CREATING THE RIGHT COLLEGE LIST:

IT’S ALL IN THE TOSS

“It’s all in the toss,” my tennis instructor said as we practiced our serves. If the toss is too high, you will have a hard time making contact. If it is too low, you will not have enough time to reach all the way back, and your serve will be weak. If you throw it too far off-center, your chance of getting it in is greatly reduced.

As I drove home from my lesson, I started thinking how much the toss in tennis is like the list in the college application process. If you aim too high, your chances of getting it in are slim; if you find schools that don’t match your personality and interests, you may get in, but it won’t be a good fit. But when you hit it right, the ball pings and almost always gets in.

So how do you create a list that pings?

Read the rest of Lisa's blog here.

Selecting Classes for the Coming Year

1. Identify your goals for college. If you know that you would like to be competitive for a highly select college (those schools accepting fewer than 50% of their applicants), then your schedule should be the most challenging for you. If you do not care about attending a highly selective college, then you have more leeway in selecting your classes.

2. Push yourself beyond your comfort zone in areas of strength. For subjects that come easily for you, push yourself further. Just like the Olympic medal hopefuls, you get more points for rigor than for taking it easy--even if it is not perfect.

3. Go for your interests. Once you have fulfilled all of your graduation requirements, take classes that interest you. If you have a passion for science and no interest in foreign languages, it may be okay to double up on science senior year in lieu of a foreign language. The key is to substitute equally rigorous classes in your area of interest.

4. Know your limitations. Some kids overshoot what they can handle and that can end up just as problematic. (Think missing the jump and crashing into the spectators!) Most college students take between four to five classes per semester. So four AP classes along with all your other classes and activities may be too much.

5. Understand what it means to override a recommendation. Depending on your school, you may get into AP, IB, honors, or accelerated classes based on your previous teacher’s recommendation. Some schools require you to take a qualifying test. In the former situation, if your school allows you to override the recommendation, be sure you understand what that means if you get into a class that is too hard the following year. Can you drop down right away, or must you wait for the full marking period to change?

What's on Our Minds

Dartmouth is Back to Requiring Test Scores

Beginning with the class of 2029, Dartmouth will be requiring applicants to submit test scores.

Yale Weighs Reversing SAT Testing After Dartmouth, MIT Shift

"Yale University is considering reinstating standardized testing and joining Ivy League peer Dartmouth College in a policy shift that reflects a broad reevaluation within higher education admissions..."

How will I Contribute?

Join Lisa and Stefanie on their upcoming virtual presentation:

How Will I Contribute?

Understanding how you will contribute to a college community.

*Presented by the Westfield PTC-Gifted Ed Committee

Tuesday, February 27, 2024

7:00 PM via Zoom

Are you an artistic scientist or a musical engineer? Are you a politically aware athlete or social entrepreneur? Are you a multi-racial actor or a multi-lingual programmer? The college admissions process has become increasingly complex, and colleges want to understand how students’ unique backgrounds will contribute to their communities. Students who understand their strengths and focus on communicating their story in a compelling way will have a clear advantage in the admissions process.

This interactive seminar will introduce The College Application Wheel™ to help you figure out your key themes and unique story. We will walk through several case studies of how students crafted their stories and how they successfully communicated them to colleges through their applications. We will also discuss how to approach the most common supplemental essays to round out your story

REGISTRATION is required. Please register in advance to receive the Zoom link:

What We're Listening To

The College and Career Clarity Podcast!

At many schools, like the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, prospective students must apply to a specific major when applying to college. Since this is not standard at all colleges, it can be a confusing hurdle for many high schoolers and their families – but it doesn’t have to be. What does this mean for your teen? In this episode with Andy Borst, University of Georgia's Vice Provost for Enrollment Management, you’ll learn how college major-based admissions work and how to set your teen up to successfully navigate the process.

Click here to listen!

College Visits!

Read about Alex's visit to Boston College.

Alex recently visited Boston College. Click here to read about his experience!

BC Blog!

What's Next

Juniors:

If any of you decided to venture out on college visits during President's Day to further develop your lists, we'd love to hear about your experiences. Lisa wrote an article for Grown and Flown called “Creating a Balanced List.” It's also time to plan your summers and classes for senior year. You can schedule a meeting below.

Read the Full Article Here

Freshmen/Sophomores:

We are available to meet with you to help you plan classes and your summer. You can schedule a meeting below.

You bring your friends, we provide the info. If anyone is interested in setting up a free interactive workshop on how to maximize students’ high school years leading up to college, please reach out to stefanie@collegeboundmentor.com

Book Now

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