Academic March Madness

For the second straight year, Insider Higher Ed has published its own March Madness Tournament Bracket, taking the colleges and universities who have made it to the NCAA basketball tournament and ranking them based on academic performance rather than athletics.  The final four might surprise you. If you want more information about how the brackets are created, visit here.

The Women's Bracket: http://bit.ly/Zd33Ri
The Men's Bracket: http://bit.ly/YqMyBZ

The blog is going on spring break, but we'll be back the first of April!

The George Washington University

Make the nation's capital your classroom at The George Washington University this summer. Their pre-college program offers and extraordinary opportunity for an enriching academic summer experience at a top research institution.
To learn more about course descriptions, application requirements, and to apply, visit: precollege.gwu.edu.

Paying for College

All week long The New York Times is running a series of questions and answers about how to pay for college.  So far they've covered topics like alternative sources of financial aid and estimating your aid eligibility.  You can also post your own question if it hasn't been covered yet.

Erlanger Health System

FUTURE DOCS
Want to see what being a doctor is really like? Then this program is for you!
Three week pre-medical opportunity for high school seniors. 
For information visit www.utcomchatt.org and click on the Future Docs link at the top right.

If you have been accepted to the Volunteen Summer Program (described earlier in this blog) you are automatically registered for the Future Docs program.

How to Approach a College Rep or a College Fair

Being somewhat of an introvert myself, I understand it when some girls have a hard time striking up a conversation with a college admissions representative.  Mrs. Goldbach has wisely suggested that you have a prepared "elevator speech," a thirty second introduction with two or three things you want others to know about you.  Whether you are speaking to a college rep or interviewing for a job, this article on networking also offers some other great suggestions for introverts and extroverts alike, and with the Coast to Coast College Fair fast approaching (April 29), we want you to be as prepared as possible.

The Week's Wrap-Up

Though I sometimes find myself on both sides of this issue, I particularly enjoyed this blog post - Digital Era Redefining Etiquette - from The New York Times.  I'm a big fan of the 'old-fashioned' phone call, but I also often find myself irritated when someone asks me a question that they could easily google for themselves.  When it comes to high school students though, I think I know on which side they fall.

As a mother whose daughter is still paying off her student loans, this is not particularly welcome news (Student Loan Interest Rates to Rise).  I don't pretend to know what the answer is but hopefully congress will figure out something.

And finally, just in case you were wondering what NOT to ask on a college tour, here's a guide that might interest you.

Enjoy the wonderful weather this weekend!

Brown University

The Brown Leadership Institute helps students make a positive difference in the world. Students develop and apply the knowledge, skills and attitudes associated with effective and socially responsible leadership

• Study Global Challenges
• Develop Leadership Skills
• Take Your Learning Home

Apply now for Summer 2013 at www.brown.edu/summer.

Erlanger Health System

Erlanger Health System invites high school students between the ages of 15 and 18 to apply for volunteer service learning opportunities this summer.

The 2013 VolunTEEN Summer Program will take place in June and July and will offer teens exciting and meaningful opportunities to learn about careers in healthcare while learning one of the most important lessons of all – giving of one’s self!

Teens interested in the 2013 VolunTEEN Summer Program must submit the four

‐part application, including Contact and Background Information, VolunTEEN Position and Shift(s) Preference, Applicant Essay, and Recommendation Letter, to the Volunteer Services Department no later than Noon on Wednesday, April 24, 2013. Late applications will not be accepted. Information about each requirement is included in this packet.

Applicants will have options to:

Choose his or her first, second, and third department placement choices. However, there are no guarantees for placement or program acceptance.

Choose shift days and times. VolunTEENS must serve a minimum of four hours (one shift) and a maximum of 20 hours (five shifts) per week.
Choose to serve in June, July, or both June and July.
Applications, along with all required documents, may be mailed to: Volunteer Services, Erlanger Health System, 975 E. Third St., Chattanooga, TN 37403. Submissions may also be faxed to 423
‐778‐2680 or e‐mailed to emilia.jones@erlanger.org. Applications received after Noon on April 24 will not be accepted. Questions? Call 423‐778‐7892.

Sewanee - The University of the South

The Sewanee Environmental Institute (SEI) Pre-college Field Studies Experience is now accepting applications for the summer 2013 program. Deadline for applying is April 10th.

SEI's Pre-college Field Studies Experience is

• designed for students who are passionate about the outdoors
• for those what want to advance their knowledge and skills in the study of the environment
• held on the campus of  the University of the South in Sewanee, Tennessee                                    from June 30-July 13, 2013
• for rising high school juniors and seniors with a history of academic success.

For mor information about the SEI program, highlights, cost and an application, please go to: http://sei.sewanee.edu/programs/precollege.

Defending the Humanities

So many people these days are downplaying the role of the humanities.  The costs are too high, the job prospects are too few.  Because I think that critical thinking skills, creativity, and the ability to read and write well - all things taught in the humanities - are still essential, I still believe the humanities have a place on college campuses.  http://ti.me/YbxnzJ

The Madness of March in College Admissions

Being a basketball lover myself, I enjoyed this blogger's comparison of the end of the college admissions season to college basketball's March Madness.  And since I've had several seniors stop by in the last few weeks, anxious, tired and wanting it all to be over, the writer's advice seems particularly meaningful.

Hollins University

Looking for an adventure this summer? Take a look at Hollinsummer, a great combination of learning and fun, on one of Virginia's most beautiful campuses. With seven distinct experiences, Hollinsummer encourages young women and men to explore their talents with opportunities ranging from creative writing to whitewater adventure. To learn more about Hollinsummer and to apply, visit www.hollins.edu/hollinsummer.

Cleveland Institute of Art

At CIA's pre-college program you'll spend two weeks using the tools and processes avilable only to Cleveland Institute of Art students and experience the life of an art student at a premier college of art and design.
For more information visit www.cia.edu/precollege.

When should you start thinking about your career?

As I have said before, I think it's unusual that an eighteen year old would know exactly what she wants to do for the rest of her life.  Some do, but most students will change  their college majors several times before graduation, and new graduates don't tend to stick with the same job as long as their parents and grandparents did. But I do believe this article makes some good suggestions about what even a college freshman can do to jump start their future. "First-year students who make a point to read, learn, and attend as many programs as they can will find themselves ahead of the curve by their junior and senior years," says Whitney Purcell, assistant director of career development at Susquehanna University. "They are ready to apply for competitive internships and job posting, rather than trying to play 'catch-up' in their last semester of college and feeling ill-prepared for a competitive job market."

So before you head off to college, you might want to read this article.  Your school's career center should be a must stop sooner than later.

Summer 2013 pre-college program in college art and design courses for high school students.

• Expand your skills
• Communicate your ideas
• Build a portfolio
• Find your community

For complete course descriptions and financial requirements, go to www.aiboston.edu/precollege/courses.

Finding a Major and a Possible Career

As a parent myself, I understand it when a parent wants to know that their daughter is going to be able to find a job and support herself once she finishes college.  What I have trouble with however, is expecting an eighteen year old to know exactly what she wants to do for the rest of her life.  As one parent told me many years ago, "My daughter wants to be a doctor; she just doesn't know it yet."  Perhaps then this is an approach to choosing a college major that we haven't thought of yet.  What I'm pretty sure of is that there are majors and careers out there that are not the ones we knew when we adults were in college, and our daughters will have options to consider that we didn't.

(By the way, if you are considering engineering as a career, have you ever thought about petroleum engineering? You probably haven't, but the average starting salary for a petroleum engineer coming out of college is around $80,000.)

Does demonstrating your interest in a college matter?

We've been saying it for years: it never hurts to let a college know how interested you are in them.  In fact, we know that some of them care more about the idea known as "demonstrated interest" than others. So how do you do that? With one exception, I agree with the ideas in this article. That exception is "applying early decision." Although it is true that applying ED shows that you are really interested (because you are committing to attending if accepted), you have to be very careful because of the financial factor.  Applying ED means you will attend without knowing how much, if any, financial aid or scholarship money you will receive. Other things mentioned like attending college fairs (the Coast to Coast Fair is coming up on April 29) or the numerous GPS/McCallie college night programs in the fall (open to juniors and seniors) are excellent ways to demonstrate interest. And we agree that writing a brief thank you note after a tour or interview is always a polite thing to do.  Just don't go overboard and start writing or emailing the admissions rep too much!

Where will you go to college?

I had an interesting conversation with a senior yesterday afternoon. Even though she has not heard from all her colleges, she is already nervous about making her decision (and she has plenty of acceptances already). In her case, I advised her to take a deep breath and wait until she has heard from every school. Then we can sit down and review her options.  However, I also came across this article last night, and it also offers some great advice.

Chattanooga-Hamilton County Medical Society

Youth Leadership Forum on Medicine
The Forum is for rising high school juniors and seniors who have an interest in science. The program seeks to increase interest and awareness of the medical profession and to acquaint rising juniors and seniors with resources to pursue medicine. The program will be June 3-6, 2013. See your science teacher if you are interested. The application is inserted below.

Advice for Juniors

Although we pretty much say the same thing, sometimes it's helpful to hear it from someone else! During the next few months juniors SHOULD be visiting colleges if at all possible, and you should keep your mind open to all the possibilities. Perhaps most important though is that you - as the author describes - should take the lead in this search process.  Juniors - you are the one going to college, but your parents are also part of this process, and you should keep them informed.  We are also fans of the "once a week" guideline (read the article to see what I mean).

The Elevator Speech

At the beginning of our college classes this year, Mrs. Goldbach explained the concept of the "elevator speech" to the juniors.  She encouraged them to consider what they would say to an admissions rep if they only had thirty seconds or so.  It was fun to find this graphic that explained the same idea!  Just substitute the word college for company, and the principles are the same. So, the question for you is "have you practiced your elevator speech?"

The Most Spoiled College Campuses

Whether you are looking for the best food, the coolest dorm, or a college that hands out iPads to all incoming freshmen, here are five schools that spoil their students in one way or another.

Colorado College

Taking a class at Colorado College's Summer Session will allow you to explore college life and earn college credit at one of the most consistently highly-ranked private liberal arts colleges in the country. In addition, you will have a chance to enjoy the great Colorado outdoors.  Download all required application materials from the website www.ColoradoCollege.edu/precollege.

Worcester Polytechnic Institute

WPI Frontiers is an on-campus, residential, research, and learning experience for soon-to-be high school juniors and seniors. Participants will learn from a dedicated team of outstanding WPI faculty and students, while having opportunity to use state-of-the-art experimental, analytical and computer technology and facilities.
Additional information is available at www.wpi.edu/+frontiers and www.wpi.edu/+launch.

How Companies Use Social Media

Although you're not quite at the full-time employment stage, I think these graphics tell an interesting story about how some companies use social media when hiring (or not hiring) employees.  Who's to say a college admissions office might not think about this as well.  What we do know is that we've been telling you for years to make sure your privacy settings are solid or better yet, just be careful with the comments you make and the pictures you post on facebook, etc.  In this day and age, nothing is really private any more.

APs and SATs

I must admit that sometimes I wish there was no such thing as Advanced Placement.  While I understand the potential value of the program, I think it often limits what a high school teacher can do.  When there is a curriculum that must be covered, it prohibits a teacher and/or student from stopping on a topic of interest and going into depth about that subject (the old argument about the benefit of depth vs. breadth).  So I don't agree with everything this author says. I for one am not implying that we are "better than" the AP curriculum. I also don't believe that the AP curriculum is necessarily a stand-in for a national curriculum.  But that is just my (very brief) opinion.  I'd be interested in knowing what other people think.

Many students are unaware that there are colleges and universities that DO NOT require standardized test (SAT, ACT) scores.  Although there are different approaches, these are called "test optional" schools.  Bowdoin, Wake Forest, Middlebury, Connecticut College, DePaul, Denison, Dickinson, Rollins, George Mason, and Montana State are just a few of the schools that have some sort of test optional admissions.  You can see a complete list at www.fairtest.org/university/optional.  There are however, some differences in their approach, as this article explains, so be sure to read the fine print!