For many students, ’tis the season for writing – writing in school – and for those fully engaged in the college admissions process, the writing seems to be without end. Not all required writing is purposeful, hence the tedious nature of it. Writing the required essays on the college applications, though, is for many, the…
Category: Education
Halloween is More Than Pay Day for the Dentist
“Trick or treat, smell my feet, give me something good to eat!” (You know you read that in your best sing-song, childhood voice…) How many of us think about why Halloween is a holiday? Why do we give out candy? Why do we spend hours, if not months, planning an elaborate costume to wear for…
Guest Post: The Savings for College Challenge: Part Two – Choosing a 529 Plan
About the authors: For over 25 years, Cynthia S. Meyers, CFP®, MBA, has assisted people with their Lifetime Financial Planning–helping to build and preserve wealth in every area of life. Jenny Hood, CFP® has been a paraplanner with Cynthia S. Meyers for five years and enjoys being a part of the financial planning process. They offer…
How to Write Competitive College Essays Without Losing (Too Much) Sleep
Seniors (and their parents) who’re unsure about where to start writing their college application essays should start at the beginning of the writing process. The writing process doesn’t change; the challenge is most students aren’t often taught the writing process or have developed their own process to write essays for class assignments, that don’t fit…
Immortality is in The Miracle of Change
In the Western Hemisphere, Winter is upon us. The leaves are falling and for many snow will be right behind, if not already here. Though change is constant, it seems more apparent during the Fall and in the stillness of Winter, with its potential for something to arise, that surely does with the onset of…
“Passion” is not Just for Soap Operas; It’ll Help Get You Into College
The Notre Dame Supplement asks: ” You may have noticed that you have an exemplary passion that separates you from your peers. How does this intense focus set you apart and how will it affect your life’s journey? Please provide us with as much concrete evidence as possible.” Listen as Art and Jill define the…
Parents & The College Application
Ok. It’s true. The senior will be the one actually attending college. The senior will be the one ultimately writing and submitting her/his college applications. And, at the same time, seniors are qualified and competitive for college, as a result of working with their parents over the years. (Think: mom and dad’s taxi service…
Potential Can Be Nurtured with Effort: More about College Selection
“Doing your homework” when it comes to choosing colleges is essential. A former client and current college freshman’s mom, recently shared her experience how to do that “homework” and how pleased she is with the family’s final choice for her son–UC Santa Cruz. Her son is growing, even in an unexpected triple roommate situation, and…
Community College Transfers Increasingly Enroll at Multiple Campuses
Last fall, about 69,665 students attended two schools, nearly 5,000 went to three schools and about 400 to four or five schools, according to data from the California Community Colleges chancellor’s office. (The numbers include students who take online classes; officials are unsure how many are in that category.) Los Angeles Times, October 16, 2012…
English Teachers & The College Essay
At this point in the school year, many senior English teachers assign the college essay as a class assignment to be completed for a grade. While this may seemingly “kill two birds with one stone”, relieving parents concerns about their student’s seeming procrastination to start writing the essay and student’s thinking that “once and for…
Guest Post: A Parents’ Perspective Times Two
About the Authors: Anne’s & Dan’s two daughters both moved away from home this fall to start college–one as an upper division transfer at University of San Francisco and one as a freshman at Baylor University. Their experience helping both daughters’ pay college expenses was featured, along with Creative Marbles, in the October issue of Comstocks…
Online Grading Systems: Friend or Frenemy?
The typical public high school teacher is responsible for 160 students and teaches at least two different classes–e.g. AP English 11 and Honors English 9–with multiple sections of each course, for example: 3 periods of AP English 11. So, what does this have to do with an online grading system? If one assignment…
The Ups & Downs of Being Well-Rounded
As freshmen and sophomores in high school, college admissions is focused on being eligible for application. The academic classes that need completing (also known as A-G requirements for the UC & CSU systems), as well as extracurricular activities that are included in any college application means that most applicants are going to start looking the…
“ARRRRGH! Why is High School So Stressful?!?”
The worry that comes with trying to understand how actions today will affect one’s unknown future can create stress for anyone. Now, add that one is 15, 16 or 17–with limited life experience–trying to predict their future based on their academic performance on one class assignment today, and there’s even further cause creating stress. …
“My Student is Average. Where Can She/He Get In?”
First, “average” doesn’t mean “not admissible to any college, anywhere.” What is important for an “average” (and I use “average” loosely) student and their family is the college selection process–just as important as for EVERY student wanting to go to college. The selection process for the “average” student may include a different scrutiny of…