Preview Weekend 2009

April 17-18 marked the 3rd annual Preview Weekend for Admitted Students at Fort Lewis College. Over 200 admitted students and their families visited Fort Lewis this weekend, including three families from Alaska.

Preview Weekend is perhaps our second favorite time in the school year, with the first being our Fall Convocation at which we will officially welcome new students into the FLC family. Our Preview Weekend is designed to provide students with the information they need to make a decision about whether Fort Lewis is the right choice for them. This year's activities included mock-classes, icebreaker activities with our Adventure Education students, a question/answer session with President Bartel, and a performance by our theater students. Students seemed to enjoy the activities, including some new ones like getting your picture taken with our mascot, Skylar Skyhawk as well as getting temporary FLC tattoos. I joined in the fun as well. Well, you can already see my picture (above) with Skylar, and I did get a tattoo. I just won't tell you where.

Students and their families left Fort Lewis College with a solid understanding of our philosophy on the undergraduate experience. Students experienced first-hand and found out for themselves why Fort Lewis is a such a special place. As our Preview Weekend guests saw we’re proud of our rich heritage yet we’re also proud of the visionary new direction in which we are headed.

The 2009 admitted class is one o the finest cohorts of students admitted by Fort Lewis: 3.23 average GPA, 1069 average SAT, and 105 CCHE Index score.

Tips for High School Juniors--Thinking about colleges

High school juniors out there--watch out. If you haven't taken the ACT or the SAT yet, get preparend. And I'm not referring to the test. I'm talking about the amount of mail you'll receive from colleges and universities after you sit for the test. By the end of the summer, you’ll probably have a stack of college brochures tall enough to poke through the stratosphere. Let’s be honest–choosing a college is no easy task, and some of these brochures only complicate matters. Right now you might still be trying to figure out: How will I pay for school? Do schools have my major? What do I want to study? Do I want a small school or a large university? Concerns like these are valid, and with over 4,000 colleges and universities to chose from, how will you ever decide? And you thought some of the SAT questions were hard! Relax–this month’s post will help point you in the right direction. In no time, you’ll know how to select the college that’s right for you. Here are my ABCs for choosing a college.

A. Academics: Keeping your academic and professional interests in mind should be a key aspect of your college decision process. Make sure a college offers your major. If you are undecided, select a college that is broadly-based and has a variety of majors to choose from. Looking specifically at colleges’ graduation requirements and core curricula will help you determine if there is room to try different classes or electives. Additional classes can expand your skill set and perhaps even your marketability on the job market. Think about international opportunities. Do you want to study abroad? You should also look at the faculty: what is their background, do they focus on teaching or research, what type of support will they provide? Consider how classes are taught: Is it a lecture format, or are there hands-on or experiential learning opportunities for students? You might also be mindful of colleges’ rankings and their annual report to the US Department of Education. Finally, look at career and graduate school placement. Where do students with your major work after graduation? Does the college provide career planning and assistance with employment placement?

B. Belonging: The college day is organized differently from high school. Unlike high school, you’ll be in class for only 3-4 hours per day as opposed to 7-8 hours per day. As a result, you have more free time. That’s not to say that you don’t need to use your free time to study; rather, you’ll have greater opportunity to take advantage of social, extracurricular and club activities. You want to find a college that “fits” with your personality and your interests. Make sure to visit the campuses that you are considering. Colleges can look very different in person as opposed to what’s printed on a glossy brochure. Get a sense for the students, their interests and what they do with their free time. Do you want to be a part of a fraternity or a sorority? What do students do on the weekend? Step back and reflect: Is this a place where I will be happy? Can I picture myself here for the next four years?

C. Cost: Cost is one of the main factors to consider when choosing which college to attend. In examining costs, consider expenses beyond tuition. Many students and families fail to consider the big picture and thus don’t realize that tuition is only a fraction of the overall costs. Other costs to consider should be housing, food, books, student fees, and cost of living expenses around the colleges that you are considering. Also don’t forget to look at your scholarship and financial aid offers. Be sure to read the fine print. Are the scholarships renewable? Do I need to take a certain number of credits? Do I need a maintain a certain GPA in order to keep my scholarship?

If you keep some of these ideas in mind, choosing a college should be as easy as 1-2-3. Or in this case, as easy as A-B-C. Good luck.

Writing your personal essay

On October 26, seniors will breathe a sigh of relief. The ACT will be behind them, and they will have jumped over a major hurdle in the college admission process. Are the admission hurdles now a thing of the past for our college-bound seniors? Not quite yet... And students realize that.

As I meet high school seniors from throughout New Mexico this week, they are anxious about the remaining aspects of the college application process, namely their personal essays. Here are some of the reoccurring personal essay-related questions that I've heard this week:

• What should I write about?
• Is there a right way to write my essay?
• Should I have a counselor proofread it?
• What if I don't have enough space to tell my story?
  

After hearing the same questions at several high school presentations, I decided to focus this week's blog on the personal essay. Hopefully, it will allay some of the concerns out there.

While writing the personal essay can be one of the most challenging aspects of the admission process, it's an opportunity to let admission officers understand who you are as a person. You should take advantage of this chance to tell your unique story. You're more than a GPA, an AP score or class rank. Colleges want to learn more about you--about you as an individual or about your interests. I encourage students to write about a passion of theirs--something that excites them. Think about your favorite birthday or an exotic family vacation. Now think about yard work or household chores. As you probably would agree, it's easier to describe experiences that are enjoyable, invigorating or rewarding. Writing about your passions allows your true character to come forth.

As you think about writing your essay, be sure to set aside enough time. Students should block 3-4 two-hour blocks of time spread out over a 2 week span. This allows students to properly create an outline for their essays, to critically reflect on the content, and to share various drafts with parents or counselors. You should not assume that you will have your final draft completed after one setting. The weakest essays are often the ones assembled at the last minute. Most admission counselors read between 500-1000 applications per season, and it's easy to spot a last-minute essay. Give your essays a chance to develop with time. Many first drafts start out too long. That's OK. You will reduce the essay's size through proofreading and by reflecting on it over time. To paraphrase T.S. Elliot, if I had more time, I would have written a shorter personal essay.

Once you have begun to write your essay, maintain a consistent voice and theme. Admission officers are looking for the clarity of your writing style and an understanding of your sentence structure in addition to the essay's content. Always include specific, concrete examples. Essays that rely on vague generalities don't provide the same level of understanding or comprehension for the reader. While still being succinct, we want the writer to use specific examples.

Students should stay within the word count limits. While admission officers aren't going to automatically deny admission to a student whose essay exceeds the word count, be mindful that admission officers are reading a 20-40 applications per night and don't have time to sort through an extra page. After a long day of reading applications, a 5 page essay instead of a 2 page essay could have a negative subjective response from your reader. Indeed, don't feel compelled to use the entire word count. I've seen many an essay fall apart at the end because the writer forced the final 50 words.

The essay's tone can cause concern for students. Students often try to add humor to their essay, but I encourage you to be careful about using humor. In some situations, it can work. In other situations, it can backfire woefully. My recommendation is to use humor only if it comes naturally to you as part of your writing style. Again, be yourself, and let your inner voice shine through. On the flip side, don't be pretentious or snooty. Just be yourself.

Finally, proofread, proofread, proofread. Each year, I see a handful of essays with misspellings or worse yet, the use of the wrong college's name in the essay. You should always have a friend, parent or counselor read your essay before you submit it. I also find reading essays aloud--as a means of proofreading--to be an effective way to catch mistakes or questionable sentences. I recall a student a few years ago who ended his essay with "It's been a lifelong dream to attend INSERT NAME OF COLLEGE HERE." Please avoid mistakes like this.

Obviously, there are many other aspects of the personal essay to cover--Too many to cover if I am to follow my own advice of being succinct. To continue the conversation, please feel free to share your thoughts or questions on the personal essay.