The College Board recently announced that the SAT will be considered for revisions, although no time frame for a revised test to be used by students and colleges was stated. Despite speculation about why the SAT is being revised, given the previous changes were made only a decade ago, the reality for prospective college applicants…
Tag: College applications
The Admissions Waiting Will Be Over Soon: University of California Response Dates
From January and Mid-March can be re-named, “The Waiting Season” for Seniors and their parents. While Early Admissions applicants may know admissions decisions by now (end of February), which can lead to rampant speculation amongst regular decision applicants, the admissions decision waiting will soon be over for University of California (UC) applicants. Then, comes a…
What the what?!? Pick A College Based on Surfing?
There’s a myriad of ways to select colleges for application. Major choice and future careers usually pop into both students’ and their parents’ minds as the first criteria for choosing a college. However, many get stumped, because at seventeen a student may not have identified a specific academic concentration, nor an intended career. And, parents…
“How Do I Select Colleges for Application If I Don’t Know My Major?”
One of the first questions that arise when high school juniors start thinking about selecting colleges for application is, “What’s my academic major?” However, choosing a major can seem risky, like locking oneself into an academic concentration with no chance to change, as well as declaring career for the rest of one’s life–all at age…
Viewing the University of California Fall 2013 Application Numbers
Ok. Ok. Ok. Each year, when colleges start releasing the numbers of applications received, I hear from parents and Seniors worried about their chances for admissions. The numbers of applications can spark speculation and fears about one’s chances of being accepted. Looking closer at the University of California’s (UC) application numbers can help gain some perspective and may…
Sleep, More Sleep and Summer Camp: A Teen’s Summer Vacation Agenda
The months long stretch of unscheduled summer vacation can be enticing to both teens and their parents. For teens, the idea of sleeping in until afternoon and no pressure about daily homework assignments is enthralling. For parents, summer can be an unrestricted time to explore other academic interests and hobbies. (And, in fairness, for teens…
The California State University System Changes Graduation Requirements
The California State University (CSU) trustees recently voted at their last meeting to cap the number of units needed for graduation to 120 for campuses with semesters and 180 for colleges using academic quarters. For students, this may mean reduced number of years to complete general education and major requirements for graduation. Be sure to…
Extracurricular Activities & College Admissions
Many high school students and their parents ask me, “Am I (or is my son/daughter) doing enough activities?” Enough is the key word in the question, as well as an unquantifiable amount that is one of the indicators that college admissions can be an art and subjective. Parents and students over the years have begun…
Affording College Expenses = Planning, Planning and More Planning
Many families believe their income is too high to qualify for any financial aid, so begin making alternative plans to pay for college, and don’t complete the required forms to apply for financial aid–including the FAFSA. Regardless of the family’s perception or stories they’ve heard about other people’s experiences, always fill out the FAFSA. Let…
“Open Your Eyes!”
“Open your eyes!” This is a command I’ve heard jokingly, and literally, for a long time, since I am a typical Asian with eyes that crinkle and appear closed when I laugh or smile, even while they’re open. Recently, a student reminded me the importance of opening my eyes, in a figurative sense, about how…
The Mixed Bag of College Applications
“Where will I get in?” “Are there too many reach schools on my list?” “What schools would be backups?” I am often asked these questions when parents and students first start talking about the college selection process, usually toward the beginning of the conversation too. The fear of not being accepted can loom large…
The Many Meanings of “I Don’t Know”
“I don’t know” is a common answer to a variety of questions, when I talk with teenagers and their families about college and education. What I’ve come to learn is that “I don’t know” has a different meaning, depending on the question.
The ‘Tweet and a Quarter College Essay
Concentration isn’t easy in today’s day and age; one must really, pointedly make time and space to focus for anyone, let alone teenagers. Just in communicating with others, teens’ attentions are pulled in multiple directions each day. According to the Pew Internet & American Life Project, 63% of all teens report texting daily, with 60…
The Classroom Transition from Anonymity to Known
The dictionary defines teaching as, “showing or explaining”, and explain in its simplest terms is “to make clear, make plain.” Making plain takes time and a dialogue to be sure each person within the exchange is in agreement, so with a class of 35 students and one teacher, one can come up with creative ways…
No Free Lunch: A Student Loan Borrower’s Tale
My student loans were just paid-off this year–13 years after I first assumed them**. I originally borrowed $18,500 to pay for graduate school, plus a $740 loan origination fee. I ended up repaying about $29,500, which includes interest and principal–approximately $10,260 was paid in interest alone. I’m not particularly attentive to my expenses or money…