Why Public Schools ARE an Option

Hey,

Today, we have a blog from two current seniors Adam and Seth. Adam came up to me last week asking if I planned to address public schools in a blog. I told him I hoped to, but as a private school only applicant, I felt less qualified to write it. He offered to write a blog about why he chose to apply to public schools. Soon after, Seth joined Adam. They collaborated and produced a concise and thoughtful blog. I want to applaud their bravery. At Uni, applying to public schools is the choice of the minority (save U of I at Urbana-Champaign), and thus sharing that choice can be intimidating. However, a private school MIGHT not be for everyone, which they address. Let them be a lesson for your class: be respectful of each student's college process and school choices.

My College Choices: Why

[Adam]: Some Uni students may be surprised at the colleges that I decided to apply to: 3 public and 1 nearby private school. I applied to, and have now been admitted to, four schools: The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, The University of Iowa, Eastern Illinois University, and Illinois Wesleyan. Going back to junior year, when we were all starting to figure out our college lists, I can recall conversations where it was made clear to me that I was the minority by applying to mostly public institutions. I decided to apply to these universities because they all have programs I want and like, and each of them is a match for what I was looking for. The traits I was looking for in colleges were simply not present in the more famous, dare I say more elite, private schools. Here are some tips, tricks, and facts on developing your college list and finding public universities that I have found especially helpful with my search.

1) Ignore your classmates. You may run into classmates that think that some of your choices are sub-par institutions. I ran into this with EIU and what I learned is that you don’t have to share your plans, and you can just ignore them because state universities, even the ones ending in –IU each have their strengths and you shouldn’t rule them out.

2) Look everywhere and don’t rule public out. There are public schools out there that have the program you want, or close to it. I encourage you to visit a private and a public school and compare the two. You may think that you want a private school but that could change once you visit-so take those visits!

3) Don’t go for trophy. Mrs. Micele will tell you this plenty, but being a person who applied to zero ivy’s, zero schools more than 4 hours away, and 1 private school I am here to tell you that you should look at the education you will get, not the name of the school.

4) Public’s applications tend to be easier, earlier, and faster. One of the schools I applied to had zero essays, I just put in basic info and sent them transcripts and scores and I was done. I heard early and was able to start the scholarship process very early. Before winter break, I already had all decisions and scholarship offers from 2 universities.

5) Research- State universities, especially UIUC, have plenty of grant funded research projects that students can get involved in.

6) Name Recognition for employment. Yes, I said ignore the name, but most large state universities are instantly recognized by employers, internships, etc…

7) Extracurriculars. Public schools tend to be larger, which means more students, which means more student activities and organizations.

Overall: Your college choices are yours, and finding your match should be your number one priority, but don’t leave those public schools out of the running in your preliminary search.

Soon, I will have a blog with all the PCCs adding their two cents about test taking, since it seems a lot of you are terrified :]

-Celinda <3>

Deep Breathing :D

Oh hey there Juniors,

Everyone should take a deep breath and a chill pill. You could even ask for some deep breathing exercises from Revathi, just don't’ tell her I sent you. I am getting the distinct vibe that you are all kind of freaking out about this whole college thing. (deep breath) From your Facebook posts about testing to the wide-eyed looks at the Brown Bagger about resumes, I got the impression that you’re all kind of overwhelmed. Which makes sense, Lisa has a very limited amount of time for sharing information with you, so she shares a lot at once. (Cue another deep breath) So I am going to share some truths with you, because sharing is caring, and that’s what the PCCs are for.

My Truths:

1. No need to freak out about testing. I took my first SAT in June 2010 and my last one November 2010, as long as you’re not applying EA or ED anywhere, you’re got a lot of time to prepare.

2. This one is a secret, that has been kept for generation after generation of high school seniors and juniors. These standardized tests don’t matter all that much in the long run, they are merely one portion of what colleges will be looking at when they read your application. (deep breath)

3. I had my first meeting with Lisa about college in the middle of June. I had no idea where I wanted to apply at that point, and I didn’t until around October of senior year. That may seem really late to some of you but it’s all about feeling stuff out, it’s a learning process, not just about the colleges you’re looking at, but yourself.

4. Some of you may be hyper-proactive about taking tests, and finding schools you want to apply to, and essay writing. That is wonderful and admirable, but will be an effort unattainable by most of you. You may have a friend who finishes all their essays over the summer, you do not need to be them. Take the time you need. (deep breath).

5. You will not get into Yale, Harvard, Stanford, and Princeton etc if you only apply for the name. You may get into one of those schools, you may get into none, the name doesn’t mean everything. Not getting into these schools is not the end of the world.

6. Your dream school may be super disgustingly expensive. Don’t let that discourage you. You are smart, you are resourceful. If you really belong there, you will find a way. You could do what I did. Apply to schools you love, don’t even look at how much money they cost. Don’t rule out a school just because of money.

7. You will not fail at life, I promise. (deep breath)

I hope these truths help settle your mind some, and make you take a look at the big picture. Deep breaths guys, it’s an distance event, not a sprint.

Your PCC,
Ashley

College Diary: Entry 1

Hey there Juniors :]

Today, I don't have a college related letter for you. Today, I'm going to start another series that I will intersperse amongst the letter ones. This series will focus more on reflecting my own personal college process, the ups and downs of it. I shall begin with summertime.

Last summer, I was revved. I had this college stuff down. It was June, and I was thinking in my naive little mind of mine "Freedom! Summer! All that time to write blogs and begin applying to college!"
Hahahahahahahahahaha, Oh then-Celinda you.
Two things I didn't get last summer: a damn good tan and a good start on applying. In fact, right before I truly began, I screwed myself up. Ah yes, confession time.
So, to begin, it wasn't really my fault. Actually. It was. I decided to sign up for the Common App and do all the prelim stuff. It made sense, I mean, what was I going to do with my time? (sarcasm). Well, I accidentally signed up as an applicant entering the fall of 2010.
That in itself isn't that sad. However, what is sad was me, frantically emailing Lisa like ten times, freaking out, imagining I had screwed over my ENTIRE college prospects. Yeah...shining moment it was not. I did end up just emailing Common App. They told me to wait, they get rid of all the previous applications to begin the server afresh in August. So, I waited for August.

Whilst I was waiting, I began writing blogs. You can look at my old summer stuff, NOT the best, but hey, it was new.

In August, I began PCC work. FUN STUFF I tell you. I love my fellow PCCs. We ate a lot, had some really deep conversations, and oh yeah, did stuff to get ready for the juniors. We baked cookies. I have a joke for yah: how many PCCs does it take to put an icing "S" on a cookie? You'd be surprised.

Summer came to an end, and soon I will write about the fast, furious fall (alliteration ftw??). In the meantime, I have some exciting blogs coming your way. We are back to the beginning of our PCC contributors, so Ashley will be blogging soon. Adam (and probably Seth) is going to write a blog about why he (they) chose to apply to public schools. I have some more letter stuff coming your way.

Anyway, talk to you soon!
Celinda

I is for Ivy Leagues

At Uni, Ivy Leagues divide the school into two camps. The first hate everything about them: they're elite, they're impossible to get into, they're for rich kids, people who go there are miserable. The second obsess over them: to them, it's Ivy Leagues or no future. Today, I want to take a stand and say BOTH mentalities are unhealthy for Uni kids. We know better than to look at anything as black and white. The world is painted with shades of gray, including the Ivy Leagues.

The "Original" Ivy League schools are consisted of:
Harvard University, Brown University, Yale University, Princeton University, Dartmouth University, Cornell University, University of Pennsylvania, and Columbia University.

Everyone knows those schools I just listed. It's easy to accuse those schools for pumping themselves up, but there are actually a multitude of reasons why those schools are famous:
1) They are OLD. Seven of the eight schools were founded during the colonial period of the United States. Yep, we're talking 1776, signing of the declaration here and all. So, unlike other schools, the Ivy Leagues have a very long and distinguished history, as well as time to create strong programs with exceptional teaching modules.
2) Because the schools are now well-oiled machines in the way, they attract some of the best professors and researchers.
3)Because they have been here for so long, they are entrenched into the American system. Potential employers will instantly recognize those schools as great institutions and thus feed the cycle.

Now, I want to take a moment and say that not all old things are great, there are great teachers/researchers at other schools, and employers don't hire exclusively Ivy League (most of America would be unemployed if that was true). Again, shades of gray.

A big misconception about the Ivy Leagues is that those schools are for rich kids. Aka, the common person can't afford to go. However, going to an Ivy League school can be cost effective. For example...
Princeton covers 100% of every student's demonstrated need. In 2001, they implemented a no-loan policy.
If your family's income is under $60,000, at Princeton their average grant is $48,600--that covers all of tuition, room, and board. All of it.
If your family makes between $120,000-140,000, the average grant is $34,700--that covers 95% of tuition.
So, these schools actually offer amazing aid. Many low income and middle class students are filling up the classes at these schools because of how much money an average student can get in financial aid.

Again, we want to keep these schools in perspective. The positives (financial aid, great opportunities, amazing education) are great, but there are negatives as well.

What does Harvard, Princeton, and Yale have in common besides being Ivy League? Their acceptance rates are all under 10%. So we begin exploring the issues of the Ivy League schools.

All of these schools are famous for stingy acceptance rates. Part of the problem is the number of applicants. For example, at Yale last year, 25, 869 students applied for the freshman class. 1, 334 were accepted. These acceptance rates are low because so may kids apply, and there is only so many spots. The results however, are thousands of students, staring down at impossibly thin envelopes, knowing they didn't get in. For some, this is crushing. The two main reasons for this are:
1) All rejection sucks. Because of the low acceptance rates, you can be like my friend Wally http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,969889-1,00.html and get six rejections, all from the Ivies. This can batter at your confidence
2) For some families, getting into an Ivy is a sign of success, a badge of honor. Most Uni parents like to brag about what their child has accomplished. Getting into an Ivy League is an ultimate brag for some parents, because the names will be instantly recognized and oohed over. Not getting is like failing at any hope for success.

Some kids, especially Uni kids, pin all their hopes on Ivy Leagues. It has been hard, watching friends pin their hopes on these schools, only to see them get waitlisted or even denied. I don't believe Uni kids will, or should, give up on applying to the Ivy Leagues. For example, four kids in the class of 2010 went to Princeton. Two went to Cornell. Uni students do get into Ivies, just not all of them, always.

If you decide to apply to an Ivy League school (or multiple) keep these tips in mind:
1) Don't apply to only Ivy League schools. There are plenty of schools in the nation where you can get an Ivy-level education with higher acceptance rates. Besides, you don't want to go 0 for 8 (worst case scenario) and have to deal with not getting anywhere
2) As you apply, think about YOUR strengths and weaknesses, what YOU like to learn, what volunteerism YOU have done, etc. Remember all the wonderful things about you as you work on the applications, thus allowing your best self to shine.
3) Figure out why you want to apply to an Ivy League school. If it's because it's an Ivy League, then you shouldn't be applying to the school. No matter WHERE you apply, you have to know why you want to go. Why would you be happy at Yale? There are a lot of great things about Yale, but if you don't know about them, then what's the use of applying? Ivy League doesn't automatically equal success or happiness.

I only have control over my own feelings and self. There will still be students applying to Ivy Leagues because their parents expect nothing less. There will still be students who apply because they expect nothing less. There will still be students who scoff at the Ivy Leagues for being elite crap. However, I hope this blog gives some of you perspective. Some people go to Ivy Leagues and hate it. Some go and love it. The difference lies in the individual students and the things they need and want to be happy.

Good luck with those Ivies, if you're interested!
Celinda :]

You Know It’s Gonna Be Alright...

[Blogger note: Ever-wise Stef here to put things in perspective. How timely too, since tomorow I'll be blogging about the Ivy Leagues. I would print many copies of this blog out and cover my ceiling/locker with it :) ]

Dear Juniors,

College. Call-ledge. Kolej. C-O-L-L-E-G-E. However you say it, it’s a fact. It’s this big, daunting idea that everyone tells you is really important- and it is- but I would like to give you some information that some of you will like, some of you will hate, and some of you probably already understand:

COLLEGE ISN’T EVERYTHING.

As a Peer College Counselor, I’m supposed to be telling you how to get into college, which I am more than happy to do whenever you need me to; however, as a Peer College Counselor, I will also advise you not to forget that you’re still a teenager. You still have a year left in high school, and a lot can happen in that amount of time; second semester senior year is way too late to start enjoying high school.

Yes, there are things you should do as a junior to make the college process easier: Do as much testing as you can; keep your grades up; if you’re looking to competitive schools, plan your senior schedule around the four core classes (history, math, english, science); visit brown baggers, do research, ask questions. But remember that you have time. Take it easy! Go to parties and dances, listen to music, hang out with friends.

Before you (or your parents...) start screaming at me, understand that I’m not saying that you should nurture your early-onset Senioritis. I’m saying packing your schedule down to the minute with college-related activities is going to make you crazy, and it’s going to make you hate everything about college (if you don’t already). Leave some time in your crazy schedule, between homework, studying for the SAT, writing scholarship essays, and college research, for “chill time”. When you look back on your last two years of high school, you’d probably like to remember that you actually had fun and did more than think about college.

I’m repeating this message because it’s something I really want to drive home. Maybe none of you will listen at all- you’ve seen sibling go through this process before, or your parents are guiding you every step of the way, and you haven’t had a single problem up to this point. But for those of you who have no idea what you’re doing, or are feeling completely overwhelmed by this whole process, or those of you who, like me, have the occasional pre-bedtime “I’m-never-going-to-get-into-college” freakouts, I’m telling you from experience: College isn’t everything.

You know it’s gonna be alright. Keep calm and carry on. Have a great junior year.

Cheers,
Stefanie

H is for Housing!

Hey all, just a quick blog on housing (I mean really quick).

Most colleges will require their students to live in a dorm their first year. In fact, most kids are going to be in two-person dorms for that Freshman year. However, there is more than just the two person dorm situation, so I want to over those other options.

Single-person: I for one would hate living alone, but some people are more of the loner type. Keep in mind however, these types of rooms are rare for first year students.

Single-sex: There are three ways the genders are going to be housed--in separate buildings, on separate floors, or it doesn't matter. Those of the third category will have guys and girls on the same floor. Sometimes a college will have a mixture of all three.

Suites: These tend to be for upperclassmen. These are sort of like mini-apartments (usually just two to four rooms attached to a common room). Again, don't count on these for your first, or even second year.

Special Interest: These are houses surrounded by a common interest. These interests include, but aren't limited to: race (Latino/Latina, African-American, Asian, etc.), major, honors, cultural, career, etc. [These are also known as Living-Learning communities]

Apartments: Some colleges own and rent out apartments on campus. Other kids just move off campus when they are allowed to do so.

Some colleges require you to live on campus all four years, while others only require the first two, or even just the first year. Some colleges won't guarantee housing all four years, while others will. Keep this in mind as you begin building a college list.

The Deal With Greek Life:
[Like everything else about the college process, there are pros and cons to each and every thing. I am here to provide information, and will neither advocate nor oppose Greek Life. That's for you to decide.]

Greek life refers to Sorority/Fraternity housing, and began in 1776 at William and Mary. Their purpose is twofold: one, be a social organization for undergraduate students and two, philanthropy. Many Sor/Fra have made a huge difference, supporting such causes as MDA, Make-A-Wish, etc. There are also religious, racial, and cultural housing (such as Jewish, African Americans, etc).
Some, but not all of them require initiation of sorts. When, I visited Vanderbilt, my student buddy explained to me the school's sorority system. It's basically a week of courting, fun activities, and sugar. At the end of the week, a girl turns in a card with her top choices and if the house and the girl matches, voila! welcome to the house.
...
A little different from the terror filled picture of hazing. However, I do want to make it clear that hazing does happen at some schools/houses. Keep in mind that hazing is illegal in 44 states. Always stay vigilant. If a group is pushing you into something you find illegal, unsafe, or against your limits, walk away from that house. Hazing is inappropriate and stupid. Not all schools/houses will do hazing though, so keep an open mind when it comes to Greek life.

If you choose to pursue Greek life, be careful with alcohol consumption. Frats and Sororities often have parties, and some will involve alcohol. That itself really isn't a big deal. Often, the officers of the house will be of a legal drinking age. Again, I am not here to either advocate or oppose drinking, that's a personal choice. Most of us will have at least one drink in college. The difference lies in the person. Getting drunk all the time, not securing a way home, being promiscuous while under the influence, all of those things can lead to serious repercussions, so be smart.
I want to stress that several Uni grads each year decide to be a part of the Greek system. They are happy in it, successful in school, and make the right choices. So don't avoid Greek Life if you are afraid of judgment from your peers.
Below are links to read if you are considering Greek life:
http://www.suite101.com/content/college-student-alcohol-safety-a46078
http://www.collegetips.com/greek-life/
http://www.ultimate-college-experience.com/college-greek-life/

Anyway, keep posted, we have some exciting blogs coming your way, including a blog from Stef, a blog about Ivy Leagues, and more!

Ciao,
Celinda :]