Even though you're not through with the first semester, you might want to be thinking about what you're going to do during the summer. While I think a real vacation - perhaps some pool time is in order - is essential to your well-being, you also have time to do something more meaningful. Three ideas recently crossed my desk, and I want to share them with you.
1. The Kelley School of Business at Indiana University offers a free summer program for rising juniors who have an interest in business. there are two week-long sessions to choose from : June 8-13, 2014 and June 22-27, 2014. You are responsible for transportation, but that's the only expense.
The admissions process is selective (of course!), and applicants must have a 3.5 GPA. We can only nominate two students, so if you are considering a business career, this is an outstanding opportunity. Please see me for more details.
2. Vanderbilt University's pre-college PAVE program for rising seniors is a great opportunity for students interested in engineering, pre-medical/healthcare, science, or technology. However, this five week program is also a good opportunity for people interested in the humanities as well. For more information about PAVE, visit their website: http://bit.ly/1bx91Hc. If you would like us to nominate you (you can still apply on your own), please let us know ASAP (this week).
3. If you are a little more adventurous and want to get away from home, check out the summer programs at the University of Southern California. You can find two or four week experiences in architecture, business, global studies, performing arts, writing, pre-law or pre-health, engineering, and journalism. This program, I believe, is open to all high school students, but you can find more information at http://summer.usc.edu.
We have already posted a few summer possibilities, but there will be more to come! Whatever you decide to do this summer, take some time to consider your options and plan what makes the most sense for you.
Monday, December 9, 2013
Are you the star of the show?
Happy Monday, everyone! College classes for juniors will begin when we get back to school in January, and this post by Meredith Lepore at Levo League (one of my favorite sites) emphasizes one of the first lessons we cover. If you don't promote yourself, take the lead, be the star - who will?
In my experience, girls have a harder time talking about their strengths and talents. I've often thought it's a southern thing, but I don't think that's all there is to it. Girls just seem to have more difficulty talking about themselves, especially in a positive light. We often joke in class that a boy with average athletic skills has no problem telling anyone who will listen how good he is at basketball while a girl who is the star of her team simply says, "Yeah, I play basketball."
In the college admissions process, students must be able to talk, almost boast, about themselves. They have to admit that they are a talented writer, an inquisitive scientist, a gifted linguist. They should be able to acknowledge their athletic and artistic skills. They should own up to their creativity, their curiosity, their talent. After all, as Walt Whitman or Bear Bryant or Dizzy Dean once said (it's been attributed to all of them), "It ain't bragging if you done it."
If it makes you uncomfortable to talk about yourself, try thinking about more palatable ways to discuss your gifts until you get the hang of it. For example, rather than saying you are the best creative writer at your school, you can say something like "I've been writing my own short stories since the second grade, and last year I started my first novel. Who knows whether it will published, but I'm excited about the possibilities, and I might even try to self-publish it! In the meantime, I've found a home in the GPS creative writing club, and I'm even trying my hand at editorial writing through the school newspaper." That idea works for something like softball too. You can talk about how long you've played (since you were five?), how many teams you're on (the GPS varsity, a summer team, the region all-star team?), or even how many positions you've played (left field, first base, even pitching).
Do you see what you've done? By the very fact that you've been doing something since you were a small child, you've implied you're probably pretty good at it by now. You've also demonstrated your commitment to your work, and best of all, you have most likely started a conversation (with a college admissions representative) and that will give you the opportunity to keep talking about your other interests.
But back to the Levo League article. To quote the author, "you have to be the star of your own film and step into the spotlight." You need to tell your own story, and now is as good a time as any to decide what role you want to play. Are you going to be the star, the leader, the go-getter? Or are you going to watch from the sidelines? It's up to you.
On a side note: over the weekend, I came across this article about "selfies." While I don't agree with her 100%, she does have a point, and I wanted to share it with you.
In my experience, girls have a harder time talking about their strengths and talents. I've often thought it's a southern thing, but I don't think that's all there is to it. Girls just seem to have more difficulty talking about themselves, especially in a positive light. We often joke in class that a boy with average athletic skills has no problem telling anyone who will listen how good he is at basketball while a girl who is the star of her team simply says, "Yeah, I play basketball."
In the college admissions process, students must be able to talk, almost boast, about themselves. They have to admit that they are a talented writer, an inquisitive scientist, a gifted linguist. They should be able to acknowledge their athletic and artistic skills. They should own up to their creativity, their curiosity, their talent. After all, as Walt Whitman or Bear Bryant or Dizzy Dean once said (it's been attributed to all of them), "It ain't bragging if you done it."
If it makes you uncomfortable to talk about yourself, try thinking about more palatable ways to discuss your gifts until you get the hang of it. For example, rather than saying you are the best creative writer at your school, you can say something like "I've been writing my own short stories since the second grade, and last year I started my first novel. Who knows whether it will published, but I'm excited about the possibilities, and I might even try to self-publish it! In the meantime, I've found a home in the GPS creative writing club, and I'm even trying my hand at editorial writing through the school newspaper." That idea works for something like softball too. You can talk about how long you've played (since you were five?), how many teams you're on (the GPS varsity, a summer team, the region all-star team?), or even how many positions you've played (left field, first base, even pitching).
Do you see what you've done? By the very fact that you've been doing something since you were a small child, you've implied you're probably pretty good at it by now. You've also demonstrated your commitment to your work, and best of all, you have most likely started a conversation (with a college admissions representative) and that will give you the opportunity to keep talking about your other interests.
But back to the Levo League article. To quote the author, "you have to be the star of your own film and step into the spotlight." You need to tell your own story, and now is as good a time as any to decide what role you want to play. Are you going to be the star, the leader, the go-getter? Or are you going to watch from the sidelines? It's up to you.
On a side note: over the weekend, I came across this article about "selfies." While I don't agree with her 100%, she does have a point, and I wanted to share it with you.
Friday, December 6, 2013
Let's Stop Talking About College
Just about everyone I know loves the holidays, if for no other reason than we have a nice long break from school. It's so much fun to catch up with alums who are home on break, and for my current seniors, the application part of the college process is pretty much behind them. However, there can still be a lot of pressure on students.
Well-meaning relatives and friends love to ask high school seniors questions like "Where have you applied to college?" "Where are you going to college next year?" "What is your major going to be?" "Have you been accepted yet?" Even those college students are not immune to inquisitive minds. "Have you found a job yet?" "Do you know where you're going to live?" Or perhaps even the dreaded "Do you have a special someone in your life yet?"
This year let's vow to stop the craziness!
The majority of GPS seniors (and other students) do not know where they're going to college right now. They've just completed their applications and are trying to catch their breath. They know that somewhere, someone is about to read that application and decide their fate (okay, it's not that drastic, but it can feel like that to the girls). They've talked about almost nothing else but college for months, they written countless drafts of their essays, and they've had their applications proofed and tweaked and buffed: it would be nice if they could just think about something else - like presents, parties, and some time with their friends. And they deserve the time off.
College students have their own issues. If they are nearing the end of their collegiate career, they are most likely trying to decide their next steps. Graduate school? A career? A move to another city? Even if they are in the middle of their college life, the questions are endless, and chances are they don't need the rest of us to remind them how much there is left to accomplish.
So, I have an idea. Why don't we let them be? Instead of asking them about their plans, why don't we just congratulate them on being where there are. Perhaps we could tell them how proud we are that they've made it this far, and that we know whatever they decide to do or wherever they decide to go, we believe they will make the most of it. Just say "Congratulations. You've worked really hard to get to this point, and we can't wait to see what you do next." Encourage visiting family members to do the same. Run interference for them at church or other gatherings. Let them know it's okay to kindly defer the question with a simple "I'm going to wait and review all my options, and then I'll be ready to talk about it."
Let's stop talking about college for a while. Enjoy the holidays with your daughter and revel in the time you have left with her at home. College will be here soon enough.
Well-meaning relatives and friends love to ask high school seniors questions like "Where have you applied to college?" "Where are you going to college next year?" "What is your major going to be?" "Have you been accepted yet?" Even those college students are not immune to inquisitive minds. "Have you found a job yet?" "Do you know where you're going to live?" Or perhaps even the dreaded "Do you have a special someone in your life yet?"
This year let's vow to stop the craziness!
The majority of GPS seniors (and other students) do not know where they're going to college right now. They've just completed their applications and are trying to catch their breath. They know that somewhere, someone is about to read that application and decide their fate (okay, it's not that drastic, but it can feel like that to the girls). They've talked about almost nothing else but college for months, they written countless drafts of their essays, and they've had their applications proofed and tweaked and buffed: it would be nice if they could just think about something else - like presents, parties, and some time with their friends. And they deserve the time off.
College students have their own issues. If they are nearing the end of their collegiate career, they are most likely trying to decide their next steps. Graduate school? A career? A move to another city? Even if they are in the middle of their college life, the questions are endless, and chances are they don't need the rest of us to remind them how much there is left to accomplish.
So, I have an idea. Why don't we let them be? Instead of asking them about their plans, why don't we just congratulate them on being where there are. Perhaps we could tell them how proud we are that they've made it this far, and that we know whatever they decide to do or wherever they decide to go, we believe they will make the most of it. Just say "Congratulations. You've worked really hard to get to this point, and we can't wait to see what you do next." Encourage visiting family members to do the same. Run interference for them at church or other gatherings. Let them know it's okay to kindly defer the question with a simple "I'm going to wait and review all my options, and then I'll be ready to talk about it."
Let's stop talking about college for a while. Enjoy the holidays with your daughter and revel in the time you have left with her at home. College will be here soon enough.
Thursday, December 5, 2013
A December Checklist for Seniors
Although I could have told you all of this myself, I know David Burke, and his December checklist for seniors is as good as anything I would have offered. So rather than repeat his advice, you should read it for yourself.
I would however, call special attention to one item: practice celebration etiquette. It's difficult not to celebrate when you have finished all of your applications but keep in mind that a few of your classmates are still putting the finishing touches on theirs. So, be happy that you're through, but don't forget to cheer your classmates on to the finish line.
I would however, call special attention to one item: practice celebration etiquette. It's difficult not to celebrate when you have finished all of your applications but keep in mind that a few of your classmates are still putting the finishing touches on theirs. So, be happy that you're through, but don't forget to cheer your classmates on to the finish line.
Wednesday, December 4, 2013
Are you thinking about a career in the fine arts?
Music, theater, visual arts, dance - GPS students are incredibly fortunate to have such an outstanding fine arts department. But there are some challenges for students who are considering majoring in one of these areas once they get to college.
To start with, the application requirements may be very different (auditions, portfolios, etc.) and may be different from college to college. It's important to make sure you know exactly what is expected of you and when your deadlines are. Second, students need to decide what type of degree (BA, BFA) or what type of college (conservatories, art schools, "regular" colleges or universities) they are interested in attending.
There are other factors you should also consider, and for an excellent summary of those considerations, you might want to read over this article from the National Association for College Admissions Counseling, of which GPS is a member. And I would add one more thing: just like any other college you are considering, spend some time talking about the future. What do their graduates go on to do? What types of jobs do they secure? You (and your parents) will want to make sure you have options when you graduate.
To start with, the application requirements may be very different (auditions, portfolios, etc.) and may be different from college to college. It's important to make sure you know exactly what is expected of you and when your deadlines are. Second, students need to decide what type of degree (BA, BFA) or what type of college (conservatories, art schools, "regular" colleges or universities) they are interested in attending.
There are other factors you should also consider, and for an excellent summary of those considerations, you might want to read over this article from the National Association for College Admissions Counseling, of which GPS is a member. And I would add one more thing: just like any other college you are considering, spend some time talking about the future. What do their graduates go on to do? What types of jobs do they secure? You (and your parents) will want to make sure you have options when you graduate.
Tuesday, December 3, 2013
The College Interview
If you have an upcoming interview scheduled, many of the comments and suggestions in this article, "How to Nail Your College Interview," could help alleviate pre-interview jitters.
Loving Your College, No Matter Where You Go
By now I hope our college freshmen have settled into their environment, but sometimes it can take at least a full semester or even longer before it begins to feel like home. Perhaps it's not the school you wanted to attend in the first place. Maybe it seems like your high school friends are having more fun somewhere else. It might be you just haven't found your niche yet.
Regardless of the reason, there are a few things you can do to ease the transition. First, realize that you're not the only student who feels this way. Even this late in the semester, adjusting to college life can be difficult. But second, you're going to have to help yourself. If you're not sure how to do that, this advice is a good place to start. Make sure you pay attention to #3: coming home every weekend is not the answer and sitting in your room every weekend isn't going to work either. You have to give your college a real honest chance, and that means you have to get out and make a life for yourself on campus. You did it at GPS (you've just forgotten that), and you can do it in college too.
Actually that's a good life skill to have. After all, you don't know where you will end up after college. You might find yourself in a new city far from home, and you'll have to start all over again. You can do it; we know you can.
Update: Since my post was published this morning, I ran across an article that talks about starting over after college. In it, the author discusses having to start all over again once she moved to Boston and how she used her alumni network to meet new people and get involved. I have another idea: you can also use your sorority network if you were in one. These are two easy ways to get involved and start that new life!
Regardless of the reason, there are a few things you can do to ease the transition. First, realize that you're not the only student who feels this way. Even this late in the semester, adjusting to college life can be difficult. But second, you're going to have to help yourself. If you're not sure how to do that, this advice is a good place to start. Make sure you pay attention to #3: coming home every weekend is not the answer and sitting in your room every weekend isn't going to work either. You have to give your college a real honest chance, and that means you have to get out and make a life for yourself on campus. You did it at GPS (you've just forgotten that), and you can do it in college too.
Actually that's a good life skill to have. After all, you don't know where you will end up after college. You might find yourself in a new city far from home, and you'll have to start all over again. You can do it; we know you can.
Update: Since my post was published this morning, I ran across an article that talks about starting over after college. In it, the author discusses having to start all over again once she moved to Boston and how she used her alumni network to meet new people and get involved. I have another idea: you can also use your sorority network if you were in one. These are two easy ways to get involved and start that new life!
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