OC Family College Bound

My Favorite Summer Camps for Kids in the OC

Wed, 26 May 2010 21:12:00 GMT

Summer is almost here and I wanted to share with you some of my favorite summer opportunities in Orange County for kids that manage to find the perfect balance of fun and learning.

Ocean Institute Dana Point

The Ocean Institute at Dana Point provides week-long summer programs that allow students to explore and learn about marine life and the ocean environment. From treasure hunts to ocean exploration, I am sure there is something for every child. I have heard many wonderful things about the program and plan on sending my kids this summer!

UCI Writing Project

The UCI Writing project hosts several programs for K-11 students that offer enrichment in the areas of Math, Science, and English. There are several Orange County locations and they even have specialty classes in Theatre and Poetry.

Meet me in Beijing

What about learning Chinese through travel? Chinese Teacher, Amy Fu will guide you on a language and cultural tour of China. Ms. Fu is the Chinese teacher at Sage High School in Newport and also instructs a local Chinese Language camp in the summer.

Starr Ranch Jr. Biologists

Students age 8-14 have the opportunity to help conduct research with Scientist on a 4000-acre sanctuary near Dove Canyon.

College for Kids at Saddleback

This program was developed for kids 7-14 to allow them to take classes on a real college campus in a variety of subject. Classes range from study skills to youth aquatics, so there truly is something for everyone. Students can design their own schedule to fit their summer needs.

Are You Ready for Finals Week?

Sun, 23 May 2010 20:52:00 GMT

Just typing the word finals gives me anxiety. Its the time of year when students must cram and try to fit everything they learned over the year into a week of exams. During finals week most students are stressed and tired. There is no easy way out of finals, but you can make them bearable by having a plan and getting organized. Here are some essential tips for finals week:

1) Create a study schedule

2) Organize class materials

3) Gather class materials to make outlines for review

4) Form study groups with friends

5) Free your schedule of other commitments, so you have time to study

6) Ask for help studying if you need it from teachers, parents, or peers

7) Don’t forget to get sleep!

Best of Luck!

Coleen Bryan is a mom blogger and Ms. College Admissions. She is an independent admissions consultant serving southern Orange County with her college counseling expertise in college advising and college essay editing and worked for the University of California for over five years in admissions. Follow her on twitter or become a fan on facebook.

College Admissions and Texting

Wed, 21 Apr 2010 14:29:00 GMT

As I reflect on the students I worked with last year in college admissions, one stands out among the crowd as mature and gregarious. I do not attribute this to his activities or even his interests, but to the mere fact that he chose not to be overwhelmed by the demands of teen texting and instead had to focus on his own interests and develop his communication skills. He was not distracted and interrupted constantly by the mundane updates of when someone ate or how someone had a boring weekend. He is the only teen I have met in Orange County over the last few years who has never sent a text, instead he had time to conduct amazing scientific experiements and was accepted into his dream college.

I am a realist and know that he is in the small minority that choose not to text and recent studies show that teens prefer texting to talking, but I feel that texting limits the attention span and communication skills of teens. Complex and mature thoughts go over the 140 character limit of tweets and texts. Texting has become the communication tools of choice for this generation.

Teens r gunA txt, bt I tnk dat we ll av d responsibilty 2 Rmind em dat der r oder fings dat dey nd n cn do W their tym (Teens are going to text, but I think that we all have the responsibilty to remind them that there are other things that they need and can do with their time). Now if I can just convince my baby that her dolly is more entertaining than my iPhone.

Coleen Bryan is a mom blogger and Ms. College Admissions. She is an independent admission consultant serving southern Orange County with her college counseling expertise in college advising and college essay editing and worked for the University of California for over five years in admissions. Follow her on twitter or become a fan on facebook.

A Second Chance - How to Appeal a College Decision

Thu, 08 Apr 2010 11:16:00 GMT

This year proved to be one of the most competitive in college admission history. Harvard had an admit rate of under 7%, while UCLA received over 57,000 applications. The reality is that many deserving students were not admitted because there were just not enough spots.

(image via flickr)

Some students may choose to appeal the admission decision based on something they feel was overlooked or some new piece of information that was not included in the original application. Students also need to remember that they should not appeal if there is no new information to present. Here is a basic overview of how to put an appeal packet together for college admissions, but you should also go directly to the admission website of the college for specific instructions:

1) Write a letter of intent about 1-2 pages long that includes the new evidence of why you should be admitted or something that you feel was overlooked in your original application. Make sure that you include any new personal circumstances or achievements (academic and co-curricular) that were not included in your original application. This letter should also re-state why you are a good match for the college.

2) A Revised resume that includes new accomplishments and activities

3) Letters of recommendation both academic and co-curricular from individuals that can
elaborate on your character, achievements, and potential.

4) Senior year transcript

Most schools do not have a set format of what to include in the appeal packet, but the most important thing to remember is that you include new information compelling enough that would encourage them to re-consider you for admission. You never know you might just convince them to give you a second chance.

Coleen Bryan is an independent admission consultant serving southern Orange County with her college counseling expertise in college advising and college essay editing. Follow her on twitter or become a fan on facebook.

The Gift of Reading

Wed, 24 Mar 2010 17:13:00 GMT

From my experience most successful students love to read. There have been countless times when parents have come up to me and asked – “How can I get my child to read more?” For the most part I think that to some degree some just have a natural tendency to love literature, but after reading this article in the New York times I realized that the love of reading usually comes from someone sharing their enthusiasm for reading with you.

The article entitled a Father-Daughter Bond, Page by Page shares the experience of a daughter and father and how they begin a “reading streak” that lasts years, which required that they read together every night. The father was so diligent that he cut a date short to read with his daughter, while the daughter was so committed to the streak that she would fit in reading during drama practice. The streak resulted in an amazing father-daughter bond rooted in the time they spent together reading.

As a mom sometimes I admit I am looking for a quick fix to some things, but I think that teaching your children to love to read can only be achieved by showing them that reading is a priority in your home. The story of the Brozinas inspired me to dust off my favorites: The Giving Tree and The Little Prince and start reading aloud to my children as a ritual. There are very few things in life that are better than sharing the delight of a good story with your children, but sometimes the hardest part of reading together is putting the story down. Lucky for us the Brozinas taught us that you can read together for years.

Green with Envy and College Admissions

Wed, 17 Mar 2010 18:23:00 GMT

As acceptance letters roll in some students start to feel green with envy as their peers are accepted to what they thought was THEIR dream school. This month in Edutopia Esther Wojcicki wrote a great article, College Applications: Why Many Students Should Pass on the Ivy. I don’t agree with the title, but I do love the message and agree that students need to make the most of THEIR college years and realize that where they are accepted just might be the perfect place for them if they take the time to make the most of their college experience.

image via D Sharon Pruitt of Pink Sherbert

I have worked with countless numbers students in Orange County who realized that their “dream” school was not quite right for them. Remember Jacquie? She thought Harvard was the only school for her and now realizes her dreams at Columbia University. Then there was Joel who thought that MIT was the only place he could find happiness, but he loves Carnegie Mellon.

For Seniors in high school this means that your focus needs to be on what YOU need from your education. Enjoy your acceptances and start thinking about the college that fits your needs. By focusing on yourself, planning for your future, and making the most of your college choices, the grass will never be greener on the other side.

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Coleen Bryan is a mom blogger and an independent admission consultant serving southern Orange County with her college counseling expertise in college advising and college essay editing. Follow her on twitter or become a fan on facebook.

YouTube to Get into College

Wed, 03 Mar 2010 11:06:00 GMT

Ten years ago we were still talking about paper college applications, but now paper applications are a thing of the past. For the last few years online applications have become mainstream. However, college admissions has its own evolution and nowYouTube may be the latest supplement to college application of the future.

Tufts University allowed students to submit a YouTube video as part of the supplemental portion of their application. Over 1,000 students submitted videos and the snippets of life that they depict prove to be quite entertaining. Math Dances was one of my favorites. I cannot wait to see what students from Orange County come up with and how colleges will continue to utilize YouTube and other social media in the admissions process.

Recession Friendly Test Prep

Wed, 24 Feb 2010 06:55:00 GMT

As Robert mentioned in yesterday's post, the amount of money you spend on test preparation does not correlate to success. Preparation for college entrance exams takes academic consistency. Students must challenge themselves in school and couple that with preparing for the SAT or ACT with some kind of individualized program. Whatever helps a student practice and stay motivated is the best kind of preparation program for that student. Students can choose a book, online tools, class, tutor, or the infamous xiggi method; but the choice must give them the opportunity to practice taking exams and become comfortable with the testing format of the SAT and/or ACT.

Here are several resources to find free SAT and ACT prep online:

Kaplan

Receive free Vocabulary Exercises via Email

Number 2

Free Online Test Prep for the SAT and ACT

ACT Student

Free ACT Prep

Best of luck with Test Prep!

To Prep or Not to Prep

Tue, 23 Feb 2010 13:20:00 GMT

Many students want to know the perfect equation for them to get a 2400 on the SAT, they often bring up those siblings in Irvine who both received perfect scores from University High. I decided to ask Robert Bennigsdorf from Comprehsive College Prep in Laguna Hills, a local test prep expert to summarize his take on test prep:

(Coleen's Favorite Study Guide for the SAT)

Test prep is not required. In fact it shouldn’t even be needed.

The SAT and ACT are designed to test the level of a high school student’s readiness to perform in a college classroom; they’re not designed to see who has the money to spend on expensive test prep courses. Then why do so many students attend test prep classes? And why do these test prep classes claim success in raising scores?

The answer can be found at the gym. No one needs a personal trainer - we know how to exercise and lose weight. Run here, do push up there, it’s natural. But why are there so many personal trainers? 2 reasons: (1) to show you the best way to do it and (2) to make sure you do it. The same reasons applies to SAT/ACT test prep. Does anyone have a child just begging for their parents to purchase them the SAT practice book so that he or she can sit down on weekends and read it cover to cover? I didn’t think so. That’s why you need test prep. To make sure your student practices the tests - and practices them the “right” way - in order to maximize his or her score. I cannot tell you how many students I’ve come across who do not score up to their intellectual and academic level on their first practice test simply because they don’t like tests. Test prep helps students get past that mental block and achieve the score they deserve.

Now that we know we need the assistance of an expert, the next questions is “When?” My personal recommendation is to begin prep during the summer between Sophomore and Junior year. This allows students to take the SAT and ACT in October and determine which they they are better at. Colleges only need one test, but some students are naturally better at one over the other. Once you know which test is “the test” for your student, additional practice should be done for a retake of that one test. This retake should be done between January and April, before the rigorous studying for AP test or IB exams begins. Hopefully students can be done at this point, leaving their May and June exams open for Subject Tests and simply studying for finals instead of stressing over the SAT and ACT. In addition they don’t have to spend the next summer doing prep and can instead devote it to the other parts of the college applications - community service, research, internships, etc.

The final question is “How Much?” We never want to stress our students out or overload them with so much prep that they burn out. So it’s a fine line we walk between helping them be as prepared as possible and remembering that they are teenagers who would like to have a life outside of school work. There are those that ignore the social need of students and throw their children at intensive programs that meet for hours a days and assign so much homework that students aren’t able to see the light of day. Then there are those who don’t do any prep and just roll the dice on their score. I believe in a moderate and reasonable approach. I want students to be prepared, but not over-prepared. We all know that students have a breaking point at which they don’t try anymore, so the trick is getting as close as you can to that without crossing it. After all, if the student doesn’t give 100% then there is no improvement.

I agree with Robert whole-heartedly that test prep involves giving 100% effort to trying to secure the best score possible without going overboard, so that you can submit them with no regrets. For some students that means finding test prep company , an individual tutor, or studying on their own, but every student should remember that practice might mean perfect.

The Path from the OC to the Ivy League

Wed, 17 Feb 2010 13:26:00 GMT

There are many wonderful things about Orange County, but when it come to college admissions too much of a good thing can be overwhelming. Every year as I read college essays and review applications, I am amazed at the caliber of students that come from our community. I have met so many accomplished high school students from cities like Irvine, Laguna, and Mission Viejo through college admissions counseling that exhibit amazing qualities. However, it takes an exceptional person to make it to the Ivy League and not every student would thrive in an Ivy League environment. Being amazing, while doing ordinary things does not usually get you into Brown University, Columbia University, Cornell University,Dartmouth College, Harvard University, Princeton University, the University of Pennsylvania, or even Yale University. How to get into an Ivy stems from being an extraordinary student doing amazing things that are out of the ordinary.

Student Profile #1: Typical Good Student from the OC Academics: High GPA in Challenging classes (Some APs) Testing: Solid scores on the SAT and possibly the SAT IIs Activities: Team Captain of an athletic team or President of a club Community Service: Various hours volunteering for the local hospital or a few mission trip to Mexico Essay Topic: Leadership or Community Service Student Profile #2: Extraordinary OC student with Ivy potential Academics: High GPA in Challenging classes and focused independent academic research (example:environmental science) Testing: Solid SAT/ACT scores and SAT II scores (demonstrating academic strength in certain subjects) Activities: Accomplished Athlete (gymnast or rowing) or Founder of a club geared toward developing global service opportunities for high school students Community Service: Volunteer in Equador helping a town in build a cheese making factory for the economic stability of the community Essay Topic: How Fantasia (the movie) relates to the chemical make-up of plants As you can see from the two profiles the second student demonstrates more unique and independent academic and co-curricular contributions during high school; thus, making them stand out among other applicants, but more importantly making them an extraordinary student. Not every seventeen year old wants to spend time doing academic research or building a cheese factory in a third world country. How to get into Harvard or just How to get into the Ivy league, all depends on you making the most of your high school experience by thinking outside of the walls of your high school and making the most of the world around you and how you as a person can contribute to that world. It is easy to find ways to contribute within the walls of your high school, but it takes an extraordinary person to find ways to contribute to the world outside those walls and encourage students to do the same. Ivies are looking for those extraordinary students.

Getting Into Columbia

Sun, 07 Feb 2010 21:22:00 GMT

On College Bound I wanted to share the real life admission experiences of high school students from Orange County. The first profile I would like to share is of Jacquie, an accomplished student from Orange County that was accepted last year to Columbia University (Early Decision).

Her Stats

GPA : 4.0
SAT Score: Top 10%
Extracurricular: Track, Girls State, Student Government, Art
High School: Private

Jacquie is an amazing individual and from our very first meeting I knew that she would go far in life. She has a natural motivation and desire to not only contribute to her community, but the world as a whole. It was no surprise that Columbia turned out to be the perfect fit.

I asked Jacquie to answer a few questions about the process and here are her responses:

Why Columbia?

Ironically, Columbia did not even make my top 10 list at first. When I first came to visit, it was a cold December day during my Christmas break and the campus was empty, the taxi took us on a long drive through Harlem to get here, and it had gates on all sides of the campus like my high school did. At that point I did not want to look at Columbia, but it was at a College Night information session where I hear the dean speak about how the location, even in a lower area, makes the opportunities for students to get involved with community projects even greater and the educational experiences of living in a city opens up doors for you. At this point I considered Columbia in my top 3, but it wasn't until August going into Senior year I sat down with my college counselor, Coleen, and looked at my long term goals of law school and internships that I realized not only that the programs matched my interests but that Columbia was going to be the launch pad to put me where I wanted to end up.

What made you stand out in the admissions process?

I think a main reason I was accepted to Columbia had to do a lot with my essays and the goals they reflected. Everyone always tells you to find something you are passionate about, but I realized I had a couple passions, painting and politics, and it was the moment that I was able to make both paths cross that I saw I could introduce myself to the admissions staff not only as a political science major, but as a student who would expand the boundaries of that typical major and play with different mediums, like art, to get my message across.

Do you have any advice that you would like to share with other high school students in Orange County?

As a junior I was head strong and had my mind set on one school, Harvard, and although this pushed me to work my hardest to get into the school of my dreams - I would recommend all 11th graders to keep an open mind and really visit the campuses (at a decent time of the year where you can get an accurate view of school life). Furthermore, after being here for a couple months I realized there are a lot more factors that they don't tell you about when you look at schools. I was a girl that really really wanted to go away, move out of state and cross country for that matter but what I didn't consider is how willing you must be to pack up your life and ship it all, or pack it on the plane, things are EXPENSIVE! simply getting your stuff to school is a challenge - then consider the cost of travel tickets, and how often you want to see your friends and family at home. Also look at the cost of where you are living - New York is very very expensive for simple things and requires budgeting. Juniors - there are things you won't realize and learn until you are actually in the college position, but for now just really look at where you will be able to live and study for a long time.

Thanks Jacquie for your insight! We wish you the best of luck at Columbia University!

Coleen Bryan is an independent admission consultant serving southern Orange County with her college counseling expertise and college essay editing experience. Follow her on twitter or become a fan on facebook.

The College Interview: Don't Panic

Mon, 25 Jan 2010 13:42:00 GMT

When the phrase college interview comes up most students panic, but quite honestly the interview should be one of the more enjoyable parts of the admissions process because you can learn more about the college and they can discover more about you. Most students come out of the interview relieved because they realize that the interview is not an interrogation and more of a conversation. Here are a few essential dos and don’ts to make the most of your interview:

Do

Do research and prepare to ask questions about the school to demonstrate your interests
Do bring your resume, transcript, and supplemental material just in case your interviewer asks for additional information
Do remember simple courtesy (firm hand shake and eye contact)

Don’t

Don't be late
Don't respond to questions with just yes and no answers
Don't be afraid to elaborate on your achievements and interests
Don't forget to write a thank you note

Good Luck!

Coleen Bryan is an independent admission consultant serving southern Orange County with her college counseling expertise. Follow her on twitter or become a fan on facebook.

Welcome to College Bound

Wed, 13 Jan 2010 18:20:00 GMT

Happy New Year!

Welcome to College Bound, a blog dedicated to sharing the resources and strategies to help Orange County families with successful college planning.

I love the beginning of each year because you not only get a fresh start, but you can begin making new goals for the year.   When you are planning for college goal setting is an essential element to success. Here are four simple goals for 2010 that will jump start college planning:

1) Challenge yourself academically.   This year try to not only maintain your GPA, but also add a challenging course or try learning a new subject that is out of your comfort zone.

2) Volunteer in your community. Volunteering is one of the best ways to give back to you community and really can make an application stand out. More importantly community service develops character and helps you learn about your own strengths and values.

3)   Read!   In a world of abbreviated texts and e-mail it is so important that students take the time to read challenging books that develop their vocabulary and analytical skills.

4) Try something new. Make 2010 count by doing something like starting a club at school or learning a new instrument. By being a pioneer of something you set yourself apart from your peers and build leadership skills that will help you prepare for college.

As a College Counselor I love being able to share information with the community and I am so excited to be able to share with you the latest news and information regarding college admissions via College Bound. Here's to 2010!