First, thank you so much for joining us at 'The Road to College' program last Sunday. We know we provided you with an avalanche of information, but we hope that as you go through the college process with your daughter, you will be reminded of what you learned.
Here are a few highlights I hope you'll keep in mind.
1. Your daughter is in good hands. We can't wait to share our experience and expertise with your daughter, and we look forward to advocating for you her. From brainstorming essay topics and proofreading applications to investigating scholarships and weighing the pros and cons of each college as she makes her final decision, we're available for her as often as she needs. And of course, GPS has an excellent reputation, and we have the stats to prove it.
But remember, this is your daughter's college search, and she needs to lead the way.
2. You know your daughter better than anyone, and the parent perspective letter we have asked you to write will be invaluable as we write recommendations. Due February 1, please take the time to write down your thoughts about your amazing daughter.
3. Authenticity is critically important. Your daughter doesn't need to be what she thinks a college wants her to be, and in fact, most will be able to see through that. Likewise, we do not want to "package" her, but we do want to help her present her many strengths and talents so that schools will understand and value who she really is. If she is her authentic self, she is more likely to find a college where she will thrive long-term.
As one of my wise colleagues likes to say, "College is a match to be made, not a prize to be won."
4. There are over 3,000 colleges and universities to choose from in the US alone. Even though your daughter may think she wants a large state university or a school below the Mason-Dixon line, there might be a hidden gem out there that fits her perfectly! There are amazing small to medium size liberal arts schools, women's college (yes, I said it), urban campuses, rural locations, and even schools in Canada or abroad that might offer what she is looking for, including financial incentives. So don't shut the door to the possibilities too quickly.
5. Ultimately though, you should listen to what your daughter is telling you. She wants to please you, but she also may not want to apply to the school(s) you prefer. Ask her why the school doesn't "fit," and then pay attention. Truly, this is not your college search (or application), and she may know more about it than you - or we - know.
6. The next year and a half may at times be exhilarating, frustrating, and disappointing, but ultimately it will be joyful. It is indeed a rite of passage, and it is a privilege for us to be along for the ride.
Tuesday, January 17, 2017
Tuesday, January 3, 2017
Dear Juniors...
Chances are you have been thinking about college for a while now. You and your parents have hopefully visited a few colleges, attended college fairs, and you may already be tiring of it all. However, in anticipation of your college classes which begin this week, I ask you to consider the following.
1. Yesterday, Eric Hoover, an education writer for The Chronicle of Higher Education, tweeted this New Year's resolution: stop using the term "top colleges." Agreed! The goal of the college search is to find the right college for you, not the right college for everyone else or the one you think will be most impressive when we post the Where O' Where's at the end of next year. If you will do the necessary research (and be forewarned, it is hard work), work closely with your college counselor, and communicate with your parents, you will develop a list of schools that uniquely fit you. That should be your goal, and that is what we will help you do.
2. When considering your transcript and resume, we like to say "It is what it is." What we mean is that even if you do start making all A's, your GPA isn't going to go up a whole point (sorry!). Yet I want to offer a different perspective on that phrase. Yes, by this point in your junior year, your transcript is what it is, but you still have the power to make changes. All is not lost. If you don't like your English grade or you're not satisfied with your extracurricular involvement, you still have the power - and the time - to do something about it. English may not be your favorite or best subject - and you may not move the grade needle significantly - but by the end of the year, your teacher might be able to talk about your renewed focus and interest, your willingness to go the extra mile, or your attempt to be more involved in class discussions. Likewise, if you choose, you can step up and decide to lead the Amnesty letter writing campaign, or you can be the lacrosse teammate who decides to be a role model for the younger players. The changes may seem insignificant or even pointless to you, but even those small changes have the power to make a difference in your college process. What changes in your attitude or participation are you willing to make as the second semester begins?
3. Lin-Manuel Miranda wrote two songs for Hamilton in two years. Two songs in two years! Why do you believe you can write your college essay in one sitting? No, you're not writing a Broadway masterpiece, but your essay can be the tipping point, so you will have to write multiple drafts (think at least four or five) before it will be worthy of submission.
4. And finally, I picked up another Twitter tip today. "Be honest about what you want from college and from life." These are big questions we are asking you to consider, but if you will take the time to think about them seriously and have in-depth conversations with your parents and your counselor, you will have a better chance of finding the right college for you.
The college search process is not rocket-science, but it requires considerable introspection and a great deal of hard work. I know you're up for the challenge, and I look forward to meeting with you soon.
Happy new year,
Ms. McCarter
1. Yesterday, Eric Hoover, an education writer for The Chronicle of Higher Education, tweeted this New Year's resolution: stop using the term "top colleges." Agreed! The goal of the college search is to find the right college for you, not the right college for everyone else or the one you think will be most impressive when we post the Where O' Where's at the end of next year. If you will do the necessary research (and be forewarned, it is hard work), work closely with your college counselor, and communicate with your parents, you will develop a list of schools that uniquely fit you. That should be your goal, and that is what we will help you do.
2. When considering your transcript and resume, we like to say "It is what it is." What we mean is that even if you do start making all A's, your GPA isn't going to go up a whole point (sorry!). Yet I want to offer a different perspective on that phrase. Yes, by this point in your junior year, your transcript is what it is, but you still have the power to make changes. All is not lost. If you don't like your English grade or you're not satisfied with your extracurricular involvement, you still have the power - and the time - to do something about it. English may not be your favorite or best subject - and you may not move the grade needle significantly - but by the end of the year, your teacher might be able to talk about your renewed focus and interest, your willingness to go the extra mile, or your attempt to be more involved in class discussions. Likewise, if you choose, you can step up and decide to lead the Amnesty letter writing campaign, or you can be the lacrosse teammate who decides to be a role model for the younger players. The changes may seem insignificant or even pointless to you, but even those small changes have the power to make a difference in your college process. What changes in your attitude or participation are you willing to make as the second semester begins?
3. Lin-Manuel Miranda wrote two songs for Hamilton in two years. Two songs in two years! Why do you believe you can write your college essay in one sitting? No, you're not writing a Broadway masterpiece, but your essay can be the tipping point, so you will have to write multiple drafts (think at least four or five) before it will be worthy of submission.
4. And finally, I picked up another Twitter tip today. "Be honest about what you want from college and from life." These are big questions we are asking you to consider, but if you will take the time to think about them seriously and have in-depth conversations with your parents and your counselor, you will have a better chance of finding the right college for you.
The college search process is not rocket-science, but it requires considerable introspection and a great deal of hard work. I know you're up for the challenge, and I look forward to meeting with you soon.
Happy new year,
Ms. McCarter
Monday, December 12, 2016
I've been deferred! Now what?
So, before the early decision/early action decisions are released, it's probably time to at least consider what to do if you are deferred.
First, what does that mean? Well, it means they weren't ready to make a decision for you, and they want to see more. Yes, it will be disappointing, but it's not a 'no," so let's not get too discouraged, okay? The question for you now is, what's next?
1. The first thing you should do is see your college counselor so that you and she can make a plan. She will be an important resource and ally! Hopefully you've kept your grades up, because they're going to want to see your mid-year transcript. But there's even more you can do.
2. After consulting your counselor, you may want to send in an additional teacher recommendation, particularly from a current teacher who can address your senior year performance. You can also update your application with any new information. Perhaps you were named outstanding delegate at the recent Model UN conference, found a job, won the lead in the spring musical, or were inducted into the National Honor Society since you submitted your application - those things need to be added to your file.
3. Of course, if you have taken the SAT or ACT since you submitted your application, make sure those scores are sent to the college.
4. We also recommend that you write a letter reiterating why you believe you are a good fit for the school and what you believe you will contribute to the community. You are your own best advocate, so now is not the time to be bashful or humble, and we believe this letter can be very helpful.
5. If possible, you might consider a return visit to campus. It's not mandatory, but you can sit in on some classes and perhaps schedule a brief meeting with your admissions counselor. If you can get a meeting, make sure you go in with a definite idea of what you want or need to say.
6. I've always been a big proponent of hand-written thank-you notes, so consider writing - not emailing - your rep when all is said and done. Regardless of the outcome, they will appreciate your gratitude for even considering your candidacy.
And finally, if you ultimately are not accepted, it's not the end of the world. It may seem like it (I know, I've had my share of rejections), but it's really not. As I have said many, many times, sometimes Plan B (even C or D) ends up being the best thing that could happen to you.
First, what does that mean? Well, it means they weren't ready to make a decision for you, and they want to see more. Yes, it will be disappointing, but it's not a 'no," so let's not get too discouraged, okay? The question for you now is, what's next?
1. The first thing you should do is see your college counselor so that you and she can make a plan. She will be an important resource and ally! Hopefully you've kept your grades up, because they're going to want to see your mid-year transcript. But there's even more you can do.
2. After consulting your counselor, you may want to send in an additional teacher recommendation, particularly from a current teacher who can address your senior year performance. You can also update your application with any new information. Perhaps you were named outstanding delegate at the recent Model UN conference, found a job, won the lead in the spring musical, or were inducted into the National Honor Society since you submitted your application - those things need to be added to your file.
3. Of course, if you have taken the SAT or ACT since you submitted your application, make sure those scores are sent to the college.
4. We also recommend that you write a letter reiterating why you believe you are a good fit for the school and what you believe you will contribute to the community. You are your own best advocate, so now is not the time to be bashful or humble, and we believe this letter can be very helpful.
5. If possible, you might consider a return visit to campus. It's not mandatory, but you can sit in on some classes and perhaps schedule a brief meeting with your admissions counselor. If you can get a meeting, make sure you go in with a definite idea of what you want or need to say.
6. I've always been a big proponent of hand-written thank-you notes, so consider writing - not emailing - your rep when all is said and done. Regardless of the outcome, they will appreciate your gratitude for even considering your candidacy.
And finally, if you ultimately are not accepted, it's not the end of the world. It may seem like it (I know, I've had my share of rejections), but it's really not. As I have said many, many times, sometimes Plan B (even C or D) ends up being the best thing that could happen to you.
Thursday, December 8, 2016
The stages of rejection grief
You've been rejected, denied, summarily dismissed...whatever you want to call it. It never feels good, and like most bad things, we all tend to go through the stages of grief. That's about all the set-up this article - the 5 stages of EA rejection grief - needs. Even though it is written from the perspective of a now college junior, it still rings very true.
The good news is that the sadness and tears eventually pass and like the author, you will gain a sense of perspective. Promise.
The good news is that the sadness and tears eventually pass and like the author, you will gain a sense of perspective. Promise.
Wednesday, November 30, 2016
The talented class of 2017
Perhaps there is something in the water (not that there's been much rain around here lately), but it seems like my seniors are panicking a little earlier than usual this year. Maybe it is because they are at the end of their college applications. Then again, maybe it's because once they hit the last 'submit' button, all they can do is wait while some strangers in a faraway room pass judgment on them (that's the way they see it anyway). But if I had a nickel for every time one of them said "there's nothing special about me," I would be quite rich.
I wish they could see what I see, because the GPS Class of 2017 is an amazing group of young women. One of them is raising money to fund arts programs in local elementary schools. Gentle and soft-spoken, another has volunteered at the Creative Discovery Museum and is one of the most loved summer camp counselors we have. Still another has a love of plants that is second only to her love for cats, and you can frequently find her in her very own green room, tending to her plants, many of which she started from tiny seeds. Along with a few of her peers, one senior helped build the computer that now runs our 3-D printer, and another has passed her wilderness first aid safety course.
The senior with the purple hair has never met an animal she didn't love and currently owns a chinchilla, a hedgehog, two turtles, several fish, five dogs, two horses, eight geese, a guinea fowl and several chickens. Past pets have included cats, hamsters, mice and hermit crabs.
Some members of the class of 2017 are on-stage stars and back stage tech wizards, while others are accomplished equestrians and violinists. They are all-state soccer players and champion cross-country teammates. At least one is teaching herself Korean, while another has written and produced her own civil rights documentary. One manages the GPS bookstore, one is a Sea Cadet and has her advanced scuba and PADI certification.
As a group they are leaders and followers, community activists, and dedicated volunteers. They have dealt with significant injuries and personal loss and bounced back up again. This beautiful group of souls has raised money for cancer research, grown thousands of pounds of food for the Chattanooga Food Bank, and supported their classmates in small ways I will never know.
There is nothing mediocre about them. Any of them.
As an adult, I know that one college decision is not going to make or break them. If they will be open to the possibilities, there are hundreds of roads that can take them where they want to go. Once the panic has subsided and the decisions have been made, I hope they will see what I see. The Class of 2017 is simply amazing.
I wish they could see what I see, because the GPS Class of 2017 is an amazing group of young women. One of them is raising money to fund arts programs in local elementary schools. Gentle and soft-spoken, another has volunteered at the Creative Discovery Museum and is one of the most loved summer camp counselors we have. Still another has a love of plants that is second only to her love for cats, and you can frequently find her in her very own green room, tending to her plants, many of which she started from tiny seeds. Along with a few of her peers, one senior helped build the computer that now runs our 3-D printer, and another has passed her wilderness first aid safety course.
The senior with the purple hair has never met an animal she didn't love and currently owns a chinchilla, a hedgehog, two turtles, several fish, five dogs, two horses, eight geese, a guinea fowl and several chickens. Past pets have included cats, hamsters, mice and hermit crabs.
Some members of the class of 2017 are on-stage stars and back stage tech wizards, while others are accomplished equestrians and violinists. They are all-state soccer players and champion cross-country teammates. At least one is teaching herself Korean, while another has written and produced her own civil rights documentary. One manages the GPS bookstore, one is a Sea Cadet and has her advanced scuba and PADI certification.
As a group they are leaders and followers, community activists, and dedicated volunteers. They have dealt with significant injuries and personal loss and bounced back up again. This beautiful group of souls has raised money for cancer research, grown thousands of pounds of food for the Chattanooga Food Bank, and supported their classmates in small ways I will never know.
There is nothing mediocre about them. Any of them.
As an adult, I know that one college decision is not going to make or break them. If they will be open to the possibilities, there are hundreds of roads that can take them where they want to go. Once the panic has subsided and the decisions have been made, I hope they will see what I see. The Class of 2017 is simply amazing.
Wednesday, November 16, 2016
$ Paying for College $
Normally I don't like to repost or recycle something I previously wrote, but because I know financial aid and scholarships are so important to seniors, I want to remind you of a few tips we shared earlier this year.
1. The largest financial aid awards still typically come from the college itself, so make sure you carefully read the directions on each college website. Not all college requirements are the same, so be sure you know what forms each school needs and what their deadlines are. Many schools have a December 1 application deadline that also applies to merit aid, so as long as you have everything submitted by then, you will be considered. Since your college applications should be done by then anyway, you're good!
2. If you are looking for scholarships, Fastweb (www.fastweb.com) is a good place to begin. You will need to register, but then it's up to you to follow up with any recommendations they send you. Follow them on Twitter as well (@PayingforSchool).
3. All outside or independent scholarship opportunities we receive will be posted on MyGPS. Look for the scholarship folder under Topics. We will also tweet them @gpscollege. Many of these are not available until January or later so check back on a regular basis.
4. If you have not already, make an appointment with Mrs. Haley. She is more than happy to help you search for scholarships, and several students have commented that she is very helpful (but then we knew that!).
5. You can do a quick Internet search yourself, but don't just type in "scholarships." Try something more specific like engineering, theater, or service scholarships. Also, don't forget to check with your church, your parents' place of business, or even a local club or civic group.
Two more reminders - Don't ever pay for someone to do a scholarship search for you, and finding free money takes time. You may have to cull through hundreds of possibilities before you find the one that is right for you. Hang in there!
1. The largest financial aid awards still typically come from the college itself, so make sure you carefully read the directions on each college website. Not all college requirements are the same, so be sure you know what forms each school needs and what their deadlines are. Many schools have a December 1 application deadline that also applies to merit aid, so as long as you have everything submitted by then, you will be considered. Since your college applications should be done by then anyway, you're good!
2. If you are looking for scholarships, Fastweb (www.fastweb.com) is a good place to begin. You will need to register, but then it's up to you to follow up with any recommendations they send you. Follow them on Twitter as well (@PayingforSchool).
3. All outside or independent scholarship opportunities we receive will be posted on MyGPS. Look for the scholarship folder under Topics. We will also tweet them @gpscollege. Many of these are not available until January or later so check back on a regular basis.
4. If you have not already, make an appointment with Mrs. Haley. She is more than happy to help you search for scholarships, and several students have commented that she is very helpful (but then we knew that!).
5. You can do a quick Internet search yourself, but don't just type in "scholarships." Try something more specific like engineering, theater, or service scholarships. Also, don't forget to check with your church, your parents' place of business, or even a local club or civic group.
Two more reminders - Don't ever pay for someone to do a scholarship search for you, and finding free money takes time. You may have to cull through hundreds of possibilities before you find the one that is right for you. Hang in there!
Tuesday, October 11, 2016
Paper Airplanes and College Admissions
Last year I read how a counselor friend of mine, Ginny Maddux at Montgomery Bell Academy, used paper airplanes to explain college admissions to her ninth grade boys. It sounded like a terrific idea, so we tried it with our freshmen this afternoon.
First, each girl wrote the names of all the colleges she could think of on a sheet of paper. Using that same paper, we asked them to make an airplane and then took them outside to see if their planes would take flight. It's a simple and fun exercise, but it offers two very important lesson for ninth graders who are (hopefully) just beginning to think about college.
Lesson #1 - Almost everyone needed help today. While most did not hesitate to ask their friends how to fold the paper, some experimented and came up with their own design. Similarly, whether it's seeking out extra help from your teachers and parents or relying on your college counselor's expertise, students should take advantage of all the assistance that is available to them (and at GPS it is considerable!).
Lesson #2 - Almost none of the airplanes landed where the girls wanted them to land. College admissions is very much like flying a paper airplane. You can consult books, on-line sites, family, friends, alums, newspapers, but none of them can guarantee you will be successful. You may have dreams to attend a certain college or have plans to be an engineer or a nurse, but you could still be denied admission. There are always some things you can't control. With airplanes it might be wind speed, the weight of the paper, or your arm strength, and in college admissions, it could be anything from the ratio of boys to girls, the major you choose, or even what state you are from. What is important to remember is that you can still achieve your goals, but you may have to alter your flight plan, and sometimes the alternate route turns out to be the best one. (If you have any doubts, I have plenty of examples I can share with you.)
For now, we want freshmen to concentrate on being the best student they can be, and remember that there is more than one way to achieve their dreams (or fly their planes). It's okay - even advisable - to ask for help. The rest will take care of itself.
First, each girl wrote the names of all the colleges she could think of on a sheet of paper. Using that same paper, we asked them to make an airplane and then took them outside to see if their planes would take flight. It's a simple and fun exercise, but it offers two very important lesson for ninth graders who are (hopefully) just beginning to think about college.
Lesson #1 - Almost everyone needed help today. While most did not hesitate to ask their friends how to fold the paper, some experimented and came up with their own design. Similarly, whether it's seeking out extra help from your teachers and parents or relying on your college counselor's expertise, students should take advantage of all the assistance that is available to them (and at GPS it is considerable!).
Lesson #2 - Almost none of the airplanes landed where the girls wanted them to land. College admissions is very much like flying a paper airplane. You can consult books, on-line sites, family, friends, alums, newspapers, but none of them can guarantee you will be successful. You may have dreams to attend a certain college or have plans to be an engineer or a nurse, but you could still be denied admission. There are always some things you can't control. With airplanes it might be wind speed, the weight of the paper, or your arm strength, and in college admissions, it could be anything from the ratio of boys to girls, the major you choose, or even what state you are from. What is important to remember is that you can still achieve your goals, but you may have to alter your flight plan, and sometimes the alternate route turns out to be the best one. (If you have any doubts, I have plenty of examples I can share with you.)
For now, we want freshmen to concentrate on being the best student they can be, and remember that there is more than one way to achieve their dreams (or fly their planes). It's okay - even advisable - to ask for help. The rest will take care of itself.
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