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Archive for November, 2009

College Application Tips You Don’t Expect: Part 3

Monday, November 23rd, 2009

Last week, we may have surprised some of you by suggesting that you forget about your admissions essays. To conclude the series of “College Application Tips You Don’t Expect, we have the audacity to tell you to write your own letter of recommendation! Read on if you have real college admissions cojones.

Write Your Own Recommendation: When it comes to getting a letter of recommendation from your teachers, it can be all-too tempting to take a passive role. You want to show your respect for them, so you just meekly ask for them to write you a recommendation, and pray for the best.

Well don’t. You’re not doing your teachers, or yourself, any favors by leaving it up to them. Be open about the kind of recommendation you are looking for, and the kind of programs you are interested in. If you are planning on being an English major, ask your English teacher to talk about your writing. Point to some essays you did particularly well on. If you want to go pre-med, ask your A.P. bio teacher to talk about how excited you are about research.

Be polite, but firm. If you let your teachers know what kind of a recommendation you are looking for, it will help them know if they are the right person to write it for you. And if they ultimately decide that they can’t give you what you are looking for, at least you know now, instead of after you’ve mailed in your application.

Think like a teacher. If you were in their shoes, what would you want to know? Mention your accomplishments, goals, and setbacks. Also, everybody likes to be flattered. Let them know why they are the best person to write your recommendation. Was it because their class was your favorite? Or did you write one of your best papers for them? Let them know that not only are you a unique student, but that they are the teacher that can uniquely advocate for you. How could they say no?

You might also be interested in:

College Application Tips You Don’t Expect Part 1:
Be Yourself, Only Better

College Application Tips You Don’t Expect Part 2:
Forget your Admissions Essay

POSTED BY Bloggin' with Robin IN Admissions Process, Applications
11.23.09
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Taking the Pulse of School Counselors

Friday, November 20th, 2009

“So how are you, really?”
Stressed? Overworked? Blissfully on top of things? Share with us - and your fellow school counselors! - your tools, tips and tricks for dealing with college application season. Add your comments below.

POSTED BY Bloggin' with Robin IN Admissions Process
11.20.09
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Teens use social media sites to choose a college

Thursday, November 19th, 2009

Teens spent how much time on social networking sites?

Facebook, Twitter, and MySpace have often gotten a bad rap from educators as time-wasters. In April 2009 alone, Nielson Online estimated that teens spent 21 million minutes on sites like Facebook, MySpace, and Twitter-the equivalent of 40 years’ time! However, not all of this time is “wasted”. Social media tools have many valuable uses, from tracking breaking news to connecting with support groups. And given that college is one of teens’ top concerns, it should come as no surprise that social media is also changing the way that teens conduct their college search.

Students using social media for the college search.

Students are using social media sites to read peer reviews of college campuses, chat about college admissions questions with fellow applicants and experts alike, and get an inside peek into college life. This trend in social media is so popular that not only applicants, but college admissions departments are hopping on the bandwagon. A recent study by the National Association for College Admissions Counselors (NACAC) reports that over half of colleges use social media in the admissions and recruitment process.

Admissions Officers do it, too.

With admissions officers using social media to inform prospective students (and seek out the dirt on applicants), social media use is no longer just-for-teens. Ready to meet teens where they hang out online, colleges are building their own social-media presence. Students now have the opportunity to search colleges’ blogs, videos, and even their Twitter feed. Even so, doing all this online research one school at a time is a daunting prospect.

That’s why sites like social media mash-ups for college are gaining popularity. These sites combine student reviews, videos, and blogs into a single page, providing a much-needed window into a college’s presence on the web. CampusCompare is harnessing the power of social media with the College Current—a feature that shows multi-media results for every U.S. School, including video, pictures and student reviews, plus the real-time Twitter conversation going on about that college.

Tap into the experience of millions.

The College Current provides teens with more than the quantitative stats and rankings for colleges. It aggregates the impressions of millions of real students into a single page. Teens can finally have access to a well-rounded picture of their dream school from a variety of sources and tap into the collective wisdom in a way not possible through college visits or static guidebooks.

As the role of social media sites continues to grow in college admissions, and teens continue to spend more and more of their time on social media websites, the question becomes not “whether” but “which” social media teens should use in their college search.

Want an example of the College Current? Check out Arizona State.

Comments? Questions? Tell us how your school is using social media in the comments below.

POSTED BY Bloggin' with Robin IN Articles
11.19.09
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