Decisions, Decisions, Decisions....Now What?

Many of you will be getting decisions this and next week if you haven’t already. Let us know your decisions, either by putting them up on Naviance or by talking to your counselor.

 Now what?

Congratulations on acceptances and deferrals. Remember that if you receive a deferral, you should plan to send your midyear grades to the colleges. If you are dissatisfied with your current SAT scores, you do have an opportunity with the January test. (1/26: deadline 12/28) For some of you who were deferred, this may be the one factor that pushes you into the accept category.  Talk it over with your counselor.

 If you were denied admission, remember that you can always consider reapplying as a transfer after spending a year at another institution.

 A reminder about your competition:

 The number of applications received by colleges continues to hit record highs. The 2012-2013 cycle is no exception. So yes, your competition is greater just based on that tiny fact alone. Mixed in with the increase in early applications and you have another interesting wrinkle.

 What are the admission folks saying about this year’s class?

•  Many colleges are reporting significant increases in the early applicant pool, some as much as 25%. Despite the increase, most colleges are accepting the same number of applicants early.
• Personal statements make a difference. As we’ve been saying all year, this is your chance to let your character come to the forefront. This is the time to communicate your personality, special characteristics that makes you uniquely you. Many of you were able to do a great job at this; others decided that it was not important. It matters, so be authentic! Average statistics can come alive with a well written personal statement.
•  Finally, for the most part, admission committees feel just as overwhelmed as you feel. They have the pressure of sometimes denying students they LOVE who they think will be great.  

The moral of the story…

ü  Maintain your focus! You only have a few days left of classes before the end of the first semester.

ü  Maintain perspective. If you were not admitted to a school of your choice, that’s ok, you have other options that you should be just as excited about. If not, we have to time to compose applications to additional options.

 What's next?

ü  For those of you applying for regular decision deadlines, most colleges will notify you in April.

ü  Schools with ROLLING decisions, tend to notify you 2-8weeks after your application is completed. So you can be notified at any time.

ü  Regardless of when you receive a decision from the college, you do NOT have to notify them until MAY 1, 2013.

ü  REMINDER: You need to request your official scores from either College Board (SAT) or ACT administration.  

Please Join The Prep College Counseling Staff for Financial Aid 101!

 

 

When: Monday, December 10th at 6:30pm in the Commons

Mr. Pablo Orantes, Associate Director of Financial Aid at Saint Peter’s University, will be on hand to present a comprehensive overview of the college financial aid process and navigating the FAFSA. All are welcome! Mr. Orantes, along with the Prep College Counseling staff, will be available to answer your questions throughout the evening.

An Event Open to the Public:

Inside the College Admission Process: An Evening with Jacques Steinberg

Wednesday, January 9th, 2013 7:30pm at Westfield High School

Mr. Steinberg is the author of “The Gatekeepers: Inside the Admissions Process of a Premier College,” a New York Times bestseller. The book is being reissued on its tenth anniversary, in fall 2012, with a new afterword. Mr.Steinberg has been a staff reporter for The New York Times for more than two decades and is currently the newspaper’ senior editor for education initiatives. Mr. Steinberg moderates The Choice, The NY Times' college admissions blog, which he created for the NY Times in spring 2009.

 

All Prep seniors have been given a copy in his group guidance course!

Please visit the Westfield PTSO website for registration information: http://www.westfieldnjk12.org/education/dept/dept.php?sectiondetailid=9011&

Quick Tips When Writing Your College Essay

The essay is the most personal piece to a college application. It is the students chance to really state his case, use his voice, and tell the admission team additional information about himself that cannot be found on the application. Here are a few quick tips to remember when writing a college essay.

·         Be Honest

·         Use Your Voice – ask someone who knows you best “Does this essay sound like me?” The admissions team will be able to tell the difference between a 17 or 18 year olds voice and that of a 40 year old.

·         Do not repeat information that can be found in your application. Give the admission counselor something new to consider about your application.

·         Proofread and Get a Second Opinion – Typos and Poor Grammar will be noticed

·         Be Passionate – Odds are if you are not interested in the topic you are writing about, your admission counselor is not going to be interested when reading it.

 

Need Inspiration? Check out some sample essays below:

http://apply.jhu.edu/apply/essays.html
http://www.conncoll.edu/admission/essays-that-worked.htm

Mrs. Sarah Morissette, M. Ed.
Junior/Senior Counselor

Greetings from Denver!

Back from an amazing week in Denver, Colorado attending the2012 NACAC National Convention. NACAC stands for the National Association of College Admission Counselors. Admissions counselors from all over the world attended to promote their schools and share ideas regarding higher education. High school counselors, like myself, were treated to sessions ranging from NCAA and the student athlete to tips on writing the best letters of recommendation. It was a three day marathon of all things college.

One of the highlights of the trip out west for me was a visit to Regis University, a Jesuit university just outside of downtown Denver.  http://www.regis.edu/   I, along with my fellow Prep counselors Joe Giglio and Yetunde Rubenstein, joined counselors from every other Jesuit high school and college, including Georgetown, Fordham and Loyola Maryland to network and share ideas surrounding our students. Regis U is an amazing campus – I had the best time on their tour and am slightly jealous of the students currently attending. I can’t wait to plan my next trip back to Colorado, and look forward to seeing all of my higher ed. friends again really soon.

Sarah Morissette, M. Ed.

Junior/Senior Counselor

A New School Year Begins!

The 2012-13 school year is underway at Grand & Warren!

There are some changes in the college counseling department.  Mr. Korfmacher has moved on to a position at Xavier High School in Manhattan (one of our brother Jesuit schools in NYC).   He plans to continue blogging in his new role, so you can expect a link in the future on this site!

We have two new counselors.  Ms. Yetunde Daniels Rubinstein comes on board as our Associate Director of Guidance and College Counseling and Ms. Sarah Morissette will work with juniors and seniors as a guidance counselor.

Yetunde is a familiar face at Prep, having previously been a member of the guidance department (2005-09) and Sarah joins us from the Laurel Springs School. Both bring college admission experience with them.

Starting this year we will be submitting transcripts electronically through Naviance and e-docs (Docufide).  This will allow us to see receipt of documents online for all participating colleges.

Remember, you can follow our office via twitter @PrepGuidance.

http://twitter.com/PrepGuidance

Farewell From Prep...But Not Gone!

I wanted to take this moment to say farewell to all of the people I worked with at Saint Peter’s Prep. As most of you know, I have taken a position at Xavier High School in their college counseling department. For all of you that have followed my college information blog since its conception in January, I truly do thank you. With thousands and thousands of site views, I have been assured that this blog has been helpful for many parents and students as they navigate through the college search and application process. Since the blog has been successful, I will be continuing the blog on my own. The blog’s title has changed slightly to ‘Mr. K’s College Knowledge’. The new college knowledge blog can be found by clicking this link: Mr. K’s College Knowledge. Once again, thank you so much for utilizing my blog and I hope I can continue to support you and many others during the college admissions process.

-Mr. Joseph D. Korfmacher, MASC

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

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

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 1^st. 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

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

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

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

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

Seniors…it is May 4^th, 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

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

College Tour Recap!

As the 2^nd annual college tour came to an end last night when the bus of 40 juniors pulled back to 144 Grand Street, students were able to carry with them a great amount of knowledge and an overall fantastic experience from the five colleges and universities they visited in the Boston area. Please take a minute to look over a few of the pieces of information we gained from inside each of the schools we visited, as you may discover some things that will intrigue you!

Emerson College

·         Marketing is very big, with about 25% of students majoring in this. Many more minor in marketing.

·         Biggest concentrations are communications, journalism, visual and performing arts, and English.

·         State-of-the-art TV and production equipment available to students as early as freshmen year.

·         Graduates have great success rates in sports and entertainment fields such as ESPN, NFL, and the NHL.

·         City campus

·         D3 sports

·         Nutritionist included with tuition

·         70:30 girls to guys ratio

·         2 years guaranteed housing

·         3,500 undergraduate students

·         48% of applicants accepted

Boston College

·         9,000 undergraduates

·         60% of students major in Arts & Sciences fields

·         No Engineering school

·         Core curriculum of 15 courses in liberal arts as requirement

·         Can use AP scores (4 or 5) to place out of some courses

·         No Greek life

·         50% students are guaranteed housing for 4 years and 50% are guaranteed housing for 3 years

·         Study Abroad very big at BC

·         Most seniors live on campus

·         No early decision available

·         Restrictive Early Action option (cannot apply ED anywhere else, but decision is not binding at BC)

·         Four schools at BC: Arts & Sciences, Management, Education, and Nursing

·         80-90% of students on pre-med track are accepted into medical school each year

·         28% acceptance rate

Northeastern University

·         Co-op education very big here

·         In the city, but a traditional campus feel and atmosphere

·         50% of co-op students are offered jobs from one of the places they worked while at NU

·         Very strong engineering program

·         Apartment style living on campus starting sophomore year

·         16,000 undergraduates/13,000 graduate students

·         Ranked 2^nd among U.S. universities in career services

·         92% of NU graduates either employed or in graduate school nine months after graduation

Boston University

·         Guaranteed housing for 4 years

·         Greek life active

·         Varsity crew

·         Ranked top-10 Bio-engineering program

·         Very big in community service (90,000 hours of community service completed in 2010-2011

·         Gigantic applicant pool (43,000 students applied last year)

·         Demonstrated interested big influence!

·         ROTC available in three divisions

·         Campus is only 1-2 blocks deep, but 1 ¾ miles long

·         18,500 undergraduates

·         45%  acceptance rate

Holy Cross

·         3,000 undergraduates

·         No graduate programs

·         Full-year Study Abroad opportunities are very popular

·         Test-optional school

·         Demonstrated interest very big and interviews are available

·         10:1 student faculty ratio

·         33% acceptance rate

·         Jesuit ideals alive and well at HC

                                                                                                         Joseph Korfmacher, MA