The importance of taking Advanced Placement Classes in High School

Some parents and students can sometimes be a little intimidated about having a high school student take college classes. An important consideration for taking an advanced placement (AP) class is how it can prepare you for college. Taking an AP class in high school will be college level, hard work and time intensive (sounds like college right?) But it has a lot less ramification if the student couldn't handle it as well.

 

Another thing to keep in mind is advanced classes can help students to be better prepared for the ACT test.  

 

Students should meet their counselor to talk about AP being a good fit for the student.  Keep in mind that most colleges will accept 4 and 5 scores for college credit. 

School Breakfast for Hungry Students in Illinois

The state of Illinois launched a campaign to reduce the number of kids going to school without breakfast.  Research shows kids going without breakfast do worse in school than kids who have a regular breakfast.  The campaign is called Rise and Shine Illinois.  You can find out more about free breakfast for needy kids at http://riseandshineillinois.org/

How To Write A Killer Thesis Statement

One of the most important things you will be doing in high school and college is writing.  Here is a video by Schmoop on how to write a thesis statement.

Financial Aid for a Study Abroad Program

Adventure is the best way to learn!

WHAT TYPES OF FINANCIAL AID ARE AVAILABLE?

Federal and state governments, foundations, private and public organizations are primary sources of financial aid. Be sure to check with your financial aid office, study abroad office or bursar’s office about whether your financial aid can apply to study abroad. Note the following types of financial aid:

Grants and scholarships

• Federal Pell Grant is awarded to exceptionally needy undergraduate students. Part-time enrollment reduces eligibility. 
• Federal Supplemental Educational Grant (SEOG) is awarded to exceptionally needy undergraduate students. Must be enrolled at least half-time.
• Benjamin A. Gilman Scholarship Program is sponsored by the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs at the U.S. Department of State and is administered by the Institute of International Education (IIE).  This scholarship program is only open to undergraduate Federal Pell Grant recipients who intend to study abroad for a semester, summer or year-long program.
• The National Security Education Program (NSEP) and the Fulbright Program funded by the Federal government have grants and fellowships for undergraduate and graduate students for study and research overseas. Students should be aware that government organizations in other countries such as the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) offer funding opportunities.
• Foreign Language & Area Studies (FLAS) Fellowship program funded by the U.S. Department of Education provides study abroad funding to undergraduate and graduate students who are pursuing foreign language and area studies.  The Critical Language Scholarship Program, a program of the U.S. Department of State, Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, funds intensive summer language institutes in thirteen critical foreign languages. 

What should you do before you start your junior year in high school?

The summer before you become a junior in high school will be important.  The summer after your junior year will be filled with visiting colleges, preapring for standardized tests and working on college applications.  So being productive the summer before becoming a junior will help you aviod a lot of stress.

Take a Year Off Before Going to College - Gap Year

Taking time off before you start going to college is becoming more common among high school graduates.  It is more common among European students than students from the United States.  

Students who take time off are living abroad learning a new language, doing an internship, volunteering or working in a potential career job.  There many reasons to take time off.  Here are some reasons you should consider taking a gap year:

What I wish I Knew Then What I Know Now

A lot of people ask, what do know now that you wish you would have known back when you were in High school.  I had to think about that a lot.  I am the first to admit that I made a lot of mistakes in my education career.  For one thing I did not take grade school seriously enough.  I also made every mistake possible when it came to going to college.  But now that I have accomplished a few things in my life, I think I can give some advice.

Let me start by saying what you don't need to know in high school.  You don't need to know what your career will be when you grow up or what you will do with your life.  in reality there is no hurry to decide what you will do with your life at age 16 or 18.  
 

How to Study - What Everyone Should Know

How to Study:

Probably one of the more important things to do in school is studying and taking tests.  It all starts with taking good notes.  If you take good notes you're half way there (the other half is understanding the topic). 

Every Day

1. Keep a separate notebook for each topic.  Spiral notebooks or a computer are good ways to keep things organized.  If your school allows the use of a laptop or tablet then download an app like Evernote (free) or Penultimate (my favorites) to take notes.   

2. Date each note. 

3. Buy notebooks with dividers so you can divide the subject by school quarters or subjects.

4. When you take notes do not write every word down.  Write ideas down.  New words should be carefully spelled out.  

5. Anything your teacher writes on the blackboard (some schools now use white and smart boards).  If you use Evernote you can photograph the board with your phone and insert the note into Evernote.  If your teacher took the time to write it on the board then you should write it into your notebook.

6. Try to take notes in an outline form.  It is easier to go back and reread your notes and find the important information in an outline form.  

7. If you can use a highlighter to underline important information.

How Many Years of Foreign Language do You Need to Get Into College?

 

How much foreign language do you need to take in high school to be selected by a good college? The foreign language requirement is different in each college.  Every college will list its minimum requirements.  Keep in mind that other students from other high schools will be applying with more than the minimum!  So the more the more years of foreign language you take in high school the better. And it is better to be really good at one language than knowing very little about many languages.

In general most colleges require two years of a foreign language in high school.  Top colleges like Standford require three years and Harvard is interested in four years of foriegn language.  Colleges that write "two or more years" are giving you a hint that you do more than two be competitive.  Besides of the importance of knowing a foreign language to get into college, knowing another language than English will help you in the future where more and more jobs require you to work with people from other parts of the world.   

You should be able to read and speak another language well.  It is important that you do not take time off from a language.  You should take foreign language in your senior year so you don't lose your ability to speak and read the language.  A good high school will offer the language for four years and have you learn the foreign language by also reading literature in that language. 

You can still get into many colleges if all you have is the minimum amount of foregin language if you have other strengths.  Some less competitive colleges don't even require a foreign language and assume you will take a language in college.  

Below is a chart ahows the foreign language requires of several colleges:

Foreign Language Requirements for College Admissions

College	Language Requirement
Carleton	2 or more years
Georgia Tech	2 years
Harvard	4 years recommended
MIT	2 years
Stanford	3 or more years
UCLA	2 years required; 3 recommended
Univ. of Illinois	2 years
Univ. of Michigan	2 years required; 4 recommended
Williams	3 years required; 4 recommended

Writing a College Entrance Essay

I am not going to kid you, writing well is hard.  

It is hard to write a college entrance essay well is not easy.  Sometimes you don't even know who will be reading your essay.  Does the reader have a sense of humor or should you write a serious essay with a lot of fancy words?  It is also hard because often essays have word count limits.  As much as you want to write your life story, you only have 500 words to write everything you need to write to convince the committee to select you.  

But writing well is important.  It is not only important when you write your college entrance essay, it will be important all your adult life.  People who write well get paid better, are able to explain themselves better.  

So reviewing high school grammar lessons would be a good use of your time.  Hopefully you are starting to write your essay well in advance of the deadline.  Writing the essay the night before it is due is a very bad idea.  Strunk and White's Elements of Style is a good choice.  It is written in plain English and it is a thin book. 

Here is a short list of key points about writing:

1. Never use a metaphor, simile, or other figure of speech which you are used to seeing in print.
2. Never use a long word where a short one will do.
3. If it is possible to cut a word out, always cut it out.
4. Never use the passive where you can use the active.
5. Never use a foreign phrase, a scientific word, or a jargon word if you can think of an everyday English equivalent.
6. Break any of these rules sooner than say anything outright barbarous.

Another thing about writing an essay for college is don't be boring, melodramatic, hard to read or impersonal.  One of the biggest mistakes you can make is try to follow the example of essays on the Internet that use big fancy words that don't tell anything interesting about yourself.  The writer that follows the examples of the sample essays on the Internet sound like robots, writing the same story that a million other high school students have written.  Nothing new, interesting or unique.  And do yourself a favor, do not use buzzwords or fancy words.  

You are unique. No one else has had your life or experiences.  The trick is being courageous and write an honest essay about you and why you want to go to that college and in that program.  Use your own voice when you write.

Chicago Selective Enrollment High Schools

October is the month that starts the Chicago Public School selective enrollment process. The process is very competitive, so it is ver important keep track of dates, fill out the application before the deadlines, make your school choices and have a back up plan.

What is a selective enrollment high school? 

Selective enrollment high schools are schools that are designed to meet the needs of academically advanced students. The schools offer a challenging program with mainly honors and advanced placement (AP) courses. Thousands of parents and their children apply for these schools but there are not enough seats. 

What does CPS base its decision on who gets to attend these selective enrollment high schools?     

The decision is made at the central office and they look at three key things: your student's 7th grade scores, their 7th grade standardized test scores (like the ISAT) and their selective enrollment test scores.  Your student must do well in all three areas to have a chance.  

What is the minimum 7th grade standardized test scores must my student have to be invited to take the selective enrollment test?   

In order to take the selective enrollment test your student must have a minimum of stanine 5, in both reading and math, on the student's most recent standardized test. English Language Learners or Special Education students with an existing IEP meet our minimum requirements for examination if they have a combined stanine of 10 in reading and math. All IEPs must be on file prior to the application deadline in order for students to receive testing accommodations. There are no retroactive accommodations.

How are the available seats in a school allocated?    

The first 30% of available seats at each school are filled strictly according to the student scores – also referred to as the “rank” score – the seats are filled by the top-scoring students. The remaining seats are equally distributed among four "socio-economic" tiers and are filled by the highest-scoring students in each tier. 

What are these four "socio-economic"tiers?

CPS no longer considers race as a selection factor.  Instead CPS has divided the city into four (4) tiers based on the socio-economic conditions of the city called tiers.  There are four (4) tiers.  Tier one (1) represents the poorest areas of the city.  Tier four (4) represents the most affluent areas of the city. The idea is the top students in poor neighborhoods compete against students from other poor areas to qualify to enter one of these selective enrollment high schools. The same is true for students living in areas that are less poor compete with students from the same economic level. To find out what tier you are in and a more complete explanation about tiers from CPS click here.  

Do I need a back up plan?

Yes.  Even very good students might not get selected.  You need to apply at other good quality CPS or private schools.  International Baccalaureate (IB) programs are good alternatives for motivated students.  They are just as competitive as the selective enrollment and provides a great preparation for college. 

Where can I get more information? 

Important CPS Dates: See Important Dates Link:

Selective Enrollment schools -http://www.cps.edu/Schools/High_schools/Pages/Selectiveenrollment.aspx 

Online web application for Selective Enrollment High Schools -https://apply.cps.edu/# 

International Baccalaureate (IB) Lincoln Park High School IB -http://www.cps.edu/Schools/Pages/school.aspx?id=609738  

and

http://www.lincolnparkhs.org/apps/pages/index.jsp?uREC_ID=169933&type=d&termREC_ID=&pREC_ID=349763 

NOTE: Lincoln Park has its own application forms for the Performing Arts Magnet Program and the College Prep/Double Honors/Advanced Placement Magnet Program. LPHS applications will be available October 1, 2012- -December 14, 2012. Applications for the International Baccalaureate Program will be available on line from the the CPS Office ofAccess and Enrollment.

Parent Involvement - Secret to Education Success

Parent involvement is important in your child's education no matter what level of education you may have.  Parents that are involved shows their children that education is important.  The bottom line is to remove as many obstacles from your child doing well in school. Here are some examples on how you can get involved:

At Home Basics:

• Make sure they do their homework;
• Make sure they go to sleep early every night;
• Create a routine where the entire family reads every night (link);
• Control the amount of TV and video games they play during the school week;
• Remove the TV from their bedrooms;
• Eat dinner together as a family and discuss current events; 

Homework Help:
Never do your child's homework, instead help them understand the homework assignment. Also focus on what your child is doing and learning instead of being only focused on performance.  There’s a big difference between a parent who’s focused on what the child is doing — that is, on the learning itself — and a parent who’s focused on how well the child is doing.  To ask “So, what’s your theory about why World War One started?” or “If you had written that story, would you have left the character wondering what happened, the way the author did?” represents a kind of engagement that promotes critical thinking and enthusiasm about learning.  To ask “Why only a B+ is a kind of engagement that undermines both of these things.

• Help them understand the homework;
• Get them a tutor to catch up and get ahead;

At school:
Many parents work so it is not possible to volunteer at the local school.  Parents should go to the school for meetings and get information.  No question is stupid.  Ask as many questions as you can until you understand.  Here are some examples:

• Attend parent teacher conferences;
• Pick up report cards;
• Meet with a counselor;
• Get help for your child;
• Sign up for free breakfast and lunch (must be income qualified);
• Attend workshops like "how to get into college.";
• Help your child enroll into a community college or university (especially if its your first child);

How much math is needed to get into College?

Getting into most colleges is very competitive.  Students from all over the city, the state, the country and the world are competing to get into U.S. colleges.  Unless you have a special athletic or talent, you must consider not only the required amount of high school coursework to get into college but also should consider the "recommended" as required to have a better chance to get into a college.  Some high school counselors may disagree but keep in mind unless you are a star athlete in the state or a super talented musician (for example) then you are in competition with the thousands of people wanting to get accepted.  How do you stand out?  You need to do more academically in high school not the minimum. 

    Math is one of the tough subjects but it could be easy if you plan ahead.  Get a tutor (see our article on tutors), take four years of math and get good grades.  More math education is always better than the minimum.

University*  Math Requirements** Columbia College at Chicago   TBD DePaul University  TBD MIT   Math through calculus recommended  Roosevelt University   College preparation classes in Math Smith College  3 years recommended University of Chicago  3–4 years of math University of Illinois at Chicago  Three to four years of mathematics   (including algebra, geometry, advanced algebra/trigonometry) University of Illinois at Champaign Urbana  3–4 years of math UT Austin  3 years required, 4 years recommended *We will be updating this list when more information is available **Always check with the school to make sure you have the most current math requirements.

High School freshman its time to think about college.

For most people choosing a college to attend is complicated.  It gets even more complicated if you will be the first in your family to go to college. Unfortunately most high school students wait until their senior year, often their last semester in high school to prepare and apply for college.  But what you do and don't do starting in your freshman year classes has an impact on what colleges will accept you.    

First of all, select a high school that has a college counselor and visit your counselor in your freshman year.  Many high schools if they have college counselors do not require students to visit their college counselors until their junior year.  But there is a good reason to start planning early for college.  Most good colleges have specific admissions requirements, especially in the area of math, science and language.  If you wait until your senior year to check the entrance requirements for a college your interested in, you might discover that you do not have the required courses.  For example if you only take two years of math in high school but the college you want to go to requires four years of math, there is no way you will be able to make up the classes.  So what do you do?  Work with the college counselor or someone who has graduated from college to help you pick your classes.  Look up on the internet, some of the better four year colleges in your city and find out what are the admissions requirements for that college.  

Join a club, participate in sports or volunteer in your school or community.  As early as possible in your high school career do something that shows your leadership skills, your commitment to the community or your athletic ability.  Colleges are looking for people who are more than just good students.  They are looking for leaders, people with unique experiences and talents.  You never know you might get a scholarship for your talent. 

Take the ACT or SAT in your junior year of high school.  Many colleges have minimum ACT or SAT scores to get into their school.  If you wait to take the ACT or SAT in your senior year you may not have time to retake the test.  So meet with your college counselor in your junior year to find out when and where the ACT and SAT tests will be offered.  If you do poorly look for a tutor or test preparation course that specialize in the ACT and SAT.  The money you spend on tutors or a course is an investment.  The better score you get the better financial aid you will be offered.

Check for early college application deadlines in your junior year.  Some of the better schools require high school students to apply as early as your junior year or the first few months of your senior year.  You may be able to apply later and be selected by the college but you might not qualify for some college scholarships offered by the school.  College is expensive so don't miss any opportunity to get free money to help pay for school.

As a freshman high school student you might not be ready to think about college.  But if you really want to go to a good college you need to plan ahead.  You do not need to pick a college in your first year of high school but you do need to make sure you are doing everything now like taking the right classes, preparing for the ACT and SAT early, maintaining a good grade point average, doing extra activities that show your talents and know when you have to apply for college admissions can make a big diference. Your college decision is an important one—not one that you should make at the last minute or without careful thought.