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Positive Educational Direction |
« Previous Article | January 2009 Table of Contents | Next Article » Attention Seniors!January 2009For those of you who were successful in your Early Decision applications, congratulations! Your college admission process is over and you will be going to your first choice college next fall. But don't give in to the temptation to slack off. A semester of high school remains and it is important that you finish on a high note and avoid catching "senior-itis". Colleges will review your final report card and might, in severe cases, take action if you drop a course or have significantly lower grades. So hang in there and help your classmates who are still waiting for their decisions by remaining engaged and by continuing to contribute to your school community as you always have. For those of who have just finished submitting regular decision applications, congratulations to you also! The process of completing multiple applications and supplements while continuing to focus on your classroom work can be daunting. While that process is now behind you, it is very important that you continue to focus on your academics as colleges will review mid-year or later grades when evaluating applications. (And senior year grades can become an important factor if you are wait-listed or deferred.) For those of you who are still finishing up your applications - keep up the good work! The finish line is in sight! Some other tips: Make sure that each of your colleges has received all of your application materials (including your transcript, scores, and recommendations). Many colleges will advise you if they are missing a component but it is a good idea to check if you don't hear anything for a couple of weeks. Be sure to communicate any good news - recent strong grades, academic awards or prizes, or a paper or project that received recognition. You might even ask another teacher to write a recommendation for you - colleges are happy to receive more letters from teachers. This is especially important if you have been deferred. Let your college counselor know which are your top 3-4 colleges so that he/she can communicate that information to those colleges. If you have a clear favorite, let the college know by writing them and saying "Your College is my first choice and if accepted I will attend" and have your counselor confirm that commitment. When decisions arrive towards the end of March, we hope that you have multiple acceptances and that you will have the nice problem of deciding which one to attend. You will have until May 1st to decide. Best of luck! Robert Cummings « Previous Article | January 2009 Table of Contents | Next Article » |
