I'm thinking about valedictorians for a number of reasons in this graduation season, but mostly because last week a friend sent me this article, titled "Wondering What Happened to Your Class Valedictorian? Not Much, Research Shows." My friend simply asked me: "Thoughts?"
I have thoughts.
I'm sure you've heard a thousand times that college admissions officers sometimes check on the social media posts of applicants. You've heard that you should be careful what you say--writers tell you not to post anything you wouldn't want your grandmother to see--but also that you should be sure to make your accomplishments clear. You've been told that colleges don't want to see photos of you with booze in your hand, but that they do want to see you're a well-rounded person with a social life. They want to see that you're engaged with your community, but that you don't get into hateful arguments or use poor judgement. You've been told all this already, and you don't need me to tell you again.
You know who has the easiest college admissions season? Seniors who are accepted early. They only do one application, they finish it early, and then they're done. While everyone else is scrambling to finish essays in the fall and then going through the decision process in the spring, the seniors who applied early and got accepted get to use that time doing other things. Or doing nothing.
Your first year of high school is over. You're (probably) feeling more confident than you were a year ago, and you're (probably) feeling more grown up. So what do you do with that? How do you spend your off-season with a good balance of deserved relaxation and necessary growth? Anything. You can do just about anything, I mean it.
I know school's not over yet, but you may as well start thinking about the summer. If you haven't already got summer plans, or if you need to reconsider your summer plans, here are some suggestions for things you can do to prepare for 11th grade--which is usually considered the toughest grade--and beyond.
The odds are pretty good you're going to your "safety" school, and the odds are very high you're not going to your "dream" school. That's very normal; it has a lot more to do with the economics and logistics of admissions than you as a person. Just ask yourself how many times you've heard "my problems all began when I graduated from a university that wasn't my dream school." You're going to be fine.
The deadline for most seniors to accept or decline most admissions offers is coming up soon--May 1. You may have already made that decision a while ago. If so, congratulations! (And thanks for continuing to read my blog!) But if you're still struggling to choose between two schools, or three schools, or seven schools or however many, then you may be looking for some help.
Here are some more exercises to help you make that final decision, ordered from most serious to most arbitrary.
Bear with me a moment while I talk about literary theory. I promise it's relevant to you.
In his 1921 essay "Hamlet and His Problems," T.S. Eliot uses the phrase "objective correlative." Eliot isn't the first to use the phrase, and certainly not the first to use the concept, but the term really stuck when Eliot used it and it's usually attributed to him. Eliot calls the play Hamlet an "artistic failure." (I don't advise you call Hamlet a failure, especially if your English teacher is within five miles.)
What does this have to do with you? This has everything to do with your college applications.
As seniors work through their final weeks of deciding where they'll go to college before the May 1 deadline, I want to acknowledge that money probably plays a big role in the decision and write some posts about financial matters.
Last week I talked about Return on Investment, and this week I want to talk about student loans. No matter where you go to college and how good a financial aid package you get, there's a really strong chance you'll be taking out some loans.
As seniors work through their final weeks of deciding where they'll go to college before the May 1 deadline, I want to acknowledge that money probably plays a big role in the decision and write some posts about financial matters.
First: Return On Investment, or ROI. ROI estimates how much money alumni from different schools earn compared to how much they paid to go to college. The idea is that some colleges can give you "more bang for your buck," and those types of comparisons are really compelling.
There are some things to know.
As of this writing, it looks like five different high school seniors were accepted to all eight Ivy League schools this year.
And look, that's really impressive, I mean it. They should all be very proud. All the ivies are very selective. And these students were accepted to schools other than just those eight.
But...
I'm working on a six-week prep course for one-on-one coaching with students, and I'll also make it into a workbook. I'm thinking about it as "executive coaching for high school students." It's based on the Five Foundations, and is intended to be the counseling that gets students into the right mindset before all the other college advice starts pouring in.
The underlying theme is to treat college admissions like a relationship, to think honestly and intentionally about what you want and need, and to think honestly about what you have to offer.
So I'm asking for input. What do you want from a college advisor? What kind of help do you wish were out there? How can someone like me make things more effective and efficient for someone like you?
Leave a comment. Hit the "contact" button. Leave me a comment on Facebook or Twitter. Any way you want to reach me, let me know what you think I should include. I really appreciate your time--I know you have a lot of demands.
Thanks!
Photo by Angela Elisabeth Portraits
The College Board announced that they're reducing the number of times a year they'll administer SAT exams, mostly as a way to reduce cheating. They know that cheating is a problem they have to deal with.
Let me tell you about some of my favorite cheating stories. There's a point, I promise.
