IN THE SUMMERTIME.....

It’s hard to turn our thoughts to getting into college when you have bright sunny days, girls all dress to get on the metro to go to the beach, or you are driving down Pacific Coast Highway blasting the radio in a convertible enjoying the hustle and bustle of the summer time.

However, students who are beginning to think about designing their plan to get into college need to look at the summer months as a time to engage in things of interest. Many of the paramount summer programs are held at colleges and private schools. These programs can fill up well ahead of the spring deadlines, however people plans change, and for that reason if you can do a summer program this year and get in, by all means go for it. Opportunity does not always knock a second time.

Focus on your academic interests: if you like science, then check out top science-oriented programs such as CIMI on Catalina Island. If you like writing, then look into journalism camps or poetry workshops. If you are looking to a specialty like Film Making, several Schools in Los Angeles and New York offer wonderful programs. If for some reason, your family can not afford these kinds of programs, ask about their scholarship programs. Don't be shy about applying.

If you are thinking you would like to do something next year, now is the time to contact these schools and inquire about their programs, or ask school counselor in the fall about what kind of programs are available to students with your interest. The internet is a good first step to sifting out your options.

Almost all the major schools like USC, UCLA, Stanford, Berkeley, Cornell, Columbia, NYU, Tanglewood, and Julliard have programs for high school students. You might also check your community colleges, as they can offer a wealth of opportunities, such as Santa Monica College, where you can get dual credit--- high school and college credits. Financial Aid is also available at all community colleges.

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT AP CLASSES AND TEST

There appears to be a lot of confusion about AP classes and tests which both students and their parents. AP tests are part of the College Board Exams, and prepared by the very same folks who bring you the SAT I's and Subject Tests. However, the sign up process and test score results are different. For those taking AP classes and later the exams, there are afew things to keep in mind.
Many students feel that if they flock to AP classes, this will improve how colleges view them. While this is true, not approaching it correctly can backfire on students.

AP Classes are rigorous and demand an intellectual curiosity. Colleges many times look at your grades in AP classes and assume that it represents a higher level of achievement than an equivalent grade in a “regular” class, which offers an advantage, but the particular attraction to getting into an AP classes is the opportunity to take the AP exam at the end of the year and attempt to get a 3 or higher to gain college credit so that in your freshman year, you are able to start college at an advance standing.
The value of the AP classes with a passing AP exam grants students at many schools course credit or advanced standing to students who score well on the individual tests.
Therefore there is an obvious reason for not only taking the class seriously, but the test also. If you take an AP test in sessions prior to June 15, and you are bombed the test,you did horribly, you have until June 15 of the current school year to cancel your score before you receive your score is tallied.
If you choose to cancel a score, you must notify the College Board in writing, Whe you choose this option, sending a letter via certified mail is necessary to confirm delivery. Once the College Board confirms your letter, your score will be forever gone.

On a final note, If you cancel a score, it is gone forever and never gets scored,
hence it does not count in your AP average for AP scholar
designations. BUT, even though you might choose to withhold a
score from a college, note that it DOES count in your AP average
and will affect AP scholar designations. In short, use this
version of "score choice" to your advantage and take some extra
AP's that you study for on your own. AP Information and scores are delivered separately from your SAT’s. For more information on how to book AP Tests, go to APCentral.collegeboard.com

HOW TO MAKE YOUR COLLEGE APPLICATION STAND OUT FROM THE REST

Students who are thinking about going to college need to be pro active in their search on how to stand out apart from their competition to get into the schools of their choice. Parents should help encourage students to find a niche, an interest, a passion early on in their academic careers, and certainly by high school. Having an idea of what interest them will help to pursue that interest that they can perhaps enjoy both in and outside of school.
One way for Students to stand out is within their interest or passion, sign up for contests or awards where they can demonstrate their talents. Finding these competitions is something students have to go after and be self-motivated to do on their own because teachers, counselors and schools are not always aware or know about these contest to encourage them to participate in. Students have to find opportunities to expand on their interests and then develop interests into achievements that they can demonstrate in their applications.

What ever your gift is, students should search out competitions and awards programs that can substantiate their interests.
One competition is the "The Siemens Competition in Math, Science & Technology” which recognizes remarkable talent early on, fostering individual growth for high
school students who are willing to challenge themselves through
science research.
Not as famous as the Siemen’s Competition, but far more numerous for
liberal-arts students are the foundations, literary
magazines, and arts societies who sponsor events such as poetry
contests or publications of student work.
No matter what your interests include, if you get to sign with a group at Carnegie Hall, get a few poems published in a local contest or win a speech or debate competition, you will have something to show and ultimately stand out as a
student with talent rather than a student who just

WHAT ARE ENRICHMENT TUTORS? DO YOU REALLY NEED THEM?

Some people argue that your child should consider an “ Enrichment Tutor” , Some people feel children need to have free and creative time to explore their thoughts and be creative. 

Consider this! Children go to school every day, and some believe that they receive a only a
form fitting standardized one-size-fits-all education. Some people feel that beyond the day and day out exercise of “ school”,  students should be engaging in Enrichment Tutors.  

What is an “Enriched Tutor”? These people provide families with an top tier educated tutors who have not only teaching experience, but a laundry list of references, and a proven track record of bringing students success. While that is wonderful, one has to consider whether there is an emotional attachment between the student and the tutor.

You ask--How are they different from the regular academic tutor you hire for your student?.  Well, "Enriched Tutors" are teachers, mentors, or role models with whom your child's education outside of the classroom, after hours,  working to identify your child’s learning style, academic niche, and/or area of expertise. These tutors also attempt to address your child’s academic gap; enforcing daily lessons, preparing for the test-prep of weekly test, and attempting to improve students' grades.

What do we think? Well it depends on what you outlook is, this author feels kids need FREE time to think, be creative, and be kids. Too much structure in a child’s life can end up not being all it is cracked up to be, and students don't let to function outside of the box.  Colleges and Universities want well rounded students, not just book learners. Children need to have time to be children! 

THINGS TO CONSIDER WHEN HIRING A COLLEGE ADMISSIONS CONSULTANT

What should families look for when choosing a professional college admissions consultant? Here are some things to consider as you venture out to find the right consultant for your student and family.

The purpose of hiring a consultant is to minimize stress and anxiety of not only the student, but the family as well, not to increase it. The Professional College Admissions Consultants understands that college planning can be stressful at times, and they should strive to reduce that anxiety for both students and parents. Professional consultants strive to work as a team with families, high school counselors, college admissions staff, and financial aid consultants. They respectfully and skillfully guide students through the application process, offering feedback on resumes, essays and entire application review, not to mention assist in the appeal process.

A professional college admissions consultant should be knowledgeable about a wide range of colleges and universities, not to mention perhaps visiting several of them to have personal knowledge on a one to one basis for the benefit of the student, as well as current admissions trends. They should also have experience helping students from the start of mapping out their goals and the college search through the application process to the acceptances. Effective consultants will also be committed to on-going professional development.

Every student is unique, and subsequently, so are their college planning needs. When you interview the counselor, consider your child’s personality; their academic background, and their college dreams. Also consider is they have no clue as to where to start also. The person you hire should be a good match not only for your child’s personality, but your family and have experience with students with similar admissions profiles, not to mention being supportive of your child’s college aspirations.

The consultant should clearly explain their services and associated costs. The services to be provided and the fees the consultant will charge should be clearly established up front. Fees may be structured on an hourly rate, an inclusive package, or by session.

Consultants should be committed to maintaining high ethical standards in their practice. Ethical consultants do not guarantee admission into specific colleges or promise financial awards. They do not suggest that they have “special pull” with certain college admissions professionals, nor do not write essays or other application materials for students.

DO COLLEGES REALLY RESCIND LETTERS OF ACCEPTANCE?

"Yes Virginia, there really are students who get their admissions offers rescinded!"

If in your final semester of High School you obtain poor grades, are disciplined or expelled for any reason, or there is a combination of the two----------- it can lead to a reversal of a decision in a heartbeat. If this happens to you, you must contact the college right away and offer to meet with them. They may be willing to re-admit you after a semester at a community college, or admit you under academic probation.

Before you leave High School, make sure to obtain a letter of support from your counselor, or at least a phone call from a school official on your behalf. Faculty have a way of moving in the summer months just as students do, so you want to make sure you get all your ducks in line before you can no longer obtain letters or support from these people.

What is the best way to prevent it from happening? Listen to your counselor, and remember: THE SENIOR YEAR COUNTS.

It is at this time of year when rumors start circulating about horrified students whose acceptance to college has been revoked due to poor senior grades or behavior issues. Unfortunately, these stories are true, not urban myths. Under certain conditions a college will take away an acceptance, or threaten to do so. Find out how you can prevent that from happening — and what steps you should take if it does happen to you.

Have a great summer, and prepare well for the new world of opportunities that will open up to you come Fall.

WHAT YOU SHOULD CONSIDER IF YOU ARE APPLYING TO AN IVY LEAGUE SCHOOL?

Before you set your mind hard and fast on going to an Ivy League school, sit down in you room and ask yourself if the school feels right? If it does, then move on and examine "What is the one trait that Ivy League students all share who have been admitted to one of the schools?"   What is the “something” they convinces them to accept a student that when coupled with their perfect GPAs, top test scores and multiple national awards makes them that much more appealing to Ivy League admissions officers. Well there is no exact formula. It is a matter of putting people in each application pool who when put together will deliver the personality the school is looking to create.

The “Ivy League” Schools are made up eight SMALL schools —Brown, Columbia, Cornell, Dartmouth, Harvard, Princeton, University of Pennsylvania, and Yale. The term “Ivy League” actually refers to the athletic conference the schools belong to, just as UCLA , USC, Stanford, and Berkeley all belong to the Pac 10’ or Michigan or Ohio State belong to the Big 10.

But "Why are the Ivy Leagues considered the best schools in the country?" Well it depends on your perception of what is the best. Harvard usually is seen as the #1 school in the country, but that title has been stolen away by Cal Polytechnic in Pasadena, Caliifornia which is a rival of MIT. Perhaps the reason these schools are recognized is because they are willing to go out on a limb and be the first to create new ideas. In the 1940s, these eight schools met and ultimately agreed to standardize their athletic eligibility requirements and financial aid practices for athletes, and maybe because they are such small schools their popularity increased due to their atheletic programs making the demand higher than the room available. Even more interesting, most students who attend these schools never actually said the words, “I want to go to an Ivy League school”, unless there are legacy students

Students who quickly advertize, “I want to only go to an Ivy League school” either has heard that this is where they should go, cares more about how famous these colleges are than about the unique learning environment will be like, and is demonstrating symptoms of name-brand glitz.

These colleges are not looking for name-brand seekers. They want ambitious, passionate, intellectually curious students who want to make valuable contributions in and out of the classrooms, and demonstrate that they are confidence.

Brown University for example is a school that puts the liberal in “liberal arts”. Students who are drawn to this school to apply and accepted there are because they want to embrace the academic freedom Brown offers to explore a wide range of intellectual interests. They appreciate the uniqueness that is Brown.

If you are considering attending a college like Brown or other Ivy League school, show them that you’re mature and confident Demonstrate that you care more about what your experience will be in college than you do about how famous a college’s name is. When you are asked “Why do you want to attend their college?” have a better answer than, “It’s a great school” , or worse, a name dropper.



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MANY CALIFORNIA HIGH SCHOOLS LOSE COLLEGE COUNSELORS IN FALL 2010

In Fall, 2010, students applying to college or preparing for college will find that many of their schools are without the assistance of college counselors to assist them through the process.

The College Admissions Consultant is offering their services at no cost to Santa Monica High School, and other schools in the Los Angeles vacinity to help out with the shortage of help.

Students should look to "THE APPLICA-PHOBIA OF COLLEGE ADMISSIONS" as a resource to help them through the process. If students feel the need to get more one on one counseling, please contact The College Admissions Consultant for Independent Assistance, as we help students reach their goals.

WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW ABOUT ATHELETIC RECRUITING

In every high school there are different types of athletes -----the ones who do it for fun, the serious who work hard at their sport, and then the naturally gifted.
Student can make their way onto a team somewhere in their college experience. However, for the serious or naturally gifted athlete, being aware of and watching out for the scouts from all the colleges and universities across the country is important. Coaches from all the top tier schools send their scouts out nationwide to all schools in the country to evaluate players each season, and commence with having students sign a “Notice of Intent” to attend a school as early as the junior year in high school.
If you are a serious or top-level high school athlete and considering being
recruited, there are a number of things you need to do starting in your junior
year.


1) Put together a full presentation that outlines your stats with all the
particulars (your height, weight, athletic awards, level of
competition), your GPA, test scores and any other
academic distinctions.

2) Sign up on the NCAA website so you are
official.

3) Identify the names and address of college
coaches at the schools which are of interest to you – they are
high level in your sport, etc.

4) Contact each coach with a letter and a resume so they know you are
interested.

5) Provide coaches with a complete package of information to allow them see you are going to be strong candidate to pursue as an official recruit.

6) Keep Positive!