The Waiting Game - College Decisions

Check out this great blog post called The Waiting Game. The college counseling team loves these quick tips and insight!

 



 

The Waiting Game

Posted on January 3, 2013 by Susanna

By: Mia Myklebust
Many high school Seniors have completed their college applications (don’t stress if you haven’t there’s still time!) and are now playing what we like to call “The Waiting Game.” This is the time period between when students apply to and hear from colleges. At first it can be a relief to finish all your applications, but soon waiting to hear back can become nerve wracking. Many high school Seniors have found themselves waiting for the mailman every afternoon hoping that the fat envelope will come. Our best advice: don’t be that kid. If you’re stressed out try to focus on other things to get you through.
Stay busy- If you keep yourself occupied you won’t have time to worry about whether or not your letter has come yet. If you play a sport or are in a club give it your full attention. If you don’t, come up with an out of school activity to occupy your time. This could be a great time to do some Independent Research or Volunteer. Which brings us to our second point.
Update colleges on your accomplishments- If you have had any notable achievement since you submitted your applications, make sure to let your colleges know. Any new awards or honors can help your apps stand out, plus contacting admissions officers will keep your name fresh in their minds. Make sure you are only reporting new awards, don’t repeat anything that you have already included on your applications. Email or call the admissions rep designated to your area to inform them of your recent accomplishments.
Keep your grades high- This is an often overlooked, but critical part of your applications. If a college is on the fence about you, they may ask for your first semester grades to help them decide whether to admit you. You want to be able to hand over a stellar report card, not the evidence of your Senioritis. It is even possible for a college to rescind an acceptance if your Senior year grades aren’t up to par, so, study on!
If you’re really feeling the pressure while waiting to hear back from your colleges, try some of our Stress Busting Tips. Also, don’t forget to record the status of each of your applications as you receive them on the Applications page of CollegeMapper. On this page you can mark whether you were accepted, deferred or declined and how much financial aid support you got from each of your schools. Good luck and yay, college!

http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=3114239534135083233#editor/target=post;postID=1740684086971402189


Mrs. Sarah Morissette, M.Ed.

Class of 2013, Happy New Year = Time for FAFSA!

                The first of the month has passed which can mean a few things, a new year to celebrate, making (and breaking) those New Year’s Resolutions, and FAFSA time! The 2013-2014 FAFSA, Free Application for Federal Student Aid, became available on January 1^st, 2013. All seniors should be in the process of exploring, reviewing and completing his FAFSA. Deadlines to complete this application vary by state, for New Jersey the deadline is June. However the sooner you complete the FAFSA, the sooner you can receive your maximum financial aid package from each college you have been accepted to.  There are many helpful resources to support the student and his family through this process – two of my favorites being http://studentaid.ed.gov/ and http://www.fafsa.ed.gov/index.htm. Be sure when filing your FAFSA to use the .gov website and not an imposture!

Happy Filings! Mrs. Sarah Morissette, M. Ed.

Want a Career in Politics?  Go to a Jesuit College!

Here's some interesting data from the Associate of Jesuit College and Universities:  10% of the members of the 112 Congress are alumni of a Jesuit college. 

Georgetown University has the most alumni in Congress, with 21, followed by Boston College with seven and Fordham University with five, the College of the Holy Cross with four and Creighton University with three, the association reported.

Loyola University Chicago, St. Peter's University and University of Detroit Mercy each has two alumni in Congress. Loyola University Maryland, Marquette University, St. Joseph's University, Santa Clara University, Wheeling Jesuit University and Xavier University each has one.

The National Catholic Reporter shares some interesting demographics as well.  Catholics are the single largest denomination in Congress.  Interestingly, Catholics appear in good numbers on both sides of the aisle. 

Unfortunately, Congress as an institution is experiencing it's low point in national approval ratings.   AJCU also reports there are 30 Jesuit alumni in appointed positions in the Obama administration

To read more:

http://www.ajcunet.edu/Fifty-Two-Members-of-the-111th-U.S.-Congress-are-Jesuit-College-and-University-Alumni/ae
http://ncronline.org/news/politics/catholics-still-largest-congress-denomination-10-percent-jesuit-grads

New Year, New Resources!

 

Happy New Year from the Prep Counseling Department. For those of you looking to get a jump on college visits and are looking for some ideas check out College Visits, a great college campus tour company.

National College Visit Tours

COLLEGE VISITS offers the college bound student a first-hand look at colleges and universities throughout the United States. Because of their experience in working with a multitude of higher education institutions, they are able to obtain meetings with admissions representatives, student led tours, and campus housing. This helps to take the hassle and worry away from the student and parents in organizing a family visit. COLLEGE VISITS tours cover all aspects of college life. They tour small, medium and large schools, rural and urban, and public and private schools. Their tours cover almost every region of the U.S., so if there is a particular school or region you are interested in, chances are COLLEGE VISITS goes there. The tour will enable you to get a sense of what higher education has to offer and hopefully, allow you to narrow down some choices or come up with some new ones after participating in our tours. The choice of a college or university is an important one and COLLEGE VISITS works very hard to see that the participants make the most informed decision possible.

Tours Available for Spring and Summer 2013 in New England, California, Canada, Southeast!  Check outhttp://www.college-visits.com/college.html for more information.

Prep will also be hosting a small college tour this Spring – more information to come!

 

Happy New Year!! ~ Mrs. Sarah Morissette, M.Ed.

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&