7 Smart Steps For Rising Seniors to Take This Summer

 Seven Smart Steps for Rising Seniors to Take This Summer

We know many of you would rather be tanning on the beach, hiking in the mountains, or even working that seasonal job, than to be doing anything related to school this summer.  But if college is a dream for you, taking these seven steps right now can make that dream come true.

1)  Create a "resume". Start by writing  a list of all your activities, accomplishments and awards since 8th grade.  Right now, organizing it isn't important.  Just be sure to include any talents, sports, teams, hobbies, volunteer work, clubs, classes or projects which you enjoyed and spent time and effort on.

2) Organize the above list by category.  Look for a pattern in your interests and activities.  These are your passions.  Passion is what college admissions reps want to see.  Focus on digging deeper into these this summer and  taking a leadership role if possible.

3) With your "resume" as a guide, explore possible majors and careers.  Your high school website counseling page may have Naviance or a similar template where you can do this.  Another good resource is the US Bureau of Labor Occupational Outlook Handbook. 

4)  Now create a personality profile.  Where do you thrive academically?  Where is your happy place?  What are your values and your politics?  Is your religion a central part of you? Will you want to attend a big, busy university in a big city?  A small, cozy college in a small town?  How do you feel about living with your parents and commuting to college?  Being a two hour's drive away?  Coming home only during your winter and summer breaks?  Are you interested in study abroad, internships, research, Greek life? Do you want to be near a beach?  How do you feel about snow?

5) Now that you've completed 1-4, you're ready to research colleges.  You need to think beyond and outside of the state colleges and universities where "all your friends" are going. A great place to start is  College Board. The site offers filters so you can narrow your search to the factors most important to you. Aim for a list of a dozen colleges and universities, both in and out of state, public and private.

6) Visit the website of each college on your list.  Look at the net cost calculator, clubs and activities, and majors offered.  Check the admissions deadlines and create a calendar to budget your time.

7) Think about how much help and advice you need and want with your college research, applications and essays.  Sources of help include the college admissions offices, your high school counselor, your parents, friends, college websites and college fairs. Professional help from an independent college consultant such as Wise Ambitions College Consulting is also an option. Look for someone who has received a certificate in college counseling or consulting and is a member of IECA, HECA, or NACAC.  Contact members in your area and set up an initial consultation to see if they can help.
Most of all, be smart and take these seven steps now, when you have the time, and avoid feeling the fall crunch of too much to do!

Waiting for The Middle Class Scholarship

Earlier this year, my first year as an independent educational consultant, I excitedly explained to my clients who made less than $150,000 a year that they could expect to receive the "Middle Class Scholarship".  Funded by the state of California, via the California Student Aid Commission, this scholarship started with the 2014-15 freshman college class and the total award possible increases in amount over the next three years, up to a total of 40% of tuition and fees paid.  It is available to students accepting admission at either of California's two public higher ed systems, the University of California and the California State University systems.
Little did I know that unlike ALL other financial aid offers, the best offer my clients would receive from the UCs and CSUs would be an "unofficial" estimate and the worst, no mention of the scholarship at all.  Even within the same system, college campuses differed on how they presented the Middle Class Scholarship offer. UC San Diego called it a "scholarship", and UC Santa Barbara referred to it as "an Unofficial Estimate of Aid".  Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, a California State University, didn't mention it at all, and simply offered my client $25,000 worth of Federal Direct student and Parent Plus loans. Wow.
A review of the website of the California Student Aid Commission didn't do much to clarify things, other than to imply that most of the aid won't be officially offered until September or October, at which point, of course, students will already be attending college. Basically, students are being asked to accept their admissions offers to the UC or CSU college and then trust that the Middle Class Scholarship will be there for them after they've already paid for their first quarter.
This goes against full disclosure and the rules of the game all other colleges must follow; notifying students of admissions decisions AND financial aid no later than May 1.
Here is a link to the California Student Aid Commission's info relating to the Middle Class Scholarship http://www.csac.ca.gov/mcs.asp and a link to their most "recent update" dated a year ago:
http://www.csac.ca.gov/secured/specialalerts/2014/GSA%202014-07.pdf

As to FAQs, the site states: (italics are mine)

1. If you are selected to receive a MCS:If you are selected to receive a MCS, you will be notified by the Commission.(don't call us, we'll call you)

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2. Need more information about this scholarship?: (like, how much will I receive and when will I receive it???? ) Contact your UC or CSU campus Financial Aid Office or check the California Student Aid Commission’s website for updates.(most recent update, March 2014.)

My FAQ?  Why did I expect that this would go smoothly?  Sigh.  Newbie.

When Your Dream College Says No

Seniors, in just 10 more days you will have received all your college decisions - accepted, denied and/or waitlisted. What if you're denied to the colleges you mentally and emotionally placed at the top of your list? It hurts. Grieve. Then, resolve that it is their loss. You were accepted to other colleges, and they were also on your list, and for good reasons. Examine their offers closely. Revisit their campuses. Being denied admission may have kept you from a bad situation of being in over your head academically, struggling to maintain a C average. Embrace the colleges that are eager to have you. You will do well there.

Testing 5-year-olds

At a public elementary school in California, teachers are asked to sit  their kindergarteners down at a computer to answer questions on a standardized test to assess their academic growth.  Five-year-olds.

And the standardized testing frenzy never lets up from then on.  In high school, students not only have to take their CAHSEE to get out of high school, but their SAT or ACT to get in to college.

According to a power point from CSU Los Angeles, standardized testing “began in the United States in the early 1900s to determine one's individual intelligence quotient” and was used during WWI because “the Army needed a method to determine which soldiers were “Officer Material.”  Then the No Child Left Behind Act came along and, well, you know the rest.

Testing individual students makes sense if there is probable cause…a suspected learning disability, perhaps, or history of developmental delays or neurological problems.  But that isn’t how it works.  Every single student is tested, regardless of their age, effort, grades or native language.  And as teachers, we are asked to not divulge that parents may request a waiver excusing students from standardized tests.

Does standardized testing work as an evaluative tool of teacher effectiveness?  No more so than judging the effectiveness of a postal worker based on whether the bills he delivers actually get paid, or critiquing a doctor based on the number of miles his patients walk per week.  You can’t hold someone accountable for variables beyond their control.

In what other publicly funded government institution is annual testing mandatory for citizens?  Are Amtrak passengers required to submit to a yearly test on their ability to read a train schedule?  Do California sea lions have to jump through hoops for the Marine Mammal Commission?  Does the USDA Rural Development agency ask housing recipients to undergo annual inspections to be sure they have vacuumed and dusted adequately?

All this standardized testing leaves our children with the impression that no matter what they do, they will always be judged, and that their worth is measured by how far above the 50^th percentile a test reports them to be.  Average isn’t good enough, and any talent that can’t be measured by a standardized test must not be very important. 

COLLEGE APPLICATIONS SUBMITTED? HERE ARE YOUR NEXT STEPS!

1) Check your email daily.  Colleges will communicate with you through email with any questions they have about your application, reminders about deadlines, info about events on campus, and materials they need you to send or haven't received from your high school such as transcripts, letters, SAT scores, etc. 
2) In one of these emails should be instructions for setting up a student portal/account.  Do it.  That is how most will notify you if you are accepted, long before the envelope arrives in the mail!
3) Your high school counselor and teachers are responsible for sending your fall/mid term transcript or grade report, your letters of recommendation, and submitting your info for Cal Grant aid.  You are responsible for reminding them.
4)  You are also responsible for using College Board to send your SAT scores to all the colleges to which you applied, or ACT.org if you are submitting ACT scores (except for the CSU system, which won't need them for admission decisions if your GPA is 3.0+).  Most colleges will need your test scores by Jan. 15 at the latest! The UC system requires ALL your test scores and uses the highest total score from all three sections for one test date, but you only need to pay for and submit the scores to ONE UC campus and the rest will get them also. For CSU, use the CSU mentor code to save money and all the CSU's will receive your scores.  CSU will super score so you can send just your tests that are the highest in each section.  Common app schools differ in their test policies; some super score, some don't, and you need to send your scores to each college.   Check the website of each college to which you applied for details and deadlines.
5) Complete (parents will have to assist) the FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) AND the CSS Profile (if needed) for all the colleges you applied to, EVEN if your income is $250K plus annually.  Many private colleges use the financial aid applications to make "merit" aid decisions and to award scholarships, and even if you don't qualify for federal aid you will be eligible to take out low interest student and Parent Plus federal loans if you decide to.
Deadlines for these range from Feb 1 to March 1 depending on the college.