Guest Post: Bad Wisdom

By Brittany MaschalMay 11, 2017

Guest post by YouSchool’s Scott Schimmel

Yesterday, I had the opportunity to speak to about one hundred accounting students at the University of San Diego and lead them through interactive exercises to explore their inner lives to find clarity about their future. For an hour we talked about getting clear about what they believe in, finding a mission to pursue with their lives, and getting a vision for they kind of person they want to become. The main message for them was that now is a crucial time for them to get clear about who they are and where they’re going in life.

A professor in his mid-fifties sat in during the workshop and walked with me for a few minutes as we wrapped up. He joked that while I was speaking, he turned to a student and said, “Hey, don’t feel pressure to have everything figured out at your age; I’m still figuring life out, too!”

He was letting me know in a passive-aggressive way that he disagrees with the YouSchool’s primary premise: that young people can get clear about important things in their lives. Just because most older people are still figuring their lives out (or given up trying) doesn’t mean that young people should follow their example!

Here’s the point: young people can find clarity for a lot of important aspects of their lives.

They can get clear about who they want to grow up to be, they can get clear about what matters most to them, they can get clear about the kinds of relationships they want to build, they can get clear about what their strengths and interests are, and they can get clear about the life trajectory they are on. They can get clear about foundational things in their lives, which will lead to much more informed decision making.

Getting clear matters, because our lives matter. The choices young people are forced to make impact their future work, family, character, and the mark they leave on the world.

Let’s all collectively stop encouraging young people to figure life out later, and give them appropriate anxiety about the importance of getting clear now. Good wisdom will lead young people to take responsibility for the direction of their lives and guide them down a path to get to clarity.

There is a process to getting clear. It involves finding the time and space to commit to guided self-reflection, interactive conversations with peers and life advisors, and a trusted guide for the entire process.

The first step is to decide that you want to get clear. 

To learn more about the YouSchool check them online, or contact Cheif Guide Scott Schimmel directly!

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Tutorial: Completing the Family Section of the Common Application

By Brittany MaschalMay 08, 2017

https://vimeo.com/210193589

 

This is the second video by Brittany Maschal Consulting in a series of tutorials on the Common Application! In it, I walk watchers through filling out the Family section of the Common Application. If you have specific questions, feel free to shoot me an email or reach out via the link at the end of the video. I also suggest joining our new Facebook group, Conquer the Common Application. We hope this group becomes a place where students, parents, and counselors can ask questions, share advice, and ultimately, get filling out the Common App right. Not everyone’s Family section will look the same, but it can be nice to see a sample. If you join the group, you can also access a PDF of a fully completed Family section.

Please share this post with students or that helps students fill out the Common Application. Enjoy!

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High School Counselor Training

By Brittany MaschalMay 05, 2017

When my high school counselor informed me that I might not be cut out for a four-year college or university, I was not only crushed but also confused. I grew up in a household with two college educated parents, and in what I look back now on as a very “college-going” culture, so why didn’t my counselor at school believe in me the same way my parents did?

The truth is, it was probably because of my not-so-stellar (but not horrible, geez!) grades, and my less than perfect disciplinary record (I was a free spirit, what can I say…). But what I know now, and what I sensed then, was imperfections and all, there was a four-year college for me!

Interestingly, I was accepted to a few different four-year schools, all of which were considered selective institutions. I ended up attending the University of Vermont, graduated in three years, and then headed to the University of Pennsylvania for graduate study. I earned my master’s degree and then my doctoral degree in higher education, and focused my dissertation on exploring how high schools create college-going cultures. During the same time, I spent approximately seven years working in admissions and student services before transitioning to my current role as an independent educational consultant. Today, I help students—those with good grades, bad grades, arrests and angelic records—determine their academic interests and goals, and the postsecondary path that is the best fit.

What I also know now is that many American high school guidance counselors are not provided in-depth training on the college search and application process in graduate school. A 2012 Harvard report stated, “Although graduate course work varies by state…specific course work in higher education or college counseling is rarely required if even offered.” My guess is this was most likely the case with my high school counselor.

Once in the role, training does not become more readily available if offered at all. High school counselors are often left to their own devices, with few opportunities for professional development, to master what is a very broad base of knowledge. A qualitative study by Savitz-Romer in 2012, found that school-based in-service focuses almost exclusively on instructional topics, providing little relevance to school counselors, and as a result, most school counselors rely on outside professional development opportunities—or worse—they do not attend at all. When you begin to factor in the nuances of standardized testing, financial aid, school choice, application plans, and how Ivy League and other selective school’s admissions really work, it is clear it’s a whole other area of expertise that needs to be developed to guide students through what has become an increasingly confusing and competitive process.

I see IEC’s and high school guidance counselors as partners in the process, and feel strongly we are all on the same team and have the same goals in mind: to best serve our students and support them on their pathway to postsecondary education, whether its technical school, community college, the Ivy League or somewhere in between. Today, I am motivated to help school counselors better understand the college admissions landscape, and best support their students. I’ve developed training modules on selective college admissions, the Common Application, testing timelines, resume/activity sheet creation, and a general crash course for new counselors on all things applying to college. I’m confident IEC’s can benefit from learning about what goes on inside high school counseling offices, and by increasing knowledge sharing, we all seek to improve our ability to serve students.

I’d love to connect with high school counselors who want to learn more about college counseling, and in return, are eager to share their insights with IEC’s.

 

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The LSAT: Everything You Need to Know

By Brittany MaschalMay 03, 2017

Awesome post on USA Today College by Jeff Thomas, a Kaplan LSAT Instructor. If you are considering law school, you should start to get familiar with the LSAT sooner rather than later. It is not an easy test, but with proper prep and practice (start early!!!), most students are able to hit their score goals.

WHAT TO EXPECT.

The first two sections of the LSAT are logical reasoning. Students will have 24 to 26 questions for each section and they will have 35 minutes per section. Students are presented with short one-paragraph arguments and have to answer multiple-choice questions, such as which answers strengthen the argument, weaken the argument and what the assumption is of the argument. These two sections account for 50 percent of the LSAT score so it’s important to master these skills.

The second section is the analytical reasoning section, commonly called logic games. Students will be given four mini puzzles or games. Each of these puzzles will have 5 to 7 questions that the students need to answer. They will have 35 minutes to complete this section.

Thomas said students get a little freaked out by that section, but the good news is that the logic games only make up about 23 percent of the LSAT score. More good news: Thomas said it’s the section he sees students have the greatest improvements on through the studying process.

The last scored section is reading comprehension. Thomas said this section is similar to what students have encountered on the ACT or SAT. According to Thomas, many students are overconfident in their reading comprehension abilities. He said this was the section they struggled improving on the most because they often have to change the approach of how they read and answer these questions. Students will be tested on their ability to decipher different arguments, points of view and the use of evidence. Students will be given four long passages around 500 words each and they will have to answer 5 to 8 questions on each passage. As with other sections, they will have 35 minutes to finish. Reading comprehension accounts for 27 percent of the LSAT score.

Last, there is an unscored essay where students will choose between one or two alternatives and defend their position with some evidence that’s provided by the facts of a case, Thomas said. This essay is included in every law school application to get a sense of how well a student can write. With that said, Thomas believes it is pretty insignificant. This essay is mainly just a chance for students to showcase their writing abilities.

Unlike the other graduate school exams, the LSAT is offered fairly infrequently. Students can only take the test four times a year — in June, early fall (late September to early October), December and February. Law schools work on a rolling admissions process where they start accepting and reviewing applications in the early fall and they continue to do this until late spring to fill the next year’s class. So basically it’s first come, first served, which is why Thomas advises students to take the test early on in June. This puts students ahead of a lot of their competition because most wait to take the LSAT in fall.

Besides studying and taking practice exams for 100-plus hours over two to three months, students can improve their scores in a variety of ways. Thomas tells students it’s a good idea to take undergraduate classes in philosophy so they can improve their logical thinking skills.

Also, while taking the LSAT, students should never leave a question unanswered because guessing incorrectly won’t hurt your score any more than if you had just left it blank.

Thanks, USA Today College!

Need help with LSAT prep? Contact us!

 

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Tutorial: Completing the Profile Section of the Common Application

By Brittany MaschalMay 01, 2017

This is the first video by Brittany Maschal Consulting in a series of Common Application tutorials, and it features me (okay…really just my voice)! In it, I walk watchers through filling out the Profile section of the Common Application. If you have specific questions, feel free to shoot me an email or reach out via the link at the end of the video. I also suggest joining our new Facebook group, Conquer the Common Application. We hope this group becomes a place where students, parents, and counselors can ask questions, share advice, and ultimately, get filling out the Common App right. Not everyone’s Profile section will look the same, but it can be nice to see a sample. If you join the group, you can also access a PDF of a fully completed Profile section.

Please share this post with students or that helps students fill out the Common Application. Enjoy!

 

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Guest Post: Positive Emotions

By Brittany MaschalApr 26, 2017

Guest post by Dr. Delvina Miremadi-Baldino

Positivity is something we could all use more of these days. With the daily exposure to stress, disease, violence, conflict, and divide we often find ourselves battling against negativity trying to prevent it from taking hold of our thoughts, emotions, and behaviors.

Countless times over the last few months I have found myself in inner turmoil over what I have seen in the media and on social media, reminding myself to shut if off, disconnect and regroup.  But here’s the thing, limiting the negative is only half the battle. Yes, it is important to know our own boundaries and know when the negativity is too much. But beyond that, we must also go one step further and intentionally insert more positivity to help balance out our experience.

According to Dr. Barbara Fredrickson, experiencing positive emotions (i.e. awe, interest, gratitude, amusement, etc.) broadens our minds and builds our resourcefulness enabling us to become more resilient in the face of adversity. Based on years of research, Dr. Fredrikson has found that if we want more positivity in our lives we must understand and act on our 3:1 positivity ratio. In fact, to maximize our potential and truly flourish in this life we don’t need to eliminate negative emotions. Instead, we need to experience positive emotions in a 3-to-1 ratio to negative emotions to help balance out our experiences. Pretty cool, right?

Check out your positivity ratio.

Do you need to boost your positive emotion ratio?  Try this:

1.Keep track of your current positive ratio and record it for a week.  Each day, reflect on the events of that day and how it might have affected your ratio.

2.Make a list of positive emotions that are meaningful to you (i.e. inspiration, pride, interest, joy…).

3. Now, for each positive emotion, write down ways in which you have experienced this emotion. Be as detailed as possible.

4. It’s time for action!  Pick one positive emotion and intentionally incorporate ways to elicit that emotion for a week. What have you done in the past to create this emotion? What are some other things you can do to make you feel this way? Each week, pick a new emotion and do the same.

Resources

Website: Positivity Ratio.Discover the power of the 3-to-1 Ratio with Dr. Barbara Fredrickson

Website: Action for Happiness. Boost Your Positivity Ratio

Book: Positivity. Discover the Groundbreaking Science to Release Your Inner Optimist and Thrive

Please visit my website Realize Your Resilience, or connect with me here to set up a free call to discuss your needs and how I might best support you and your family. 

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Reflections on taking a gap year

By Brittany MaschalApr 24, 2017

 

New York Times readers who’ve taken a year off from their education, what many now call a gap year, were asked what they learned and what tips they have for those who are considering the same. Some of the responses included in this Education Life article were edited for length and clarity, and I’m posting some below. I do not think a gap year is right for everyone, but students who it is right for know how to conceptualize the time, outline their goals for it, plan it (for the most part) themselves, and have indicated a way to measure their success. Gap years are not years off. In fact, they are very much the opposite. Here’s what some gap-year-takers had to say about it:

By taking a gap year, you are making the brave decision to slow down. I deferred my admission to Claremont McKenna College for a year. I made a few plans, but ultimately left my gap year full of gaps. I worked as a salesperson. I took a class at a community college. I road-tripped with my best friend. The one thing I scheduled was a three-month-long trip to the South Pacific, a gift from my parents that I combined with some of the money I made in the fall.

For my gap year I lived with my parents and siblings. I worked a variety of jobs: for a land surveyor, nights at a convenience store and as an inventory checker. I hated them all, but they got me out of the house and put some money in my pocket. I felt lost. My friends were gone and I didn’t fit in with my family dynamic. The highlights of my months were my military service weekends. I made close connections with my fellow soldiers and looked forward to the challenges and camaraderie of our training time. Recognize that the gap year is a time of transition. When you feel alone and like your life is stuck while your friends are away on their own adventures, remember you are experiencing a challenge few accept. You will learn more about yourself during your gap year than most of your friends will learn during their first year of college. In addition, you’ll develop skills that will serve you in life: resilience, self-reliance, courage and patience. Your gap year will be the furnace that will temper your steely resolve to achieve when you arrive at college.

I decided a gap year would be the best choice for me because I felt exhausted after going through high school. Even though I come from a low-income family, there are programs like Global Citizen Year that provide scholarships for students of all backgrounds. (I paid $5,000 through outside scholarships and my own fund-raising.) Though there are many struggles at times with limited resources to take care of mental and physical health, the experience over all has been very meaningful. I am learning three languages here: French, Pulaar and Malinke. I even decided on what I want to study in college: linguistics. For work, I teach English at the local high school two days a week, and on the other days I work at my host family’s community garden. Since my host father works for the Peace Corps and Trees for the Future, I get to learn a lot about sustainability and foreign aid. Mostly, the trip is worthwhile because I got to meet my host family, who have guided me through Senegalese life as a Vietnamese kid who doesn’t know a lot about what he’s doing.

My experience with a gap year was not without its challenges. I went to northern Thailand, taught in a rural school and did community work with a monastery. The school, community and people were amazing. It was the other students in the gap year program that made it especially challenging. The majority of the people I was with picked Thailand so they could party. My weekends became party central, which was not what I signed up for. But all in all, I learned much more than I would in first-year university, about myself, rural education, public health and other cultures. I was forced out of my comfort zone on multiple occasions, and it served me well in the long run. I recommend doing your research. I fell for the company with the great promotional videos and website, and I paid for that, and my experience wasn’t as great, as far as gap years go.

If you are considering a gap year, we can help walk you through planning considerations. Feel free to reach out to us!

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Class of 2021 Waitlist Admit Rates & Notification Dates

By Brittany MaschalApr 19, 2017

More on the waitlist, this time admit rates and notification dates, from the best college admissions data source out there, College Kickstart. The landscape doesn’t look that much different than last year. How the waitlist plays out always depends a lot on yield, so how many students a school said yes to actually put down a deposit and say they are going to show up in the fall. Some schools do a much better job of this than others. These schools have a high yield, and will not go very deep if onto the waitlist at all. The schools that have not done a good job at predicting yield will head to the waitlist to fill seats as needed. Unfortunately, students can hang out on the waitlist well into the summer, which drags out a process that for most should be finished on or around May 1. For all the waitlisted students out there, we feel your pain, but there are some things you can do to keep yourself busy. Check out our post on what to do if you are waitlisted.

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Key Innovations for 2017-2018 Common Application

By Brittany MaschalApr 17, 2017

There are some changes on the horizon for the Common App! Many of the changes for next year’s application stem from feedback the CA received from admissions offices, high schools, and CBO counselors.

This release was a bit light on information regarding how the changes will be rolled out, for example, what is a limited release? Word on the street is some colleges will be using the courses and grades feature on a trial basis, but those schools are unknown at this time. I am very curious what schools will integrate these changes or integrate them on a trial basis, when some of the changes will take place, etc. Seems like it could be confusing for students, parents, counselors, and others who helps students with their apps. I will be updating this post and re-posting once more information is released, quite possbily in May and June.

Google Drive Integration: Students will now be able to easily access and upload documents, resumes, and school assignments while completing the Common App, and the college-specific sections of the application. We know that many school districts have adopted Google Docs and Google Drive to enable their students and teachers to create, collaborate, and access shared documents from any internet connected device. We also recognize that some students do not always have personal computers at home but use Google Drive on school or library computers to store their documents. We want to meet students where they are. By using the systems that they are already using, we are making the process more accessible for students.

CBO, Advising, and Recommender Enhancements: Students receiving support from advising and community-based organizations will be able to work with those counselors just as they work with their school-based counselors and teachers within the application. These individuals will then be able to manage their caseloads and view student progress within the Common App system. Also, any student who wishes to do so will be able to share a view of their in-progress application with their school counselor, CBO counselor, or other advisors.

Courses & Grades: Many students are required to submit self-reported high school academic records when applying to some colleges and universities. With Courses & Grades, students will be able to fill out their self-reported transcript information as part of their Common Application. By integrating the Courses & Grades section into the Common App, those students who are already sending this information will be able to complete and submit it with their Common App, making the process of self-reporting transcripts more standardized and streamlined for students, counselors, and colleges.

Courses & Grades was developed from the feedback of member institutions, high school students, and counselors. The Common Application hosted a series of student and counselor focus groups with beta testing to determine how to make the self-reported transcript process accessible and efficient. Courses & Grades will launch in limited release on August 1, 2017.

Sorry for the blurry pic, but this is the one that was provided on the CA site:

Spanish Language Resources: Key information for using the Common App will be translated so that students, parents and other family members who speak Spanish as their first language can better understand the college admission process, including applying for financial aid and receiving virtual mentoring. This new tool will also benefit counselors who will be working with these families and will need Common App materials in Spanish.

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Ivy League Admit Rates Are Insane. Look Elsewhere

By Brittany MaschalApr 13, 2017

Early applications increase across Ivy League…

Class of 2021 Shattering Ivy League admissions records….

Headlines like these are frequent as of late following what have been increasingly low admit rates the past few years.

This year was tough, and sadly, I do not see the admit rates for the top 10-15, even 20 or so colleges and universities in the US getting any higher. The Common App has made it too easy to apply to 20 schools (I love you Common App, but…it’s true), and too many students make misinformed decisions when developing their application strategy (this is where I come in and try to help). There are lots of other problems with the system, too; it is definitely broken.

I do not have a catch-all solution. Less legacy and other preferential admissions policies, and more transparency by colleges and universities could be a start, but this seems unlikely short-term. One thing I do feel strongly about that I think students and parents have control over is their laser focus on the Ivy League and other uber selective schools (schools with admit rates under 20%). It is time to start looking at the many other colleges and universities that offer similar experiences. It is time to get over whatever it is that makes these select few schools so appealing (brand, prestige, etc.) and see them for what they really are: schools that are like many others.

This process ends up being demoralizing for many students—but it doesn’t have to be.

Students and families can start by being realistic about this process early on. Look at the admit rates and internalize what these numbers mean. Be honest about your odds of admission to these schools if they are on your initial list. Even with perfect grades and a tight narrative, any school with an admit rate under 20% is very hard to get into. Any school with an admit rate under 10% is nearly impossible to get into.

Think deeply about why you want to go to college and what you want from your college experience. Is what you want only available at the top 10, 20, or even 50 schools in the country according to US News? I highly doubt it. If you are stuck on brand, image, and prestige, call yourself out and move on! It matters far more what you do in college and the type of person you become than where you go.

 

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