Summer Reading for College Bound Teens

Summer is the favorite time of year for most students. Traditionally, it is viewed as a welcomed break from formal education and as a time to simply relax.  But summers for college-bound students must also include some aspects of continuing education during these down months.

For some teens, it may mean classes at the local community college, for others it may mean a formal test preparation course. Some students may seek tutoring for a subject that has posed challenges during the school year.  For all students, however, it should include reading.

This does not mean students must spend all day, everyday reading, unless they want to, of course. It also does not mean that students must read academically serious books all summer. There is a wide variety of publications aimed at young adult readers that cover both scholastically stimulating topics, as well as those designed to cultivate popular trends. Almost any age-appropriate subject will suffice as long as the student is actively engaged in reading during the summer months. 

Here are some fantastic resources for college-bound teens to utilize in preparing for a productive summer of reading:

College Board's 101 Great Books for College-Bound Readers

New York Times Best Seller List

Young Adult Library Services Association

Kansas City Public Library Teen Summer Reading Program

Mid-Continent Public Library Teen Summer Reading Program

Being a well-read student, one who is able to communicate in written and verbal format about both historical and current topics, about his/her passions, and about actively planning for the future will aid in not only crafting a notable college admission essay, but will also assist students who are invited to participate in interviews for admission and scholarship.

The Universal Application: Another Option for College Bound Students

Many college bound students and their parents are aware of traditional institutional applications for admission, and as they dive deeper into the college search process, may quickly learn about the Common Application, as well. Lesser known among most applicants, but gaining ground among colleges and universities who offer it as an application option, is the Universal Application.

Similar in goal to the Common App, the Universal App seeks to allow students to complete a single application to submit to multiple schools. In addition, counselors and teachers also need only complete one form for each student applicant and are then able to send their recommendations to multiple schools. The singular form is designed not only to be a time saver, but also to encourage the applicant and his/her supporters to spend more dedicated time on the most important components of the admission file (essay, resume, letters of recommendation, etc.), rather than simply filling out forms.

Currently, 86 colleges and universities are Universal App members. The criteria for becoming an affiliate are less stringent than those of its counterpart, the Common App. Specifically, institutions must be accredited and must uphold the standards set forth by the National Association for College Admission Counseling’s (NACAC) “Statement of Principles and Good Practice,” known by its acronym as the SPGP. This code of ethics is designed to maintain a level of integrity among colleges and universities, as well as their representatives, in an effort to best serve higher education applicants.

Other differences include a student’s ability to easily create a more tailored submission to each school on his/her list versus a requirement to submit the exact same application to every school with Common App. This versatility is most notable with regard to the essay.

Additionally, the Universal App allows the applicant to include a video or a link to an online collection within the electronic application. The video “essay” received a lot of national and viral media hype during the 2009-2010 application season. This feature is a key enhancement for students who are brilliant verbal communicators, who have an audio talent such as vocal or instrumental performance, who have created a virtual portfolio of artistry, and for athletes to include video of their prowess on the field or the court.

Once a student has crafted the inventory of schools at which to apply for admission, take a look at the list of colleges and universities that accept either the Common App or the Universal App to see which best fits his/her needs, whether solely as a time saver, because all or most schools are member institutions for one application mechanism or the other, or for the flexibility of submitting specific application components online.

Note: During the summer of 2010, the Universal App is undergoing a transformation. The application will receive a make-over for the 2010-2011 academic year, so look for the changes after July 1.

FREE Summer Camp for High School Girls Interested in Construction Industry Career

According to the National Association of Women in Construction, less than 10% of the construction related work force is currently female, however the number of women owned construction companies is on the rise, growing more than 20% during a five year period.

In order to encourage more females to enter the profession, the Kansas City Chapter of NAWIC is offering a one-week summer camp for high school girls designed to introduce young women to careers in construction.
 

Mentoring a Girl in Construction (MAGIC) Camp will be offered from 9am to 3:30pm each day during the week of July 12-16. Hosted at the Builders Training Center (105 West 12th Avenue in North Kansas City), the program is limited to 24 participants and is available at no charge to the students or their families.

Campers will be challenged to use their minds and their hands to accomplish construction tasks. They will be taught by journey level tradeswomen and by certified instructors from local union trades. The girls will learn the history of women in construction careers, as well as the influence of NAWIC on the industry.

A series of planned guest speakers includes women in professional construction jobs, representatives from KC metro construction companies, and local political figures.

For girls interested in pursuing the field as a college degree, information about scholarship opportunities will also be presented.

In addition to the hands-on experience, all participants will also receive a MAGIC Camp t-shirt and will be able to take home all completed projects and their hand tools.

Meredyth Melcher, owner of Dyllan Construction and a KC NAWIC board member, adds that MAGIC Camp will also help young women gain self-confidence and self esteem, two qualities necessary for females to posses in order to succeed in this male dominated career path.

Camp registration closes on Tuesday, June 15.

For questions about MAGIC Camp or to obtain a pre-registration form, contact Alise Martiny, Camp Director, by phone at (816) 595 4106 or via email at amartiny@buildersassociation.com.

Message to College Bound High School Juniors About Summer

"Summer afternoon... to me those have always been the two most beautiful words in the English language." — Henry James

Remember when summer vacation meant sleep overs, lying by the pool, sleeping in and waking up without an alarm clock, and vegging on the couch watching hours of daytime TV?

Then you became a rising high school senior with college-bound plans!

While you are absolutely deserving of some down time during the next three months, you certainly need to also recognize the value in productivity as it relates to your college search.

Take a look at your current resume. What is lacking? An employment experience? Community involvement? Demonstration of leadership?

Here are some suggestions for meaningful summer activities:

Community Service
There are plenty of chances for you to select one agency and create a set schedule for summer hours. You may also engage in a series of shorter stints at a variety of organizations instead of committing to just one. Volunteering provides a service to the community, refreshes your soul, and often also teaches you valuable skills that can be applied not only in your future personal life, but also in your professional career.

Summer Job 

Whether in a retail situation, an office environment, food service, or babysitting, all employment opportunities are pleasing on the student resume and allow you to earn money for college. Look for opportunities to grow as a person and as a future professional in whatever summer job you do, even if it is not what you want to do with the rest of your life.  

Reading 

  Read. Read. And read more. Absolutely find some mindless escapes, but also pay attention to books and magazines that will help you during senior year and beyond. Investigate current news headlines further and solidify your position on what is happening in our local community, our state, our country, and the world. Read books that challenge you. For a list of College Board’s suggested novels, click here.

Test Prep  

There are several more testing dates early in your senior year, so summer is not a time to distance yourself from test preparation. Many students see a score increase from junior year to senior year, so give yourself a running start and plan in advance to raise your composite. The Question of the Day from both the College Board and ACT are an easy and daily example of keeping your prep front of mind.
 

Job Shadowing  

Spend a day or half day job shadowing someone in a profession that interests you. Reach out to friends, family, and neighbors who may have a connection in the field.  This is a great way to truly see what happens during "a day in the life of..."
 

College Visits 

Of course! Summer is an opportune time for most families to conduct college campus visits. Keep in mind, however, that you will likely not get to see the full effect of a school during summer, so if it is a campus that maintains your interest, consider it your first visit and make sure to return for a more realistic view while classes are in session.
 

Again, you truly must enjoy some time to relax during the next few months. But also make choices about your time that will be fruitful in helping to shape the next few years of your life.

Sixth Semester Grades Key Factor in College Admission Process

As the academic year winds to a close, high school juniors and their parents may need a reminder of an important fact in the college search process.

The grades being earned right now, sixth semester, is the last set of grades that will appear on the transcript when applications for admission are submitted in the fall. So, keep in mind, during these last couple weeks of class and while preparing for final exams, how important these grades are as one component of college applications.

It may be true that a school will later also ask for a mid-year report as part of the application for admission. This could be as a result of a school’s insecurity about a student’s admissibility based upon the first six semesters. It may also simply be that the student has applied to more selective institutions and mid-year grades are mandated of all applicants. In these cases, students will be required to present seventh semester grades before an admission decision can be granted.

In all situations, once the student makes the ultimate decision about attendance, a final transcript verifying high school graduation must be submitted to that one school. Based upon academic performance during senior year, colleges and universities do reserve the right to take back a positive admission decision. So while this sixth semester set of grades is incredibly important, students will not have license to relax during senior year.

Best of luck and good studying to all juniors as this semester wraps up, ushering in senior year of high school.

Community Service and the College Search

As Kansas City metro youth enter the summer months, many families will be looking for opportunities both to continue and to enhance their children's education while they are not sitting in a classroom. College-bound students, in particular, will seek additional ways to grow as a person and to build a strong résumé of activities and accomplishments to present as part of their applications for admission.

An important component of the student résumé is community service. In fact, many area high schools require service hours either as a graduation requirement or as a prerequisite for completing a particular educational or extra-curricular activity, such as the A+ Program or National Honor Society.

This has not gone unnoticed by area service agencies. Shelly Bolling-Strickland, Volunteer Center Manager for the United Way of Greater Kansas City, notes, “As we watch volunteerism trends with each of the generations, my volunteer management colleagues and I realize the value of youth volunteering, particularly as area school districts continue to incorporate community service components as part of their students’ graduation requirement. Many of them also begin volunteering during childhood, either with their families or through arts, sports, faith-based groups, scouting, etc.”

The hope is that not only will a student provide a valued service or fill an immediate need for a particular non-profit organization, but that the student will realize the importance of service and begin to make a habit of giving back to his/her community in some capacity well beyond the college search and application process; whether through monetary donations, dedicated time, or use of special talents.

Bolling-Strickland agrees. “We feature and offer episodic and ongoing projects that are interesting and appropriate for teens while fulfilling the scope of the organizations’ mission. We are also making strides in marketing ourselves to this age group through Facebook and Twitter, encouraging them to volunteer both throughout the school year and during the summer months. It plants the seed to help youth become engaged in their communities and areas of interest well into their adult years.”

And while colleges and universities do recognize when students volunteer for the wrong reason, simply to boost their résumé, today’s youth generally seem to want to contribute to their communities.

Bolling-Strickland adds, “Youth volunteering is at an all-time high. The nature of this generation is such that teens are highly in tune with today’s community issues. Social networking is the catalyst for gathering their information and forming opinions about the world around them.”

 

True, volunteerism may be one catalyst, among a laundry list of elements, for a student being admitted to a particular college or university or being awarded additional scholarship dollars.  But the lessons learned while serving, the lives of those impacted both as a service provider and as a recipient, and the benefit the community gains from even one act of caring, are much more valuable.

For more information about volunteering with one of the United Way agencies, visit their website. You can also keep up with the United Way’s activities and service opportunities via Facebook and Twitter.

May 7 Deadline for June 12 ACT

Kansas City area students who plan to take the Saturday, June 12 ACT must register by this Friday, May 7.

Students should take the ACT in April and June of junior year and again in either September or October during senior year.

For a list of testing locations for the June ACT, click here.

June is an incredibly popular testing date, so college-bound students should not wait until the last minute. Doing so may result in your first choice testing location being full. In addition, students who wish to test, but miss the registration deadline, will be assessed significant late fees.

• ACT Without Writing Section…$32
• ACT Including Writing Section…$47
• may send scores (at the time of registration) for free to four colleges/universities
• to add a score report to a fifth or sixth school (at the time of registration)…$9 per school
• fee to register during late registration period…$21 (so do not miss the deadline)

Send score results to the four free schools at the time of registration, especially if interested in a school that requires test scores come directly from the testing agency rather than from the official high school transcript. Otherwise, you have to pay later to have the scores sent.

Take the ACT with Writing at least once. The score stands alone, so it can be paired with a higher ACT composite score received on a different testing date. It is a 30 minute writing session, answering one prompt, at the end of the testing period.