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College Notes ASFM College Counseling Newsletter – Class of 2015

In This Edition:

P.2 - Thoughts from the College Fair

P.3 - October Calendar

P.4 - Counselor’s Corner: Getting Real About College Options

P.5 - Reminder: Final College Lists Parents’ Corner More upcoming events

Upcoming College Visits

Exploring College Options Wednesday, October 1 at 7:00 PM in the auditorium • Duke University • Georgetown University • Harvard College • University of Pennsylvania • Stanford University Please register in advance at www.exploringcollegeoptions.org.

FOBESSI Mini-College Fair Friday, October 3 at 1:40 PM in the entrance hallway

National Student Leadership Conference

O C T O B E R 2 0 1 4

• Abilene Christian University • American University • University of Arizona • Arts Institutes • Univ. of California Riverside • Cañada College • Central Methodist University • Colorado State University • Emporia State University • Georgia Tech Language Inst. • Marshall University • McNally Smith Coll. of Music • University of Michigan Flint • University of New Mexico

• Northeastern Illinois Univ. • University of Northern Iowa • Northern Virginia Comm. Coll. • Ohio University • University of South Florida • College of Southern Nevada • Comm. Colleges of Spokane • Texas A&M Univ.-Texarkana • Univ. of Texas at San Antonio • The University of Toledo • Washington Univ. of St. Louis • Wayne State University • West Virginia Higher Ed.

Policy Commission

Arizona State University Thursday, October 9 10:15-10:30 AM Information table in the cafeteria during high school break.

Tuesday, October 7 12:36-1:09 PM Information table in the cafeteria during high school lunch.

COLLEGE NOTES OCTOBER 2015

2

Thoughts from the College Fair

On Tuesday, September 23 we hosted our largest-ever College Fair, with nearly 100

colleges, universities, summer programs, and other organizations in attendance.

Comments from students “This was our best fair ever! There were so many colleges and I had time to talk to everyone I needed.”

“I really liked having two workshops before the fair. I went to one for my career and one for essays and both were super helpful for me.”

“This is always one of the best fairs I go to every year.”

“The students had great questions and the organization is great. I love the student helpers!”

“You’re welcome to contact me if you need help, but also, please let me know if you have any jobs available. I would love to work at this school. The kids are smart and well prepared, and you have an excellent program here.”

Special thanks!

• Ms. Monica Martinez for all of her hard work in organizing the fair. (She is amazing!)

• Peer College Counselors for your assistance with organization and hosting. I feel so lucky to work with young people like you!

• Maintenance and security for their work with organization, setup, and cleanup!

• Administration and teachers for your support of the event, and your help with workshops & supervision.

Comments from college reps

COLLEGE NOTES OCTOBER 2015

3

October 2014 Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday

29

30

1

Exploring College Options Duke, Georgetown,

Harvard, Penn & Stanford 7:00 PM (Auditorium)

2

Senior Workshop – The College App. Essay (3:20 PM @ Board Room)

(Deadline for teachers to change

T-Rec status to “In Progress”)

3

FOBESSI Mini-Fair 27 Colleges Visiting!

1:40-2:30 PM (hallway by auditorium)

6

7

National Student Leadership Conference

Info Table @ HS Lunch

Application Work Time with help from PCCs

(3:20-4:30PM @ Library)

8

9

Arizona State University

Info Table @ HS Break

Registration Deadline for Nov. 8 SAT Exams

10

13 NO SCHOOL

Columbus Day/ Canadian Thanksgiving

14

College du Leman (Summer Programs) Info Table @ HS Lunch

(Teacher Recs due for all students with Oct. 15 deadlines)

15

Conference Period College Application Work Day

16

Application Work Time with help from PCCs

(3:20-4:30PM @ Library)

17

20

21

22

23

24

27

(Teacher Recs due for all students ED/EA students)

28 HALF DAY

Afternoon:

UDEM PAA Preparation Workshop

29 ALL

SENIORS!!! Deadline – Final List of “Colleges

I’m Applying To”

30

Application Work Time with help from PCCs

(3:20-4:30PM @ Library)

31

Deadline to sign up for UDEM PAA at ASFM

I will be holding hour-long meetings with all seniors applying outside Mexico (85 students!) during the month of October. I also need to write 25 letters of recommendation before November 1, for early applications. I’ll do my best to be available during break, lunch, and after school to meet with students who have questions. I’ll also try to reply to emails as quickly as I can. However, you might want to run your questions by a Peer College Counselor first, as they might be able to assist you more quickly! Thanks for your understanding that during this VERY busy time of year, it is difficult to meet all of your needs… but I’m really doing my best!

COLLEGE NOTES OCTOBER 2015

4

Counselor’s Corner:

Getting Real About College Options by Sarah Loring de Garcia, College Counselor - Originally published in Code Magazine (January 2009)

2

There is good news, and plenty of it. First of all, you are going to be a graduate of ASFM. There is an old joke that goes something like this: What do you call the guy who graduates last in his class from medical school? You call him doctor. Graduating at or near the bottom of the class from ASFM is still an accomplishment, certainly a greater one than graduating from many other schools. I am working hard to make sure that college admissions officers understand that we’re not running fluffy bunny high school here. Our kids work hard for an ASFM diploma, and the school profile makes that clear. (https://www.asfm.edu.mx/about/school/school-profile - be sure to check it out if you haven’t before.) We include a copy of this document with every college application package we send out, so that the admissions officers can get a sense of the academic level of our school, and for them the school profile makes it clear that this school is not messing around. The curriculum is rigorous and the results prove that even the kids at the bottom of the class at ASFM are still capable students. The other good news is that there are literally thousands of high-quality colleges that are less selective – meaning that they admit a higher percentage of their applicants. Here’s a little-known statistic: more than 90% of colleges in the United States admit more than 80% of students who apply. If you can get it clear in your mind that selectivity and quality are not the same thing (because they aren’t!!!) then you will see that you have lots of options open to you. Sure, some of the schools you have heard about admit 5-30% of their applicants. Those schools are generally “brand name” schools, and while they do generally offer strong programs, they aren’t alone. Open your mind to the fact that the perfect school for you might be one that you haven’t heard about before and you can still get a fantastic education. Open your mind to public universities, too – they often have terrific programs, are (usually) less selective than the “brand name” schools, and they cost less because the college is receiving some government funding. If you’re not so willing to open your mind to those possibilities, there are still options. Go to a local university (or even a community college in the U.S. – some have great transfer agreements with major universities) for a couple of years. Quit messing around and get great grades in those first couple of years. Then try to transfer. Keep in mind that there are big downsides to that option. You still might not be admitted to a “brand name” school because many are even more stringent with their transfer admissions (or don’t admit transfers at all, like Princeton). Also, transferring is not ideal (trust me, I did it). You miss out on a lot of the great things about going away to college if you transfer in late. I am a huge advocate for just finding a great college that fits you and going all four years. If you’re willing to open your mind and work with your college counselor, you will find colleges (plural) that will admit you and that you will love. It’s good to know that you need a little “reality check” and that some doors might be closed for you, but always keep in mind that there are still many, many open doors from which to choose.

1

More often than you might think, students come by my office or catch me in the hall to ask about their college options outside of Mexico. Sometimes the question comes from a student near the top of their class, but more often it comes from a student who has, let’s just say, “not lived up to their potential as a student

yet.” Obviously, not everyone can be at the top of the class… somebody has to make up the middle-of-the-road student population, and someone even has to be at the bottom of the class. If either of these describes you, what are your college choices going to be like?

I’ll give you the bad news first. If you aren’t one of the top 10-20% students

(more or less) in your generation, some of the “brand name” colleges

probably are out of your reach. Schools like those in the Ivy League, etc. receive ridiculous

quantities of applications, and they even have to turn away some tremendously qualified candidates because

there just isn’t enough space for all of them. Do they admit students who aren’t in the top 10-20% of their schools? Sure, they do. A few. Not that many. Those who are admitted without strong grades, frankly, are usually: (A) those whose last names appear on some of the buildings on campus, (B) those who are phenomenally talented in some other capacity – athletically, musically, dramatically, etc. that the university, or (C) those who somehow managed to put together an application package that is out-of-this-world with spectacular essays, off-the-charts test scores, glowing recommendations, and a clear reason why their grades were good, but not great. Students sometimes tell me – “I know my grades aren’t that good, but I’m planning to kick some serious booty on the SAT.” That’s a lovely thought, but if that’s your plan you still need a reality check. Put yourself in the shoes of the admissions officer, and imagine comparing two students: Student A has high grades and low test scores, Student B low grades and high test scores. Trust me, if the high school profiles of both are strong (which our school’s is), then the admissions officer would rather have Student A any day of the week. Student A has proven that she will work consistently, but perhaps she just isn’t a great test-taker. Student B is obviously bright but not applying herself in school. Past grades are the best predictor of future school success, so they are the first thing colleges will look at when they make their decisions. Lots of colleges now offer SAT-optional admissions (see www.fairtest.org), but I don’t know of a college out there that doesn’t care about your grades. Acing the SAT to make up for your low (or even moderate) grades and getting into Harvard, Yale, Stanford, Penn, UCLA, Northwestern, etc… sorry, but here’s your reality check: it’s probably not going to happen. Okay, that was the bad news.

EVERY student in the Class of 2015

needs to have their list of

“Colleges I’m Applying To”

finalized in Naviance by

Wednesday, October 29. No matter whether you are applying

in Mexico, abroad, or both…

please be sure your list is complete!

COLLEGE NOTES OCTOBER 2014

Parents’ Corner Articles You Might Enjoy

Harvard, Schmarvard: Why Getting Your Kids Into College Should Be the Least of Your Concerns

http://goo.gl/Kf8AKd

Your Annual Reminder to Ignore the U.S. News & World Report College Rankings

http://goo.gl/ghXRaO

For Parents: Dealing With College Admissions Stress http://goo.gl/uzX1Pt

ATTENTION

More upcoming events… Nov. 3 – UDEM Information Night (6:00 PM @ UDEM) Nov. 6 – U. of British Columbia Visit (HS Lunch) Nov. 10 – TEC Information Night (6:00 PM @ auditorium)