Class of 2020 Newsletter May 2019
As your junior year comes to a close, we wish each of you the best of luck on exams and final projects, and we hope that you enjoy a fun, interesting, and relaxing summer. Whatever your summer plans are, we hope you'll find some time to read. Looking for suggestions? Check out NPR's list of 100 Best-Ever Teen Novels.
May Checklist
Before the end of the school year, please attend to the following:
Monthly Focus
Essay Writing Workshop During two separate weeks in August, Gilman College Counselors offer a summer application essay workshop designed to help you complete a significant amount of application work within one week. You can register for the workshop here. The dates are August 12-15 or August 19-22.
Mark Your Calendars: Senior-Parent Breakfast On the morning of August 27, the College Counseling Office will host a breakfast and guest speaker to kick off the school year. This will be followed by a college application workshop for seniors. Please mark your calendars and plan to attend this informative and engaging program.
Juniors aspiring to compete athletically on the NCAA DI or DII level must start the eligibility process once spring exams are completed. Go to the NCAA Eligibility Center website to complete the form and begin the process.
College Visits and Interviews
College Visiting Dos and Don'ts An astonishing amount can be learned about a school by actually walking around its campus. Your subjective, emotional response to the people you meet and the grounds you explore will give you valuable information that websites simply cannot convey. A student may find he feels at home on several campuses; he may discover a congenial atmosphere at a school he had discounted previously or be disappointed by a school for which he had high hopes. As you plan your summer college visits, here are some dos and don'ts:
Don't:
Admission Interviews This may be an integral part of the college visit, and it is best to prepare for the variety of types you may encounter during your college search. It is most important to be informed. Do some research in order to ask thoughtful questions. Remember that the interview may or may not be a factor in the college's decision-making process, but you should always conduct yourself in a manner that will reflect positively upon you. All interviews do not occur on campus. Some institutions offer the applicant an opportunity to interview with an alumnus located close to the applicant's home. There are four basic types of interviews:
Schedule a meeting with your college counselor if you would like to have a mock interview or review interviewing tips.
Standardized Testing Dates
SAT 6/1 ACT 6/8 ACT 7/13 SAT 8/24
Counselor Spotlight Mr. Herman and Mr. Baker recently visited Swarthmore and Haverford Colleges in Pennsylvania. Did you know? Every student at Haverford College completes a Senior Thesis on a topic of their choosing. Recent topics include the history of graffiti and street art in Rome, Italy, and the impact of oil spills on the environment. At Swarthmore, any student interested in continuing their musical education at any level (introductory to advanced) is guaranteed private lessons from a professional musician as part of his or her tuition. Ms. Ross recently visited colleges in the Lehigh Valley. Did you know? Lehigh is one of the nation's premier research universities offering more than one hundred majors including business and engineering for its 7,000 students. Muhlenberg is a small liberal arts college recognized for its tight-knit community, close relationships with professors, and a world-renown arts and theater program. Lafayette is known as "a tradition-rich liberal arts college whose selective enrollment is small enough to make you feel like you belong to a real community, but large enough to give you unique opportunities across the arts, sciences, and engineering."
For Your Consideration
"If I could tell my high school self what I know now, I would say remain calm, everything will work out, and trust the process." Read what college students wish they could tell their high school selves in "I Wish I Knew…"
We try to avoid asking students about their "passions." Why? Because we would rather our students pursue things they find joy in, learn, at times, through discomfort, or risk failure in trying something new. Finding one's "passion" implies finality. Students, conversely, are still on the journey of self-discovery. Stephanie Lee agrees in her piece for the New York Times: "Why 'Find Your Passion' Is Such Terrible Advice."
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