October 24, 2018
Seniors, please note that Ms. Van Wagenen will be attending the CSU Monterey Bay college counselors' conference on Thursday, so see her today if you have any urgent concerns that only she can address before Parents' Weekend.
Also, if you are a boarder and need transportation to the ACT in Seaside this Saturday, October 27, please remember to sign up on the clipboard in the college counseling office by 3:00 PM tomorrow.
Finally, mark your calendars for our second college application essay workshop of the semester. This will be held in the library on Tuesday, November 6 from 7:55 to 10:40am. You will be excused from regular classes, assembly, and Journey during this time, and from 12:00 to 1:00 PM, you will be treated to a special lunch at Ms. Bradley's home.
Financial Aid Night
As noted previously in this newsletter, we encourage all who may be interested to attend our Financial Aid Night in the Mary Johnson Recital Hall on Monday, November 12, from 6:30 to 8:30 PM. Our speaker, Jennifer Mertz, Director of Financial Aid at Lehigh University, will outline the need-based financial aid process. Specifically, she will explain financial aid terms and definitions, discuss sources and types of financial aid, review the FAFSA, and clarify the formula used to determine financial need. Tips and advice will be offered, and Ms. Mertz will allow ample time to respond to your questions. Can't make it? No worries. The event will be live-streamed for those who cannot attend in person.
What I've Learned From Reading Over 10,000 College Essays
One of Mr. White's favorite break-out sessions at the recent NACAC conference was led by Ethan Sawyer of www.collegeessayguy.com, whose goal is to "bring more ease, joy, and purpose" into the college application process. Sawyer is animated and soothing, and while his free podcasts are to some extent a lure for paid services that would be redundant for any Santa Catalina student, we have no hesitation is alerting you to the former, because they may provide a useful complement to what you hear from us.
Podcast #107, "What I've Learned From Reading Over 10,000 College Essays," seems particularly germane as we look ahead to another intensive college application essay workshop (see note above). In this podcast, Sawyer interviews Parke Muth, a 28-year veteran of the admissions office at the University of Virginia--and something of a celebrity in the admissions world. Among other things, the interview covers:
- What Muth has learned reading over 10,000 college essays
- A behind-the-scenes look at how close decisions are sometimes made by committees at highly-selective universities (and why essays matter even more as a result)
- Muth's 10% rule for when students should/shouldn't write about their activities or achievements
- What an "authentic voice" is and why, contrary to popular wisdom, there may be certain times when we shouldn't encourage students to write in it
- Some dos and don'ts for the "Why us" essay, including one thing students should definitely do (though most don't)
Taking the Stress Out of College Selection
Wouldn't a stress-free college application process be awesome? We sure think so. And while that may not be an entirely feasible goal, we do find that approaching the various college rankings with a somewhat larger grain of salt would go some way towards attaining it. Here with a terrific dose of perspective is Denise Pope, Senior Lecturer at the Stanford Graduate School of Education, interviewing Dan Schwartz, SGSE's dean. Together, they offer a number of heartening insights about college rankings, how they are determined, and whether or not it is important to choose a school that is high on one of the many lists that create college hierarchies.
10 Messages That Matter More Than a Report Card
As this August 26 article from Psychology Today reminds us: "Success comes in many forms. While grades and soccer trophies may be traditional measures of success," it is crucial "for parents to reflect on the internal drivers of success and achievement rather than the outcomes. Parents play a huge role in nurturing their children's motivation and belief in themselves. With a parent's love and encouragement, children normally do the rest."
College Visits
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