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Get to Work: College Tasks For Every Year of High School

Happy New Year!

I hope you all had a magical holiday season, but now it is time to get to work! If you have been procrastinating with your college process or just avoiding it due to burnout (hello, seniors), here are some tasks to help get you back on track.

Seniors

  • Finish up your applications: Get it done now if you haven’t finished applying to colleges. Some schools have rolling admissions with deadlines through summer. However, the sooner you apply, the more room they have.
  • Make sure applications are complete: For the applications you have submitted, you need to make sure they are complete. Check to see if the colleges you applied to require mid-year grades and then request them to be sent through your high school counseling office.
  • Plan to visit colleges: For the colleges you have already been admitted to, start planning how you will collect information to make your final decision. Do you need to visit a college or two one more time? Will there be admitted student events in-person or online?
  • Prepare for interviews: Winter and spring are prime times for interviews. You may be preparing for admissions interviews with Alumni or interviews for scholarships or honors programs. Make a list of at least 10 accomplishments, activities, characteristics, viewpoints, etc., that you want to share. Practice talking about each of your items, and you should be able to shape your answers to almost any question.
  • Send thank-you notes: Don’t forget to thank the people who have helped you along the way. A hand-written thank-you note means a lot.

Juniors

  • Create your college list: A solid list of colleges to research is the foundation of any college process. If you haven’t started your list yet (or have no idea how to make one), sign up for the College Mindset Junior Jumpstart course. In 3-weeks, you will know how to research colleges and have a personalized college list to get your college process started. The class begins on January 9th!
  • Schedule campus visits: If you plan to visit colleges over a weekend or during spring break, I advise you to register for tours sooner rather than later. Tours do fill up (especially at the more popular schools).
  • Nail down your testing plan: Make sure to decide if you will take the SAT or ACT this spring. Many colleges are still test-optional, but it is a good idea to have a test score, just in case you need it. Review the SAT and ACT offering dates and sign up for tests in advance.
  • Start thinking about summer plans: Summer is a great time to explore career options. Schedule some informational interviews to learn more about the day-to-day life of a person who works in an industry that interests you. You should also search for internship or job shadowing opportunities.
  • Start looking for scholarships: Now is the time to start looking at outside scholarships.

Sophomores

  • Schedule practice campus visits: Now is the time to do some “practice” campus visits to colleges and universities near your home. Select a variety of schools to understand the different sizes, locations, and academic offerings.
  • Build your resume: Start thinking about your extracurricular activities and leadership positions for next year. How will you contribute to your school or local community? Also, think about your summer plans.
  • Plan our courses for junior and senior year: Make sure you have a tentative plan of the courses you like to take for your junior and senior years. Colleges will look at your GPA and the number of challenging courses (AP, IB, Dual Enrollment, Honors, etc.) you took. They will review your transcript in the context of what opportunities were available to you.

Freshman

  • Look back on your first semester: What skills do you need to build? Do you have goals for your second semester of high school?
  • Narrow down your extracurriculars: You may have signed up for everything when you started high school. Now is the time to focus on what you love and where you know you will have an impact.
  • Review a college planning timeline: Get a head start on your college process through the College Mindset’s Ideal College Planning Timeline. It is a great month-to-month checklist for the college process.

Learn to Ask Great Questions

Have you ever walked away from a conversation and thought, “I wish I would’ve asked more questions.” You don’t want to bypass an opportunity because you did not ask the right questions. Asking questions is a skill, and it is an important one to master. It shows that you care, can spark the exchange of ideas, and build trust. When you are just starting out, asking clarifying, open-ended questions will help get you closer to your goals.

As with any new skill, it is essential to practice. Before starting any conversation, think about what you want to learn. What is your purpose in the discussion? Then identify the right tone, types of questions, and sequence.

For the tone, most situations benefit from a casual approach.

Open-ended questions can go a long way to helping you learn new information. You can also build further questions into your plan based on the responses you receive.

For the sequence of questions, if you are trying to develop a relationship, you may need to ask less personal questions first to build trust. If you are in a confrontation, consider starting with the tough questions, since you don’t know how long the conversation will last.

Asking questions will open doors and allow you to discover new ideas and concepts. It may introduce you to a part of yourself that you didn’t know what there.

As Albert Einstein said, “Question everything.” I couldn’t agree more.

Hats Off To the Class of 2020

Last week, I finally mailed my senior gifts. I could send the gifts straight from Amazon and cash in on the free shipping, but I am a bit old fashioned.  I think there is something special about receiving a wrapped gift. Something personalized and significant.  More important than the present, I send each student a hand-written note. When they text me to say, “Hey thanks for the gift,” they always say more about the card.

I want them to know how proud of them I am.  I did not focus on the fact that the entire second semester of senior year was canceled.  The Class of 2020 did not need reminders that they didn’t have prom or graduation.  They didn’t need to know that their first semester (or year) of college is not going to be what they envisioned.

No.  My students needed to hear who they are beyond all of the “challenges” and “uncertainty.” I told one how I was proud that she went beyond her comfort zone to explore career options (and it led to some fantastic connections).  Or how one student repeatedly used her voice to fight for social justice (we need more people like her in the world).

I told them how they taught me about light pollution, the importance of creativity in video games, and how an old car can be rebuilt again and again (with lots of determination).

I admired how they overcame challenges, such as dyslexia, being the only girl on a football team, moving to a foreign country, dealing with heart arrhythmia, or conquering ski mountaineering at an international level.

They showed me the importance of caring for others by helping friends through tough times or standing up for people when society categorized them as “different.” One fought for a mentor who was being deported.  Another showed compassion as she taught a student struggling with learning differences how to write sentences.

One showed me the significance of questioning something she always believed so she could learn and grow.  Another had the brightest smile, and I always picture it when I am feeling doubtful. And one showed me the significance of “releasing control and trusting the outcome.”

The College Mindset Class of 2020 received 110 college acceptances after submitted 164 applications.  Collectively, they received 45 scholarship offers totaling over $2.7 million.

They reside in 4 states, and one student worked with me from her home in the Netherlands.

The colleges and universities below are so lucky to have these students for the next four years.

Arizona State University

Colorado College

California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo

Furman University

Miami University, Ohio

Northwestern University

Purdue University

University of California, Los Angeles

University of California, San Diego

University of Colorado, Boulder

University of Texas, Austin

University of Vermont

University of Wyoming

Worcester Polytechnic Institute

While they did not throw their graduation caps into the air in the traditional sense, they have proved that they are worth celebrating beyond the usual pomp and circumstance.  I believe that nothing will hold these students back.  They will be the future problem-solvers, negotiators, and peace-makers our world needs.

I am so honored to have played a small role in helping them plan their future. The lessons they taught me will stay with me always.

College Visits 101: Planning the Perfect Campus Visit

Now that you know which schools you want to visit, do you know how to plan your trip? Katherine has visited over 100 colleges and universities all over the country. In this video, she’ll give you all of her tips and tricks for planning the perfect college visit.

Now that you know which schools you want to visit, do you know how to plan your trip?

Katherine has visited over 100 colleges and universities all over the country. In this video, she’ll give you all of her tips and tricks for planning the perfect college visit.

 

Do you want more tips for the college process? Check out the College Mindset Ideal College Planning Timeline!

College Visits 101: 3 Types of Campus Visits

Did you know there are different types of campus visits? Katherine will talk you through each type of visit so you can be sure you will get the most out of visiting a college or university.

Did you know there are different types of campus visits?

First-year and sophomore high school students should be planning “practice” campus visits.

Juniors, you need to be moving towards “intentional” visits.

And Seniors, you are now visiting campuses as an admitted student- which changes everything.

Katherine will talk you through each type of visit so you can be sure you will get the most out of visiting a college or university.

Do you want more tips for the college process? Check out the College Mindset Ideal College Planning Timeline!