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    College Admissions for the Other 95%: A Guide to the School Counseling Office (From a Director of School Counseling)
    College Admissions for the Other 95%: A Guide to the School Counseling Office (From a Director of School Counseling)
    College Admissions for the Other 95%: A Guide to the School Counseling Office (From a Director of School Counseling)
    Ebook125 pages1 hour

    College Admissions for the Other 95%: A Guide to the School Counseling Office (From a Director of School Counseling)

    By Lawrence M. Rich

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    About this ebook

    This book is written to be a user-friendly guide to the school counselors office. Like the first tour of the school library, it is meant to show the user how to find information on any subject they need to be successful in the college admissions process. The reader can select the topic(s) of most interest to them as they need them, or they can read the entire book.

    Most college admissions books are geared for those 5 percent of students interested in the most competitive colleges. This book is focused on the other 95 percent who are looking at an array of colleges.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherXlibris US
    Release dateOct 21, 2013
    ISBN9781493103843
    College Admissions for the Other 95%: A Guide to the School Counseling Office (From a Director of School Counseling)

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      Book preview

      College Admissions for the Other 95% - Lawrence M. Rich

      Copyright © 2013 by Lawrence M. Rich, Ph.D.

      All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

      Rev. date: 10/14/2013

      To order additional copies of this book, contact:

      Xlibris LLC

      1-888-795-4274

      www.Xlibris.com

      [email protected]

      141650

      Contents

      Introduction

      Accommodations

      Acknowledgments (of Those Who Have Helped You)

      Career Planning

      Earning College Credit While in High School

      College Fairs—Go with a Plan, Don’t Just Take the Freebies

      Credits for Graduation

      Depositing

      Discussions to Have Early On

      Fee Waivers—Lunch, Testing, College Applications

      Financial Aid

      Information Nights and Workshops

      Keeping Track of Activities and Accomplishments

      Making Your Final Decision

      Planning for High School—Modifying the Plan

      Service

      Summer—Get Ahead or Make Up Credits, Experiences, and Opportunities

      Standardized Testing

      The College Search

      The College Essay

      The College Interview

      Military Academies

      Your Transcript

      Understanding AP and IB

      Utilizing Your School Counselor

      Visiting Campus(es)—You Are Being Watched!

      You Are the Consumer of Education

      Credits Required for Graduation (Compare with College Admissions Requirements to Ensure You Have What You Need!)

      List of Accomplishments

      College Application Process Checklist

      College Comparison Worksheet

      Steps to Financial Aid

      Preparing for an Interview (and Sample Questions)

      Request for Counselor Recommendation

      Request for Teacher/Coach/Supervisor Evaluation

      Specialty Colleges and Programs

      Terms and Definitions

      Websites

      Introduction

      There are many books written for those who want to get into the best college, but to me, the most useful book is the one that details how to get into the right college. Best is an external comparison where right is internal and is relative to the person making the decision.

      My background includes working in public and private high schools, working to help place students in every type of postsecondary experience, including two—and four-year colleges, military academies, and Ivy League schools. In each of these placements, I have seen kids who knew what they wanted and who thrived in their chosen program, and I have seen others who did not know what they wanted or who thought they knew what they wanted and usually were in another college or back home within the first year after high school.

      For several years, I have heard parents talk about their fears of the college application process. These included concerns about financial aid, SAT/ACT testing, and several other high-school-counseling-related issues. Now having two high school graduates and another child who is a senior in high school, I realized how useful it would be to have a no-nonsense tool that gave quick and accurate information and resources to get information to help students with their postsecondary programs.

      This book is written to be a user’s guide to the school counselor’s office. Like a tour of the library, it is meant to show the user how to find information on any subject they like. You can read every chapter to get the full picture, or you can pick and choose topics that are of most interest, depending on when you start reading this book and what you need to know. This is not intended to be a comprehensive library where every answer can be found or where in-depth research is provided, but rather, it is a student/parent primer on what resources are available to help you find all the information you need to make the most informed postsecondary choices.

      It is important from the outset to know that for most students, there is not just one college that would be a good fit. Like a job, it depends on each person’s unique interests and educational preparation. The more you learn about colleges, the more you will find that they have their strengths and weaknesses. Each wants their students to succeed, but each has very different philosophies and opportunities available for students. Remember that each is a business concerned with reaching their own goals and objectives. Each school is looking to attract students who will help reach their institutional goals. Thus, the term enrollment management is often used in the admissions area. Remember that these good folks are looking to ensure that each newly admitted class helps to meet the enrollment objectives of the college. I don’t mean to depersonalize the college application process, but it is important to understand this from the start as it will affect whether you are admitted or not.

      My thought in writing this book is that after twenty-plus years working as a teacher, counselor, and administrator, I have seen an increasing need for straight answers to basic questions and direct guidance to help parents and students get all the information that they need to navigate through high school prepared with post-high school planning and goals. This book is designed to complement the work of your school’s counseling (or guidance) department. As most schools have outrageously large ratios of students to each counselor, this is designed to supplement the work of the counseling office and to provide students and parents with easy-to-find and accurate information and things to think about in this process.

      I dedicate this book, first, to my family, who have put up with uncountable hours of visiting colleges and hearing guidance stories. Secondly, I dedicate this book to all the school counselors (or guidance counselors, as you prefer) who work as advocates for their students. You truly are the ones working each day to ensure that no child is left behind!

      This book will provide several websites and resources that I have found to be the best of the best in my work with students. If you have any comments or suggestions about what you read in this book, please feel free to contact me at [email protected].

      Best wishes in your quest to find the right college program!

      Lawrence M. Rich, PhD

      Accommodations

      There are many different labels that schools use to identify students who have different learning styles. Like the military, schools are notorious for having abbreviations for almost everything. Do not get nervous if educators use these abbreviations as part of meetings with you. Just remember that they use these terms every day and may forget that others outside education do not. Rarely is anyone upset if you ask what the letters mean, so be sure to ask anytime you have a question.

      Special education (SpEd) refers to a student who has an individualized education plan (IEP) for meeting their individual needs as a student. This IEP is revisited at least once each year to determine if the interventions and strategies are working for the student. Parents, teachers, social service staff, and an administrator are the required participants in an IEP meeting. The student may be invited as well.

      Typically, if a student is struggling with their learning, a teacher, a parent, or the counselor will call for a meeting with the team listed above to see if they can identify interventions to help the student do better in school. If these modifications do not work, a more formal series of testing and accommodations is typically tried. If these do not help, the student is often referred for special education testing to determine if they qualify for services. Students who qualify are typically granted learning accommodations, such as preferential seating, extended time on assignments or testing, modified grading criteria, etc. Teachers can often be the best source of accommodations that may be most helpful to the student as they have seen them function in the classroom among their peers. Remember that these services cost the district and the school, so the team may be hesitant to supply them. If the need exists and is documented, these services should be provided.

      Students who have learning needs based on a medical condition or a doctor’s recommendation may qualify as a 504 student. The number 504 refers to the federal legislation that protects students under the Individuals with Disabilities Act (IDEA) and allows these students to have special accommodations based on their medical diagnosis. Since the federal government does not provide funding for 504, schools may be reluctant to designate or accommodate these students. If you have a doctor’s note or other

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