It's Time to Start Your Search!

Greetings!

Yes, it's still summer. . . but it's August, and so summer has peaked, and we're on the downslide. . . well, I prefer to think of it in more positive terms, as sliding into home, at least for those of you who are starting your senior year and getting ready to apply for college! You're all preparing for the "World Series" of high school--finding the right fit for your post high school career! My job as your coach is to help you and your family to assess your talents, skills, and interests, and help you find the colleges that would best meet your needs, work with you on essays, then happily watch you hit one out of the park!!

Some suggestions to get your "training program" started!
  1. Start thinking about what you might want to write about for your personal statement. The most important part of your application, the personal statement lets colleges know who you are. It gives them the chance to see you as an individual, to get a sense of what is special about you--and every one of you is special. Believe it!!! Take some notes, maybe even put pen to paper and create a draft. Make sure your authentic voice comes through, i.e. don't make your essay sound lofty--yes, grammar, usage, and punctuation must be correct--but this isn't a research paper, it's a personal statement--emphasis on personal!
  2. Begin your college search. Using one of the many college search sites (there are links in the right hand column of this blog), start plugging in your interests and see what comes up--then go to the college sites and take "virtual tours." Take some risks and consider living somewhere different from where you've grown up. You may think you're a city-only person or a small town guy/gal, but it can be exciting to meet different kinds of people and live in a different climate from the one where you've grown up.
  3. Make sure you're taking rigorous classes and keep your grades up! Colleges look at your course selection and first term grades very closely.
  4. Sign up for the SAT or ACT + writing, as well as for SAT Subject tests if you may be applying to colleges that require them. However, if you've already taken standardized tests during junior year and gotten scores you're happy with, then don't bother taking them again--no reason to torture yourself!
  5. Start your "brag sheet." Some of your high schools will be asking you to do this in the fall--some may not--but it's a great idea. On the brag sheet, you list all of your high school accomplishments, including academic honors, athletics/athletic honors, work experience, volunteer experience, participation in various activities (both in high school and in the community), and so on. Make sure you include the duration and frequency of participation (e.g. High School Newspaper--reporter 1 year, Features Editor 2 years). This list is invaluable for two reasons. First, it helps your teacher(s) and counselor when they're writing you letters of recommendations. Second, it helps you fill out your college applications--they all ask for this information. By putting it all in one place, you'll save lots of time in the fall when you are filling out forms.
Future posts will discuss each part of the college process in detail!

Oh, and don't forget to have fun for the rest of the summer!!!

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