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

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

Getting a Head Start on Careers

As seniors are watching their college decisions roll in, juniors are beginning the college search process, and underclassmen are beginning to think about life after high school, there is one topic that has likely crossed all of their minds. That topic is their life and what they see themselves doing for a career. There is no set schedule for when individuals should know what type of career would be best for them, as some know when they are 10 years old and others don’t know until they are 40 years old. As high school students it is completely normal not to have a solid grasp of a type of job or field you see yourself in, and contemplating about what you would like to do for the next 40+ years is not the easiest concept to wrap your head around, but it is definitely something all high school students should be thinking about. As jobs are becoming more competitive and specialized, it would greatly benefit any individual to choose the right major for themselves in college and getting started early on the right track for their desired career.  A career does not just happen and this is something students need to be aware of. A career is something a person will have for the majority of his or her life, so it makes sense that it should be something in which the person enjoys and fits his or her personality.

Students coming into high school should learn about themselves, including their values, interests, beliefs, and skills, and then begin to prepare for the next stage. Along with this, 9^th and 10^th grade students should be encouraged to explore, and should not worry about making career decisions. As students enter their junior and senior year of high school, they should be much more focused on decision making, and integrating what they have learned about themselves in previous years to growth and change towards their future career development. Once students have explored who they are, they must be allowed to access information on all types of careers and what needs to be done to obtain these careers. Goals need to be set and students must work with their counselor on reaching these goals.

During your junior year, you will be able to use the Career Finder tool on Naviance. This allows you to answer hundreds of questions about your personality, abilities, likes and dislikes. The program will then provide you with a multitude of careers that may fit you best and where you will be the happiest. Each career option will provide information on what the careers involve, average earnings, and how to best get to that career, including college majors.

It also is never too soon to think about which careers may be vibrant and which ones may not even exist in the future. A great site to visit is the Bureau of Labor Statistics, which is part of the United States Department of Labor. This website gives everyone access to much of the information available on careers. A very useful tool on this site is to see projections of careers, including which careers will be booming in 10 years and which careers are on the decline. Click on the link, and you will be directed to the New Jersey part of the site giving a multitude of information on careers in our state.  

So some simple advice for all high school students…although your plans may change, it is never too early to start thinking about what you may want to do. Use the resources available to you and start trying to connect your personality and needs to certain jobs and careers that exist. And parents…engage with your child about careers and opportunities that may arise. Have conversations with them about your own experiences and support them when they start coming to terms with a career they see themselves attracted to. Also, encourage them to go after internship opportunities or summer jobs that become available. Although an individual most likely will change careers at least once during a lifetime, it’s important to get off to a good start. So make thinking about a career a part of your life right now, as it will always be an important part of your entire life.