Posts Tagged ‘broward college advisor’

How to Make the Most of Your Summer Internship or Job

Wednesday, April 28th, 2010

Summer is almost here. For those of you with jobs or internships, take the time to plan on making the most of your opportunity. Mentors and people who you may want recommendations from are almost always on the lookout for promising young talent. One of your other goals should be to turn your experience into a resume builder.

Stand out with your professionalism. Do what you can to show the company you’re the one they should be watching and giving the plum assignments to. Be professional, serious and responsible. This should earn you more respect and responsibility. Be on time for work, meetings, conference calls and team building exercises. Even better – come early. Make sure you dress for success, too.

Reset your expectations. It’s good to have personal goals but sometimes realities don’t match our expectations. Rather than dwell on any negatives of the job or internship, seek out and embrace the opportunities offered. Chances are you won’t be given that assignment that saves the company and makes you a star. But, that’s not why you’re there. You’re there to learn, expand your horizons, and add to your resume. No matter what, always be enthusiastic and upbeat.

Be proactive. If your job or internship appears to be a sea of repetitive tasks like making photocopies or coffee, don’t complain. Ask to have a meeting with your supervisor to ask about new opportunities or projects. If there is a job you want to try, ask your supervisor if you can join the team, observe the meetings or otherwise contribute in some way. You won’t know, unless you ask. Even if they say no, you will gain the respect and attention of your older colleagues. Interns and employees who identify their employer’s needs and ask for new challenges demonstrate the initiative and motivation that companies want.

Learn about yourself. You’re there to watch and observe. Use this time to find out more about yourself. See what kind of people you relate to. What kind of work you like to do. Compare yourself to people on the job who you admire. Do they have skills you lack or can work on acquiring?

Build up your resume. Volunteer for extra tasks and look for opportunities to take advantage of. To do this, the best first step is to prove that you’re responsible and resourceful. Then, let’s say, you’re working in an ice cream shop and your boss needs to leave a few hours early, volunteer to be put in charge. If you’re given the responsibility to lead, this counts on your resume as Management. If you’re working in an advertising firm and think you might want to be a copywriter, ask for the current assignments. Write the ads then ask for feedback. Who know, they may even love your ad so much, they’ll run it.

Ask questions. Always remember that a summer job or internship is a learning experience for you. While your employer expects to get some work from you, you are expected to be interested in what’s going on. So ask questions. This is your chance to get advice and learn.

Make connections. Build up personal relationships. Find a mentor. After the summer is over make sure to stay in touch with the people you met and connected with – and stay connected. It’s never too early to start building your professional network. A professionally geared site like LinkedIn.com is a good place to keep in touch.

Develop your professional people skills. Hone in on people you admire. Study the qualities you admire in them. Take notes on their dress and what character traits put them ahead. Then try to emulate those traits.

Learn to take criticism gracefully. No one likes to be criticized, but you’re sure to encounter many negative opinions throughout your life and career. Criticism can help you. Follow up a negative assessment by asking for their thoughts on what you could have done better. Are there resources you don’t know about? Is it true you need to be more detail-oriented. And then put that information to use. The best part about a summer job or internship is that you’re not expected to know everything. Both you and your employer know that you are there to learn.

Always, always stay enthusiastic and positive!

Before You Go to College get a Job

Thursday, October 29th, 2009

Even the College Board says that a “cutting-edge internship or a job that requires responsibility and leadership” can look as good on your college applications as attending Harvard summer school. Our expert college advisors say the same thing at International College Counselors.

The trend in the past couple of years for competitive college-bound students was doing volunteer work, the more exotic the better. But then, taking two weeks out of the summer to help malaria victims in East Africa started to become the norm on college applications.

Admission officers looked for something new to set students apart from one another. The result: many college applications now ask for your “paid employment” experiences.

Interesting as well, admissions officers at several elite schools say they are giving more credit to students who have real-world jobs and less to students who have taken on “meaningful” activities that say resume padding louder than passion. (For community service to really count you need to show a solid pattern of volunteer activity)

Admissions officers recognize that jobs can benefit students in college. In a job, young people can: increase their real-world problem solving skills, build a sense of responsibility, learn to take orders, experience working with others from diverse backgrounds, and gain valuable experience in handling boredom.

Having a job can help students in other ways as well. Besides looking good on your application, we all know that the best way to know if you really want a job is by trying it. Having a job can help you narrow down your interests and help you discover what you like to do and what you don’t.

Take a job as a salesperson, and maybe you’ll find that you hate nothing more than having to deal with people. Work in an office and perhaps you’ll discover nothing but drudgery. Working with an architect or at a television station might strip away the glamorous façade of the career and show you what the day to day can really be like.

Now is the time to start thinking about the future, not just college, but beyond. As importantly as where do you want to go, you need to answer the questions of what do you want to do? If you fall in love with agricultural science or primatology (look that SAT word up) going to Harvard is not going to help you.
Check in with us for opportunities – or tips and suggestions on how you can create your own opportunities.

The college advisors at International College Counselors are available to help you. Please contact us with any questions you may have.

International College Counselors

Main office: 954.253.5719

Mandee Heller Adler

mandee@internationalcollegecounselors.com

Barry Liebowitz

barry@internationalcollegecounselors.com

Kate McKenna

kate@internationalcollegecounselors.com

International College Counselors provides expert college counseling on undergraduate and graduate college admissions, financial aid, tuition, essays, and college applications. Mandee Heller Adler, college admissions consultant and Founder of International College Counselors tailors her college counseling and college coaching services to address the goals, needs, and dreams of each student. Our college advising company works with domestic and international students. Let us help you make the best decisions in choosing, getting into, and paying for college.

U.S. News College Rankings and Their Meaning

Monday, June 8th, 2009

U.S . News & World report first published their America’s Best Colleges issue in 1983.   Since then, parents and students have been using this issue as a way to sort out schools in an organized way. 

Of course, as soon as the issue comes out, colleges see them too.  And the forces there begin strategizing how they might raise their college up in the ranks in the next issue.

U.S. News bases its rankings on multiple statistical measuring sticks, each weighted differently, and spread across seven major categories. These include: academic reputation, student selectivity, student retention, faculty resources, financial resources, alumni giving and graduation rates.

Clemson University’s fast rise in rankings from “38’ to “22” gives s a clearer picture of how rankings can be manipulated for more harm than good in terms of influencing public perception and student choice. 

As the New York Times reports, Clemson centered on reducing class sizes — many of them to below 20, a U.S. News benchmark. Clemson, according to the article, has also “more or less” stopped admitting “full-time, first-time undergraduates who are not in the top third of their high school classes” and is “constantly reassessing its SAT average through the admissions cycle.” 

The university has also reported to U.S.  News that it has ratcheted up the faculty salaries by about $20,000, which it has achieved by actually increasing spending (paid for largely through increased tuition), continues the article. 

Clemson also runs “multiple definitions to figure out where [they] can move things around to make them look best” in the rankings. The university has also encouraged as many alumni as possible to send in at least $5 to help bring up their giving rate.

In a separate article, the rankings of U.S. News have been criticized for making up numbers in the absence of real data.  In this case, Sarah Lawrence’s president, wrote in an op-ed in The Washington Post that because her college no longer collects or examines SAT scores, U.S. News officials have said that the magazine will just assume that the average SAT would have been one standard deviation (about 200 points) below the average of Sarah’s Lawrence’s peers.  In the rankings this translates to a college losing points in the category of “selectivity” because the report assumes that not using SAT score means a college is admitting less capable students.  Of course, this shouldn’t be presumed true. 

In this college counselor’s opinion, U.S News rankings are nothing more than beauty pageant as valuable as  Miss America.  The only way to truly rank colleges is in what the value is to you. Prospective students and families need to assess what really counts which is how well a college meets a student’s learning style and academic interests, how available the faculty are outside the classroom, whether students can get the courses they need to graduate, and what graduate schools and employers welcome its graduates.

If you have any other college admissions questions for a college counselor, I’d be happy to answer them.  Please write me here or at my personal email which can be found on my International College Counselors college counseling website.

Mandee Heller Adler, Founder and Principal of International College Counselors

www.internationalcollegecounselors.com

 

 

 

The original article sourced by the times and by me can be seen at

http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2009/06/03/rankings

 

The other article referenced can be found at

http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2007/03/12/usnews

 

In this interesting article, mathematicians have taken on the U.S. News & World Report for a whole different take on the rankings:

http://www.sciencenews.org/view/generic/id/37207/title/Math_Trek__Rating_the_rankings

AP GRADE REPORTING

Saturday, May 23rd, 2009

To report the AP test or not to report the AP test, that is this week’s question. 

After taking one of the many various AP tests, there are usually three ways a student will feel:  Great!  Good.  And Awful.

If you think you did great or good, congratulations! 

If you’re sure you did awfully and scored a 1 or a 2, or you’re not sure how you did. You can withhold or cancel your score. 

Because AP grades are released in July, any request for changes in reporting must be received by June 15.

Note that it’s not likely that any one AP grade you submit, no matter how low, will fatally wound you.

Canceling vs. Withholding

Canceling AP grades

Canceling an AP grade permanently means you’ll never, ever see the grade and it’s deleted from your record forever.

The option to cancel a score helps a number of students.  Some of those students took an AP course but found it didn’t cover all the information on the test.  (And this happens more than we’d like to think.)  This option also encourages the risk takers, the students who take an AP exam in a subject they might not have taken the class for. (They’re the ones who study a lot on their own).

To cancel a score, you must notify the College Board by sending them assigned request by mail or fax with your signature. You should include in your letter:

  1. your full name, home address, birth date, and AP number(s)
  2. the year(s) that you took AP Exams
  3. the name, city, and state of the college you specified
  4. the name(s) of the exam(s) for which you want a grade canceled. 

This service is free but note that the grade report that you and your school receive will indicate that the grade has been canceled.

Withholding AP grades

Withholding a score means you may have one or more grades withheld from the colleges you indicated on your answer sheet.  This gives you the chance to see your scores before the colleges.

You may later release the grade to that college by sending AP Services a signed written request and a small fee.

What we suggest to the students we work with at International College Counselors is to not send your scores to any colleges in May.

Our reasoning is as follows: with your test, as explained to me by an AP representative, you only get to send your scores to one school free, any others are $15.   In other words, if you choose to withhold your scores from all the colleges until you see them, you’re only “losing” $15.   Many students can think of the $15 as “insurance”.  It’s easy to see your scores and then end them in if you want to.

You can withhold a score if you already sent them in, but if you took them this year, we recommend waiting until early July.  Beginning July 3, grades by phone are available for the 2009 exams.   It’ll cost you a few extra dollars to get your scores by phone, but it’s a very small price to pay in the larger scheme of things. 

To withhold a score, you must notify the College Board by sending them a letter with your signature. You should include in your letter:

  1. your full name, home address, birth date, and AP number(s)
  2. the year(s) that you took AP Exams
  3. the name, city, and state of the college you specified
  4. the name(s) of the exam(s) for which you want a grade withheld. (All your grades will still appear on the reports sent to you and your high school.)
  5. a check for the exact amount due made out to “AP Exams.” There is a $10 fee per grade, per college.

Note that unlike a canceled score, a request to withhold a grade does not permanently delete your grade. A withheld AP grade counts in your AP average and affects AP scholar designations. This means you can choose the scores that work to your advantage and feel confident to take some extra AP exams.

For more information on AP grade reporting services straight from the College Board go to:
http://www.collegeboard.com/student/testing/ap/exgrd_rep.html

If you need a college advisor or have any other college questions, I’d be happy to answer them. Please write me here or at my personal email which can be found on this International College Counselors website.

Mandee Adler, Founder of International College Counselors and lead college advisor
www.internationalcollegecounselors.com

<http://www.internationalcollegecounselors.com

 

JUNE 6 IS COMING AND COMING FAST!

Wednesday, May 6th, 2009

If you have a junior in high school, they should be well aware of the above date. It’s the last SAT of this academic year- and you don’t want to miss it!   Miami college counselor Mandee Heller Adler of International College Counselors is here to help.

Although seniors can take the October test, results of this test must be sent directly to schools to meet early decision/ action deadlines. That’s a lot of pressure, especially given the new “score choice” where you can choose which SAT scores to send.

Did you know that the SAT has changed since you were in school? In 2005, the College Board, which owns the test, made it harder and longer. There are now 3 parts instead of two. The new section tests writing and the maximum score has changed from 1600 to 2400.

ANALOGY:GONE

Students will no longer have to suffer analogies but an essay segment was added. The math portion was changed to more closely parallel what’s being currently taught in high schools.

The best advice I can give your students is practice, practice, practice. The best strategies always involve test familiarity, tips on when to guess, and how to manage time.

Like it or not, the SAT will most likely help to determine which colleges a student will be able to attend. Some people attempt to discount the test, as simply one of many factors, or believe that it is not very important. The reality is that unless you are a professional level athlete or a Native American math whiz with a Nobel prize, the SAT will likely play a major role in your college admissions.

It makes sense to get the highest score possible.

Some high schools provide SAT prep courses as part of their curricular offerings and a variety of community-based organizations have prep programs.

Private tutors and private prep programs can teach your student strategies tailored towards their learning level and ability. Many study books can be found online and in the bookstore. On the web, study aides are available.

For example, the College Board’s website http://www.collegeboard.com/ offers practice questions for each section of the test.

For your edification (a SAT word), the test is now as follows:

Critical Reading

Total 3 sections

Content

Reading comprehension: Questions based on

Single paragraphs

Longer passages

Paired paragraphs

Paired longer passages

Sentence-level reading

.Question types

Multiple-choice with 5 answer choices

Critical reading which includes single, paired, and longer paragraphs

Sentence completions

Writing

Total 3 sections

One 25-minute essay requiring you to present your viewpoint on a topic

Two multiple-choice sections

Question types

Multiple-choice with 5 answer choices

Identifying sentence errors

Improving sentences

Improving paragraphs

Math

Total 3 sections

These will test Algebra I and II, geometry, data analysis, statistics and probability

Question types

Multiple-choice with 5 answer choices

Mandee Heller Adler

www.internationalcollegecounselors.com
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International College Counselors
3107 Stirling Road, Suite 208
Fort Lauderdale, Florida 33312 USA
(954) 414-9986

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