Requesting teacher letters of recommendation

Now that the end of the school year is near, it is time for high school juniors to ask teachers for letters of recommendation. Spring is the best time to ask. This gives teachers the summer to write letters. Remember, teachers do not get paid extra for writing letters of recommendation. They write them on their own time.

Here are my tips for how to ask.

1. Ask in person: Find a time, either before school, after school, or at lunch time to ask a teacher when they are not too busy. Make eye contact and ask if they’d be willing to write you a letter of recommendation for your college application. During the conversation, share with the teacher anything of interest about you that may help the teacher write a compelling letter. What major you may be interested pursuing, courses you might be interested in taking, an internship you are looking into etc. If your school provides a brag sheet for you to complete to help the teacher write the letter, make sure you complete it.

2. Ask a Core Course Teacher: Admissions offices look for letters of recommendation to be written by core course teachers. So, request a letter from your science, math, history, English, or foreign language teacher.  If you are applying to a specialized college (STEM) and they request that you have a science or math teacher recommendation, make sure you follow through.

3. Ask a teacher that gave you an A (or B): Did you do well in the class? But most importantly, who can talk about your character. Even if you received a B for one quarter but improved your grade after that you can still ask that teacher. You want to ask a teacher from a core course that you did very well in and showed participation and enthusiasm.

4. Is the teacher from 11th or 10th grade? You should request a letter of recommendation from a teacher from 11th grade. But if that is not possible 10th grade would be the next best option. 9th grade is too far in the past. 11th grade teachers can write about your most current performance which admission offices look for.

5. Does the teacher specialize in what you want to study? If the teacher teaches in the field in which you want to study, bonus! This will help support your application tenfold!

Last, make sure to say thank you when asking for the letter of recommendation. Send a thank you note after the letter is written. Teachers who write letters of recommendation should be thanked!

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The RECIPE for college admissions

I have been a college admissions counselor for over a decade and have worked in higher education for almost 30 years so I can now say that there has been one question parents often ask me at our initial meeting: “What does my teen have to do to get into college?” Or “What is the recipe for my teen to get admitted?”

These types of questions can be answered in a simple way. I tell the parent that the teen should be authentically themselves to their best ability.

And here is the RECIPE to do that:

1. R: (Self-Reflect) The teen should reflect on what they find purpose in doing. Are they an artist, performer, dancer or singer? What about an athlete or maybe they started their own business walking pets. Whatever it may be, they should pursue it because it gives them purpose in life. When teens find purpose, they feel needed, self-confident, important and passionate about life. This, in turn, makes them feel ready for the next step in life: college. And this will show in their application.

2. E: (Educate) yourself about the right level of academics and academic rigor. This is very important in the admissions evaluation. This ingredient in the recipe for success in college admissions allows you to make sure you are taking courses in high school at the appropriate level. It’s important you are taking the courses colleges and universities look for, not just fulfill your high school graduation requirements; these can often be two totally different lists. Review course lists and analyze which courses you should register for and speak with your school counselor.

3. C: (Comprehensive College List) It is imperative that a teen has a well balanced and realistic list. This would include likely, target and reach schools. Use the latest admit rates to analyze and create a list with your teen. A well balanced list will give your teen a successful college admissions experience.

4. I: (Itinerary)Use a timeline through the college admissions process. This will keep the teen organized when writing their college essays, completing applications, requesting letters of recommendation and registering for standardized tests, etc. When a teen is organized they will feel grounded and self-confident throughout the college admissions journey.

5. P: (Prioritize)and manage expectations. Life always has bumps, twists, and turns and so does the college admissions journey. Know that your teen might change their mind (a few times) during the process and that’s totally normal and OK. They are only 16, 17 or 18 years-old! And it’s OK to not know what they want to major in as well. Show them support and grace as they navigate entering into young adulthood. They need all the support possible in order to fly.

6. E: (Empathy) As their parent, give empathy and grace throughout the college admissions journey. This is one, if the not the biggest decision your teen will make in their short life. They, at times, need time to evaluate, assess, and digest this decision. Have empathy for them.

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Four Tips on how to write a great brag sheet

Each Spring, high school guidance departments request that each rising senior and their parent(s)/guardian complete their own brag sheet. These brag sheets help the guidance counselor write their own letter of recommendation for the student. The brag sheets can be very helpful. Here are a few tips on how to complete it.

1. Be descriptive: Use as many adjectives and nouns as you can to describe yourself or the student throughout the brag sheet. Tell specific examples of how and why.

2. Do not describe your weakness or biggest struggle. This will be used if you write it so leave it out. Only use positive stories and description about the student.

3. Do not list awards, honors or accomplishments. This can be found in a resume or on the application. It should not be duplicated in a letter of recommendation.

4. Do not pigeonhole yourself by mentioning a major unless you are 100% sure you want to major in that field. Instead, discuss your strengths and interests that you’ll carry into college and beyond.

For more detailed and personalized advice, contact Suzanne here.

What are employers looking for in college grads…

This chart says it all. These skills are not learned from a finance major or accounting degree. These are ‘soft skills’ a term I really dislike. But, in the end, this is what employers value.

My point of this blog, is to say that often, and I mean often, I end up explaining to students and families that you do not need an undergraduate degree in business, such as finance or another quantitative degree. In fact, future business leaders need the skills, listed below, more than ever. Sure, you need a background in the field of the business you are in but if you are unable to communicate both verbally, and via writing, it will be tough. Roughly only 30% of undergraduates enter the field they majored in. Read that twice.

Managing relationships is key. Social capital is something that is not discussed enough. Communicate and work your network of social circles as you never know where a lead to a job might come!

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Six Tips for attending Admitted Student Days

So you’ve been accepted into a number of colleges and universities. Now you need to decide which to attend. A great exercise to help you make the big decision is to attend Accepted Student Day events. Here are my six tips on how to make the best of these events:

1. Talk to as many current students as possible. Ask them about campus life, courses, housing and everything else.

2. Go on a campus tour and ask the student tour guide as many questions as possible. Read bulletin boards around campus during the tour as well. This will give you a feel for events held on campus.

3. Eat a meal in a dining hall. It is a great way to see a lot of current students and to check out the food.

4. Sit in on a class to get a sense of the faculty.

5. If offered, attend an activities/club fair. This will help you determine what activities are available to students.

6. Meet other fellow accepted students. You can get a feel if you feel as though you socially ‘fit in’.

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Campus Visits 101

As you embark on planning your spring trips to college campuses, here’s some definitions you’ll want to know: 

1. Campus Information Sessions, Tours and Financial Aid Sessions

   A. Make a plan- start out visiting schools that are within easy access so that you do not need to take time away from work and school for too long. Visit schools in the small, medium and large range if possible to get a feel for each different size school environment experience. Then once the student gets a better feel for the type of school, you can plan a multi-day trip to visit multiple campuses. 

B. Schedule visits. Typically on the admissions page of a school’s website, you can book your visit on their online calendar. The student’s information should be used. Make sure to use a personal email address, not your high school email address when registering. 

When scheduling you will most likely have the option to attend both an information session and a campus tour. Many times, schools offer a financial aid session as well. Decide what’s best for your window of time and register for one or all of the offered events. 

C. Information session usually starts off your visit and is held in the admissions office or in a large space where many can congregate to hear the presentation. Sometimes it’s a powerpoint presentation, often it’s simply a representative from admissions welcoming you to campus and providing you with an overview of life at the college or university and giving you key details about the school that they want to make sure you go home with. In other words, this is their sales pitch!

Tour: Most campus tours will cover the following:

Academic buildings

Recreational facilities

Library

First year-Residential dorm

Campus landmarks

Financial Aid Information Session:

Need based aid

FAFSA: Free Application for Student Aid

CSS Profile (if applicable)

Merit based aid

Loans

Grants

Work Study

2. Open Houses are typically offered once a month and on a weekend day. It offers the prospective student a more in-depth look at a college or university. Usually a school offers a campus tour, information session, academic and student panels, lunch or brunch and time to talk with other current and prospective students. You also have the opportunity to have a more specific tour that is geared toward what you may want to major in. For example, at an open house at Union College, they offer an engineering specific tour, led by an engineering major.

3. Virtual Tours are a great option as no one can visit every school you apply to and it gives you the same information that an in-person information session typically does. 

4. Self-Guided Tour: If you are unable to register for an official tour or visit. Use a school’s self-guided tour which is usually vis podcast or on their admissions website. 

5. Overnight Stays are great at any time in the college admissions journey but especially when you are deciding between acceptances, spring of your senior year. Spending time with a current student and staying on campus overnight is the best way to be exposed to campus life both in and out of the classroom.

6. Admitted student days take place in winter and spring of your senior year. After you are accepted, you will be invited to attend. They are very helpful in making the final decision on which school to choose. Typically a school provides tours, academic presentations and panel discussions, student panels, meals with current students and time to meet other accepted students as well. 

Visiting colleges is essential in deciding what type of school you’d like to attend. 

• If you want to learn my tips and strategies on what to do while visiting, reach out to Suzanne for a free consultation

Teacher Cadet Program

In states across the US, high school students are getting hands on exposure and experience to the career of teaching in K-12 public schools. The Teacher Cadet Program in many states offers high school students the chance to gain practical experience and knowledge about the field of education and many of them decide to enter the field of teaching after graduating from college.

The Bureau of Labor & Statistics states that over 200,000 openings in K-12 public education will occur over the next decade. The Teacher Cadet Program offers a promising solution to the teacher shortage nation wide.

Some of the goals of the Teacher Cadet Program is to:

1. Teacher Cadets learn about the science of learning, professional expectations and responsibilities of teachers, human development and the history of education.

2. The program has another key benefit — encouraging local students to pursue education and hiring teachers from the community helps schools recruit and retain a diverse faculty.

If you would like to embark on a college planning journey, set up a free consultation with Suzanne, here.

What are AP Scholar Awards, how do you earn the recognition and how do you find out if you earned the award?

AP Scholar Awards

Every fall, the AP Program recognizes high school students who have demonstrated outstanding college-level achievement through their performance on multiple AP Exams.

AP Scholar Awards come in different levels and types.

Here is the Criteria from the College Board Website:

AwardCriteria: AP Scholar is granted to students who receive scores of 3 or higher on three or more AP Exams. AP Scholar with Honor is granted to students who receive an average score of at least 3.25 on all AP Exams taken, and scores of 3 or higher on four or more of these exams. AP Scholar with Distinction is granted to students who receive an average score of at least 3.5 on all AP Exams taken, and scores of 3 or higher on five or more of these exams.

Qualification Details

• There are two steps to determining award winners:

  1. The student’s average AP Exam score is calculated based on all exams taken this year and in previous years.

  2. The student’s AP Exam scores are checked to see which ones count toward the various AP Scholar Awards.

• A student must meet all criteria to be eligible. For example, a student who has a 3.25 AP Exam score average but only received a 3 or higher on 3 exams will not receive the AP Scholar with Honor Award because the minimum requirement is a score of 3 or higher on 4 or more exams.

• Exams taken multiple times count only once; the highest score will be used for the award calculation.

• The AP Calculus AB subscore for the AP Calculus BC Exam and the aural subscore and nonaural subscore for the AP Music Theory Exam are not used in the AP Scholar Award calculations.

• The AP Scholar Awards are academic distinctions that students may cite among their credentials on applications, résumés, and so on. Students do not receive any monetary award from the College Board.

• When you receive your AP scores in July, it will state if you earned a Scholar Award.

  If you would like to learn more about high school courses, higher education and the college admissions journey, contact Suzanne for a free consultation.

Earning the State Seal of Biliteracy in High School

Across the United States, high school students, typically during the winter of their junior year or senior year, take the Seal of Biliteracy exam to show they have attained a high level of proficiency in one or more languages other than English. Students typically take the exam after four years of completing studies in a foreign language. Please see the below details from the State of New Jersey’s Seal of Biliteracy which is very similar to all other State Biliteracy programs.

It is up to your local board of education as to whether they will offer this exam.

The State Seal of Biliteracy is established to recognize high school graduates who have attained a high level of proficiency in speaking, reading, and writing in one or more foreign languages in addition to English. The State Seal of Biliteracy shall be awarded by the local board of education to graduating high school seniors who meet the criteria established by the State Board of Education pursuant to subsection a. of section 3 of this act. School district participation in this program is voluntary.

The purposes of the State Seal of Biliteracy are as follows:

a. To encourage students to study languages;

b. To certify attainment of biliteracy;

c. To provide employers with a method of identifying people with language and biliteracy skills;

d. To provide universities with a method to recognize and award academic credit to applicants seeking admission;

e. To prepare students with 21st century skills;

f. To recognize and promote foreign language instruction in public schools; and

g. To strengthen intergroup relationships, affirm the value of diversity, and honor the multiple cultures and languages of a community.

3. a. The State Board of Education shall promulgate rules pursuant to the “Administrative Procedure Act,” P.L.1968, c.410 (C.52:14B-1 et seq.), establishing criteria for the award of a State Seal of Biliteracy. The criteria shall require a student to demonstrate proficiency in English by meeting State high school graduation requirements in English, including through State assessments and credits, and proficiency in one or more foreign languages other than English. The criteria shall permit a student to demonstrate proficiency in a foreign language other than English through multiple methods, including nationally or internationally recognized language proficiency tests.

For the purposes of this section, a foreign language other than English shall also include American Sign Language, Latin, and Native American languages.

b. The Commissioner of Education shall prepare and deliver to participating school districts a certificate to be awarded to the student and an appropriate insignia to be affixed to the diploma and transcript of the student indicating that the student has been awarded the State Seal of Biliteracy. The commissioner shall also provide any information the commissioner deems necessary for a school district to successfully participate in the program.

c. A school district that participates in the program under this section shall maintain appropriate records in order to identify students who have earned the State Seal of Biliteracy, and shall award the certificate and affix the appropriate insignia to a qualifying student’s diploma and transcript.

d. A school district that participates in the program may pay the costs of the program or may charge a fee to students who participate to cover the costs.

https://sealofbiliteracy.org

If you would like to learn more about high school course offerings and the college admissions journey, contact Suzanne for a free consultation.

Public University Honors Colleges and Programs

There are numerous strong honors colleges and programs offered at mostly public universities and at some private ones. Here is a general breakdown of the differences between honors colleges and honors programs.

• Size: Honors colleges tend to have a larger average enrollment than honors programs. But their student ratio to faculty is better.

• Staff: Typically honors colleges have more staff members per student because they tend to be larger programs.

• Structure: Honors colleges have more structure with honors-only seminars and honors programs could be more department-based.

• Average class size tends to be the same at both.

• Housing: Honors colleges tend to offer more suite-style dorms to honors students than honors programs.
  Please remember that these are typical characteristics and many honors colleges and programs across the country may feature different characteristics.

• For more information go to: Honors Colleges & Programs
  

  If you would like to learn more about higher education and the college admissions journey, contact Suzanne for a free consultation.