Improve your chances of getting into college,

What courses should I take in high school to prepare me for success in college and after?

These are questions that begin as early as middle school, so there are some parts of the college search that need to begin there. More and more middle schools are offering high school courses and if you're really interested in preparing yourself for college acceptance and success, you need to be enrolled in these classes. By researching, "What courses are colleges looking for in a successful candidate," you will be better prepared to enroll in the right courses for you. As a high school student, you need to have a four-year plan early and it needs to be reviewed each year. Don't forget their are opportunities to accelerate through summer programs, online and dual enrollment options too!

The college entrance process can be very, very expensive. There are SAT or ACT tests to pay for, application fees, the cost of purchasing study materials and review programs to finance. How can I afford to visit all of the colleges on my list?

Why not start by taking the virtual tours on the colleges own websites? Most colleges have great promotional videos to show you. Or vist the following websites for an "insider view" of the college: http://www.youniversitytv.com/ or www.yourcampus360.com/ for a first time view? This will give you a sense of whether you want to investigate the college further and begin to provide you with some interesting facts about the college for your databank.

Common and Avoidable Mistakes

1. Don't watch their deadlines

2. Complete their applications at 2am and forget to sign or complete whole sections of the application.

3. Send a college an essay with another college's name in it.

4. Wait until midnight on the evening the application is due to find that the college's website is overloaded from traffic and just crashed.

5. Not checking to make sure all parts of the application have been submitted, did you recommendations go out?

Remedy for all of these mistakes? Start Early and submit before your deadlines!

Well working in a state that offers a great scholarship program, this question comes up all the time. If a student could receive a scholarship that pays for 100% of their tuition with a 3.5 GPA and 1280 on the SAT's, why would they consider other options?

So here are the BENEFITS of attending your State College!

1. So close to home that I commute, saving dorm and food costs.

2. I can come home when I want without paying for a plane ticket.

3. Some of my high school friends will be attending the same college and we study well together and I won't feel so alone in this new setting.

4. I'll graduate owing very little in loans and can use my savings for graduate school.

5. I've graduated in the top 5% from my "very good" high school and know I can compete academically with students from my own state.

There are many more reasons, but let's look at the DRAWBACKS and why you might look into an Out-of-State College.

1. This out-of-state college graduates 80% of entering students within 4 years, my state schools are quoting 6-year graduation rates.

2. The graduation rate of these out-of-state universities are over 85%, my state loses 48% of entering students by sophomore year.

3. I get to exercise my academic interests and explore my options with a population of students with a "different mind set" since they're not from my state.

4. Since they're interested in attracting students from all 50 states and countries from around the world and my academics are excellent and scores are top-notch, there are scholarships available to me.

5. "I need to be farther away from home" and "on my own" to feel independent and successful.

The difference between Early Action (EA) and Early Decision (ED) is simple. Early Decision is a binding agreement between the student who is applying and the college that they are applying to that if accepted, they agree to enter that college. A form is signed in front of your guidance counselor attesting to this fact and you counselor signs it as well. Both EA and ED plans have early deadline dates, usually not later than November 1st.

Colleges and universities may offer one option or another, either an ED plan or an EA plan, but there are colleges that offer both options. So it's important to familiarize yourself with their policies. Some colleges and universities even have and ED1 and ED 2 or an EA1 or EA2. To add to the confusion, some colleges have policies that limit your Early Action options. This policy is called an "REA Plan" or Restrictive Early Action" option. This limits you to applying to only one college under this plan.

The decision about whether to apply to any college early is a serious one which should only be made after you've had the opportunity to visit the college, research all of your other options, and are convinced that you'll be happy with your decision on acceptance!

Looking for a Few Good Men?

I don't think I would call in gender bias, but Colleges and Universities across the country do try to "strike a balance" in the percentage of men and women on their campuses.

The National trends of males to females on college campuses has become very unbalanced. It is not unusual for colleges to quote ratios of 60% women to 40% men on campus. Why should this matter, you might ask? Gender balance in an environment like a college campus that is a 24/7, four-year learning experience is thought to enhance the educational as well as the social experiences of students on campus.

The concern that men are not accessing higher education at the same rate that women are has now become the object of research and initiatives to attract more men to college campuses. The obvious question for women becomes: "Will my grades and test scores need to be higher than my male counterpart to get into the same college?" Women, there's a great question to ask during that college visit.

If you're a student who has begun the college search early, done all of the research and visiting you needed and have narrowed your choice of colleges down to your "One Dream College" the early plans offered by colleges might be the "right decision" for you.

What are the advantages? Well, you'll get an answer earlier than you would if you applied in under the regular decision deadlines, usually December. You'll still need to keep working on those applications until you hear about your acceptance so that you will meet those deadlines. Once your IN under an early plan, you can stop work on those other applications, write letters withdrawing your applications from the colleges you've processed and begin to plan your entry into the college of your choice. Don't forget to buy their SHIRT!

Your college's instructions on the application should always be your first point of reference for whether a college wants you to submit a resume as part of their online application. Having said that, when I work with students I always have them draft an academic resume, (Art students will draft an artistic resume as well) to help organize their information about their experiences, involvement, honors/awards by category. Resume writing is a great exercise because now if applications are requesting this information in a "bulleted" format, limiting the number of comments a student can make, writing the resume as a first step helps prioritize and organize each category to apply this information in the required format.

Resumes evolve over time, so by becoming familiar with the layout and concepts of effective resume development, students learn the skills needed to recreate resumes for various purposes in the future.

READ THE APPLICATION INSTRUCTIONS CAREFULLY! If the college does not make a statement about NO RESUME, it can be very helpful to supply one by snail mail. When would a student provide a resume if an application does not request one? If the student is a powerhouse and the "other" information on the resume is additive to the application and because of space constraints this information was not included, it could be sent.

Recommendation writers take your request seriously and deserve the time they need to complete your request with the professionalism they strive to pursue. It also takes time to get to know you as a student performer within their classroom and as a person.

Colleges look for specific anecdotes with highlights of how you performed in their classrooms. They feel this represents how you will contribute on their campuses.

You also need to keep in mind what major you might be declaring or how the rest of your application leans to a particular subject area, then choose to ask the teacher who is representative of that subject matter.

This all takes planning, so get started today!

Explore ALL of the Options

Every parent of a college student can tell you that they've received those late night phone calls for money. College is more expensive than you think and asking as many questions up front as you can will help you try to plan ahead.

It's usually adviseable for freshmen to dorm and explore purchasing a partial meal plan, many colleges insist that freshman live in a dorm for one year anyway. This will allow you to make a judgement about the quality of the food at the university and give you the time to "get the lay of the land." Many students will move off of the campus to expand their living arrangement choices and to create their own meals and control food costs.

Book purchases are the next most expensive obligation, and many colleges have developed strategies like buying back your books, or even selling/renting used books. There are many online resources for purchasing and selling your text books too. Just make sure you're buying the right edition of the book first!

The cost of entertainment can be reduced by researching all of the opportunities that colleges offer on campus. During my many campus visits, I've heard many colleges talk about their sponsored weekend camping and kayaking trips, first-rate speakers and musical talent on campus, local nite spots accessable to students and loads of discounts that are available with the student card. Alumni often donate tickets to theater, movies, and entertainment events, so explore your campus Aumni Office for these possibilities.

Keep your priorities straight, education comes first! That part-time job on or off campus shouldn't exceed 15-20 hours per week. Remember, it's all about BALANCE.

SAT and ACT, six little letters that can cost families of college-bound students thousands of dollars in test preparation and test costs. How do you plan and prepare for standardized testing and which test is right for you. Here are some suggestions:

1. Start to get familiar with these tests early on, don't wait until your junior year.

Sign up for College Board's word of the Day, take a PSAT in Sophomore and Junior year, take a PLAN/mini ACT to get familiar with both tests.

2. Don't practice publically until you're ready-Some school districts apply all test results to transcripts! There are so many "free resources" for an early introduction to these tests. ACT offers a whole test online, "INeedAPencil.com" lets you practice SAT for free and Number2.com covers both the SAT and the ACT. Your guidance department has "free" booklets for both tests with the answers in the back so you can calculate your scores.

3. And about "How Many Times Should You Take The Test?" Hopefully, with enough advanced "silent" preparation--once will DO! But realistically, students will usually take the test more than once. Although most colleges across the country will "superscore" the SAT, fewer offer this option for ACT. Superscoring is when colleges will split your scores from other test dates to give you the "best" score. You need to check your college's website, however, for their policy on multiple testing to make sure they don't average after 3 tests or only take your top scores from one test.

4. Don't PIN your acceptance into college on SAT or ACT scores-remember, academics and the quality of the courses you're taking is always number 1 on the priority list for getting into college. Put you're energy where it counts most and don't hang your acceptance into college on a SAT or ACT test score!

So Many Choices....So Little Time!

Every high school in the United States has access to booklets provided "for free" to students for the SAT and the ACT with the answers in the back. If you want to begin to understand the content of these tests and which one will work best for you, why not start here? These test booklets are the same tests in shorter versions, so by "sampling" them you will get a sense of which will work best for you. Both the College Board and ACT websites offer samples of the test too.

Taking a PSAT or PLAN test when given at your school will provide you with a simulated testing condition and provide you with "silent" scores to help you prepare in advance for your tests.

You need to work out a testing schedule early in your junior year, perhaps taking at least one ACT and one SAT and then concentrate on the test that works best for you. You may take these tests more than once, since most colleges will "superscore" the SAT and some will "superscore" the ACT although this is less common.

Please remember, it's now how many times you take this test, but how well you prepare before you take the test that matters!

Yes, getting familiar with the style, content, flow and timing of these tests will help you score your best, but what type of test preparation will work best for you? Other factors to consider with any option is cost factor, time management, target date for testing and scheduling.

Let's discuss some options...

1. Preparing on your own-meaning you purchase a book, DVD or gather materials from "free resources" to prepare. Only try this one, if you're self-motivated, disciplined, organized and able to develop an individualized study plan over time.

2. Purchasing an online study program with feedback and remediation available 24/7-some of these programs are very powerful and if USED can raise your scores. My experience with this, works for about 40% of students who subscribe to these services.

3. Group SAT/ACT Prep classes-you need a structured classroom setting with a teacher in the room and the cost seems more economical. Downside here is there are 25 other students taking the class who are all at different levels of performance and the curriculum is standardized so you're sitting through 6 hours of lessons in areas that won't bring your scores up further.

4. Private one-on-one instruction-Cost factor here can be upwards of $100-$200 per hour and you'll need 8-16 hours of instruction. And where did you get the recommendation for this person from? Make sure you're provided with recommendations and that you follow up on them. Set up an interview to see what the "tutor's style" and expectations are to see if this is a good fit for you.

Especially with large colleges, we've all heard about the fact that the essay may be the only way to communicate your uniqueness, or draw more attention to an important aspect about who you are and what you've done.

Try not to be redundant in any part of your application, you have so little opportunity to highlight all of your talents. Make sure each section of the application presents a "fresh" perspective. However, if there is a particular item that you've stated on your resume or in your activities list that you want delve into more deeply because it will work possitively for you and tell your story in an enhanced and effective manner, use it in your essay.

Interviews are becoming less and less common among colleges as part of the college selection process. Then who requires an interview? Colleges who view a candidate holistically are especially interested in the interview process as part of admissions.

For a quick list, most Ivy's and first tier schools will require an interview, others may leave it as optional or not offer an interview at all. You need to read the admissions requirements and procedures carefully since, if an interview is required, there are deadlines for scheduling.

Who will your interviewer be? It varies greatly from school to school:

a. If you live far away from the college you are applying to, it may be an alumni of that school from your area who does regional interviews.

b. If you interview on campus, it may be an admissions aid who has been specially trained.

c. It might be a "new be" admissions person

d. Less often, a senior admissions officer.

I titled this response, "Who Are You?" for a reason. Since the purpose of the interview is to explore and get answers from each other, you as the interviewee may find yourself conducting this interview. So have your personality ready and your personal questions prepared.

Are You ON Their Radar?

Sports are all about the competition, and the recruiting process is no exception. Know the rules in advance and learn more about which college coaches are really looking for your talents.

In most sports, your junior year is the fist time a NCAA coach should be in contact with you. How do you know if you are on their recruiting lists? You might have received a questionairre as a freshman or sophomore to complete. During your junior year the coach can send you a recruiting brochure. If a coach has sent a questionnaire or a recruiting brochure before the end of your junior year, then you are on that coach's radar screen.

Want to know more about the recruiting process? Become familiar with the NCAA.org site and start with this article: http://www.ncaa.org/wps/wcm/connect/public/ncaa/issues/recruiting+overview

Do What You Are...

Since there are so many options for arts education, starting by understanding how you learn best, is the best approach to exploring your options.

Wether you are looking from a Studio Art perspective or a Performing Artist viewpoint, starting early on in high school to explore the types of educational options that are available to you. Prepare to explore your options by accessing some of the terrific search engines that are available on the web, leaving your search very broad at this point. Include all types of programs and study in your search.Take the results of your list and begin by accessing each schools own website to discover what approach they use to deliver their curriculum. Take a virtual visit either through their website or on youtube.

Then ask yourself some questions:

1. Does the curriculum excite and interest me?

2. What approach do they use for "hands-on" learning?

3. What are they looking for in a portfolio or audition?

4. What are their timetables for audition and portfolio submission?

5. Now plan to visit those colleges that seem a "best-fit" for you.

Looking for a "Professional Career" in dance?

Want to make connections with several dance companies to improve your options of being recruited?

Your focus is very directed and obtaining a "degree" is not necessary at this moment?

Then look into conservatory dance departments.

First Things, FIRST!

What are you looking for-- Conservatory, BFA, or BA?

Pick up: Peterson's college guide for Performing Arts Majors

Sort through whether you will want a professional ballet career, or an educational foundation that includes some of the finest dance experiences in the world to build on and create broader options for yourself.

Explore Your Options at the Finest "Schools for Dance" around the World and close to home:

The Joffrey-Chicago, Pacific Northwest Ballet, San Francisco Ballet School, University of Hartford/Hartt School, NYU Tisch School of the Arts, University of the Arts,Indiana University, Butler University, Boston Conservatory, Towson University, Point Park University, Florida State University, Southern Methodist University, Juilliard, The Paris Opera Ballet School, The Marrinsky Ballet school ( formally known as the Kirov ballet school) Saint Petersburg Russia, The Royal Ballet school in Covent Garden, London, England,The JKO School (American Ballet Theater's school) NYC, CPYB | Central Pennsylvania Youth Ballet,SAB School of American Ballet.

"You will work all of your life, it shoud be doing something you enjoy," was what I said to both of my children when they told me they wanted to be artists. Some of my husband's friends said, "they'll never be able to make a living and will be sitting on your couch forever!" They followed and are living their dreams sucessfully.

Creatives think differently and have a unique perspective on situations. Any position that requires a "fresh look at problems" and "thinking out of the box" would be delighted to employ an artist. I like to remind my students that life happens whether you have a plan or not and that every situation is a learning experience. The work you do, whether in your artistic zone or not, adds to what you bring to your performances in the future.

So why not use your unique perspective to create options for yourself that allow you use your creative thinking to earn a living that brings meaning to your life and serves others.

Freshman retention rate statistics will give you some insight into how much the college or university values YOU! The transition to college requires adjustment, how much assistance does the college offer to help you succeed in this critical first year?

There are several factors that make freshman retention rates matter:

The obvious first factor to consider is how much you're paying for this first year experience. Most students will pay between $20,000 at a public and $50,000 at a private university; so shouldn't you get your money's worth?

Factor two, transfering to another college after one year can have a significant impact on ability to graduate on time. Looking down the road, what are the statistics for how many students are graduating from this college? Colleges and Universities are now quoting six year graduation rates, not four. Even with an extra 2 years to complete a 4-year degree, their retention rates might only be 60%.

Factor three, if you do decide to transfer, how many of those course credits are transferrable to another college and what impact will having to make up credits have on the bottom line cost of your 4-year degree.

Freshman retention rates for the colleges and universities are a critical question to explore when deciding to place a college on your list. The more time and effort you spend in individualizing your college list and exploring your options while in high school, the easier the freshman transition will be when you get to the college of your choice.

Social Networking is a wonderful way to stay connected, very popular with students, but definitely not the best source for personal, professional expertise to map out your strategy in an already confusing and convoluted environment. Colleges have spent time developing their "Social Networking Marketing Strategies" and are making their presence known. Go to Facebook or twitter, they've all got accounts and are willing to connect with you...just "like" them.

From a studen'ts perspective it helps to keep in mind that your social networking sites is are also public. Students who are seeking entry into very competitive colleges and universities need to keep in mind what they post on their sites. Our advice, take a look at your page from the perspective of a college who may be exploring your site to find out more about you- and like your room-clean it up.

Although students need to be in the "drivers seat" during the college selection process, parents are a part of the team! Since there are so many changes occuring to the college admissions and financial climate, it is impossible for a student to keep up with all of the information flooding them. Parents can help by keeping abreast and identifying reliable sources of information.

Parents have an important role in helping to arrange college visits, exploring career center and support resources at colleges during visiting and reducing student stress by removing obstacles and unneeded worry about test prep, SAT/ACT testing costs and application fees.

Open communication, dialogue and patience are essential now, and parents need to resolve their own anxieties about the college decision before they can provide the best support!

It's my experience that high school kids have alot on their plate already as they enter junior year with a schedule filled with AP and IB classes. Then there are the added responsibilities of SAT/ACT review classes and testing, college visiting, college list development, requesting recommendations, developing resumes and increasing their involvement; all add up to a very stressful time.

Seniors are then confronted with the application completion and filing process, essay writing, interviewing, additional visiting with overnights, a tougher schedule than junior year and perhaps more testing.

Parents can help them manage stress by knowing what the timetable is for the entire college admission and financial aid process. Gentle reminders can then help their college-bound son or daughter stay paced and meet deadlines.

I would suggest having a conversation at the end of sophomore year about the upcoming junior and senior years outlining the timetable and coming to an agreement about what part of this process you, as a parent, could handle to relieve their stress. You may need to revisit these details as you move along, but laying the foundation early can help avoid stress during the application process.

Waitlisted??? Now What?

Here is some advice for students on a waitlist from an article where I was quoted in the Washington Post. “Swift action may be required if teens are going after waitlist spots or trying to improve financial aid offers. Make sure to heed all deadlines for notifying admission offices of the desire to remain on a waitlist. The process may not be automatic. Politely ask the following questions of the school: In the past three years, have you gone to your waitlist to admit? If so, how deep? You may have to put a deposit to reserve a spot at one school while waiting to find out whether you make it off the waitlist at another. “Depending on the selectivity of the college, there are years when some colleges do not go to their waitlists,” Aviezer said. “Last year, however, there was a sudden climate change in the number and size of waitlists across the country. Attributed to the increase in applications received by colleges and the jockeying for students that ensued as a result, more students received a waitlisted letter.”

What should you do if you receive a “Waitlist Letter?”

You want to ask yourself these questions:

1. Should I remain on their waitlist?

2. Do I want to put in the extra effort it will take to let them know

3. I’m really interested in them?

If your answer is no, write them a nice letter declining to remain on their waitlist.

Other questions you might ask yourself?

1. Am I going to allow this “bad news” to dampen my motivation

to continue to apply to other colleges?

2. Should I place a deposit on a school that has accepted me,

even if it’s not my first choice?

3. Should I do nothing and wait for them to accept me?

Playing the Odds

The Odds Are Against Getting In, so you need to move forward as though this is a rejection. Why? Because experience has shown that there are years when some colleges NEVER go to their waitlist for a candidate!

Now, here are the questions you have the right to ask the college, according to the National Association of College Admissions Counselors:

1. How many students have been on the waitlist in the past?

2. How many were offered admission?

3. What kind of housing and financial aid was available for

students who were accepted later?

4. What are the major obstacles to you being selected?

Best advice, don't get stuck here, keep going and file those other applications!

Trying to decide if you want to remain on their waitlist? Start by asking yourself some questions:

1. Do I want to remain on their waitlist?

2. Is there something more that I could add that would strengthen my application?

3. Do I want to commit to the work involved in putting together extra support material to send to this college?

4. How do I really feel about a college that didn’t offer me admission on the first round?

5. What are the odds of getting in--how many students did they take off their waitlist in the past?

In Spite of the Odds, You Still Want To Remain on their Waitlist? Here’s what to do:

• Update your profile adding positive events from your senior year like: an updated transcript, awards, research projects, graded paper, published articles, outstanding achievements, athletic accolades, and new leadership roles.

• Return a letter indicating you are interested in remaining on their waitlist and press your point on how much you can contribute to the fabric of their freshmen class.

• Meet their deadlines including completing all financial aid documents and medical requirements.

• Look at your list of acceptances and make a deposit to secure your dorm to your second choice college. If you do get accepted off the waitlist, send a letter to this college withdrawing your acceptance. You will lose your deposit.

• Be ready to deposit to your waitlisted college and remember it may take until after the May 1st deadline before you hear from your waitlisted college. Are you the kind of person who can make a major life decision at the last moment?

Of course, this is an individual decision but remember that applications require work!

Students who have done their homework have begun to formalize their list as juniors, starting with 25-30 colleges with similar characteristics. What are the differences between them? They range between colleges that are right on your "stats" (SAT/ACT, GPA and Rank) to colleges 10% below your stats and 15% above your stats.

On average the final college list will be between six to eight schools.

The International student is racing against the clock! By applying Early Decision to the college of their choice, they will manage to optimize the time frame to complete application for student visas, residency options and provide themselves with details regarding financial assistance as early as possible.