The Beloit College Mindset List

Since 1998, Beloit College, a wonderful liberal arts school in Wisconsin, has published the College Mindset List, "providing cultural touchstones and experiences that have shaped the worldview of students entering college and universities" every fall.  For those of us who are a bit older, it's always an interesting and amusing glance at how times have changed.

Because I work at an all-girls school, some of my favorites this year include:

• Women have always attended the Virginia Military Institute and the Citadel.
• Women have always been dribbling, and occasionally dunking, in the WNBA.
• Female referees have always officiated NBA Games. (Editor's note: This year the San Antonio Spurs even hired a female coach!)

The College Mindset List is always entertaining, so click here to check out the entire list.

Have a happy and safe Labor Day weekend everyone!

Scholarship Opportunity

The consulting firm of AES Engineers is offering a $500 scholarship that will be awarded on the basis of character, as determined by evaluating the essays that are submitted.  The question is "When you look back on your life in 30 years, what would it take for you to consider your life successful? What relationships or accomplishments will be important on this journey?"

Further information is available on their web site at http://www.aesengineers.com/scholarships.htm.  The deadline for entry is October 6, 2014.

You are not required to take engineering classes in order to be eligible.

Doctor, Lawyer, or Businesswoman

If you are considering a career in the fields of medicine, law, or business, you might be interested in knowing that there's more than one way to achieve your goal.  The most recent Education Life section of The New York Times explores a number of options like physician's assistant, lawyer's apprentice, osteopathic medicine, and one-year MBA programs. Many med students are attending school outside the United States, and some law schools are now emphasizing business and technology skills in addition to case law.  There is also advice for students contemplating a future in journalism, library science, architecture, and more.

When you have some time to spare, I recommend investigating these and other options that are available to you.  The job market is changing every day, and it is becoming more and more important to stay informed.

Interested in engineering?

The University of Tennessee will hold its annual Engineers Day on Thursday, October 23.  This day long program offers high school students the opportunity to explore and learn about the various aspects of engineering through discussions, project demonstrations and exhibits prepared by UT engineering students clubs and societies.

For more information regarding the program, visit http://www.engr.utk.edu/ed/, and if you are interested in attending this year's event,complete the on-line registration form at http://www.engr.utk.edu/ed/register.html.

Friday's Wrap-Up

Some serious and not so serious ideas for this Friday afternoon...

1.  The college admissions process is full of myths and misunderstandings.  These common misconceptions only scratch the surface, but it's a good place to begin.

2.  I don't know too many students that start with the Career Services office when visiting a college campus, but these days it might not be a bad idea.  Your parents would probably agree!  Check out this article on how to evaluate a career center.

3,  To prove there is a ranking for almost everything, here's a list of the colleges where students order the most late night food  http://huff.to/1kSlWuz and a list of colleges that are considered the most polite. Another option might be to consider how "green" your college is. For more information about colleges with green initiatives, check out this article from The Guardian.  And have you ever considered which football stadiums have the best food?  See for yourself! Everyone has a different opinion about what is important to them in a college, so why not consider all your options?

4.  Perhaps the most fun college news I've seen this week is this: the BBC is reporting that the University of Cambridge is looking for someone who wants to focus on chocolate.  To be clear, the chemical engineering and biotechnology departments will offer the degree, and it will "focus on such issues as preventing melting in warm regions."  Why not?

Have a safe weekend everyone!

Lessons for Freshmen

As the year drew to a close last spring, the class of 2014 sat down to offer some advice for the new freshmen, the Class of 2018.  We posted some of the more useful pearls of wisdom in March, but we think some of their suggestions are so good that we should offer some of them - both the serious and hilarious - once again.  So here are some of our favorites!

• Take it one day at a time. Grades matter but so does your sanity. Competing with other girls about grades is pointless.
• Take advantage of help class. You're teachers really are there to help you. In fact, you are surrounded by people who want to help you.
• Don't waste your study halls. 
• Freshman year is meant to be a transition year - just because you got all A's in middle school doesn't mean that will necessarily happen in ninth grade.  And that's okay.
• Do your homework. No, really. Do your homework.
• You're probably going to lose friends. That's okay; you'll make more.
• Take some classes that you love. Don't let the focus of your high school career be padding your transcript. You will get into college, so breathe.
• Work on making strong friendships that have good foundations. That's what will you get you through the next four years.
• Don't be afraid to try new things! Get out of your comfort zone.
• Remember that everything is going to work out. Maybe not today, but it will! 
• Get involved and then continue to do the things you truly enjoy. Not only will this give you some great essay topics for college applications, but you will have a blast meeting new people and taking a break from school work.
• Do what you do with purpose.
• Don't skip the dances and other social events.
• Being attached to boarders is tough - they aren't always here. Hangout with your friends more and that boy less.
• Girls can be mean sometimes, but one good friend is better than five fake ones.
• Branch out and make friends with some upperclassmen. They aren't as scary as you think.
• Don't keep putting things off - studying, getting involved, etc.
• You probably aren't going to marry that guy that asked you out, so save your "I love you's" until you actually know what it means.
• Take your friend for ice cream if she's sad. If she doesn't like ice cream, do it anyway. Just don't let her sit home alone. Ice cream and Disney movies cure everything.
• Be a friend to the girl who looks lonely.
• Do. Not. Cry. About. Boys. They're not worth it. 
• Realize that the cookies are 150 calories each.
• Embrace your awkwardness - people will appreciate it one day.
• Modest is hottest.
• Make your own story different from others. 
• Talk to your parents; tell them stuff. They are way cooler than you think.
• Don't take a single day for granted because before you know it, you will be graduating. Cherish the days you have at GPS. It is a very special place.

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The Advantages of Greek Life

Since I work in an all-girls' school, it is no surprise that many of my students are interested in joining a sorority when they get to college.  During my own college years however, I simply didn't get what Greek life was all about. To me, sororities seemed, well, pointless. Fast forward many years however, and my own daughter jumped at the chance to participate in the process, and she has been a very (and I mean very) strong advocate of the benefits of belonging to a sorority ever since.  So much so, that for a time she worked at her sorority's national office.

My daughter assures me that sorority life is not all parties and frat boys, and sorority girls are not all like Elle Woods. (Even I knew that!) She regularly extols the benefits of belonging to a sisterhood, and she praises the networking and philanthropy opportunities that sororities provide.  She also credits those years with helping her develop her leadership and organizational skills, and indeed I can see those changes in her.  Being in a sorority has made a tremendous difference in her life.

So if you are considering going through recruitment (as I've learned it is now called),  explore some of the advantages of membership as described in this  USA Today article.  Who knows; had I known all this, I just might have changed my mind.

Starting a New Year

Because I tend to be an orderly person, for many years I have gone to the office the day before school starts so that I can focus and think about the goals I have for the upcoming year.  Plus I get to make sure my office is clean!

This year my goals seem fairly straightforward.  One, I want to make sure my students are exposed to a wide variety of college and universities, no matter where they are located.  Every year there is at least one student who steps outside her comfort zone and finds a college that wasn't on her radar when the school year began, and more often than not, she finds a healthy financial aid or merit scholarship package.  Of course, parents are often nervous about their daughter going too far away from home, so we also want to encourage them to consider the opportunities their daughter might have by stretching herself.

Two, there are so many outstanding programs and scholarships out there, and I want to do a better job of educating myself and my students about the possibilities.  For students who are interested in business and advertising, Miami University of Ohio has an advertising agency on campus. Colorado College operates on a Block Plan, allowing students to concentrate on one class at a time. The University of Rochester offers a freshmen only Research Innovation Grant, while Olin, Babson, and Wellesley have intentional collaborative programs that, for example, would allow a student to combine an engineering program at Olin with an entrepreneurship at Babson.  Colgate University's Thought Into Action program is another entrepreneurial program, while the unique open curriculum at Sarah Lawrence allows each student to tailor their academic program to their interests, all while working one on one with a faculty don.  And those are only the tip of the iceberg!

This year the  I want them to speak up for injustices when they see them.  I want them to encourage and support their classmates, and I want them to give back to their school in whatever way they can.  I want them to understand that leadership takes many forms and that there is a place for each of them on our campus. Sometimes it just takes a little longer to find it.  I want them to be resilient and learn to deal with failure.  It seems so trite, but failure is truly a wonderful learning tool.  I want them to speak up and promote themselves.  They have all have amazing talents, and they shouldn't hesitate to talk about their strengths and successes.

Finally, I want colleges and universities to understand what a truly amazing place GPS is.  Our students are smart, talented, creative, and funny young women, and they will graduate with an outstanding work ethic and all the tools they need to be successful in college.

I have my work cut out for me this year - we all do - but because I work with such incredible young women, it won't seem like work at all.  Here's to the girls!!

Easy to Enter Scholarship Contests

Not every scholarship opportunity requires an essay.  There are some sweepstake type possibilities out there, and although the odds might not be in your favor, why wouldn't you enter?  It's worth your while to take a few minutes and look over some of the options in this article: http://bit.ly/1kEXRHv  What have you got to lose?

Senior Year Is Not Just About College

Just last week I wrote about "the rush to finish" the college process.  Some days however, I think I'm part of the problem. The hype and craziness and stress (oh, how I hate that word), that is.  I don't mean to contribute to the problem, but I get so caught up in the opinions and reports in the media, as well as the hyperventilating by some other parties, that it's hard to stay balanced and calm.

Within only the last few days I've read articles on the colleges with the happiest students, the colleges whose liberal arts grads make the most money, the best majors, and the three things every college student should know.  There are just three?  I've seen tweets that suggest you should have at least three drafts of your essay completed already and another that offers the exact things you should include in that essay.  It's no wonder students get a little nutty.

I'm not naive. I know what the college admissions landscape looks like these days, but I also know that there is more to a girl's senior year than her college application.  In fact, there's a whole lot more.  That's why this article, Six--Well, Seven--Pieces of Advice for College-Searching High School Seniors, by the President of Franklin & Marshall College, resonated with me. Dr. Porterfield writes:

• "Despite the uncertainties, remember that you have the ultimate power in the college selection  process."
• "Equip yourself with information from many sources." 
• "A key part of the college search should be self-discovery."
• "As you explore, allow yourself to have lots of 'first choices.'
• "Write an application essay that's so true to you that you'll want to read it again in ten years as a  snapshot of where you were at age 18."
• "Don't let college mania dominate the only senior year of high school you'll ever have."

That is some awesome advice!

It's a new beginning for all of us at GPS this year!  There are wonderful memories to be made, opportunities to take advantage of, and you can make a tremendous difference in the life of your school.  This is your time, seniors.  As Dr. Graves said yesterday, "let's bring it."

The Rush to Finish

I may be in the minority on this one, but just because the Common Application is open and ready for business, why does everyone have to be in a rush to finish their applications before school even starts.  There are no awards for being the first to hit "send."

Too often students (and parents) are in such a hurry to get the college process over with, that they do not give it the time and careful consideration it deserves. Personally I've seen many girls come back to school in August with a new set of college criteria, and in some cases, they've completely changed their minds about where they want to go.  Only a few weeks ago, one senior who absolutely, positively knew where she wanted to go to school and only wanted to apply to that school, has done an about face and decided to expand her options.  Many students are still trying to figure out why certain schools fit - or don't fit - them (they are teenagers after all!).

I get that applications can be stressful, but rushing to finish them may not be the best way to handle it. Your essay shouldn't be something you "just get done" but should be an opportunity to really think about who you are, what you've accomplished, what people, experiences, and things are meaningful to you.  If done thoughtfully, the college process can be a chance to reflect on where you've been and where you want to go. Allow yourself time to consider how you've grown and stretched yourself, because if you approach it as simply one more hurdle to clear, you will miss all the good stuff that come out of it.

Yes, your senior year will be a busy one. But you can take your time with your college applications and still have a life.  My suggestion? Take a deep breath first.  There are a number of people - your college counselor, your teachers, your parents - who are here to help you. Learn to prioritize (a good life lesson if you don't already know how).  Seek out some balance in your life; it can be done!  And as the saying goes, take some time to smell the roses.  Your college applications might just be better for it.