Weekly Wisdom

Synopsis:
De-Stress your seniors. Articles about SAT scores. Common Application. Activity Lists. Emory College. 10th & 11th grade counselor advice.

Thanks to everyone who read and responded to our first newsletter last week. We hope you will continue to find the information we provide useful. As always, please forward the newsletter to your friends if you can.

Weekly Wisdom for Sophomore, Junior & Senior Parents

This week’s wisdom comes for parents of soon-to-be-seniors. Your kids are in for a very stressful time in the coming months. They have all of the regular high school worries we all know about (boys, girls, cliques, sports, etc), with the added burden of final standardized tests, deciding which colleges to apply to, doing the applications, and the psychological stresses that come along with making this first major independent decision of their young lives. A very wise college counselor writes “the most important thing at this stage is for [parents] to stay in the loop put not push too hard.” The last thing you want is to have your child deliberately decide to sabotage his/her college efforts out of spite. If you remember having stress when it came time to apply to college – they have it a hundred times worse. Competition, peer pressure, and the media hype over applying to college is at an all-time high (promising to get higher), so let your kids have a break once in a while, congratulate him/her whenever a step in the process is complete, and be especially supportive when things don’t go as you want.

Upcoming Deadlines

• August 20th – last day to register for the Sept. 25th ACT test
• Sept. 3rd – late registration deadline for the Sept. 25th ACT
• Sept. 7th – last day to register for the October 9th SAT & SAT II
• Sept. 15th – late registration for the October 9th SAT & SAT II
• Sept 25th – ACT Assessment Test
• October 1st – last day to register for Nov 6th SAT & SAT II
• October 9th – SAT & SAT II !

Articles in the News

A couple of articles this week about the NEW SAT. The first is about the value of good penmanship. (We’re not joking).

http://www.boston.com/news/education/k_12/articles/2004/06/28/students_worry_handwriting_to_affect_sat/

The second is a fun article about some famous people who have succeeded in life despite less-than-stellar SAT scores.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A61961-2004Jun22.html?referrer=emailarticle

Ask The Experts

asktheexperts@thepreptalk.com

Last week we had a number of questions submitted to us, and we encourage you to continue to do so. We will be answering, via the newsletter, the one question every week that seems the most pertinent and topical. This weeks’ question was:

Q: We are planning on applying to a lot of schools and I know that there are lots of applications to fill out. Would the common application be a good choice for us?

A: There are two schools of thought about the common application. Here they are, and then our view . The first view is that the common application is a fantastic tool, enables you to reduce time, clutter, and potential missing pieces of your application, and that colleges don’t mind it because otherwise they wouldn’t sign on. The second view is that the common app, however convenient, betrays a certain laziness, a lack of caring on the part of the applicant. After all, why wouldn’t you do the school’s own application if you really wanted to go there?

Here’s our view; the common application is a fantastic tool. We do not believe that, amidst all of the blitz of applications, scores, essays, and other aspects for review, that college admissions officers have time to say to themselves, “well, wait, I would admit this student, but clearly she doesn’t really want to go to my school because, look! She filled out the common app!” It is only playing into the anxiety of parents and students gunning for the most elite schools who think that every little detail is that important. The truth is that most colleges that sign on with the Common App will actually direct you to it from their own websites. It’s hard to believe that a school would do that and then hold it against you.

Application & Essay Tips

Get your kids to start their activity/honors lists now. It will help them to fill out all those countless forms when the time comes, and will also prevent forgetting the important activities and honors they may have received. There is nothing quite like being prepared.

Featured College

Emory University

“Coca-Cola U”, as it is often dubbed, is an up-and-comer. Though it might be better to say it has arrived. With new buildings, expanding departments beginning to see national recognition, and former presidents teaching on campus, Emory is one of the hottest schools in the country.

Freshmen must take an Emory College Seminar to gain a structured introduction to the school, become part of a small social group, and establish contact with a faculty mentor. One third of students join a fraternity or sorority, and Greek life is the dominant social force on campus.

Due to its huge stash of money, emphasis on growing its campus and programs, and “hot” status, Emory is getting more and more difficult to get into every year. This will looks like it will be no different. However, a degree from Emory may be a real door-opener once the school assumes what seems like an inevitable place among the academic powerhouses.

10th&11th Grade Tips

You will probably all witness friends of your who are parents of seniors having panic attacks over the coming months. If your kids are still a year or two away from this period, and you want to avoid the last minute rush and angst, it’s a wise idea to start planning now. Make sure to talk to your school counselor and get to know him/her before fall of 12th grade. Since these counselors write the recommendations to colleges, getting as much “face time” as possible is important. These counselors are always swamped with paperwork and interviews, so if an extra level of attention is what you’re after, consider hiring one of the many independent college counselors in your area. These counselors are often able to provide a level of personal insight and attention that helps quell nerves and maximize results through strengthening the application.

For now, though, the best advice is: do not let your child drop any of the five core academic “solids”: math, English, science, history, and foreign language. Colleges like to continuity of study, as well as a rigorous schedule.