Depending on how your school calendar works, you probably have somewhere between two and six weeks of summer left. If your house is anything like mine, you're beginning to run out of planned activities and good ideas. So I thought I'd give some suggestions to smart and ambitious high school students for wrapping up the summer.
It's been a quiet, slow summer for me. But that doesn't mean I had nothing to say! Here's what I wrote about this summer.
I gave a concrete example of how to put your College Mission Statement to use.
I responded to the Harvard Meme Incident and gave some advice about taking control of your communications.
I explained that supply and demand work the opposite way than many of us think about it: there are more universities trying to get you in than there are universities trying to keep you out.
I gave a summer homework assignment to research income trends. I've no idea why this was such an unpopular post!
I tried to make sense of the report that an alarming number of Americans think that universities are doing harm to our nation.
I argued that there are few good reasons to pass up a full scholarship, even though people do it all the time.
I'll be keeping my only-on-Thursdays approach to blog posts through August, and then moving back to twice a week when things really get moving in the fall. Thanks for reading Apply with Sanity!
Photo by David Leggett Photography
Why have Americans--especially, but not only, Republicans--turned cold on college? Do they no longer value education? No, despite some of the over-the-top headlines, this probably isn't it. While the Pew poll doesn't ask each of the respondents to explain their answers, there are a couple good guesses as to what's going on.
Last week The Atlantic published this article by Joe Pinsker titled "Rich Kids Study English." It's a really fascinating piece that I hope you'll take the time to read, but here's the main idea: "the amount of money a college student’s parents make does correlate with what that person studies. Kids from lower-income families tend toward 'useful' majors, such as computer science, math, and physics. Those whose parents make more money flock to history, English, and performing arts."
If you only read the major news headlines, you might think that there's too much demand for universities and not enough supply. The news is dominated by stories about the really, really low acceptance rates at places like Harvard and Stanford. But the reality is often the opposite: most colleges are trying to get people in, not keep them out.
It’s wonderful that you’re willing to make dramatic efforts toward something: staying up all night to study for a test; starting an extreme fitness routine before a sports team try-out; concocting an elaborate Promposal; doing extra credit work to boost your grade. But run before the bell and do those things at a time when they’ll be more beneficial: stay up a little late five nights before the test instead of a self-destructive all-nighter; start exercising months before the try-out; ask that person out now in a non-theatrical way instead of waiting until Prom season; keep your grades up so you don’t have to beg for extra credit. It’s not as dramatic, but it costs you a lot less.
I've written about how and why to craft a college mission statement, but I want to follow up with more detail and give a sense of how you might use the mission statement to help make your college search more efficient and effective.
This week I had a great coaching session with a client working on her mission statement, so let me walk you through what we did.
May is such a busy time for high school students! Finishing classes, taking AP and IB exams, studying for final exams, and--for seniors--making college decisions. Almost everything I wrote last month had to do with these transitions.
I provided links to a few of the best graduation speeches ever.
I explained what a 9th, 10th, and 11th grader should do this summer to prepare for college admissions.
I used a podcast about economists to explain why you should consider applying early and colleges should allow people to apply early to two or three schools.
I gave some unusual advice about social media and your college applications.
In my most popular blog post so far, I reacted against a popular story and explained what being valedictorian actually means...and what it doesn't.
I offer both individual coaching and group workshops to students who'd like to use the Five Foundations to make their application process a little more sane.
Thanks for reading! You can follow Apply with Sanity on Facebook and Twitter. Contact me if you'd like more details about coaching or workshops.
Photo by David Leggett Photography
Thanks for visiting Apply with Sanity. You can now have Apply with Sanity visit you!
I offer a six-session, one-on-one coaching course for a limited number of students. Each session has a different focus and requires about an hour of homework before our 45-60 minute meeting. We can meet in person if you're in the Houston area, or we can meet over the phone or through a video conference. It's made for students in the 10th or 11th grade.
I can also do a three-hour workshop with a group as small as three people or a class as big as 30. It essentially takes students through the first half of the coaching course, but in a slightly less personalized way.
If you'd like me to give a 30 or 45 minute presentation on my approach to college admissions, I can do that. This is made for PTAs or other groups of adults.
Because each workshop or presentation is tailored to your needs, and because getting to different places is more or less expensive, I don't have set prices published. But feel free to contact me for more details or a proposal.
Please share this with someone who would be interested. You can follow Apply with Sanity on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn.
Photo by Angela Elisabeth Portraits
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.
On or around April 15--Tax Day--everyone loves to quote the beginning of T. S. Eliot's The Wasteland: "April is the cruelest month." Even for high school seniors who aren't yet part of the working world, and many of them are, April can seem at least a little difficult. Before May 1st deadlines, students have to sort through their acceptances, make hard decisions about financial aid packages, and choose where they're going to be next year. Most of my April posts had this in mind.
I used the example of a semi-scandal at UVa to show how money matters when it comes to admissions, but not necessarily how you may think it does.
I passed along a cool project from a performance artist and suggested it can help you understand yourself and your goals better.
I grumbled about the national obsession with students who are accepted to all the Ivy League colleges.
I gave some insight for thinking about Return on Investment and thinking about debt.
Keeping with the T.S. Eliot theme, I explained what Eliot, Hamlet, and something called "the objective correlative" have to do with your college applications.
I begged everyone to stop making such a big deal out of low acceptance rates.
I gave some last-minute advice for seniors still struggling to make last-minute decisions.
Thanks as always for reading Apply with Sanity! You can follow us on Facebook and Twitter. Please share this with someone who would like to read it.
Photo by David Leggett Photography
