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

College Tour Departure!

40 Prep juniors will be leaving bright and early tomorrow (4/24) at 6 am to travel to 5 colleges and universities in the Boston area. After a few years of Prep-run college visits not being held, these tours were brought back to life in 2011. Last year was a one-day trip to 3 colleges in the Philadelphia area. With that trip being such a success, the annual college tour was expanded to a two-day, one-night trip to 5 colleges. The schools on the college tour this year are Emerson College, Boston College, Boston University, Northeastern University, and the College of the Holy Cross. Students will tour campuses, listen to information sessions, and get a chance to meet the admissions representatives that may be reading their applications a few months from now!

The Prep College Counseling Department plans on continuing these college tours in the coming years, so be on the look-out for future tour dates and registration instructions. The college trips usually fill-up within a few days, so act quick! Also, as there are hundreds and hundreds of colleges and universities in driving distance, if there are any schools you would like to see as a part of a future college tour please e-mail Mr. Joseph Korfmacher at korfmacherj@spprep.org

Once Mr. Korfmacher and the Prep students return, please visit the blog to get insider news on the trip and helpful information about each school we visit!

 Joseph Korfmacher, MA

The Importance of College Visits!

As April seems to be flying by, and May will be here before we know it, that means one thing—most colleges will be ending their scholastic year with students going home for summer. This does not leave too much time for high school students and their parents to visit college campuses, with the student body still there.

Visiting colleges and universities is one of the most important parts of the college search process. Obviously academics, majors selection, internship opportunities, and reputation are important factors to selecting the right school, but the overall “feel” one gets at a college should be near the top of the list of deciding factors. With advances in technology, most colleges have elaborate websites where there are hundreds of pictures of the school and even virtual tours one can take. Although this is better than nothing, it does not have the same effect as actually walking the campus, watching students interact, sitting in on a class, talking with school faculty, and just listening to your gut reaction to the overall collegiate environment. Every school will be a little different, and the absolute best way to truly know if you will be happy at a certain college is by physically being there and soaking everything in. Also, although it is not always possible, try and visit the school while the college is in session full-time. For most colleges this will be from late August to early May. While visiting a college, you can only gain a true gut feeling and perspective of the school life when students are there and the campus is vibrant with the personality of its students.

The following list contains a few helpful hints and strategies when planning on visiting different colleges on your list:

--As mentioned earlier, try to visit college when school is in session, as that is when you will get the true feeling of the environment.

--Call the undergraduate admissions office at the college you will be visiting to set up a guided tour. This way you will have someone with extended knowledge of the college explain the school’s layout and will be able to answer any questions you may have about the school.

--Think of questions to ask while visiting the college! You will most likely be living at the college you choose for 4-5 years, so it makes sense to do your research on everything about the school and its surroundings. Questions ranging from activities available for students, housing availability, food services, the amount of students that stick around on the weekend, internship opportunities, service opportunities, intramurals, community surroundings, and much more should all be on your list to ask admission representatives at each school.

--If you are traveling far to visit a college, plan ahead and see if there are any other schools that you may be interested in and can stop at on the way. You won’t have that many opportunities to visit colleges, so make the most out of each trip!

--Try to schedule a time to sit in on a college class, and if you know what you want to major in, try to sit in on a class in that field.

--Again, if you know your major, try to schedule a meeting with a professor in that field. This will give you a better idea of what to expect in that major and overall field.

--Take pictures and notes! Hopefully, you will be visiting multiple college campuses. In order to avoid getting schools mixed up, snap some photos and jot down a few notes to keep everything fresh in your mind!

--Soak it all in and have fun! There is no getting around the fact that the college search process in an important part of your life, but most of you will only be doing this once in your life (unless you go to graduate school), so try to live in the moment and enjoy visiting some very beautiful and exciting college campuses, which very well could be your next home!

                                                                                                                    -Mr. Joseph Korfmacher, MA

SPP Counseling Team's Review of Recent College Tour

As mentioned in the previous blog, members of the college counseling staff embarked on a college tour in Pennsylvania for four days, visiting nine colleges and universities.  This was a great experience, and we thought it would be helpful to share some information about a few of the schools, including admission trends and overall facts and tidbits on the schools.

Lafayette College: Lafayette is a private, small college, in a suburban setting (roughly 2,500 undergraduates) set on a beautiful campus in Easton, Pennsylvania. Lafayette is a liberal arts college, and they stick to a liberal arts education, having all students, regardless of majors, take an array of humanities courses. Lafayette has a very strong engineering program and with the establishment of a new film studio, their arts department is growing and becoming more competitive.  Walking around the campus, students seemed very involved in different activities, and many students were active in the quad throwing the Frisbee and football around. Lafayette is the quintessential college campus, which is not too big or too small, with a lot of green and beautiful facilities. There is a great community feel and a real sense of mindfulness and openness.  Here are some quick facts on the school:

Percent admitted: 40%

Student-to-faculty ratio: 11:1

Middle 50% SATs: Critical Reading: 590-680/ Math: 620-700/ Writing: 580-680 ACT: 26-31

If submitting the ACT, the writing section is required

Tuition plus Room and board plus additional fees per year= $54,720

Percent of need met: 99% with average financial aid package of $37,958

Top 2% in country for endowment per student in nation

Ranked 18^th in country for career services and has great alumni connections

No business school

Lehigh University: Lehigh is a private, smaller mid-sized university is a suburban setting with roughly 4,900 undergraduate students and 2,000 graduate students. The campus is set on rolling hills with historic buildings that are nothing short of breathtaking.  Students are spread out in numerous terrific majors in Arts and Sciences (40% of students), College of Business and economics (30% of students), and the College of Engineering and Applied Science (30% of students). The average class size is 27 students, and regardless of major, all students must have 20% of their courses in the humanities and social sciences. Although it is a university, the only graduate schools available are the graduate school of education and they offer 7-year programs in Medicine, Dentistry, and Optometry. Here are some quick facts on the school:

Percent admitted: 33%

Middle 50%: Critical Reading: 580-680/ Math: 640-720/ ACT: 28-31

If submitting the ACT, the writing section is required.

Tuition plus Room and board plus additional fees per year= $52,800

Percent of need met: 96% with average financial aid package of $34,700

One of only 10 colleges that offer Internships at the United Nations

40% of students are in Greek Life

45% of accepted students are in Early Decision pool

Saint Joseph’s University:  St. Joseph’s University is a Jesuit, private, smaller mid-sized university in a suburban setting, right outside of Philadelphia, with roughly 5,200 undergraduate students and 3,500 graduate students. St. Joe’s has made tremendous strides in the last few years, growing their campus size by 38 acres and developing new buildings all over campus. Being a short cab ride or train ride from Philadelphia makes it an ideal location for those students who enjoy all of the opportunities a big city offers, but would prefer to  not be directly in the heart of a city. St. Joe’s is dedicated to providing all students with an education for the whole person, aligned with the Jesuit philosophy. There is a general education program that sees students taking theology, philosophy, ethics, writing, science, and language courses adding up to 60 credits in Arts & Sciences, in addition to their courses associated with their major. St. Joe’s has increased the amounts of majors and minors, with 34 and 40 respectively. They are now offering a new music major and film studies majors, as well as a sports marketing major and entertainment marketing major.  Unlike many colleges and states, an education degree at St. Joseph’s is reciprocal in every state. Also, the country’s largest food marketing program is at St. Joe’s, as well as the biggest Jesuit business school.  Here are some more additional facts about St. Joseph’s University:

Percent Admitted: 78%

Student-to-faculty ration: 13:1

Middle 50%: Critical Reading: 510-600/ Math: 520-610/ Writing: 520-610 ACT: 22-26

If submitting the ACT, the writing section is optional

Tuition plus Room and board plus additional fees per year= $49,840

62% of accounting graduates have been offered positions at the Big 4 accounting firms

Jesuit Scholarship available for students from Jesuit high schools that have a 3.0 GPA worth $3,500

Preview to Spring College-Tour Trip!

The College Counseling Office will be offering a college-tour trip to Boston for current juniors! This is an excellent opportunity to get a feel for campus and academic life at numerous colleges. During this two day trip, students will travel by bus to visit 4-5 colleges in the Boston area. Probable schools should include Boston College, Northeastern University, Boston University, Emerson, and the College of the Holy Cross.

We will be leaving early in the morning of Tuesday, 4/24 and returning in the evening on Wednesday, 4/25. We will spend the night in a hotel in Boston, and travel by bus to the colleges for tours and information sessions. Students will miss classes on Tuesday, as well as the Prep Day activities on Wednesday, and should be aware that they will also miss practice on those days for any spring sports.

The cost for this trip is yet to be determined, but should be approximately $100 per student (price includes transportation, hotel stay, pizza buffet Tuesday night, and breakfast Wednesday morning). Space is limited and there will be a maximum of 40 students for this trip! Price is subject to increase depending on the amount of students who sign up.

Please register with Mr. Korfmacher in the college counseling office on the 3^rd floor of Mulry (or by e-mail at korfmacherj@spprep.org) if you would like to attend. A spot can only be officially reserved once a payment is made. A notice will follow soon with the exact amount due. Thank you.