Posts Tagged ‘broward college help’

Graduation Wisdom for All

Monday, May 31st, 2010

High school students, college counselors are only among the first professional advisors you’ll hear from throughout your life.  In four years (for most of you), you’ll hear from your commencement speaker (the guest speaker at your graduation).   Some will be witty and some serious, all will hopefully leave you a little bit wiser.

Gradspot.com made a list of “The All-time Best Graduation Speeches”.  Whether they’re the “best” is debatable, as are all “-est” lists, but they’re all really entertaining.  Read the full article on The Top Ten All-Time Best Graduation Speeches from gradspot.com.

CNBC also made a list of The Ten Best Graduation Speeches of All Time.

Only three people made both lists, and Will Ferrell is one of them!
They’re all inspiring, so enjoy!

One thought from International College Counselors:
Go out and be successful, but include ethics in your definition of success.

From Mandee Heller Adler, president of International College Counselors, and the other expert college counselors:  Good luck to all graduating seniors, in college and beyond.

“You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself in any direction you choose. You’re on your own. And you know what you know. You are the guy who’ll decide where to go.” ~ Dr. Seuss

International College Counselors provides expert college counseling on undergraduate and graduate college admissions, financial aid, tuition, essays, and college applications. Mandee Heller Adler, lead college admissions consultant and Founder of International College Counselors tailors her wide range of college counseling and college coaching services to address the goals, needs, and dreams of each individual student, whether Florida college or Ivy League university. Our college advising company, based in Miami-Dade, Florida, works with domestic and international students. We also work with high schools in Miami, Boca, Broward and Palm Beach. Let us help you make the best decisions choosing, getting into, and paying for college.

AP GRADE REPORTING

Sunday, May 9th, 2010

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

By Mandee Heller Adler, president of International College Counselors

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

<http://www.internationalcollegecounselors.com> >

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!

Free Webinar: College Admissions Answers

Tuesday, April 13th, 2010

Our Broward/ Dade/ Miami College Counselors are pleased to announce that Kaplan is presenting a Free Webinar on “The Most Commonly Asked Admission Questions” featuring Mandee Heller Adler on Tuesday April 13th at 8pm.

The link to register is below!

http://www.kaptest.com/College/Getting-into-College/free-practice-tests-workshops.html&utm_source=kaptest&utm_medium=promotiles&utm_content=pc-home-lol-rally&utm_campaign=promotions

We look forward to seeing you there.

The Team at International College Counselors

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

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