Colleges Accept Students Who Are Active Participants In Life, Not Couch Potatoes!

Ideally, this guidance, as well as all other college planning advice, must be given to students before they step foot into high school.  Currently, most of these teaching moments occur during junior year, right before students take SAT or ACT tests, or during the fall of twelfth grade.  Slight problem… by then, some requirements of college applications cannot be changed, except with the wave of a magic wand.

Often times, I will hear high school seniors say in lament, “Oh, I wish I would’ve gotten better grades in 9^th grade” or “I don’t really do anything after school, I just hang out with my friends.”

The High School Transcript

Did you know that the high school transcript, the one that colleges base their admission decisions on, lists coursework and grades from ninth through eleventh grade…and for some students, it even includes eighth grade math and science.

We, as parents and educators, are missing the boat by not having the “college planning” talk earlier.  By 9^th grade, students should be aware of what colleges are requiring for admission.  For instance, according to State University of New York’s Admission Information Summary, Binghamton University’s requirements for admission are a GPA of 91-97 with SAT scores of 1240-1380 or ACT scores of 27-31.

(www.suny.edu)

Athletes have better outcomes when they are able to successfully visual their goals…and the same is true for high school students.  When 14-year old students enter high school knowing that their dream college has expectations of high achievement, with a target GPA, then each test and assignment becomes a building block to receiving that acceptance letter.

Extra-Curricular Activities

A college resume or activity sheet summarizes and describes the activities a student has participated in throughout high school, and even longer.  You see, colleges and universities accept students who are active participants in life, not couch potatoes.  Their outlook is that if students are athletes, club members, activists, volunteers, student government representatives, performers or employed that they will continue those same passions throughout college.  A school earns its reputation through student achievements, and if these amazing students remain active and receive a stellar education, they will go on to dazzle their future employers and do great things to change the world for the better.

From early on, students and their parents should work cooperatively to keep detailed notes, including dates and descriptions, of all school and travel sports, volunteer experiences, club meetings, and music and arts programs.  And don’t forget to add all those church activities, summer jobs, and private programs, like Karate, equestrian lessons and so on…taking special care to highlight any leadership roles or special recognition received.

Trish Portnoy is a blogger, writer, app developer and high school teacher who helps high school students and their parents to research colleges, understand their options, and make choices using resources from the Internet, guidance counselors and other helpful people

The College Essay in 650 Words or Less

You should be jumping with joy for this opportunity to differentiate yourself, articulate your own personal style, and bring life to a college application full of grades, scores and facts.  Instead, most students deliberately procrastinate and resent that they have to write a personal essay which, in reality, is less than three pages typed, double-spaced!

The secret to producing a great college essay is selecting the “right” topic or life-experience. 

Many students haven’t had such monumental growth experiences beyond making Varsity in tenth grade or scoring the winning point in that crucial game, which can be a stumbling block to a remarkable essay.  In addition to generic sports themes, contributor to College Apps, former Assistant Director of Admissions at Sacred Heart University, Michael G. Tarantino, suggests staying away from the 3 D’s which are divorce, disaster and death…the most common (but depressing) life-changing, growth-inspiring circumstances affecting teens.

If you really have no clue what to write… use Google.com to search “100 college essay topics” which leads you to a listing of essay prompts previously utilized by colleges and universities through the years.  Note:  You may not be able to use any of these exact topics for your essay, but one may remind or inspire you to recall something relevant which can motivate you to start typing!

Don’t make your essay a play-by-play description of some event or circumstance.

For instance, Matt, one of my students, wrote his essay on an experience he had as a rear-seat passenger during a major car accident.  He went on to describe the road conditions, the speed of the vehicle, the moment of impact, and his mother’s frantic response in the aftermath…a true play-by-play of the event.  The essay was fine… grammatically correct and properly formatted, but it said nothing about Matt!

After a brief discussion, Matt revealed how his friend, who was also riding in the back seat, reached for him before impact to protect and draw him away from the impending impact of the car hitting the guardrail.  That was it!  The “golden nugget” of the story…how another 17-year old kid had the capacity to recognize and react to protect him during such a split-second, frightening and dangerous moment.  Once Matt incorporated his deep respect and awareness of this amazing feat into his essay, the play-by-play details of the accident were left out for more important, almost tear-inducing, insight and speculation.

Expect to write an essay or two to fulfill the requirements listed in your supplemental college applications.

Hopefully, one well-written essay will fit the majority of prompts, perhaps with a different opening thought, comparison, or conclusion.  The Common App at www.commonapp.org is the gold standard for streamlining the process of applying to college because it allows students to provide the same data to many member colleges and universities through one Internet portal account.

The Common App provides the following five essay prompts to guide students in writing their essay in 650 words or less:

(https://appsupport.commonapp.org)

Have you noticed that these prompts are open-ended? The trick is to stay true to an event or inspiration you’re passionate about and relate it back to the prompt you selected.  And if you do, the actual typing of the essay will take less than an hour or two.  The feedback and proofreading efforts, however, should take weeks with the help of others.

• One of your most respected English teachers will do justice to the grammar, format and syntax of your essay;
• Your guidance counselor will be a soundboard to the propriety of your topic, including age-appropriate subject matter and purpose; and
• Your parents and other supportive adults in your life will weigh in on your skill in writing with a true, authentic voice.

I apologize, but my software tells me I am approaching my word-count limit…and I need to be mindful of my requirements.  As you’ve read, 650 words can go quickly if you believe in what you write!

Trish Portnoy is a blogger, writer, app developer and high school teacher who helps high school students and their parents to research colleges, understand their options, and make choices using resources from the Internet, guidance counselors and other helpful people.

How did Georgetown expect her to pay $67k a year?

Kacie Candela chooses the “Right Fit” college instead of being awestruck by name-brand college recognition and publicized rankings.  Selecting the right college should be a methodical approach where you consider factual data, independent sources, self-imposed student loan limits, and personal preferences.

Kacie is a “smart cookie” because she chose the best college for her major that agreed with her bottom-line.  Student loan debt, debt-restructuring and loan-forgiveness plans are all over the news these days with politicians attempting to correct the overwhelming burden facing today’s youth.  But Kacie’s plan is the best of them all…select a school that you can actually afford to attend!

Read more about Kacie at Newsday

Consider this…there are high performance automobiles for sale for more than $200k…does the average teenager even dream of getting that car for high school graduation?  I don’t think so.  Has it ever happened?   It sure has…there are a lot of people out there in the world who can easily purchase one or more of these high-priced vehicles without a second thought.

In the same vein, plenty of families are able to write a check for $67,000 a year to send their child to a highly-ranked, private university without remortgaging their house or sacrificing their retirement funds.  And, to be honest, there’s nothing wrong with it because these families are wealthy enough to afford it and they obviously see value in earning a degree from such a prestigious university.

What is wrong is when a student ignores budgetary constraints, against all mathematics, advice and warnings, and signs on the dotted-line for over $150k in loans to attend her dream school.

Kacie’s commentary should be required reading for every high school student and parent.  It is not failure to make a prudent decision.  It takes strength and courage to walk away from a dream conceived in naivete, and toward a future with financial integrity.

Kudos to Kacie, she is an inspiration to us all!  Thank you for sharing your experience which allows us to begin this conversation.

Trish Portnoy is a blogger, writer, app developer and high school teacher who helps high school students and their parents to research colleges, understand their options, and make choices using resources from the Internet, guidance counselors and other helpful people.

Follow Trish on Twitter!

Learning More About Colleges: Painting a Picture with Data

College Navigator is one of my favorite websites (as you already know) for accessing college-related data.  The information is collected directly from the colleges by the National Center for Education Statistics at www.collegenavigator.gov (note the .gov URL extension which we mentioned in last week’s article!) and there are no advertisements or frilly distractions.

Let’s go through an exercise so you can see how this information can be used to kick-start your college planning experience.

Here’s our starting point…You and your parents have compiled a list schools that you’d like to learn more about, considering your plan to major in Accounting.

To condense our analysis, we will generate profiles on two schools using selected data available on the College Navigator website at www.collegenavigator.gov.

The search box in the top left corner allows us to locate each college’s profile to access statistical and factual information about the school. 

(www.collegenavigator.gov)

Use the following chart to compare and contrast your research and ultimately “paint a picture” of the two schools.  You can create your own chart on paper or word processing or spreadsheet software, whichever you choose.

	College A	College B
Campus Setting	City: Small	Suburb: Large
Number of Undergraduate Students	5,062	4,315
Tuition, Fees, and Estimated Student Expenses
Total Expenses: On Campus	$ 58,835	$ 22,173
Total Expenses:  Off Campus with Family	$ 46,955	$ 12,823
Admissions
SAT Critical Reading	590-670	450-530
SAT Math	640-740	460-550
ACT Composite	28-32	20-23
Retention and Graduation Rates
Retention Rate	96%	84%
Graduation Rate	87%	37%
Programs/Majors
Accounting-Bachelors	48	106
The centered chart headings reflect the tabs where the information is located.  You can expand each tab by clicking the plus sign (+) next to each heading.

(www.collegenavigator.gov)

Now, let’s begin to paint a picture of these colleges using the data recorded above:

The campus setting and size of each school is very similar…the amount of undergraduate students differs by only 800 students and there may not be a noticeable difference between a large suburb and a small city.

The costs of these colleges are on opposite ends of the scale…a bachelor’s degree at College A could cost over $200,000, while living at home and attending College B would only cost about $50,000.

The admissions criteria reflect that College A is a very competitive, highly selective college.  You can assume by the average SAT and ACT scores that most students attending College A have outstanding high school GPAs, intense extra-curricular activities, and great college essays.   Likewise, the students attending College B should be proud of their consistent, college-ready work completed during high school.

Retention and graduation rates tell a compelling story about the experiences of first-year students, the school’s culture of learning, and the return on investment on tuition dollars.

The retention rate reflects the satisfaction of freshmen students by calculating the percentage who choose to return for sophomore year.  Both schools have acceptable rates of retention, but College A’s rate shows that more than 9 out of 10 students (if that’s even humanly possible) believe it’s a worthwhile commitment.

The graduation rate of College B should be a major red flag for every student and parent and we all should be asking why only 37% of students graduate with a degree.  There may be many reasons for this low number and you must find out what they are. College B may still be a fine choice for you, as long as you’re aware of the potential pitfalls and hazards that prevent the school’s students from achieving success.  On the other hand, College A’s percentage reflects a solid return on investment with just about 9 out of 10 students graduating with a Bachelor’s degree within a specific period of time.

The amount of student Accounting majors graduating in a specific year reflects the size of this particular program at each school.  By looking at the popularity of related majors, you can draw conclusions about the specialties of each school.  For the record, College A is highly recognized for the preparation and achievement of their accounting graduates even though the quantity of participants is significantly lower.

This exercise in data analysis is the perfect place to begin your college planning journey…well before you visit any schools, purchase any branded sweatshirts or fall in love with the beautiful campus square.

However, you shouldn’t discount a college until you consider all factors…especially the acceptance letter!  You need to apply to 8 – 10 colleges, including a mix of public and private institutions, some where you will live on campus and others at home, a couple that are “dream schools” and many that you have a great chance of being accepted to. And don’t forget your bottom-line…the rule of self-imposed student loan limits:  Advise yourself not to take out more than $10,000 per year in student loans!

Don’t get too comfortable or too overwhelmed, we are just beginning this journey which will continue right up through Thanksgiving…we still need to consider your college major, personal preferences, and many other factors.

To be continued…

Trish Portnoy is a blogger, writer, app developer and high school teacher who helps high school students and their parents to research colleges, understand their options, and make choices using resources from the Internet, guidance counselors and other helpful people.

It’s Still Summer…But What Can I Do to Get Ready for Senior Year?

It’s mid-August and many teens are experiencing anxiety from the mere thought of returning to school, but none more than those who are about to begin their final year of high school.  They know the pressure is on…applying to college, playing Varsity sports, going to Prom, navigating the social scene, dealing with peer pressure and finally, and most importantly, maintaining those good grades.

There are a couple of tasks that you can begin now, before the big crush, to get a head start on #ApplyingToCollege.  The first one is to write your college essay…and the hardest part of that assignment is picking the perfect topic.   Many students are dumbstruck by this requirement…we will explain more about the college essay  and offer inspiring resources in next week’s article.

Today, we’re focusing on the information available to you on the Internet…it is a manageable topic to start with since most teens are sleeping with their phones under their pillows anyway.

Who doesn’t love to surf the Internet to learn about new products, read personal advice, experiences and cautionary tales or watch entertaining videos?  That’s what teenagers do all the time, but now we are going to focus those same efforts to learn more about SCHOOLS, COLLEGES and UNIVERSITIES!

www.collegenavigator.gov

The National Center for Educational Statistics offers the College Navigator website at www.collegenavigator.gov

This easy to navigate, comprehensive database offers admissions, financial aid, and campus-culture related data which is reported directly from the schools to the US Government….please notice the .gov extension at the end of the web address.

Some of my favorite information (pay attention!) to gather includes student population percentages, campus safety statistics, graduation and retention rates and financial aid facts.

I consider this website to be a “heavy hitter” meaning that you can spend quite a bit of time compiling useful facts, trends and information on all colleges and universities.  It is one of my favorites…chock full of data, all on one page, no hyperlinks, no ads, no distractions.

Take some time to look up schools you’ve heard of and may be considering.  Use scrap paper (or a spreadsheet!) to compile the important information I mentioned above…use your critical thinking skills to compare and contrast.

www.schoolsname.edu

Here’s a fun fact:  Each college’s official website is designated by the .edu extension at the end of the web address or URL.  I consider the information found here to be a “primary” source because the schools are responsible for their own content and they have immediate access to keep the information accurate and up-to-date.

Here are some examples off the top of my head: Lehigh.edu, Udel.edu, Hofstra.edu, Yale.edu, Harvard.edu, Princeton.edu

And don’t forget that you can always use Google to find the link…just remember to look for the correct file extension.

Use these official sites to obtain specific information about academic programs and majors, course offerings, admission requirements, social media accounts and contact and application information.

www.collegeboard.org

Most high school students have already visited College Board’s website for SAT, Advanced Placement, and Subject Test registrations.  College Board also offers college planning tools and college-related data similar to that of College Navigator, however their Big Future website www.bigfuture.collegeboard.org  provides the information in a more teen-friendly layout, size and font.

www.usnews.com/rankings

Each year US News publishes a guidebook solely devoted to the best colleges and their rankings.  It is great resource for the coffee table and family discussion purposes.  Their ranking system is based on a complex formula which has received mixed reviews, and for a subscription fee you can gain online access to their school profiles, rankings and college planning tools at www.usnews.com/rankings.

www.collegeconfidential.com

A user-driven community forum for questions and answers, reviews, articles and tools related to colleges, admissions, campus-life, and so on, many teens enjoy reading the advice and cautionary tales written by their peers at www.collegeconfidential.com.

www.YoUniversityTV.com

A highly entertaining website which contains a great catalog of well-produced videos that capture the essence of the college and surrounding campus-life, as well as the faculty and student population at each school. wwwYoUniversityTV.com is a great tool to virtually visit those “far-away” schools which you may be considering or dreaming about.

Whew…

That’s already a bunch of resources which will keep you busy for a long time.  The best part is that you can access these resources from the comfort of your own home, day or night…which means it’s  time to get off Instagram and Snap Chat to do something productive with your life!

But one last point…there is a challenge when using the Internet…it is vast world of data and knowledge…some of it true, some false and some opinion.  It can be overwhelming if you don’t know which is which or how to pull out the meaningful information while leaving the unnecessary behind.

Trish Portnoy is a blogger, writer, app developer and high school teacher who helps high school students and their parents to research colleges, understand their options, and make choices using resources from the Internet, guidance counselors and other helpful people.

Follow Trish on Twitter!

More Guidance, Less Information…I am overwhelmed by my choices!

As a high school student or the parent of one, you should take some time to acquaint yourself with the counseling/guidance/or college planning center at your school.  Most high schools offer many “information night” sessions throughout the year…call to inquire!

This brings us to our next group of resources…which will be very helpful to you when overwhelmed by the opportunity to apply to any of the 3,000+ colleges in the US… which you then have to pare down to identify a group of 20 to 30 schools to really consider further.

Naviance:

One of the most dynamic tools offered to students is a web-based program named Naviance.  School districts pay a substantial cost to offer this program…which, I’d like to note, is free from spam, advertisements and pop-ups.  Guidance counselors and teachers also have access to data and documents which allows for seamless transmission of letters of recommendation, counseling opportunities, and application tracking.

One of my favorite areas of Naviance is the About Me tab where students have access to multiple career-interest and personality assessments…which really should be the starting  point for all college and career planning activities.

Additionally, there is school-specific data on admission trends from previous years’ seniors…including maps and outcomes.

Ruggs Recommendations on the Colleges:

I love the fact that Mr. Ruggs has a photo of himself, dressed as the detective Sherlock Holmes, on the cover of his book.  It is a perfect characterization of how he investigates each of the most studied Academic Programs and Majors until finds the best colleges for each of them….and it’s not based on heresay, or from the neighbor’s wife or from the college’s own staff…Ruggs is independent…he is like the Consumer Reports of colleges.

You can find copies of his previous editions on every counselor’s bookshelf or at the local library, but his newest, the 32^nd edition is only available as a PDF.

At first, I thought this non-paper copy would be problematic, but when I realized that I could get a classroom of high schools seniors searching his life work simultaneously with the ability to print out single or multiple pages…I was sold.

Your Guidance Counselor and Teachers:

Well, here we go…these people care about you very much.  They are older than you and they have you best interest at heart.  Be kind and courteous when receiving their advice…consider their wisdom and incorporate what “feels right” into your own plan.

Don’t neglect those who are right under your nose when making your plans.  Tell everyone your developing plans and see the consistencies in their responses.

Also, reach out to those professionals you meet…speak to your dentist, doctor, lawyer or accountant.  Ask them where they went to school, ask them their opinions of the industry and what their experiences have been with recent graduates.

You will be overwhelmed by how these people will go out of their way to support you and assist you in reaching your goals.

You are literally surrounded by resources to assist you in the college planning process. Just using the internet along will give you access to thousands of college-related websites.

College Push iPhone App

A favorite “hand-held” resource is theCollege Push App, available on iTunes.  Some of the  greatest features about College Push are:

My Passwords–Store usernames and password hints to the most-used college planning portals, including College Board, Common App, FAFSA and more.  Add additional URLs through the customize option

My Vitals–Store your important academic information at your fingertips, including your advisor’s phone number and email address, SAT and ACT scores, and more.

Daily Pushes–Receive daily instructions, tasks and reminders to assist you through the college selection and application process.

Plus, College Push includes an export feature that allows you to send this information in report form to your parents, guidance counselor or yourself.

Thanks for spending time with me in Room 106.  I hope that you gained a deeper understanding of the resources available to you for college planning and decision-making.

Trish Portnoy is a blogger, writer, app developer and high school teacher who helps high school students and their parents to research colleges, understand their options, and make choices using resources from the Internet, guidance counselors and other helpful people.

Follow Trish on Twitter!

Parents!! Demand Better Education for Our Students during the College Research and Planning Stages!

It is time to demand better education for students and their parents during the college research and planning stages…way before students commit to colleges and sign on the dotted-line for any student loans!

I teach in a high school that offers a college planning course as a senior-year elective during the fall semester…right on time to educate these students with online research and hands-on activities to support their individual career, educational and financial goals.

Here are a few of the topics we cover:

Financial Safety Schools – apply to one or two schools that are reasonably priced.  These schools can include state schools, local schools where students can live at home, community schools and junior colleges.

Cost of Room & Board – most schools charge over $10,000 per year for a dorm room and meal plan.  At New York’s SUNY schools, the actual cost of tuition (learning) is about $7,000 per year, but when you add the room and board and miscellaneous fees it does cost $100K for a bachelor’s degree.  An interested and motivated student may find that there is a strategy to get that state school education for less than $40,000 after all!

Monthly Payment (Auto Loan) Calculator – we recommend that students should not take out more than $40,000 in total student loans for an undergraduate degree.  Adhering to this guideline means that students and parents must be prepared to pay for the remaining balance out-of-pocket each year.  Then, to bring home the point, student navigate to a simple, online, auto loan calculator where they compute the monthly loan payment for a 10 year, $40,000 loan at 5% interest which reflects a $332 per month payment…which for them equates to a car payment, entertainment budget, partial rent payment or potential savings.  Finally, students are given freedom to experiment with the loan calculator to really see how much they could be paying for those huge student loans, if they choose to sign on the dotted-line.

Once students and their parents become more savvy and educated shoppers, then the colleges will have to work harder to please and meet the needs of their customers.

Thanks for spending time with me in Room 106.  I hope that you gained a deeper understanding of the resources available to you for college planning and decision-making.

Trish Portnoy is a blogger, writer, app developer and high school teacher who helps high school students and their parents to research colleges, understand their options, and make choices using resources from the Internet, guidance counselors and other helpful people.

Be well.

Trish Portnoy

@TrishPortnoy

www.TrishPortnoy.com

Welcome to Room 106…Your best resource for college planning guidance and strategies.

We are going to get started by introducing many of the resources you and your parents will use throughout the college planning phase of your junior and senior years.  You will be sure to access some of these same resources while you are completing applications…even during your final, decision-making moments.

Best of Luck!