to have a competitive application. Even if you apply Regular Decision, it’s useful to complete all of your applications before Christmas vacation, regardless of when their due dates are. It’s no fun to spend the end of December working on college applications. And as the saying goes, “the early bird gets the worm.” What’s most important is that your applications be a little different and a little better than the other students’ applications.

2. COMPLETE YOUR COLLEGE LIST

If you haven’t put together a college list, do it before school starts in the fall. You need to find colleges that fit you as a person and match your academic background. Your list should contain Reaches, Good Chances and Pretty Sure Things (Safety’s) based on how your grades and test scores compare to previously accepted students. The latter information is available in the U.S. News & World Report America’s Best Colleges, as well as in the admissions section of individual college websites.

3. NAIL DOWN YOUR RECOMMENDERS

Lots of students ask your high school teachers and college counselor to write letters of recommendation. Keep in mind that the later you ask them to do this, the less likely they are to write powerful, focused letters that will make a difference in your admissions. If you didn’t ask them at the end of your junior year, then ask immediately the first week of school in the fall.

4. MAKE SURE YOUR TESTING IS DONE AND SCORES ARE SENT

It’s better if you can get your standardized testing completed before the end of your junior year. If you don’t, don’t worry. You still have September, October, November and December of your senior year to take the ACT/SAT or Subject Tests unless you are apply Early Action or Decision (in which case you need to have the tests completed in October). After you complete the testing, make sure that your test scores are sent to each of the colleges to which you are applying. There are always mix-ups at the testing agencies, Internet glitches, Post Office mishaps and even lost materials at the colleges. So after you turn in your applications, contact the different admissions offices to make sure they have received your test scores (and while you’re at it, make sure they have everything else required of their application).

5. COMPLETE THE COMMON APPLICATION EARLIER RATHER THAN LATER

While there are lots of universities who still have their own applications such as USC, Georgetown, and most of the large public universities, over 400 four-year colleges and universities (and even a few public institutions) now accept The Common Application. In addition to the application itself, many schools also have supplemental applications that you must complete. My rule of thumb is to get at least one application completed during the summer before your senior year. You have no idea what a relief that is. And if you have schools on your list that are Common Application colleges, start with one of them. After you complete one, all of the other Common App school applications will be a piece of cake.

So, while getting through the college application process can be challenging, there are ways of making it easier on you, family, teachers, and high school counselor. Follow the suggestions above, and you should be just fine.

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Posted in College Admissions, College Applications, College List, Common Application, Counselor and Teacher Relationships, Early Application, Letters of Recommendation, Picking Classes, Standardized Test and Test Prep | Leave a response

Five Steps to Getting Great Letters of Recommendation

By Marjorie on July 29, 2010

July 29, 2010

Letters of recommendations from high school teachers and counselors play an important role in helping college admissions officers decide whether a student gets admitted. Many colleges require two letters of recommendation, often called Teacher Evaluation forms. Most applications also ask for a letter of recommendation called a School Report from a student’s high school college counselor. Given that there are usually more qualified applicants than there are slots for next year’s freshman class, having teachers and counselors sing your praises can make the difference between getting rejected or waitlisted and getting onto a college’s acceptance list.

There are five things you can do to increase your chances of getting great letters of recommendation:

1. CAREFULLY CHOOSE YOUR RECOMMENDERS

First of all, generate a list of potential teachers that you might ask to write recommendations. Start off with teachers in whose classes you’ve performed well, getting at least an B or B+, but preferably an A. Also add the names of teachers with whom you’ve developed a personal relationship. To decide which teachers to ask, assign each teacher on your list a score from 1 to 10 (1 = not good letter, and 10 = the best possible letter). After you’ve given each name a number, go back and circle the two teachers with the highest numbers. These are the people you should ask. Who you choose to complete the School Report is simple: Your assigned college counselor. It’s very important that you communicate well and often with this person. Of all the high school professionals college admissions officer consult with about students, the college counselor is the one they talk to the most.

2. START EARLY

Whatever you do, don’t go waltzing into your college counselor’s office or teachers’ classrooms on December 1^st, asking them to write your letters of recommendation! At that late date, what kind of job do you think they will do? Ideally, students should ask their teachers about recommendations before school ends their junior year. If you haven’t done the asking then, be sure to see them sometime during on the first week of school in the fall. Don’t send teachers an email or text message; go meet them face-to-face and politely ask about completing the Teacher Evaluation forms.

3. MAKE IT EASY FOR THEM

Letters of recommendation should provide college admissions people with information about what kind of student you are, and also what kind of person you are. Help your recommenders with their jobs by providing an Activities Resume, a summary of everything you’ve done, accomplished, or achieved as a freshman, sophomore and junior in and outside of school. Take a few minutes and go over the resume with them so that you can answer any questions they may have. The more helpful you are and the more comprehensive the information is, the better their letters will be. Your attitude toward them should be, “I want to make your job of writing recommendations for me as easy as I can.”

4. FOLLOW UP

Yes, teachers and counselors can get behind and even forget to write recommendations. Remember, you are one of many students with whom they are working. To help them keep on time, provide a list of your colleges and the dates when the applications are due. Cycle back to the recommenders a few weeks after you have made your recommendation request to “see how it’s going.” This is a gentle way of nudging them. Right before the application materials are due, make a final stop by a recommender’s office to make sure that a recommendation is done and gone.

5. SAY THANK YOU

You may not realize this, but teachers don’t have to write recommendation letters. It’s something that they do as a special favor. Therefore, you need to thank them for their efforts, and do it more than once. While high school counselors are expected to complete School Reports as a part of their job, it’s still very important for you to say thank you to them. This is more than just being polite; it’s the right thing to do. And you never know when you might need to come back to a recommender for some kind of follow-up letter. For example, if you get waitlisted at one of your favorite colleges and want to get off the waitlist, a counselor or teacher follow-up phone call or letter might just do the trick.

Remember, every other senior who is applying to a four-year college is also in the process of asking for letters of recommendation. By following the five program steps above, you can make it easier on the recommenders and yourself.

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Wowing College Admissions Officers

By Marjorie on July 27, 2010

July 27, 2010

Having spoken to dozens of college admissions officers over the years, I have come to the conclusion that after looking at thousands of applications, even outstanding applicants begin to look alike to them. Particularly at highly selective colleges, admissions officers routinely look to stellar test scores and impressive GPA’s. It goes without saying that students must have certain levels of achievement to be considered for admission even at less selective colleges. In most instances, there are many more qualified applicants than there are admissions spaces at colleges, so admissions officers go beyond grades and test scores.

WHAT DO COLLEGE ADMISSIONS OFFICERS LOOK FOR?

What do they look for after that? Personal characteristics; that is, who you are, what you have done and what makes you special. Some colleges are known for looking to applicants who are a little bit “quirky;” for example, an applicant who has spent his last two summers in an Indian city tutoring poverty stricken students and living in an ashram, or someone who plays an unusual musical instrument and has gained notoriety or a student who began collecting and breeding snakes when he was ten years old. No matter what you have done, admission officers want to know who you are as a person, what makes you tick and how you are different in a positive way from other students.

THE MOST USEFUL ADMISSIONS TOOL

Before you let colleges know about you, you have know something about yourself. Probably the best way of doing that is to prepare an activities resume, a 1-4 page written picture of who you are academically and otherwise. A good resume identifies extra curricular activities such as sports, community service, what special interests and talents you possess and act on regularly, leadership and/or student government positions, work experiences and the like. It should also list any honors and awards in those areas.

Putting together an activities resume allows you to get to know yourself and also gives you ideas for what you will write about as you answer application essays. Essays should help application readers “get who you are.”

A RESUME IS NOT BRAGGING

Some students worry that including a resume with their applications they may be seen as “bragging.” That’s not at all the case. The facts of who you are and what you do speak for themselves. If, for example, you have spent four summers taking immersion classes in Mexico and are now fluent in Spanish–that’s a fact, not bragging. If you have been drawing since you were two years old and as your skills have progressed, you have entered and won assorted art contests–those are facts, not bragging. By not letting admissions people know what you have done, they have no way of knowing how unique and/or accomplished you are.

IT’S THE QUALITY, NOT THE NUMBER, OF ACTIVITIES THAT COUNTS

Just in case you don’t know, colleges are not as impressed by the number of activities in which you have been involved in and outside of school as they are by the focus, accomplishment, and consistency you display. Lettering in two sports for four years is much more impressive then having played 4 sports, but only one per year. A community service project where you were initially one of dozens of volunteers, but three years later direct the program means more than lots of unrelated activities.

If you want to catch a college admissions officers’ eyes, let them know who you are and what you’ve done. Let them taste your energy, involvement and excitement. An activities resume is one of the best ways of doing that.

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The Five Biggest Mistakes Students Make When Choosing Colleges to Which to Apply

By Marjorie on July 27, 2010

July 27, 2010

The Five Biggest Mistakes Students Make

When Choosing Colleges to Which to Apply

Okay, you’re a senior and getting ready to apply to colleges, but the question is which colleges? Some students begin thinking about colleges their sophomore year, but most students avoid the topic until the last minute. Remember, it’s never too late to come up with a good college list.

Unless you’re a glutton for punishment, you’ll probably apply to no more than 10 or 12 colleges. How are you going to come up with that list? Which colleges fit you are as a person and student? How do you avoid the five biggest mistakes students make in choosing colleges? Here they are:

1) Not doing any research on yourself

The place to start a college search process is determining who you are and what you need in a college. What kind of college do you want to attend? Big, medium-sized or small? Is it important for you to be in a particular kind of setting, e.g., in a city, college town or rural area? Do you want to be in an academically demanding environment and one that’s laid-back? What kind of students do you want to be with? People like you or a very diverse group, including international students?

2) Not doing research about colleges

So how do you get quality information about colleges? There are a number of ways. First, there are the excellent college guidebooks such as The Fiske Guide to Colleges, The Insider’s Guide to the Colleges and Colleges That Change Lives that provide information about colleges from a student’s perspective. You might also talk to people you trust–parents, your counselor, teachers, and students from your high school who are now at different colleges–about which colleges they recommend. Attending different college fairs where admissions representatives come to talk about their colleges is a particularly good source. And, of course, there are online resources such as the Internet college searches. From your research, come up with a list; check out what the GPA and test scores stats are for the colleges and how they match yours.

3) Being too scared to take a chance

Sometimes students underestimate their chances for college acceptance, particularly if they have a learning disability. Know that colleges are very sympathetic to students who have learning issues and often are forgiving of less than stellar grades and test scores. Students who are gifted athletes and/or have special talents sometimes don’t realize how interested colleges might be in them. Be smart in putting together your college list by applying to an equal number of Reach schools (where you have a 25% chance of being accepted), Good Chance schools (where you have a 50% or better chance of being accepted) and Pretty Sure thing schools (where you have a 75% or better chance of getting in). A good college list includes a range of college choices, but every one should be a school that you would like to attend. Finally, some students are afraid to be away from their friends, family or even their hometown. Most students usually go through some form of homesickness during their freshman year. The better you do your homework about colleges, the less chance there is of homesickness being a real issue.

4) Being arrogant

Some students who have stellar academic records and strong test scores confine themselves to applying to a handful of the most selective colleges. They leave Good Chance and Pretty Sure Thing schools off their lists. This is a big mistake and a kind of admissions arrogance or naïveté. There are plenty of documented cases where 4.5 GPA/2340 test score applicants are turned down by colleges. Colleges and universities are very idiosyncratic in terms of whom they choose. Therefore, it’s really important that you select a series of schools that offer the characteristics you want, including some that may not be highly selective. The worse outcome is to wind up not being accepted to any of the colleges that you applied to because all of them were Reaches. With careful planning, that doesn’t need to happen.

5) Being too Lazy

Applying to colleges these days is not easy. It takes a good deal of research to determine how your personal characteristics and individual colleges match. After you have a good college list, you need to spend time completing the applications in a way that maximizes your opportunities. Keep in mind that college applications that are a little better and a little different than the competition’s are the ones that end up being the most successful.

Finding which colleges to apply to can seem like an overwhelming task. By avoiding the five biggest mistakes you can increase the chances of having many colleges accept you.

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Soon-To-Be Senior To Do List Before School Starts

By Marjorie on July 22, 2010

July 22, 2010

Hope you’re having a great summer! To stay on top of the admissions process, here are some things for you to do.

SENIORS

COLLEGE LIST

• Continue updating your college list and researching colleges. Before schools starts, the list should be final.

• Begin making plans for college interviews during late summer and fall. Identify dates; call for appointments; research travel arrangements.

APPLICATION FILING SYSTEM

• Now is the time to buy a file box, put together your admissions application filing system, and gather/purchase all the materials you need to complete the applications. My list for what your system should contain is attached.

COMMON APPLICATION

• The new Common Application becomes available on August 1; however, some of the college Supplements may come up later. You can access the Common App at https://www.commonapp.org/CommonApp/default.aspx

ACTIVITIES RESUME

If you haven’t already:

• Complete your activities resume; email it to me for suggestions and edits. A resume is a critical part of the admissions process. At the very least, it will be invaluable to you as you choose activities on the application grids.

• Most importantly, a resume will help you define who you are, something that colleges really want to know.

• It will also help you to come up with topics to answer the application essays.

ESSAY WRITING

• For any student, but especially those who are in a fall sport, the summer is the best time to write your short, long and “anything else you want us to know” Common Application essays.

STUDENTS WITH SPECIAL BACKGROUNDS

• Art and performing art students should look into the 2010 Performing & Visual Arts Fairs to be held during the fall. You can see when and where the fairs will be held at:

http://www.nacacnet.org/EventsTraining/CollegeFairs/pva/Pages/pvaschedule.aspx

• Students with learning disabilities should make sure that their testing is up-to-date (no more than three years before your applications are filed). If it isn’t up-to-date, then this summer is the best time to get it taken care of. Also, ask the test psychologist to write a letter summarizing the test results and send it to each college.

CHECKLISTS, GRIDS AND FORMS

For your convenience, the following useful Checklists, Grids, Forms and such available in the Checklists section of this website.

1. ACTIVITIES RESUME

+ Model Activities Resume

http://admissionpossible.com/checklists/modelactesume.pdf

+ Sample Activities Resume

http://admissionpossible.com/checklists/sampleactresume.pdf

2. APPLICATIONS CHECKLISTS

+ Master Admissions Checklist

http://admissionpossible.com/checklists/masteradmichecklist.pdf

+ Individual Application Checklist

http://admissionpossible.com/checklists/indappchecklist.pdf

+ Application Due Dates Grid

http://admissionpossible.com/checklists/appduedates.pdf

+ Information You Need Before Filling Out Applications

http://admissionpossible.com/checklists/infoforapps.pdf

+ Materials To Gather Before Completing Applications

http://admissionpossible.com/checklists/materialforapps.pdf

3. APPLICATION ESSAY GRID

+ Master Essay Question Grid

http://admissionpossible.com/checklists/essaygrid.pdf

4. LETTER OF RECOMMENDATION PACKAGES

+ What To Provide High School Counselors

http://admissionpossible.com/checklists/providecounselor.pdf

+ What To Provide Teachers

http://admissionpossible.com/checklists/provideteachers.pdf

+ What To Provide Other Recommenders

http://admissionpossible.com/checklists/provideothers.pdf

+ Sample College List for Counselor, Teachers and Other Recommenders

http://admissionpossible.com/checklists/samplecollegelist.pdf

+ Cover Sheets for Recommenders

Counselor:

http://admissionpossible.com/checklists/coversheet.pdf

Teachers:

http://admissionpossible.com/checklists/coversheetteacher.pdf

Other Recommenders:

http://admissionpossible.com/checklists/coversheetothers.pdf

5. COLLEGE VISITS

+ Questions To Ask Current Students

http://admissionpossible.com/checklists/questionsforstudents.pdf

6. INTERVIEW APPOINTMENT CHECKLISTS

+ Making An Admissions Interview Appointment Form

http://admissionpossible.com/checklists/interviewappt.pdf

+ College Interview Cheat Sheet

http://admissionpossible.com/checklists/cheatsheet.pdf

+ Sample Questions That Interviewers Often Ask

http://admissionpossible.com/checklists/interviewquest.pdf

+ Sample Questions To Ask Interviewers

http://admissionpossible.com/checklists/questionsforinter.pdf

+ Sample Thank You Note To Interviewer

http://admissionpossible.com/checklists/thankyou.pdf

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Posted in Activities Resume, Admission Essays, Check List, College Admissions, College Applications, College Interviews, College Selection, Counselor and Teacher Relationships, To Do Lists, Uncategorized | Leave a response

Colleges and Universities Offering Spring Term Admission

By Marjorie on July 16, 2010

July 16, 2010

Every once in awhile, a student wants to begin college second, rather than first, semester of their presumed freshman year. According to a survey conducted by The Common Application, here is a list of colleges that allows undergraduate applicants to choose January (or spring Semester) as an entry term.

American University

The American University of Rome

Bennington College

Boston College

Bryant University

Caldwell College

Clark University

Connecticut College

Dean College

Fashion Institute of Technology

Franklin Pierce University

Goucher College

Green Mountain College

La Roche College

Loyola Marymount University

Marlboro College

New York Institute of Technology

Roosevelt University

St. Edward’s University

St. John’s College, Santa Fe

St. Lawrence University

St. Thomas Aquinas College

Simon’s Rock

Sterling College

University of Iowa

University of Kansas

University of Miami (FL)

Westminster College (UT)

Willamette University

Whitman College

Since the number of admits is likely to be small and some programs at different colleges are closed for this practice, check individual admissions websites and/or call the colleges to see what their respective policies are.

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2010-11 Admission Test Dates for SAT and Subject Tests, ACT and AP Tests

By Marjorie on June 17, 2010

June 17, 2010

Now that the 2009-2010 school year has come and gone, I thought students and parents might find it useful to look ahead to the test dates for the I. SAT and Subject Tests, II. the ACT and III. AP tests for 2010-11. Here they are:

COLLEGE BOARD TEST DATES

Date of test Last day to register

October 9, 2010

November 6, 2010

December 4, 2010

January 22, 2011

March 12, 2011

May 7, 2011

June 4, 2011

September 10

October 8

November 5

December 23, 2010

February 11

April 8

May 6

Here is the College Board URL through which you can register for either the SAT or Subject Tests.

The only date students can take the Language with listening Subject Tests is November 5. Either the SAT or Subject Tests can be taken on any of the above dates, except March 12, 2011 when only the SAT can be taken.

http://professionals.collegeboard.com/testing/sat-reasoning/register/test-dates

ACT TEST DATES

Date of test Last day to register

September 11, 2010

October 23, 2010

December 11, 2010

February 12, 2011

April 9, 2011

June 11, 2011

August 6

September 17

November 5

January 7, 2011

March 4

May 6

Here is the ACT URL through which you can register for either the SAT or Subject Tests.

http://www.actstudent.org/regist/index.html

REMEMBER: Colleges accept equally either the SAT or the ACT with Writing

AP TEST DATES

Date of test 8 a.m. test 12 noon test 2 p.m. test

Week 1 May 2, 2011	Chemistry or Environmental Science	Psychology
May 3	Computer Science A or Spanish Language	Art History
May 4	Calculus AB or Calculus BC	Chinese Language and Culture
May 5	English Literature and Composition	Japanese Language and Culture or Latin: Vergil
May 6	German Language or United States History	European History
Week 2 May 9	Biology or Music Theory	Physics B or Physics C: Mechanics	Physics C: Electricity and Magnetism
May 10	U.S. Government and Politics	Comparative Government and Politics or French Language
May 11	English Language and Composition	Statistics
May 12	Macroeconomics or World History	Microeconomics
May 13	Human Geography or Spanish Literature

Ask your school AP Coordinator where to report for the AP exams.

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Who Are You? The Most Important Question in College Admissions!

By Marjorie on May 31, 2010

May 30, 2010

When I start working with students in the college admissions process, at the very first meeting I ask parents to identify a series of nouns, adjectives, adjective phrases, or even little stories (just positive ones please!) that will help me know who their son or daughter is. Very purposely, I don’t ask students for their contributions, because most kids don’t want to have anything to do with blowing their own horns.

MESSAGES YOU WANT COLLEGES TO GET ABOUT YOU
What I tell the family is that this exercise is just the beginning of the process to help their student come up with “messages” that he or she wants colleges to get about him or her. Clear, sharp images should leap out as the student completes applications, writes essays and goes through interviews.

Usually, one parent takes the lead, shouting out a rapid-fire list of words. A father might say of his son, “Brilliant, tough as nails in sports, hard-working, and a team player.” Then the other parent chimes in with his or her chosen adjectives. A mother might say, “Caring, respectful, everybody loves him, a wonderful son.” Yes, mothers and dads often have quite different things to say about their kids. All the while, I’m writing down what they say, sometimes asking for clarification or elaboration. If a parent gets stuck, I will say, “What has your son (or daughter) been like since he (she) was a little boy (girl)?” That usually brings forth a whole new set of fresh descriptions.

Recently, a number of parents have asked me to provide them with a list of words that will help them jump start their message list process. Here is a list of 140 words and adjective phrases that I have collected over a number of years:

140 GREAT WORDS AND ADJECTIVE PHRASES TO DESCRIBE WHO YOU ARE
A: Academic, an acquirer of knowledge, adaptable, adventurous, affected by the plight of others, analytical, animal-lover, animated, articulate, artistic, assertive, athletic B: Balanced, bright, brilliant, has a good business sense C: Can do anything, caring, good with children, the class clown, devoted to community service, compassionate, competent, concerned about others, confident, conscientious, considerate, courageous, creative, curious D: Deep, dependable, detail-oriented, determined, disciplined, down-to-earth, people are drawn to her, driven E: Good with the elderly, empathetic, enthusiastic, ethical, exceptional F. Fitness-oriented, flexible, focused, a foodie, doesn’t suffer fools, friendly, fun (or funny) G: Generous, genuine, never gives up, goes beyond what is expected, good natured, grounded H: Happy, hard-working, health-oriented, helpful, honest, humble, good sense of humor I: Imaginative, independent, inspirational, great intellect, intelligent, involved J: Joyful K: Kind L: A leader, a fast learner, logical, loyal friend M: Mature, mechanical (can fix anything), encyclopedic memory, modest, moral, motivated, multi-cultural, multi-lingual, musical N: Nice O: An “old soul,” one of a kind, opinion maker, optimistic, organized, original, outdoorsy, outgoing, his or her own person P: Passionate, patient, persistent, poised, polite, popular, positive, a problem solver Q: Very quick, quietly confident, a quiet leader R: A reader, refreshing, reliable, a researcher, resilient, resourceful, respected, respectful S: Scholarly, self-directed, self-motivated, self-starter, sensitive, science-oriented, sincere, sparkling, spiritual, a sponge for ideas, stands out from the crowd, studious, superb, supportive of others T: Talented, has good taste, team-player, a techy, loves to travel and explore, trustworthy U: Unique, unpretentious, upfront W: Willing to step up, acerbic wit, work until you die kind of person, a beautiful writer
If you are a parent (or student), take a look at the words above and circle any that apply to your child (or you). If other words or adjective phrases pop into your head, add them to the list. If you end up with more than 20-25 adjectives, you should probably go back and select no more than 15 or so to hone in on.

MANY USES FOR WORD DESCRIPTIONS
There are many uses for word descriptions. For example, the USC application usually asks for “…three words that describe you.” Last year’s Stanford application asked, “What five words best describe you?” And as noted above, as applicants decide what they are going to say on the applications–especially in the essays–it’s useful to keep in mind what you want the colleges to “get” about you as they read your words.

Some counselors and teachers like to receive lists of words that describe student applicants to help them know what to say in their respective School Reports and Teacher Evaluation Forms/Letters of Recommendation.

Finally, based on my many years of writing about confidence and competence, I also tell students that knowing who you are is a first step in becoming a confident, effective adult person.

If you have some good words to add to my adjective list you want to share with others, send them along to my Twitter or Facebook pages.! I’ll be sure to keep a running list on the website.

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Soon-To-Be-College Freshmen: How To Make Your First Semester at College a Success

By Marjorie on May 4, 2010

May 4, 2010

You’ve already faced one of life’s biggest challenges: getting into college. You did it! The next challenge is to take full advantage of everything your college has to offer, get good grades, all the while having a great time. As someone who worked on the Stanford University Dean of Student’s staff (and was in charge of a dorm with many freshmen), I have some personal advice about making your first semester the beginning of four of the best years of your life. In a nutshell, my advice is to START STRONG.

I. ARRIVE ON CAMPUS AS EARLY AS YOU CAN

Sometime during the summer, colleges usually notify freshman students when in the fall they can move into their residence halls or other housing. There are so many reasons why you should move in as soon as the doors open. To begin with, in order to feel comfortable in your new space, you need to get unpacked and that’s going to take a little while. No doubt, there will be some things you have forgotten to bring and the best time to go shopping is when Mom and/or Dad are still around and before school starts. You also need to meet your roommate/s and figure out how you-all are going to share the space.

Once your gear is unpacked, the room is arranged and settled, it’s time to explore the campus and figure out where everything is, including the libraries, the gym and workout spaces, the student union (and other places where students gather) and best places to study.

II. CAREFULLY CHOOSE YOUR CLASSES

To make your first semester a success:

+ Sign up for the minimum number of classes (usually 12 units).

There’s going to be plenty of time for you to take all of the classes you need. Don’t fall into the trap of thinking you need to prove your academic prowess by taking a much larger than average number of classes. Also, don’t get into the game that some students fall into of bragging about how tough a schedule you’re taking on (“I’m taking 20 units, how about you?”) It’s important that you give yourself time to adapt to college life, including managing your schoolwork, activities and all the myriad of other things that a college has to entice you.

+ Choose classes that you know you will do well in.

In other words, based on your experience in high school, sign up for courses in which you can get A’s, regardless of the content. Are you good at English, love history and have spent time as a Madrigal singer? Sign up for classes in those areas. Don’t fall into the trap of taking the hardest math, science, or whatever classes available to show other students how smart you are. Frankly, no one is going to care, and you might just get yourself into academic trouble. You don’t want to do that.

Ask upperclassmen who the good professors are. See if there is a college website that offers teacher evaluations. And for sure, don’t sign up with a professor who gets bad reviews. Unlike high school, you can be picky about which courses and professors you choose.

+ Once you have your class schedule, get a campus map and go to each of the buildings where your classes will be held.

If a classroom is open, go in, look around and decide where you want to sit. All of this pre-work means that on the first day of classes when everybody else is scrambling, you will know where you’re going, where you want to sit and feel much less anxious than most other new students.

III. PREPARE FOR CLASSES

There are some very simple things you can do to get ahead of the game for your classes.

+ Get to the bookstore early and purchase all the books for each of your classes.

Did you know that sometimes campus bookstores run out of required books, and it can take weeks to order them. That’s not something you will want to deal with during your first semester. And if you’re looking for used texts, often they’re the ones that get bought first. You know the saying, “The early bird gets the worm?” At colleges, the worm is textbooks.

And while you’re at the bookstore, get all of the other supplies you need for taking notes and keeping organized.

+ Buy a wall calendar with an erasable pen to keep track of everything. While many students keep track of things on their IPhones and other hand-helds, there is nothing like having a big calendar on your dorm wall to helps you see when assignments and papers are due, when mid- terms and finals are, and when special events and games are coming up. Once everything is up on a wall, with a quick scan you can see that the third week in October is going to be a killer because you’ve got two papers due, as well as two midterms. Visually seeing what’s happening allows you to plan and prepare.

+ Ace the First Test

There’s an old saying that you never have a second chance to make a first impression. So to make a good impression in every class, what you want to do is to get an A on your first test. The stronger you are at the beginning, the more likely the professor will see you as a strong student throughout the class.

IV. IF YOU HAVE PROBLEMS WITH A CLASS, GET HELP RIGHT AWAY

And if by some chance you should get into a class that gives you trouble, immediately see the professor to get some help. You might also look into getting a tutor. Just so you know, getting help is not a sign of weakness, but rather a sign of maturity. At one time or another, even the smartest students ask for help in something.

If you get excellent grades first semester, your reputation as a good student will follow you. Special internships and honors programs might open up, jobs will be easier to get, scholarships may become available, and you’ll go to the top of the Study Abroad list. And, if for some reason you’re not happy with the college, having top grades will make it so much easier to transfer to another college.

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