Thursday, May 31, 2012

Prep Blog Taking a Break...But First, Some Summer Reminders!

Summer break is right around the corner, and just as students and teachers are taking some much needed rest, Prep’s College Knowledge Blog will be doing the same. As this is the first year of the blog, I am sure there are improvements that can be made. I know this information has been helpful to a multitude of parents and students, and I want to continue its success for many years to come. So to make this blog as helpful as it can be, please feel free to email Mr. Joseph Korfmacher at korfmacherj@spprep.org with any suggestions for future posts and any other comments you may have. I will be sure to post periodically throughout the summer with important announcements and helpful tips for the upcoming college application season, but posts will be less frequent.
For rising juniors and seniors, here are some final reminders of what to do during the summer in regards to the college process…
·         Visit colleges
·         Research schools and their programs/majors
·         Work on your college essay
·         Begin to develop your college list (6-8 schools)
·         Begin to search for scholarships
·         Start saving money
·         Stay active and involved (summer job, club, travel, research, etc.)
·         Starting in August-Create a CommonApplication account and start working on it
·         Continue to prepare for the SATs, ACTs, and SAT Subject Tests
·         Take some time to relax! Once September hits, the college craziness will ensue!

Thank you again so much for visiting Prep’s first ever college information blog! I hope to make the blog better and better, and I truly do appreciate all of your support!! Have a great summer and the blog will be back fulltime in August!

Joseph D. Korfmacher, MA

Tuesday, May 22, 2012

U-CAN...Visit One More Website!

Although I am sure that the parents out there with children in high school have heard of all of the college search websites including CollegeBoard, Naviance, and College Prowler, and you may not want to see another option with even more information, but part of my job is to get AS MUCH information out there as possible…so here is another extremely helpful college search resource: U-CAN. U-CAN stands for University and College Accountability Network.
What makes U-CAN different from other college search sites is that it is exclusive to the nation’s private, nonprofit colleges and universities. Since there are far fewer schools this resource concentrates on, they are able to provide much more detailed and up-to-date information on independent colleges and universities. On the profiles for each college, U-CAN provides parents and students information points across the following areas:
·         Admissions
·         Enrollment
·         Graduation Rates
·         Most Popular Majors
·         Price of Attendance History
·         Financial Aid
·         Loan Debt
·         Specific class room size numbers
·         And Others

The other really cool feature to this website is that each college profile provides around 26 links to specific pages on the college’s website. This is extremely helpful, as it is often difficult to navigate college websites and find the information you need. Finally, this site provides the latest news stories on choosing a college…which I encourage you all to read…as long as you continue to visit this blog too! Enjoy the site and visit it by clicking on the U-CAN website.

Joseph D. Korfmacher, MA

Friday, May 18, 2012

Spots Still Open in WPU's Nursing Program

William Paterson in New Jersey is extending their application program to their highly regarded nursing program for current high school seniors. WPU has just announced they have extended their deadline until July 1st. So if there are any seniors who have still yet to decide on their future school and are interested in nursing, think about William Paterson as a possible landing spot! The criteria to possibly become an accepted student are as follows:
·         Minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0
·         1050 SAT score (CR & Math) with at least a 500 CR score
·         2 Lab sciences with grades of B or better

If you are interested in this opportunity, please stop by your college counselor’s office for more information and don’t forget to visit the WPU website.

Joseph D. Korfmacher, MA

Thursday, May 17, 2012

Transition from Home to College...Just Give it Time!

John was 18 and at the college he always dreamed of…a relatively small college in Pennsylvania. John could not wait until he graduated high school and would be able to start the next phase of his life. He anticipated making new friends and trying new activities. He was so excited the night before move-in-day, he could hardly fall asleep. As his parents helped him move everything into his dorm room, it was a bit emotional for everyone, as John was their first child leaving home for college. John’s college was only two-hours away from home, but this might as well been halfway around the world for his parents, as John never spent more than a week away from their home. Nevertheless, John and his parents said good-bye and his parents drove away, leaving John on his own. As John’s parents’ car disappeared from sight, a sinking feeling set in and that initial excitement turned into fear and anxiety. In a moment John’s confidence turned into doubt and this was a very scary feeling. He wasn’t sure what to do, so he went to his room, watched TV and played on the computer.
Over the next few days John went from class to his dorm and called his parents a few times a day. John was sad, uncomfortable, and to him, all the other freshmen had made friends besides himself. A week into his first semester at college, John called home and told his parents he wanted to go home and transfer to the local state college. Although his mom and dad felt terrible for John and of course did not want him to be upset, they told him 5 simple words…”Just give it one semester”. Although frustrated with their response, John obliged.
A week later, a dorm mate of John’s asked him to go to the local Sports Authority with him. Although John had nothing to buy there, he was so eager for some type of companionship he jumped at the opportunity. Through this trip, John discovered that he had a lot in common with the guy living down his hall, and he was able to introduce John to the group of his friends at the school. John finally became more comfortable at college and his entire outlook was changed. John ended up loving his four years at school and regards it as the best time of his life.
This is a true story of a colleague of mine and her first child to go off to college. For the parents out there who will be sending their first child off to college in the coming months, it will surely be an emotional time for everyone involved. Feelings of doubt, fear, uneasiness, and an increased level of stress are all VERY common for parents and teenagers during the transition from home to college. It is only natural that a big change like this will induce these uncomfortable feelings.
However, for almost everyone, these feelings will go away, as teenagers just need to give it time! I think it is very important for freshmen to stick it out at least one semester. Too often, students will give-up after only a few weeks, never really giving it a chance. It is also essential that parents are there to support their children, communicate with them during the process, and also push them to keep trying at their school. Students put a lot of work into the college search process, and they chose their school because something felt right. Whatever they felt did not abandon them, students just need to keep a positive outlook!
So parents and students, please click on the link below from the NYU Child Study website that lists numerous tips for parents and teenagers dealing with the transition from being at home to living at college. Enjoy the reading and I hope it helps: NYU website.
Joseph D. Korfmacher, MA

Monday, May 14, 2012

Test-Optional Update

As Ithaca College has become one of the newest members of colleges and universities giving students the option of providing admissions with SAT/ACT scores, I thought this would be a good time to remind high school students and parents about test-optional schools. Colleges that are test-optional give students with low testing scores a better chance of getting into selective schools. If a student chooses to go the route of not sending in testing scores, admissions will focus more on the student’s high school cumulative GPA and strength of schedule in addition to the student’s personal profile (résumé, essay, extra-curriculars, etc.). The list of schools providing test-optional applications gets bigger and bigger each year, which subsequently helps more and more students get into colleges that they may have been denied from if they had to send in testing scores.
 Research continues to show that SATs and ACTs only have a small percentage of predictability for student success in higher education. More and more colleges have seen that there just is not enough consistent correlation between how a student performs on a 4-hour test and how that student will perform over 4 years at their institution. For many, this just is not enough to justify placing so much weight on the tests. From my experience, selective schools that are test-optional, benefit students with high GPAs, but SAT or ACT scores that are not reflective of their GPA. However, students that have low GPAs, going test-optional have not helped them as much to gain acceptance into certain colleges. To see an up-to-date list of test-optional schools, please click on this LINK.

-Joseph D. Korfmacher, MA

Thursday, May 10, 2012

CollegeBoard Test Fest 2012

Sophomores, now is a great time to start preparing for college standardized tests. The SATs and ACTs are important parts of the college application process, and as junior year is quickly approaching, you should take advantage of any opportunities out there that will better prepare you for these tests. CollegeBoard has organized an event called “Test Fest 2012”, where high schools will allow students to take free full practice SATs and ACTs. These tests will be taken in actual test conditions and scored just like the ones that count, but they will hold no weight in the admissions process. This is an excellent way to see where you stand with these tests, and which one may be the better fit for you. The following high schools will host registration for these summer practice tests:
Cranford High School: 5/12 9:00am – 1:00pm
River Dell High School: 5/12 9:00a, - 1:00pm
Scotch Plains-Fanwood High School: 5/19 9:00am - 1:00pm
Glen Ridge High School: 5/19 9:00am – 1:00pm
Leonia High School: 5/19 9:00am – 1:00pm

Students can also register at: www.princetonreview.com/testfest

Friday, May 4, 2012

Seniors...Still Can't Decide on a College?

Seniors…it is May 4th, and most of you (hopefully) have sent in your deposits for the next stop on your educational journey. A few of you may still be deciding and others will change their mind and attend a different school from the one they originally sent in the deposits to. So even though you have spent the last two years searching for the right college for yourself, you may benefit from just a little more time and maybe another application or two. If this is you, then you are in luck, as there are close to 400 colleges and universities still accepting applications for fall 2012! Check out these schools, by clicking on the NACAC website link.

Joseph D. Korfmacher, MA

Wednesday, May 2, 2012

Summer Checklist for Rising Seniors

Although the 2011-2012 school year has been long, leading students to be tired and looking forward to summer break…rising seniors will be in a very important time of their college search process. For rising seniors, summer is not a time to just sit on your couch, watching ESPN and forgetting everything from a few months ago, which includes information from junior group guidance! The free time students have in the summer is a great opportunity to prepare for the application process and to present yourself in the best way possible to prospective colleges and universities. I can promise you that the first semester of senior year will be a very busy one with coursework, sports, clubs, and the application process. Time will fly-by and it would benefit all students to get a majority of the college work done in advance. Take a moment to look over a few of the areas in which you can work on during the summer time to give you advantage once autumn arrives:
·         Prepare for Testing/Review Testing Requirements- Many students will be happy with their SAT/ACT test scores from junior year and will not take these tests in the fall. However, a good amount of students may still need to increase their scores. So use the summer time to enroll in SAT or ACT prep classes or study on your own. Also, if students plan on applying to highly competitive colleges, make sure you are on top of all testing requirements. If a school requires SAT subject tests, make sure you register for one of the testing dates in the fall.

·          Continue to Visit Campuses- Although it usually is more beneficial to visit colleges while they are in session, this cannot always be done during the school-year. It is much better to visit a college during the summer than to never see the school. A BIG factor to deciding on which college to attend should be the overall fit and gut feeling you get while on the school’s campus. Students can get a ton of information online about schools, but there is no substitute for visiting schools to gain that invaluable “feel” for the campus.

·         Build up Your Resume- High testing scores and a high cumulative GPA are great and will be very helpful when applying to schools. However, for many schools this will not be enough. Schools want students who are well-rounded and more than just academics. They want students that are involved in other activities, sports, clubs, jobs, or do something to set themselves apart. It will be important to manage your time and responsibility in college, and admissions counselors want to see that you already have experience with this. If you do not have much to show to colleges, use the summer as a time to get involved with other opportunities other than high school classes. Some summer opportunities you may want to think about are: jobs, summer enrichment programs, pre-college summer programs, volunteering, or even some type of research! There are a multitude of ways you can benefit yourself and society, which may also improve your chances of getting accepted into school.

·         Think about Your Future- This can be a very scary thought for high school students. I often will get blank stares or confused looks when I ask my students to think about a career they could see themselves in, or where they see themselves in six years. Although this may be hard, it is important! Start researching jobs online, talking to friends and family, or try some old fashioned personal reflection and introspection. Whatever works best for you, just do something and think about what you could see yourself doing for a career and which college majors may be a good fit for you.

·         Work on Your Essay- The college essay is an integral piece to the college application process. This is not something students want to leave to the last minute to complete. Students should take time to reflect, compose, and review their college essay. This is a great opportunity for students to show who they truly are and why they belong in a school’s community. The essay often will be the deciding factor for a student being accepted or denied. Although college applications cannot be completed yet, the CommonApplication can be viewed online, by clicking on the link. Students can review the essay topics for next year and start working on them. Please, do not rush the essay, and use your free time in the summer to make the essay as good as it can be!


Joseph D. Korfmacher, MA