Summer Programs for High School Juniors and Seniors

Although it’s difficult to believe, summer really is just around the corner! What is your student going to do this summer that will further his or her dream of getting into the ideal college next year?


Aside from relevant extracurricular activities, and perhaps making some money for college expenses, there are a variety of programs in North Carolina that will help your student expand his horizons and add a distinguishing touch to his college application next year.
Here are some suggestions:


1)     NCSU’s Shelton Leadership Challenge – The Shelton Challenge is a six day residential experience to help students expand their knowledge and skills of what it takes to be a leader. Various locations in NC from Jun 19th to July 24th. The application deadline is June 1st. Read more on their site at http://www.ncsu.edu/extension/sheltonleadership/leadership-programs/challenge.php


2) Davidson College July Experience – The July Experience is a pre-college summer enrichment program for rising high school juniors and seniors offered July 3 to 23, 2011. The program is sponsored by the Davidson College Department of Education and offers a preview of college life on one of the most beautiful residential campuses in the southeast. The application deadline is April 4th. Find out more on their website at http://www3.davidson.edu/cms/x3808.xml


3) Engineering Camp at NCSU – Do you have a budding technologist in the family? Each summer, the College of Engineering at NC State University offers rising high school freshmen through seniors the opportunity to experience engineering, science and technology at NC State. The application deadline is April 4th. Read more on their site at http://www.engr.ncsu.edu/theengineeringplace/summerprograms/high-school/


Whatever program you choose, for the best value ensure that the curriculum and subject matter matches your student’s interests and is relevant to what he wants to study in college.

College Applications for Home Schooled Students

With high teacher-to-student ratios in public high schools, it’s no surprise that a number of parents in North Carolina opt to home-school their children. The advantages of 1-to-1 teaching and an intensive yet personalized curriculum can have dramatic benefits for students.

Parents often find themselves scrambling, however, when it comes to college applications. College admissions can be a difficult, stressful and labor-intensive process for both parent and student, regardless of whether the parent is also the educator. Although most colleges are “home-schooled friendly”, it requires addition effort on behalf of parent and student to provide the proof that the student is an exceptional candidate for college.

Fortunately, parents who are educators can overcome these obstacles with additional planning, information, and attention to detail.

1) Be Prepared to Test and Test Again – In addition to standard SAT testing in the senior year, you may wish to consider sophomore and junior year testing. Some colleges require subject-specific testing to prove that your child has both the breadth and depth of knowledge that is expected from college admission candidates.  This may be additional cost to the parent, however the results are well worth it when you can prove a consistent results that show that students are life-long achievers.

2) Research Colleges Early – Your child may be the smartest, cleverest, most hard-working student in the world, however if they’re not focused on the right material, they may have difficulty getting into their top school. No later than junior year, contact the colleges that your child is considering and ensure that the school has clear guidelines for home-schooled students and that they’re able to provide you with a list of required courses, so you can devise a final year curriculum that will meet their admission needs.

3) Manage Due Date and Deadlines – As a home-educator, you don’t have the advantage of frequent updates from a Guidance Counselor. Be sure to keep a coordinated list of the due dates and deadline for admissions criteria for college.

4) Keep up the Extracurricular Activities – Often parents may be so focused on academic performance that they neglect the extracurricular activities of their children and the effect on college admissions. Most colleges strongly consider students who can demonstrate that they’re well-rounded individuals, so be sure to encourage your child to participate in activities with public organizations that match their interests.

5) Gather Third-Party Letters of Recommendation – Although parents may feel that they can write unbiased letters of recommendations for their children, colleges can be leery when the teacher is also the parent. Be sure to cultivate relationships with community and organization members who can write an exemplary third-party recommendation for your student.

College Bound Students - Remaining True to the Challenge

When your child leaves for college, it can be one of the saddest moments you as a parent ever experience.  For your child, it can be traumatic to anticipate an entirely different lifestyle change.  And while you may be sad after your child departs for school, your student will begin their college education as they cross over the threshold into adulthood. This is a very big step for them.

Sadly, many young adults forget much of what they are taught at home when they enter college.  They view themselves as grown and in charge of their lives.  Some teens head to college with partying on their minds which seriously interferes with their studies. In the process, they often influence others to follow suit and often with much success.

The first six weeks of college are considered a challenge for young people who've never attended school away from home.  They will be enticed to drink, party, and stay out late, and while none of this may sound like activities your child would participate in, it is sometimes a temptation that can be difficult to resist.

One statistic that sticks out above all the others is the number of students who make it to the second year of college.  Only two-thirds of the kids who start college get that far.  As you might guess, more drop offs occur each year after, but the first year is the most crucial and takes the largest toll on the college population.

What can you do to keep your child from becoming one of those drops outs?
If you do your homework, you should know something of the eyes and ears of the college your child is attending.  You want to have support from the organizations and people who can make a difference.
Keeping a quality line of communication open with your student is also helpful. It is essential to keep in mind that you simply cannot treat them the same way you did when they were in high school. By respecting their age and maturity, they will be much more open to communication than if you continue to treat them like a child.

Parents have a responsibility to their children even if that path is a difficult one.  Parental support is very important in the early years of college. The motivation you provide might be just what they need to remain focused and complete their educational goals.

Shifting Gears: From High School to College Life

This is part two of my blog posts this week for pending college freshmen. One of the most rewarding parts of my job is following up with my former high school students after they’ve completed their first year in college, and hearing how they’ve made the shift from high school to college life.

Not all the feedback I get is positive. Often former high school students struggle to make the shift. Here are some of the comments I’ve gotten and how you can avoid the same mistakes.

“It was so hard to make new friends!”
The social transition for college is tough. High school student go from being a big fish in a small pond, to a small fish in a huge pond. Add to that the new environment, the course load, living on their own for the first time – it’s not surprising that freshman find they don’t have the confidence to make new friends in college.

Remember that your fellow classmates are experiencing the same thing! While you may be hesitant to introduce yourself to someone new, just imagine that they’re probably feeling the same way. Get to know your dorm mates, even if it’s just your next-door neighbors. It’s better to introduce yourself during the afternoon in the first week than it is at 2am a month later when you’re trying to sleep and they’re playing music. Per my last blog, seek out study buddies in your classes, and offer to host a study session at the library once a week. Finally, check out the different interest groups that are available on campus. Virtually every hobby, sport, and interest is represented in campus life, so whether you’re into model trains, Jane Austen books, or rugby, chances are you’ll find a few people who like the same thing.

“I gained the Freshman 15!”
The hectic lifestyle of a college freshman, combined with more study time, (often) less exercise, and a self-reliance for food choices often contributes to what’s known as the Freshman 15 – a significant weight gain over the course of 8 short months.

You can combat this with some pretty common sense advice. First, make smart food choices. Just because your meal plan on campus is all-you-can-eat doesn’t mean that you should! Just like your mother told you when growing up, eat your veggies. Although late night cram sessions may be more frequent, avoid late night binge eating and sugary snacks just to stay alert. Stock up your dorm room with good food so you’re not tempted to hit the vending machines or local fast food joints. Ask your parents to send a care package of healthy snacks (I’ve never seen a parent yet that didn’t love to do this!)

“I was so overwhelmed and homesick for the first month!”
Although it’s exciting, transitioning to college is tough – you may be homesick, you may be overwhelmed with studying, you may feel like you just want to crawl back home where everything is familiar and comfortable.

When you find yourself overwhelmed, remind yourself that this feeling generally only lasts the first couple of weeks of college, when everything is new and the longer you stick with college and get to know the environment, the easier it will be. If it helps, call your former high school friends and family more often, to give you a sense of familiarity. Post tons of pictures of your high school friends and family members around your dorm room, so you’re constantly reminded that you’re not alone, even if you’re living alone for the first time.

Finally, if the feeling goes on past the first month, consider talking to a counselor at your college. I guarantee you they’ve seen hundreds of students go through the same thing, and they’re there to help you talk through your feelings and devise a strategy to help you make the transition to college more enjoyable.

3 Tips for a Successful College Freshman Year

I’m thrilled to say that so many of my students have received their acceptances for college this Fall! While my role in helping them get into their ideal college may be at an end, I can’t help but want to send them off with some tips that will help them make an easy transition into college, and have a great college freshman year.

Aside from the obvious advice (go to classes, study hard, eat healthfully, and sleep well), there are a few more bits of advice that I recommend to all new college students:

Know Thy Professors
I talk to college professors often and almost invariably they tell me that they wish they knew their students better. From a student perspective, getting to know your professor early in the year can be a big boost if you run into difficulties with course material or scheduling of projects later in the year. Not to mention, you’re building the foundation for a successful mentoring relationship if you find that your professor teaches exactly the subject you’re most interested in! Take the time to introduce yourself to your professor after one of your first few classes, perhaps ask them a question or two related to the material, and then be sure to say hi to them when you see them around campus.

Build Your Study Buddy Network
The course load in college far exceeds anything you may have experienced in high school, and most freshman have a moment of freaking out when they read over their course syllabus and realize just how much work they’ll have to do in addition to class time. One way to ensure that you’re not going to miss anything important is to build a network of study buddies in the same classes as you. After about a month of classes, you should be able to see which students make good study partners – they’ll show up to every lecture, take copious notes, sit toward the front of the hall, and ask pertinent questions. Approach one or two of these people in each of your classes and simply ask if you can exchange contact information in case you miss a class and would like to have a copy of course notes, and vice versa. Having that safety net in case of illness or missing an important deadline will come in handy, and it’s an easy way to start getting to know new friends on campus.

Schedule Study Time
This may sound like a no-brainer, but the freedom of being able to set your own schedule, combined with the multiple social distractions of college, has been the downfall of many a former-A+ high school student.  The simplest way to ensure that you don’t fall behind is to schedule blocks of study time around your class schedule each week, write it down and stick to it. You may want to program your smart phone to remind you when you’re scheduled to study. The schedule should be flexible enough to account for last minute events, so consider scheduling a “backup” study period every week that you can use if you miss one of the regular study periods.