Beware of Senioritis (And Junioritis Too)

a women sitting in front of senior

Senioritis…. Symptoms include laziness, lack of motivation, procrastination, skipping class and a general lack of caring. Outcomes may be a drop in academic performance, a dismal final transcript and revocation of your college admission!
By now most seniors are a little tired. You have taken all the AP classes, survived the college application process and you feel you are entitled to a little break. Why do you need to go to class now? You already know where you will be going to college in the fall so what could you possibly get out of the last few weeks of high school?

While skipping class and not studying for your last test of high school may seem harmless, the reality is that it could have dire consequences. Colleges are not going to hesitate to take drastic actions if you produce a final transcript that is vastly different from the one you submitted when you were admitted. Some may give you a slap on the wrist and put you on academic probation through your first semester, but others may take it one step further.

Colleges sent out a larger waiting list this year, so there are plenty of students eager to take your place should you fall below the academic standards of the school you are planning on attending. They will not hesitate to revoke your admission.
Seniors are not alone with this ailment. Juniors who are currently over their heads trying to prepare for several AP exams also often let their classes slide this time of year. Again, your final transcript is important and one drastic grade slip could mean trouble when you apply for colleges in the fall.

What to do if you feel yourself slipping into the abysis of indifference?

Prioritize

Look at your assignments and work on the subject you are the least excited about first. That way once you get that assignment done you will feel a sense of accomplishment and will be more motivated to move on to the next subject. You may also want to start with the class that you need to work on the most. If your grade has slipped the most in math, then start with math.

Take small steps

Work on everything you have to do in small time allotments. Don’t sit down and think that you can get done 10 hours of work all at once.

Give yourself rewards

Set small goals for yourself each day. If you accomplish those goals, then allow yourself time to do something you like to do.

Cut down on distractions

If you need to concentrate, make sure you are not easily distracted. Put your phone in a different room, stay away from the internet and turn off the TV. Try and remain focused on what you need to accomplish until it is done.

Ask for help

If you are really feeling overwhelmed and you know you are in trouble, don’t be afraid to ask for help. Go to your teachers and work out a plan of action. Find out exactly what you need to do to salvage your grade. Sometimes taking ownership of your mistakes can really make a difference!

Katherine Price
Educational Consultant

On the Waiting List? Fuggedaboudit. Your Chances Are Slim.

Jacques Steinberg of the New York Times has an article yesterday in which he analyzes the phenomenon of the waiting list.
Due to high volumes of applications and admissions offices’ uncertainty about how the economy might affect their yield rate, colleges have placed more students in limbo than ever before.
Many college counselors will give their kids strategies about how they can demonstrate their true love for the college and help get themselves off the wait list.
As Mr. Steinberg explains,  however, there is virtually nothing you can do to get yourself off the wait list. You can accept the college’s offer to remain on the wait list.  And then you just wait.
Here is a snippet from Mr. Steinberg’s article to explain how the waiting list works.

Like its competitors, Duke does not rank students on its waiting list. Instead, decisions about who will rise to the top are often a function of what the admissions office perceives as deficiencies in the next freshman class. There might be, for example, a surplus of aspiring engineers and not enough potential English majors, or too few students from Florida. Or there might be an unexpected shortage of oboe players.

While Mr. Guttentag encourages students on the waiting list to send him a one-page letter — or a video of 60 seconds or less — letting him know how strongly they wish to attend, and why, they can do little to improve their chances.

“The student can’t know, ‘Gee, did all the violinists decide to turn us down?’ ” he said. “They can’t affect this very much at this point.”

You see, as with so much else with the college admissions process, a student’s individual chances of admission have much less to do with their academic performance, their scores on the SAT or ACT, or even how good a leader or oboe player you might be.
Your chances have more to do with whether the college NEEDS an oboe player this year. Of course, if you are the best oboe player in the applicant pool this year, you stand a better chance than the kid who switched over from clarinet as a junior and still squawks when he plays.  But if Duke accepted 14 oboe players last year, well, I’m sorry:   you may be better than all those 14 others, but we just don’t need you.
When my students end up on the waiting list, here’s what I do.
First I tell them that the college doesn’t know what it will be missing. Each applicant that I send toward a particular school fits that school well, I believe.  But sometimes it just doesn’t work out: too many oboes.  I urge the student not towards sour grapes, but toward embracing the disappointment–and then moving on.
Second, if the school is truly one of the student’s top choices, then I advise the student to stay on the waiting list, and then write a letter to admissions updating their resume and highlighting any new accomplishments that were not in the original application.
Third, I help the student understand that to come off the waiting list is really Plan B, and that we have to turn to Plan A–which is to figure out which of the student’s other choices are the best option to pursue.  This is where I spend the bulk of my energy as a counselor.  While the student has been excited and hopeful about this college that rejected her, she does have other excellent options and my role is to help her get equally excited and hopeful about her other options. (And frankly, if I’ve done my job right from the start, a student is excited and hopeful about all the possible options on her list–and is not absolutely crushed when her first choice school rejects her.  But I admit it doesn’t always work that way, unfortunately.)
To build this excitement, I encourage the family to visit one or more of the colleges that have sent acceptance letters.  I help the student do a bit more research about the colleges that have said yes, including contacting current students, professors.
And the colleges help me out in this, because the colleges that have accepted her actually do want her.  They need a great oboe player this year, and they  have decided that she is the one. So they are going to pull out the stops to ensure that she enrolls.  Colleges know that it feels good to be wanted, and admissions offices across the country have become darned good at showing the love to students they accept.  (For example, one of my student received a package in the mail containing personalized business cards with his name on it from a college, including his new email address.  Even though this school was not his first choice, my student looked at them and felt like he already belonged!  These college marketing folks are geniuses!).
The key from the beginning of this process to the very end is to focus on developing a strong list of schools, each of which the student desires, each of which meet the student’s educational, social, and personal criteria, each of which would provide her with excellent opportunities.  They we make the strongest case on the applications that these schools match the student.  Then we hope and pray that the schools agree that the fit is snug.
And if the college–for reasons of its own budgetary and enrollment management–puts the student on the wait list, we just turn to the next opportunity where the fit is just as good and the outcome just as happy.
Mark Montgomery
Educational Consultant

Choosing the right college location: How independent are you?

Yesterday, I began this series with a general introduction to how students with learning differences can begin their search for the right college. Today, we are going to focus on location, location, location!

Moving away from home can be challenging for all students regardless of whether or not they have a learning disability.  However, some students with specific learning challenges may experience higher levels of anxiety and may not yet be prepared to live independently. Determining whether location of the college campus should be a priority in selecting a college is dependent on several factors.  Consider the following questions:

  • How independent is your student now?  Does she independently manage her responsibilities or does she need adult guidance?  Does she independently manage things like cooking, doing her laundry and managing her finances?
  • Is the college located in a small town or in a large city?  How will this impact your student’s decision?
  • If your student chooses to live at home, how far of a commute is it to the college of her choice?  Is public transportation available?  Can she access it independently?
  • Does your student want to live with a roommate or does she prefer to live alone?
  • Is your student able to say no to peer pressure?

Your answer to these questions will help you evaluate your student’s level of academic and social independence.  Beyond this, also consider things like accessibility to medical providers, access to transportation, and your student’s ability to maintain relationships with family and friends within a specific mile radius.
Look for the last installment in this series tomorrow.  I’ll review the importance of evaluating career goals and how they play a part in selecting the right college for students with learning differences.
Heather Creech
Expert in College Placement for Students with Learning Differences
 
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Students with Learning Differences: Getting Started with the College Search

Some students yearn to “be like everyone else,” to not stand out.  They spend energy and effort in trying to make it without any special accommodations. Some students succeed, although typically at considerable cost in time and energy. Others simply fail.  Some students spend lots of time worrying if their grades are deserved or if they are being graded too liberally. They want to make it in spite of their disability, not because of it. Some students come from sheltered high school settings where many things were done for them. When they arrive at college, they have many unfulfilled expectations and feel angry and bitter about the perceived lack of support. Some students are able to adjust to the rigors of college; many others, unfortunately, do not.
Most students who have difficulties in postsecondary education, however, do not fall into any of these categories. They experience difficulties because they are not good at letting others know what they need in order to be successful. In other words, these students have poor self advocacy skills.  There are many different reasons why students may not be good at communicating their needs. Some feel shy about approaching professors.  Others are reluctant to ask for needed accommodations because they do not want to be a burden or because they do not want to be treated differently. Some do not know what to say and what not to say to professors. Others fear that their request will not be honored or respected.  Regardless of the reason, research shows that when students get assistance from their professors, they feel more positive about themselves and their professors, and they increase their chances of academic success.
Your student can become her own advocate by becoming proficient at realistically assessing and understanding her strengths, weaknesses, needs, interests and preferences.  The first step is to sit with a professional and review the documentation to be sure your student understands and can effectively communicate her area of disability.  Be sure she is comfortable and confident in communicating her areas of strength and weakness as well as all accommodations she has benefitted from in the past.  The next step is to complete a self-assessment and examine critical questions involving your student’s level of motivation and independence.
Author Michael Sandler identifies six questions to assess self-motivation and independence in students with ADHD that can be adapted to students with any learning difference.  These questions can help identify specific attributes that you and your student must consider in a researching an appropriate college setting:

  • Did you need support and structure in high school?
  • Do you routinely need help from others to keep you motivated and focused?
  • Do you thrive on individual attention from teachers?
  • Do you prefer to immerse yourself in a subject?
  • Do you need a high energy environment?
  • Do you have trouble falling asleep?

Once you have examined your student’s needs and preferences, consider other elements, such as the location of the campus and your student’s career goals. In making the decision to attend a college or university, one obstacle is to select a college that best matches individual needs.  Students with learning challenges must not lose site of the fact that college life extends beyond a student’s academic needs. Rather than basing the decision solely on whether or not the college has a strong Disability Services Office, be sure the college can meet all your needs and preferences including academic supports and social opportunities.  Remember, there are a variety of resources available to students with learning differences.  So, comparing your student’s academic and social abilities to the expectations of the selected colleges is a critical factor in selecting the right college.
Tomorrow, I’ll continue with how to consider which location would be best for you.
Heather Creech
Educational Consultant Specializing in Learning Differences
 
 
 
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