Finishing College Ahead of the Rest

The college atmosphere is a very competitive one, but it is possible to come out among the very best if you’re willing to put in some hard work and real effort. As Edison famously said, genius is 99% perspiration, so if you want to make a real impact you have to be prepared to do the work.

It goes without saying, of course, that you should do your very best to make good grades in college. Making good grades isn’t as hard as you might think either. Make sure that you attend every class, only missing when it is completely unavoidable. If you must miss a class, immediately get the notes from another responsible student—look for someone who pays attention and frequently raises his or her hand to answer questions in class or to contribute to the classroom discussion. You should also pay attention and take careful notes in every class yourself. Avoid overloading yourself or taking too many hours each semester, so that you can give each class your all. Also be sure to choose your coursework with the help of a college counselor or advisor so that you don’t end up taking classes that you don’t need. College courses are becoming increasingly expensive in America and so it’s best to avoid taking extraneous classes which won’t contribute to your degree; only enroll in an extraneous class if it’s an absolute must.

Planning your time wisely is incredibly important as well. These days, most college students are overloaded with responsibility. Many of them hold down jobs, raise families, and do a million other things in addition to carrying their heavy school load. Map out time each day to get your homework done and, when you have a big test or project coming up, start preparing early! Most professors will provide the dates for tests and major projects well ahead of time, so if you ever find yourself with free time on your hands, you can work ahead. Though it can be tempting to goof off and while you should give yourself some “you time,” you should ideally be working on something every day in addition to attending your classes. Time management is one of the more critical skills for building a successful and rewarding adult life, and there’s no better place to put it to use than on a college campus.

You also have to make sure that you’ve chosen the right major for you. If you find that you don’t enjoy or aren’t interested in any of your core classes, then you’ve got a problem on your hands. While everyone will take a few classes they aren’t crazy about, you should find some enjoyment in your core area of study. If you are unhappy, talk to your college counselor about what your options are. He or she may even be able to offer you testing and other options for discovering your skills. Remember that it is never too late to change majors if you discover that you do not have either the requisite skill level or interest; after all, it is far better to change to a better direction than proceed down a path which you are clearly ill-equipped to succeed in.

If you are happy with your major and intend to use it in your future career endeavors, know that it’s never too early to start pursuing relevant internships. Internships may be paid, unpaid, or sometimes even taken for college credit. In any case, they help you to gain important experience that can enable you to get a job over someone else, and they give you the opportunity to meet important connections in your field, connections that could lead to employment later on down the road, either directly or indirectly. Your college counselor can give you more information on internships, and if you have a career center on campus, it will generally have information as well. You can even be proactive and find internships yourself by searching online or contacting companies or individuals you are interested in working with and learning from directly.  The more control you take of your education now, the more control you’ll have over your future later.

Byline
This article was composed by Roy McClure for the team at newschoolarch.edu; click here to learn more about their master of science in architecture degree program.

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Getting Through College: Help When You Need It

College is designed to be difficult and challenging for students of all skill levels to get through. It is the ultimate academic challenge, which is supposed to push you to the limits. Although you have the capability to get through any subject in college, it may seem particularly difficult to pull off by yourself. Luckily, you have the option of hiring a tutor to help you with any difficult subjects that you are having a hard time with.

Hiring a Tutor

Many people don't like the idea of hiring a tutor because they are unsure of how the process works. Some people simply do not like admitting that they need help with something, so they just struggle through it instead. If you are willing to admit that you need help, you've won a big part of the battle. At that point, you can hire someone to provide some assistance who actually knows what they're doing. Much of the effort comes from simply putting in the hours of studying.

The first thing that you will need to do is locate a tutor. There are tutoring services that you could contract with, depending on where you are located. This is the simplest option, because all you need to do is call them and inform them of what you need help with. A tutor that specializes, or has experience, in that subject will be assigned, and that's all you have to do.

The other option is to search for an independent tutor. On many campuses, there are bulletin boards in common areas and in lobbies of dorms. Tutors often put their contact information on these bulletin boards. You can also check classified ads on Craigslist or in the newspaper to find people who are offering tutoring services. If possible, going through word-of-mouth referrals from friends and colleagues is a much more reliable way to go.

When you contact independent tutors, you will need to discuss how much they charge (per hour or per session), and how much help they can offer you. It is important to go over everything on the front end of the conversation. Tell them exactly what you need to accomplish and let them tell you if they can help you get there. For example, if you need meet official testing requirements for mathematical curriculum competency, let them know that now. Clearly stating your desired result will help prevent you and the tutor from wasting valuable time and money.

What to Expect

Once you make the decision and head to your first meeting, it's helpful to know what you're in for. Standard tutoring involves identifying specific problems and obstacles in a subject; it's not just another class session. You can really pinpoint certain issues that are troubling you. While this may be tedious, it is a vital step to the process.

For instance, in a calculus setting, you don't need to relearn everything that was taught in the lecture, but rather you can keep notes in class on what has really been difficult, and have the tutor teach you that particular topic. This is a great way to overcome specific issues without having the entire lesson plan hold you back.

Tutoring usually involves reviewing and going over problems and area of difficulty. Fortunately, you have someone assessing you one-on-one and you're free to ask questions, get feedback, and really dive into areas of difficulty with the benefits of having someone there every step of the way. No more 300 to 1 student-teacher ratios or distractions; only what you need. 

It also helps to know beforehand what kinds of methods you learn the best with. Knowing if you need things explained to you ("audio" learning), or seeing things written out ("visual" learning) or simply doing the work yourself ("tactile" learning). You're paying good money for a tutor; might as well make sure it's the best fit, and you get your money's worth.

Summary and Benefits

Overall, hiring a tutor can be a great way to get the assistance that you need. Don't just allow yourself to struggle through a tough semester alone. Exams and assignments can be executed correctly the first time around, rather than needing remedial classes or pulling all-nighters. With additional one-on-one assistance, the time needed to fully learn a subject may be less than most think. Utilizing any helpful resources and being proactive in one's time in college will help save time and stress in the future. Investing time and effort to successfully complete college on the first time around will be more than worth it in the end. Who has the time to repeat a whole college curriculum?

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The Top 5 Necesseties for Your Dorm Room

So, you are finally going off to college. It's an exciting time, but it's also a scary time. How can you be sure that you'll have absolutely everything that you need? In addition to that, how can you bring some of the comforts of home with you to make your transition to college life easier? The first years of college also involve pinching pennies. Making the extra money from your loans, work studies or part time job work for you are important. What can you bring to college to help you to save money? Here are the top 5 things you need for your dorm room in order to improve your college experience.

1. Computer-  It doesn't have to be a laptop, it doesn't have to be fancy and it doesn't have to run the latest video games, but it does have to be able to boot up, search the Internet with reasonable efficiency and handle word processing software. Going to the library every time you have to write a paper gets annoying really quickly. Doing your homework will require some element of Internet research on a regular basis, so quick access to the Internet is really necessary for a college student in this day and age. Having a computer is extremely helpful, but can be made even more so by the addition of one peripheral, which brings us to our next item.

2. Printer- Whether it is laserjet, inkjet, old or new, a printer for your dorm room can save you not only the hassle of having to use school printers and wait in lines at the computer lab, but also the cost incurred every time you have to print out a few pages for an assignment. The occasional cost of buying paper or replacing cartridges as necessary is likely less than you will spend per year on printing at the computer lab, and is worth the convenience of knowing that the killer essay you worked on til 2 am is ready to go for your 8 am class.

3. Cell Phone- Chances are pretty good that you already have one of these, but if you don't, it's something to consider. If you are not on a cell phone plan with your parents, ask if you can be. It will allow you to keep in touch with them and with friends at home or away. If not, most major providers offer prepaid phone options which allow you to pay for your phone with cash per month and simply cut off service before allowing overages. If you are going to go on a traditional plan, however, make sure you know the limits of the plan. Don't stick mom and dad with a 500 dollar phone bill!

4. Mini Fridge- You might get stuck arguing with your parents on this one, but the convenience of having a small fridge for drinks not only keeps you from wandering around late at night looking for a cold drink, but it also saves you from paying ridiculous soda machine prices. Stocking your fridge with a case of water from the store is much cheaper than hitting up the soda machine. It can also be used to store healthy snacks for after hours.

5. Closet Organizer- Let's face it. You don't want to wake up more than ten minutes before class. Neither do most college students. For this reason alone, having an organizer for your closet that allows you to find socks, shoes, accessories and other things easily and quickly is a huge help. It also allows you to keep your belongings separate from those of your roommate, preventing unnecessary arguments. You will finally stop losing your stuff, and potentially learn some elements of organization.
This article was composed by Ty Whitworth for the team at Santa Fe University; be sure to view their degree options, including their famous creative writing degree option.

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How Helpful are College Rankings?

Every year, reports are released that rank colleges according to a multitude of factors and qualities.  US News & World Report, which publishes one of the most important and widely read of these rankings, charges almost 35 dollars for their yearly college ranking report, and prospective college students (and parents of prospective college students, of course) snap them up in huge volumes.  After all, the choice of which college to attend is one of—if not the—biggest decisions high school students have had to face in their lives up to that point.  It certainly, then, would help to have a scientific study and assessment of all the colleges out there, wouldn’t it? Most would say yes.

More and more people, however, are starting to voice a dissenting opinion.  What are their arguments?  Why would someone think that these reports are either unhelpful or possibly even detrimental?  Here are a few of the reasons that those who think this way are giving.

1. It’s a Publishing Racket

Many who find college rankings to be less useful that publicized believe that newspapers and magazines like the US News & World Report have simply engineered a need in order to sell their publication.  By hiding a lack of real-world utility behind a veneer of “scientific” processes and seemingly rigorous, methodological research, these critics believe, publications have found a way to make their product seem and feel necessary to the college search process—when in reality it provides very little actual benefit.  On this opinion, publishers of college rankings reports are simply preying upon the stress and anxiety of parents and students in order to sell copies of their publications.

2. It Isn’t Trustworthy

One of the more surprising facts about the college rankings process, for most people, is that many colleges—knowing how seriously parents and students take these reports—have been shown to falsify the data given to publishers in order to make their college’s rank rise.  Most recently, Claremont McKenna—an elite, upper echelon school in California—admitted to supply falsified data for the reports for just this very reason.  What is most disconcerting about this fact is that this scandal reaches the highest ranks, that even the very best schools are engaging in this deceit. If even these schools can’t be trusted, the argument goes, how can the rankings be relied upon as an accurate source of information for students and parents to base their decisions on?

3. The Subjectivity Problem

Another issue raised is simple, but represents a real problem: these publications do their best to present their rankings as “objective” and “scientific,” but in reality there is much that is subjective in the comparison between schools—especially schools in similar quality strata.  Is Princeton really better than Yale?  Can data decide this?  Proponents of this argument make the case that these types of decisions can’t be shown objectively; in reality, these schools—as close as they are in quality—are better for some types of people and not others.

Lastly—and this is more of a philosophical difference than an argument—those who find college rankings less useful than purported often say that the whole idea of ranking colleges in the first place has the harmful effect of creating the illusion that college choice should be decided by which college is best overall, instead of which college is best for you.  Their logic works as follows: Columbia College may be ranked as one of the best art schools in the nation, but if you’re from Arkansas and there’s a solid art school that fits you better and is closer to home, it means it’s probably a better choice for you—college rankings be…well, you know.

Otter Boone writes for concorde.edu; be sure to visit them to learn about their medical assistant school degree programs.

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Should Everyone Go To College?

Numerous studies have shown that people who attend college earn much more over their working lives on average than those who never attend college. Compared to those with a high school diploma, college graduates reportedly earn approximately one million dollars more over the course of their economic lifetimes. Numerous economists and educators have called this oft-cited “million dollar figure” into question; however it is certainly clear that a substantial “wage premium” exists for those who complete college. 
 

There is an even larger lifetime earning gap between those who earn a graduate degree and those who only have a high school education. These statistics would seem to indicate that a college degree is a must in today's world because what one learns contributes to what he or she earns.  The question must be asked as a result: Should everyone go to college? Given the undeniable economic premium associated with college, the question would appear to answer itself. However, is college attendance – and to a greater extent completion – truly the causal factor of the supposed wage premium? Might college actually not be for everyone, despite the definite economic advantages of degree holders?

Many colleges are open enrollment, which means that the only requirement for admission is a working respiratory system. These colleges will take just about anyone. They will also take money from these unsuspecting souls. However, these open enrollment colleges are not alone; even the more selective schools are more than willing to take tuition money, often in the form of student loans, from students. Some people will benefit immensely from the work that they do in college for their degrees. Others will not.

Some people are not cut out for college and some may actually do better without a four-year degree. Here are a few examples of people who should not go to college.

Party Animals

Those who think that partying is the main major in college may want to think twice about attending college or at least wait a while before taking the plunge.  Some fraternities and sororities use just about any excuse to start partying and with this partying there is usually quite a bit of drinking. Have an exam in the morning? It's not exactly a good idea to take a final while coming off a hangover.

The Academically Lazy

Some people just do not like to study or do school work. These people could have a problem succeeding in school because people tend to excel at tasks they enjoy. If a student did not like studying in high school, it is quite probable that she will not like spending late hours in a library studying.

Those Merely Looking for a Significant Other

Those who think that men or women are the only reason to attend college might be better served sitting out after high school. A significant other or significant others can detract from the concentration that would be necessary to completely succeed in school. Focusing upon a boyfriend or girlfriend too much can take away from studies and waste time and money.

People Who Only Need Vocational Training

It may be beneficial for some people to sit out college and focus upon vocational school. Many states provide some level of vocational training for high school students. People who want to become welders do not need a bachelor's degree in philosophy or business. They merely need a welding certificate and some experience to make a decent salary. The same can be said for those who want to become electricians or plumbers. A vocational education can open doors to successful careers in these instances.

The Undecided Millions

Some people may have no idea what they want to study. There is always the option of taking general education classes for a year or two, but it may be more beneficial for such students to go to work. Perhaps they will find something that interests them and they will be ready to go to college later.

It is not necessary to be exceptionally brilliant to succeed in college, but there are some people who may want to think twice about going, at least for a while. There are plenty of satisfying career paths for those who do not have a college degree. Why go to college if being a master welder is a your career goal?  

This article was written by Karl Stockton for the team at Civil Engineering Careers.

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Transitioning into College

For most of their student careers, children are told about the transition from high school to college. When they are in high school, they are inundated with college preparation exams and the college application process. It is so much, but it can often be helpful for high school students to truly understand the transition from high school to college.

Moving up to college changes your entire life. You will experience things you have never experienced before and you will be asked to grow up in the company of other people your age who are also trying to grow up. There are some significant differences between high school and college that will shape a person's life.

Personal Changes

Most high school students decide to dorm on campus when they go off to college. While this can seem like a very exciting time for most college students, it winds up being quite a shock.

The first thing that you realize when your parents have left and you are in your dorm room is that you are now living with people you have never met before in your life. Your entire environment prior to college was spent with people you were familiar and comfortable with. Now you have to suddenly shift to trusting people you have never met.

This change leads many new college students to experience problems with personal relationships. It has been a long time since a high school student has had to make new friends in an uncomfortable setting, and now he has to do it or be an outcast.

As a high school student adjusts to these new relationship changes, he will need someone to confide in and talk to. That is why so many young college students spend so much time calling home after years of trying to avoid talking to their parents.
 

Academic Changes

The intensity of a college education is unlike anything experienced in high school. Your college professors expect you to have a certain educational foundation that you were supposed to get in high school. If you did not get that foundation, then you will start falling behind.

In high school, you could probably get by without a lot of studying or paying attention in class. In college, the density of the material is much thicker than it is in high school. A college curriculum is very focused on specific topics. You will be faced with information you did not know, and you will be asked to apply that information to solve problems.

In college. most classes center around mid-term exams and final exams. In high school, you could spread your grades out over several quizzes, tests and projects. In college, you either pass the exams or you do not pass the class.
 

Environmental Changes

When you live at home and go to high school, you tend to take some things from granted. When you open the refrigerator or cupboards at home, you expect food to be there. When you put your laundry in your hamper as you are told, you expect your laundry to be done for you.

One of the first things that college life teaches you is to learn to rely on yourself or go hungry and wear unwashed clothes. College is where you learn how important it is to juggle a class schedule and do all of the things that used to get done for you at home.

College is a great experience and an important step in your life. But the transition from high school to college can often catch new students off guard. Don’t let that be you!

-This article was written by Karl Stockton for the team at kendall.edu; click here to learn about their culinary arts school degree programs.

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College Dean on Admissions Process with Tips

A special thanks to Dean Lisa Meyer, Dean of Admissions and Financial Aid at Lewis and Clark College, for participating in our Admissions Spotlight Series  Joseph Fernandez from Parliament Tutors conducted this interview.

As the Dean of Admissions and Financial Aid, what are your day-to-day responsibilities?
One of the things I most enjoy about my profession is that my responsibilities greatly vary from day to day and month to month.  On a macro level, fall is devoted to getting the word out about the College.  My staff and I are visiting high schools, interviewing students, attending college fairs, and generally communicating with as many interested students as possible.  December through March is devoted to reading admissions applications and creating financial aid awards.  In April, admissions decisions are sent, and the campus hosts visitors who are making their college choices.  Summer allows a little time for planning, and then we start all over again.

What do you consider the most significant parts of an application, the parts which applicants should prepare the most carefully?
The student's transcript is the most significant factor in an application. This is not something that can be "prepared" as the student is filing the application, but what appears on the transcript is certainly driven by student choices.  Many students think that the Admissions Committee only cares about the grade point average.  While a GPA is certainly calculated, the committee looks closely at the rigor of courses the student took and the trends in grades (do they steadily go up over the years, or is this student record on the decline?).  One common mistake on the part of students is to take a very light load during the senior year.  This is the year that will prepare them for their first year in college.  The Admissions Committee wants to know that students will be ready to do college level work upon their arrival.


Is there anything you frequently see on an application that you hope to never see again?
Typos.  In a time when Spell Check is as easy as the push of a button, I see no reason for typos.

What common pitfalls should applicants be careful to avoid?
Don't try to complete applications at the last minute.  This means writing the college essay in advance, asking someone to proof it, and revising it as you would an important classroom essay.  It also means thoughtfully answering the application questions, giving your recommenders enough notice to write something meaningful about you, and completing the application without errors or omissions.

Are there any myths about the application process which you would like to dispel?
There is no one perfect application that if submitted would guarantee admission to every college.  The admissions process is about finding a good fit between a student and a college.  A student can be a wonderful person and a great student, but not the right fit for a particular college or university.  Likewise, a college can offer terrific educational opportunities for many, but not be the right choice for a particular student.

What advice would you give to an applicant with below-average test scores but significant extra-curricular experience?
Not everyone will have the "average" test scores for an institution.  By definition, some scores will fall above the average and others below it.  If your scores are within the range of scores found at that institution, it will be your job to make a case to the Admissions Committee as to why you should be admitted.  Remember, the Committee is putting a community together, and they are looking for people who will bring positive influences to the college.  Your strengths might lie in your extra-curricular experiences.  Make certain to outline these experiences in your application.  You may choose to write about one or more of them in your application so the Admissions Committee will understand how they have prepared you to be a positive contributor to college life.  Your application is your opportunity to share who you are and what you bring to the college.  Make the effort to make your case.

Do you frequently have to turn away applicants whom you wish you could admit? If so, what could those applicants do to be admitted?
Nobody enjoys denying admission to an applicant, but that is certainly part of the job.  Most often, the students I have to turn away are those who have not prepared themselves for the rigors of my college.  This is demonstrated in the courses in which they enrolled, their grades, their writing samples, and myriad other factors.  As I stated above, really good people are not always a really good match for every college.  Take the time in your application to present yourself in the best light and allow the admissions process to unfold.  Even if you are not admitted to one particular college, chances are good you will find another match.

How much faith do you have in the ability of the SAT to predict success at in college?
The SAT is only one of many factors considered in an admissions application.  It is a measure that can be used to compare students who are applying from very different high schools from across the country.  When I look at a student's SAT score, I look for a score that makes sense given the other pieces of the application.  Does this score seem congruent with the grades this student has received?  Is this score in accordance with the kinds of scores produced by this high school?  If the SAT score seems reasonable given these other factors, I'll move on to looking at other elements of the application.  If the scores seem discordant, I am likely to look for more information.  That information may come from a counselor recommendation, a note from the student, or a comment by a teacher.  Remember, the test score is not the sole factor used in making admissions decisions.  It was not designed for this purpose, and it would not be wise to expect any one score to predict college success.

What do you look for in a recommendation letter?
The recommendation gives the Admissions Committee insight into the intellectual development and character of a student.  Recommendations often help us to understand how a student has developed over the years, what ways he or she contributes to the classroom experience, and how he or she adds to the intellectual and community environment at the school.  Letters of recommendation are an important tool in better understanding the applicant's strengths and challenges.

Joseph Fernandez is a private tutor with Parliament Tutors.

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Saving Yourself From a Computer Crash

--> An Ounce of Preparation

Almost everyone has heard stories about a student who has a paper due the next day and is burning the midnight oil to finish it, only to lose the whole thing at the last minute due to a computer crash. Thankfully, there are things to do ahead of time to protect yourself in case of an untimely computer failure. All of your data can be backed up, and getting the methods in place before sending a computer off to college can make the backup process more likely to happen on a regular basis at college.

External Hard Drive

Backing up data somewhere other than the computer's main hard drive is essential because it will allow you to restore data, even if the hard drive isn’t functioning at all. All students should have an external hard drive with a capacity at least as large as the computer itself. This makes it possible to do a full backup of the system on a regular basis. Choosing a hard drive that connects through something faster than a USB cable will increase the speed of the backups and make it more likely that they'll happen in the midst of a busy college schedule.

Backup Software

Using backup software to create the backups makes it easier to restore data. Both Windows and Mac operating systems have a backup utility built right in, and using this simplifies everything because the operating system will help schedule backups, implement them, and store the data in a way that's easy to access if there's a data loss. Try Time Machine on a Mac or Backup Utility on a Windows system. Scheduling backups weekly throughout the school year (and daily during finals), will prevent major losses.

Outlook Recovery

Students often rely on communication with one another for group projects, and having a computer crash in the middle of a project can be disastrous if all of the communication was stored in Outlook. Thankfully, Outlook recovery tools can back up messages and attachments and restore them after a crash. Another solution is for students to rely on web-based email instead, which makes it easy to access all messages and attachments from any computer connected to the Internet.

Photo Recovery

College isn't just about the classwork, and many students create huge libraries of photos documenting their time on campus. However, these photos can be lost, and corrupted data can quickly erase hundreds, or thousands, of memorable photos. PhotoRec is one of the best options to have on hand for restoring photos and other files. It can get them either from a computer hard disk or from the camera's memory card, even after they appear to be gone. Although PhotoRec can't guarantee that your photos won't be lost, it is a good option to try.

An ounce of preparation before heading to college can save you from tons of headaches later. Setting up habits of saving documents to multiple places and establishing automated backups ensures that data will be recoverable. Students can also carry a memory stick and save important documents to that as well for one more layer of security, especially during finals. Losing even just an hour of work can make the difference during finals, so you should be careful to back up data in a secure location.

Contributed by Joe Baker

You can reach him at josephbker@gmail.com 

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Preparing for the Big Day

Seize the Day: How to Give Your Best on College Test Day

Summer, and the dreaded college applications, tests and exam season might not seem too close yet, but they’re coming. For sure. By now, you’ll probably be starting to think about your revision program. However, in all that frenzy of work, have you thoughts about how you will cope with the big day itself? Sitting that college test, interview or exam?

Failure to prepare for the actual day when you will be sitting the college test can cause real stress. The trauma of a bad interview or application experience can stay with us our whole lives leading some to eventually need help for depression or addiction. Especially if we have spent weeks and months working really hard to prepare for it. Tripping up at the final hurdle would be terrible after that. Yet it can be avoided. Here are a few tips to help keep you cool on the big day.

Cometh the Dawn

After getting a good night’s sleep (you have done that, right?) the most important thing to sort is a good, healthy breakfast that’s packed with protein and complex carbohydrates. Sounds obvious. Yet nerves or the desire to cram that final five minutes of preparation in before you leave the house must not get in the way of this vital meal. Choose something that will give you long-lasting energy, such as eggs, fruit or oatmeal cereal. Try to avoid caffeine and sugar. Dress in as comfortable clothes as is appropriate and check the weather forecast so you won’t be too hot or too cold.

Then, do your last few preparations. Hopefully, you’ll have already worked out when the interview, test or exam starts, where it is being held and how long it will take you to get there. If you haven’t done that yet, DO IT NOW! Avoid a panicked, last-minute rush to the college at all costs. It will really put you off. Have you got everything that you need ready? Spare pens, interview notes etc (lucky charms and candy optional…).

Once more unto the Breach

After getting to college, there’s still time to make some final preparations. Turn off your cell phone, or even better, see if you can leave it somewhere safe. Chances are you won’t be allowed to have it with you during a test in any case and it avoids the embarrassment of it ringing mid-process.

Go to the bathroom and try to keep calm. Try not to speak to anyone else outside the test hall about the amount of preparation you, or they, have done. Instead, take six deep breaths and tell yourself you are going to succeed. Be confident. After all, you’ve already done the hard work. Now it’s time to show ‘em what you know and why you deserve to go to their college.

Knowledge is Power

You’re in the room; test paper in front of you; pen in hand. Time for some more deep breaths before you dive in. Concentrate on your own paper - don’t be put off by other candidates scribbling furiously around you. Read each question carefully then read it again. Know how many marks each question carries and whether it divides into sections. Work out your timings so that you leave room for all the questions you need to tackle in the time allowed. The same applies to an oral interview. Consider what you're being asked carefully before replying.

When you do start your response, make sure you answer the question posed and don’t just regurgitate your knowledge regardless. There won’t be any marks or credit for deviating from the instructions, however impressive your alternative answer might have been. Don’t worry if you get stuck on something and don’t waste time fretting. Take some more deep breaths and move on to the next question. You can always try to come back to the troublesome one later.

Finally, if you are running out of time in a written test and still have questions to answer, make notes on the paper giving details of how you would have answered the question if you had had time to do so. Include argument ideas or equations if relevant, or make a list of bullets giving your key points. It’s much better than leaving the question blank and you might get a few extra marks that could make the crucial difference to your application.

Aftermath

After the interview or test, don’t indulge in post-mortems with other candidates. They will only stress you out with speculation. Try to wait patiently for the results and then, hopefully, you can start celebrating. Don’t dwell on it after it’s over – what’s done is done. Have something nice lined up to do straight away afterwards – and no, we don’t mean going on a drinking binge. How about a trip to the movies or a family meal out instead?

Best of luck!

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Janine Hardy is a freelance writer from England who specializes in life coaching and self improvement writing for a number of local publications. She works with many good causes including helping and advising students at local colleges and writing on behalf of an alcohol addiction center.

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Admissions Officer Tells Secrets

As an Admissions Counselor, what are your day-to-day responsibilities?
Meeting 1-on-1 with prospective students and their families through our admissions interview process, follow-up with students, parents, coaches, campus constituents, etc. through email, mail, phone correspondence, first-year application review (400+ applicants in my territory), closing calls to admitted students who receive a financial aid package, admissions recruitment travel (college fairs, high school visits, classroom/community presentations, etc.), campus recruitment event planning/coordination/implementation/assessment, other duties as assigned :)

What do you consider the most significant parts of an application, the parts which applicants should prepare the most carefully?
Rigor of course-load (i.e. Advanced, Honors, AP, dual-credit courses & core course involvement), an active co- and extra-curricular schedule, and showing the ability to adapt well socially to the college community

What common pitfalls should applicants be careful to avoid?
Using another college or university's name in the application essay (i.e. "..and that is why I think I'd be a good fit at the University of Illinois" when they are applying to Augustana),

Are there any myths about the application process which you would like to dispel?
"Admissions offices ignore senior year grades" (on the contrary, we typically look at trends in a students academic record to recommend admission, scholarship, etc.)

What advice would you give to an applicant with below-average test scores but significant work experience?
Utilize our test-optional policy which allows you to submit a graded paper and conduct an official admissions interview. This can help students show through a different indicator their ability to be an effective problem solver, critical thinker, etc.

What do you look for in a letter of recommendation?
The mention of our colleges name because that typically means the student spoke with the teacher/coach/director about us individually -- also reading about the students ability to overcome an adverse situation or be a leader among his or her peers

How much faith do you have in the ability of the SAT or ACT to predict success in college?
It can be a great or extremely bad indicator. That is why we have our test-optional policy. Math & Science scores stick out if a student is looking for a career in the health field; low reading scores can also raise a red flag.

Suppose an applicant has little or no experience relevant to your program, but has significant experience in other fields.  What can that applicant do to distinguish himself or herself as a good candidate for your program?

Candidates who we feel are "on the bubble" or just can't get a good "read" on can typically strengthen their case by visiting campus and meeting with a counselor one-on-one. This typically is one of the most influential factors for a student during the application process.

Thank you to Mike Pettis for participating in the Admissions Spotlight Series.  Mr. Pettis is an Admissions Counselor at Augustana College in Davenport, IA.  In this interview he give us a behind-the-scenes look at the undergraduate admissions process.
 
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This interview was conducted by Joseph Fernandez, a New York Tutor with Parliament Tutors.  Joseph specializes in SAT Tutoring.

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