3 MORE BITS OF WISDOM FOR GRADUATING SENIORS BEFORE THEY GO TO COLLEGE

Join as many clubs/organizations as possible

Everybody’s experience for college freshman year will be different. But for me, it felt like high school where you start again from the bottom of the ladder except that as a college freshman, you are the special one. Being the youngest gives you an unique social opportunity to join your club sports team/hobbit groups or cultural groups. I still remember at the Activities Fair in the first week, you are invited to join millions of clubs and organizations and meet all kinds of people in various social groups. So shake a leg!

Freshmen year is the best opportunity to find out who your classmates are because it’s when asking “where you are from” and “what’s your name” still don’t sound awkward. It’s also a good time to know yourself better, what kinds of friend groups do you fit in more or what types of friends do you click with more etc. As a lowerclassmen myself, I cannot speak for whether freshmen friends stick around, but I can guarantee that college community is often much larger and much more diverse than high school community. That means you probably won’t be able to know every guy/girl in your grade like you did in high school, and that it’s time to actively reach out to find a community that fits you. And joining an organization/community that you feel comfortable with will help you transition into college much easier and faster.

Study wisely

Having been a professional student for 12 years, you are an expert in your way of studying. Whether it’s watching Khan Academy videos or reading Sparknotes, by the time you enter college you already mastered the art of studying. On top of every useful studying method that you mastered, I would also strongly recommend going to professor's or TAs’’ office hours. Lecture is the same for every student, but in office hours professor’s and TA’s can answer specific questions that you may have in a way that can tailor to your needs. It’s an opportunity to get to know them personally and for them to know more about you. Going to office hours is also a good way to find out their grading style and what to expect as a student. Ultimately, they are the ones who gives you scores for assignments and the final grade.

One good news about college is that you don’t have to do everything that’s assigned to you. For example, textbooks and lectures are often overlapped and teach same things. Doing overlapped studying may help you understand the materials more concretely, but when you are under time pressure, whether you are a visual person or audio person, make sure you study the way that works for you.

One last bit about studying is that it’s never a bad idea to reach out to upperclassmen or older friends who have taken the course before. They know more than you do. Having been through more advanced stages, their knowledge and experiences are extremely valuable resources as you study for your current class or plan for your future classes.

Find your own college life triangle // academics + social life + sleep

There is a saying that every college student only have enough time to focus on two out of three things in college: academics, social life, sleep. I would agree that this is true in many ways. I remember during the first week, I was lying in my bed about to sleep, then I hear music and laughter from the party down the hallway of my dorm. I asked myself: should I go out and socialize with those people in my dorm? What should I do? Is it not a cool thing to do to go to bed early? I checked out the party anyways, but I had a tremendously difficult time waking up the second day morning and staying in class with a huge hangover from the night before. So having a good balance would be really helpful.

Every student’s life triangle will be different, and most likely it will change in different stages throughout college career. But going back to the first point, I recommend social life over two other things in freshman year because freshman year is the prime time to establish friendships. It’s also when you need companionships the most. But in sophomore/junior years when classes get harder, it would be time to study and pursue for your major/degree. Thus, setting a clear priority for what’s truly valuable for you in different stages of college is crucial for planning a college journey that you will enjoy.

-- Joseph W., Junior at Stanford University

High School Course Planning: 5 Things You Must Know

I often get questions about what classes admissions readers want to see on college applications. And the truth is that a good course plan is important. It will not only make you stronger for college applications, it will make you stronger in college.

Before you sign up for another year of classes, here are 5 recommendations to help you make the right decisions.

1. Know when to compare yourself to others.

When parents tell me about a student they’ve heard about with a 3.8 GPA and just above average SAT score who was admitted to Stanford, my initial question is: from what high school?

You should know that as a college applicant, you’re compared to your peers. When evaluating freshman applications, one of the first things I looked at was high school information. Your GPA will be viewed differently depending on the average GPA at your high school as well as how many honors and AP courses you take in the context of how many are offered, not to mention other factors that can make your academic performance look remarkably different.

Despite being compared to others, you should still be realistic about your ability to manage your course load. If you’re stuck on taking 5 AP courses your junior year because you hear this is how your cousin got into Cornell, but then earn multiple C’s, it will not only make Cornell impossible, it will eliminate so many other college options that may otherwise be a good fit.

2.  Challenge yourself.

On the other hand, earning a perfect GPA with low course rigor is not the path to your best college results. It’s truly better to risk B’s with a challenging course load than it is to maintain straight A’s with a relatively easy course load. When I was trained to read UC freshman applications, I was told to pay attention to rigor. If a student was taking a challenging course load, even the occasional C can be forgiven.

As a consultant, I worked with Charles who earned a 3.5 unweighted/3.9 weighted GPA but had taken all of the AP math and science courses offered at his competitive high school. He wasn’t sure what his college results would be, especially considering his 2000 SAT score, but he was admitted to the School of Computer Science at Carnegie Mellon. Clearly, his high course rigor balanced his relatively low GPA.

3.  Find your direction.

The reality is your prospective major means so much in terms of what classes you should take to be a strong college applicant. If you’re aiming for a top-ranked business school, it would benefit you to include AP US History and AP Gov in your course plan. If you’re applying as an Engineering major, you should plan for AP Physics in your junior year.

A successful course plan can look so different depending on the prospective major. Kevin, a theater major, took AP Psychology, Drama, and AP English. Despite a below average GPA for his high school, his strong performance in these classes contributed to his admittance to the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

4. Try something new for your language other than English.

When you’ve grown up learning a language other than English (LOTE), it often means that your academic achievements in that language, even perfect scores on the SAT and AP exams, will not set you apart for college admissions.

I firmly believe that every decision regarding high school planning should not be based on whether it will make a student look good for college admissions. If you are a first-generation American, learning the language of your parents can be a richly rewarding experience that extends beyond college results.

And, there are exceptions to practically any recommendation for college admissions. For example, my student Stella immigrated to the U.S. from Taiwan in 9th grade. She struggled to improve her English, and therefore, I recommended she meet her LOTE requirement with Chinese so she could focus on English. Stella made great strides in her English abilities and even took an advanced English course as well as AP Econ and AP Biology in her senior year. Her hard work paid off when she was admitted to NYU and USC.

However, if you aren’t in Stella’s position and want to be as competitive as possible for college applications, enroll in a LOTE that is not the language of your parents during your high school years and “finish” the language by completing courses through the AP level. Taking your time to study - and excel - at a language other than any you were taught as a child is a sure way to strengthen your profile for college applications.

 5. Achieve your balance.

There are going to be certain classes that are easier for you than others. Use this self-understanding to balance your course plan. In other words, if pursuing art isn’t a serious endeavor for you, perhaps you want to plan for a painting class that meets your UC art requirement during junior year as a welcome relief to all those AP math and science classes.

Or maybe, as a business major, you know you want to take AP US History your junior year, so you take AP Environmental Science that year instead of AP Biology, a course that competes with AP US History for requiring the most  memorization.

Another way to look at it is if you have a natural talent for a certain subject area, plan your courses to showcase that talents. I worked with Sandy who wanted to study business and had a passion for learning languages. Through high school and community college classes, she took classes in three languages. These classes didn’t seem like work to her, and her achievement in multiple languages made her stand out for college applications.

The most important perspective you can have when planning your high school courses is knowing what makes sense for you. If you challenge yourself, keeping in mind your strengths and abilities in the context of your goals, you will maximize your college options.

If you have any questions about course planning I'm happy to help. Click here to schedule a free consultation or give us a call at (408) 479-4742.

--Azure Brown

Summer Plans: Taking Classes at Community Colleges

Thinking of taking classes at your local community or junior college this summer? Here are a few reasons you should do it:

• Community colleges normally have classes you can't get at your high school. You can explore your interests or take more classes in an area of strength (math focused students taking higher levels of math; history students studying different eras of history, etc.). 

• If you get an A, it may give your GPA a little boost!

• If you do well, it can signal to universities that you're ready for college-level study.

• It can demonstrate to colleges your interest in the subject.

• You can takes classes almost anytime morning, noon and night. You can take classes online through your community college as well!

• It's a good complement to a part-time job.

A few things to be mindful of when taking community or junior college classes:

• You have to WORK! Summer classes are accelerated so you need to stay on top of it. 

• Teachers won't pay as much attention to you, so you NEED to be pro-active with asking questions and seeking help.

• You need approval forms signed by your high school before you register. Start all this paperwork in April and search for the high school enrollment info on each individual community college website. 

• High school students register last... so have a few backup class choices ready!

• California students applying to UCs or CSUs - try to choose UC-approved courses so you'll definitely get the course transferred later on.

Hope that helps! Questions? Comment below or contact us!