Strategies for Parents Taking Their High School Juniors
on the Road for Campus Visits
Parents of high school juniors everywhere are gearing up to hit the road over spring break to visit colleges of interest to their teenagers. While families can get a tremendous amount of valuable college information online, even in today’s Internet age, there’s no substitute for an in-person visit to get a true feel for an institution, its campus and its students.
Organizing a college tour road trip can be a daunting task for parents. Which schools should be visited? How many schools? How do you make the most out of a campus tour? Sylvan Learning, the leading provider of tutoring to all ages, skills and grade levels, “schools” parents and high school students in its “College Visits 101,” top ten tips for organizing a spring break college road trip that parents and students alike will give an A for information-gathering and fun.
TOP 10 TIPS - “COLLEGE TOUR 101”
1. Start by Casting a Wide Net - If you and your teenager haven’t already done so, start by putting together a big list of potential schools of interest – up to 20 schools - for further investigation and research. Carefully consider a wide range of selection criteria, such as, geographic location, rural/suburban/urban campus setting, size of student enrollment, religious affiliation, academic strengths and offerings, and athletic programs, among others. Include a range of “dream,” “target” (strong odds of acceptance based on your teen’s test scores, GPA, etc.) and “safety” schools.
2. Finalize Your Target Tour List - Once you have your initial pool of possible school targets, narrow that list to a more realistic number of schools to visit – schools that meet the criteria for your teen and your family. Fine tuning your list can largely be done by visiting schools’ Web sites, reviewing college guides from the library or bookstore and, of course, by working with your teen’s school guidance counselor. Other students, friends and family members can also offer invaluable insights.
3.Get SAT/ACT Test Prep Support - If you take a school off of your teen’s final target list because his or her SAT or ACT test scores aren’t in that school’s typical accepted student range – or you’re afraid they won’t be - consider obtaining SAT/ACT test prep support from local Sylvan Learning (http://tutoring.sylvanlearning.com/SAT_ACT_test_prep_programs.cfm ).
With student application submissions hitting record highs – and acceptance rates at historic lows at many schools around the country - competition to get into the “top” colleges is more difficult than ever before. Sylvan’s college prep experts will tailor a personalized plan that builds the skills, habits and attitudes to your teenager’s needs in order to score higher on test day and apply to college with confidence. Sylvan’s highly personalized and targeted approach focuses on the exact skills needed to successfully answer test questions. For many students, skills can be mastered to raise test scores in as little as five to twelve weeks.
4.Visit While College is in Session - Every family’s final “visit” list of schools is different; some travel to 12 or more campuses while others only a handful. Based on the geography of your target tour list, you may in fact wind up making a few road trips – perhaps one over spring break and then one or two long weekend treks. Regardless of how many campuses you visit, make sure to schedule your visits while college is in session and students are attending classes. Don’t visit during midterms or finals and avoid weekend visits if at all possible, since classes are seldom held then. Be sure to call ahead and check on tour times, dates offices are closed, and visit/interview policies. If spring proves problematic because your target schools have spring break the same week your teen does, fall of senior year is also an ideal time to visit.
5. Schedule Smart - Be sure to make long trips efficient by planning several visits along the route. Figure out driving distances between schools so you and your teenager can determine which schools to visit on the same day. When you have a tentative itinerary, you and your child can begin calling colleges to schedule the visits. Be sure to reserve in advance official campus tours, and/or interviews with the admissions office, coaches, or professors. Make your appointment calls at least two weeks in advance of your target visit date.
6. Ask Questions to Make the Most of Your Visit - Encourage your teen to ask as many questions as possible – and ask different people the same questions to see if you get different answers. In addition to the official tour guide, speak librarians, coaches or other representatives based on topics of interest to your student.
Speak with at least two professors or students from your teen’s intended major. Now is your -and your teenager’s - time to determine if this learning environment is right for your family. Ask a student, “What is the quality of faculty advising? Which outstanding professors or courses does he/she recommend for that specific major?” Speak to a professor about general education requirements, which classes are most popular and fill up quickly, and which classes should be completed in the first year.
7. Go Beyond the Official Campus Tour to Get the “Inside Skinny” - Official campus tours are almost always 30-60 minute student-led affairs that give a good overview of the college, its facilities, academic offerings and student life. They’re a good place to start, but by doing a little advanced homework, your family can round out your visit with other campus experiences that can help you and your teen get the “inside skinny” on the school. If any family members, friends, or recent graduates of your teen’s school are enrolled, have coffee or meet with him or her. If your teen is an athlete, musician, artist, or has another special interest, call in advance to arrange a meeting with the coach or other relevant faculty members.
8. Eat on Campus - What teenager doesn’t place a high priority on food? Most schools allow visitors to eat on campus; so eat in the dining hall or other on-campus eating establishments to give your teen a firsthand “taste” of the school’s food while also saving money. Likewise, if you need overnight lodging, consider allowing your teenager to stay in a dorm. Even if you don’t know a student with whom your child can stay, many schools will arrange for your teen to stay overnight with a current student - if you call in advance. Parents will save money by only paying for one hotel room (or booking a smaller room) and the prospective student will gain an invaluable chance to experience dorm life.
9. Explore the City/Town of the University. A student’s college experience extends beyond the university’s campus. Visiting the surrounding town is one of the best ways to know
if a college is right for you. Experience the beauty and history of a university by visiting its local landmarks, town square, and student “hang-outs.” Use local transportation so you can gauge travel times and distance to off-campus activities that are integral to college life.
10. Create a Photo Diary - Believe it or not, once your family arrives home from your college tour road trip, the campuses may start to blur together – especially if you visit numerous schools. Use your digital camera to take a lot of photos - even videos - during your visits to create a record of each school. Your first photo of each school should show the college name on a sign or building to ensure you remember which school you visited. You and your teen can create an online folder for each school or print out the photos and keep them in folders with the other informational material you’ll pick up on your visits.
Sylvan Learning Directors and teachers from Flemington, New Jersey dish on the latest educational trends and what you can do to help your child achieve academic success!
Tuesday, March 29, 2011
Monday, March 21, 2011
Mistakes Students Should Make
No one likes making mistakes. But mistakes lead to learning and growth. Converge Magazine for educators recently published mistakes students should make... like getting too involved. Getting good grades is important... but it’s not everything. And educators agree, emphasizing the need for students to live a balanced life – even in the college environment. “We understand that life must be lived from the inside out. The only way you’re going to be able to do that is to make sure you have a balanced educational program. Of course you emphasize academics. You want them to excel inside the classroom and outside of the classroom, as well,” says Nido R. Qubein, President of High Point University.
According to the Converge article, another mistake that students should make is to pick the wrong major. It’s OK – and actually natural for teens -- if you don’t know exactly what you want to do. “As teenagers, we’re developing, we’re trying to figure out what our passions are, what we want out of life, and we should be able to do that,” says 19-year-old Chandler DeWitt, a college sophomore and teen author of Inside Out: Real Stories about the Inner Choices That Shape our Lives. “We should be able to experiment and reach out into areas we don’t really know because what other time are you going to be able to do that?”
What other mistakes should kids make? Assume your teachers don’t know everything. Ask lots of questions and talk too much – to your teachers and your classmates.
Tips for Parents
Test scores. Team Sports. Technology.
Today’s teens face a competitive, complex, 24-7 existence. Perhaps it’s no surprise that research from San Diego State University and the University of Georgia shows that kids exhibit four times greater the rate of depression and anxiety than the children of the 1930s.
Experts believe a cultural shift, with values placed by parents, school systems and communities on external outcomes and material success, may be the fuel for teen stress and anxiety. How can educators, parents and kids themselves redefine this race for reward?
One approach is to increase awareness and action toward leading a more balanced life. Daniel Willingham, professor of psychology at the University of Virginia and author of “Why Don’t Students Like School?” writes that when children start school, they believe they can succeed but failures undermine that belief. The failures are taken by the children to mean that they are not smart, that intelligence is somehow fixed and that it can’t increase. In his book, Willingham writes that he wishes school classes were more like video games where kids lose, but don’t feel they are losers because they accept that mistakes are part of the game. “They understand this is part of the learning process in the game. They are willing to try risky things in the game,” he says. “They don’t feel like a bad person if they lose.”
In a recent issue of Converge Magazine, Julianne Capati and Spencer Taylor,
students at Empire High School in Tucson, Arizona, wrote an article entitled “Five Mistakes Students and Teachers Should Make.” They write “mistakes lead to learning and growing. Mistakes challenge
you to learn from them in order to succeed. Mistakes represent success in disguise.”
Their suggested mistakes include:
Pick the wrong major
A student should explore any possibility that interests him, and future careers might just be around the corner. Remember, “If you don’t know what to do, it’s OK!”
Get too involved
Getting good grades and attending classes are all very important, but in the end, it is just a portion. Join clubs, help out with your community and strive to go above and beyond assignment guidelines.
Assume your teachers don’t know everything
Students may view their teachers as gods who know everything, but that really is not the case. Students should view teachers as individuals who can help them grasp and understand concepts in class. Students can research answers on their own and get their own opinions instead of having the teachers tell them the answers.
Take a day off
In this sense, students have power in their education, but it is also their responsibility to learn and be proactive in their education. So students can slack off here and there, but they should always keep in mind how that might affect their schoolwork. Take a day off to recharge, check out class notes online and relax. You may come back a refreshed student. Just don’t do it too often!
Talk too much
Students can be under the impression that they must maintain some distance between themselves and their teachers. Intimidated, afraid, or whatever it might be, they do not confront their teacher when they have a problem about their class. Whatever the case, students cannot get help about a class if they remain distant from their teacher. Students need to be on friendly terms with their teachers in order to best get help in their classes. Go to office hours, stop in after school, or e-mail questions as they come. Not only will they get help, but they will also get the maximum potential of knowledge from the class.
According to the Converge article, another mistake that students should make is to pick the wrong major. It’s OK – and actually natural for teens -- if you don’t know exactly what you want to do. “As teenagers, we’re developing, we’re trying to figure out what our passions are, what we want out of life, and we should be able to do that,” says 19-year-old Chandler DeWitt, a college sophomore and teen author of Inside Out: Real Stories about the Inner Choices That Shape our Lives. “We should be able to experiment and reach out into areas we don’t really know because what other time are you going to be able to do that?”
What other mistakes should kids make? Assume your teachers don’t know everything. Ask lots of questions and talk too much – to your teachers and your classmates.
Tips for Parents
Test scores. Team Sports. Technology.
Today’s teens face a competitive, complex, 24-7 existence. Perhaps it’s no surprise that research from San Diego State University and the University of Georgia shows that kids exhibit four times greater the rate of depression and anxiety than the children of the 1930s.
Experts believe a cultural shift, with values placed by parents, school systems and communities on external outcomes and material success, may be the fuel for teen stress and anxiety. How can educators, parents and kids themselves redefine this race for reward?
One approach is to increase awareness and action toward leading a more balanced life. Daniel Willingham, professor of psychology at the University of Virginia and author of “Why Don’t Students Like School?” writes that when children start school, they believe they can succeed but failures undermine that belief. The failures are taken by the children to mean that they are not smart, that intelligence is somehow fixed and that it can’t increase. In his book, Willingham writes that he wishes school classes were more like video games where kids lose, but don’t feel they are losers because they accept that mistakes are part of the game. “They understand this is part of the learning process in the game. They are willing to try risky things in the game,” he says. “They don’t feel like a bad person if they lose.”
In a recent issue of Converge Magazine, Julianne Capati and Spencer Taylor,
students at Empire High School in Tucson, Arizona, wrote an article entitled “Five Mistakes Students and Teachers Should Make.” They write “mistakes lead to learning and growing. Mistakes challenge
you to learn from them in order to succeed. Mistakes represent success in disguise.”
Their suggested mistakes include:
Pick the wrong major
A student should explore any possibility that interests him, and future careers might just be around the corner. Remember, “If you don’t know what to do, it’s OK!”
Get too involved
Getting good grades and attending classes are all very important, but in the end, it is just a portion. Join clubs, help out with your community and strive to go above and beyond assignment guidelines.
Assume your teachers don’t know everything
Students may view their teachers as gods who know everything, but that really is not the case. Students should view teachers as individuals who can help them grasp and understand concepts in class. Students can research answers on their own and get their own opinions instead of having the teachers tell them the answers.
Take a day off
In this sense, students have power in their education, but it is also their responsibility to learn and be proactive in their education. So students can slack off here and there, but they should always keep in mind how that might affect their schoolwork. Take a day off to recharge, check out class notes online and relax. You may come back a refreshed student. Just don’t do it too often!
Talk too much
Students can be under the impression that they must maintain some distance between themselves and their teachers. Intimidated, afraid, or whatever it might be, they do not confront their teacher when they have a problem about their class. Whatever the case, students cannot get help about a class if they remain distant from their teacher. Students need to be on friendly terms with their teachers in order to best get help in their classes. Go to office hours, stop in after school, or e-mail questions as they come. Not only will they get help, but they will also get the maximum potential of knowledge from the class.
Tuesday, March 15, 2011
Make the Math Connection on Pi Day
Sylvan Learning Offers Families a Free Online Math Activity Book in Recognition of Pi Day
Booklet offers 30 days of math activities, trivia and puzzles
(Baltimore, MD, March 8, 2011) – In recognition of Pi Day on March 14 and to build math awareness, Sylvan Learning, North America’s leading provider of in-center and live, online tutoring at home to students of all ages, grades and skill levels, is offering free math resources to families.
Pi Day is the annual observance of the love of math and the mathematical constant Pi, commonly approximated as 3.14.
To celebrate Pi Day, Sylvan Learning is providing a free new online Math Activity Book with 30 days of math concepts, trivia, questions and puzzles. Parents, students and even educators can log on to Sylvan’s web site to download and print activities and math games.
“Effort and attitude in math matters,” says Judy Ann Brown, Mathematics Program Manager for Sylvan Learning. “Math skills build over time, so missing one early essential component can translate into long-term difficulties that can slow future progress. The Math Activity Book can be used by the entire family, including parents, to open a mathematical dialog that will revive forgotten concepts and practice skills.”
Sylvan Learning is also encouraging parents to play an active role in boosting their child’s math skills by offering the following tips for getting them interested in math at an early age.
Make math connections to everyday life. There are many opportunities for children to see the value of math in everyday occurrences. Think of tasks that you do everyday – rearranging a teenager’s room is a lesson in geometry and equally cutting slices of pie can teach fractions. The more parents talk about math while completing these tasks, the more students will realize its importance.
Involve your children in real-life family decisions. Encourage them to plan a family activity while remaining within the budget. For example, ask your children to plan a night at the movies or create a budget for the family vacation.
Demonstrate your math ability. Think out loud so your child can hear your analytical reasoning. For younger children, count your change or discuss which measuring cup is needed when baking a birthday cake. For older students, calculate discounts when shopping or estimate how much money will be needed to fill up the gas tank.
Mathematize career choices. Casually talk about mathematics while highlighting the types of math needed in your children’s chosen careers. Video game designers, architects, doctors, football coaches, musicians and chefs apply math skills in their daily work.
Praise your children’s academic progress. Tell your children you are proud of their math efforts, even when they struggle. When students are confident in their abilities, they enjoy learning. That love of learning in turn leads to a willingness to try new, academic experiences.
Sylvan Learning’s online Math Activity Book provides 30 days of math writing topics, questions and puzzles. Families can download the booklet and answers by visiting the following links –
Math Book - http://email.internetstrategy.us/SS_Newsletter/misc/sylvan_math_booklet.pdf
Answers - http://email.internetstrategy.us/SS_Newsletter/misc/sylvan_math_booklet_answers.pdf
Parents looking for additional math resources and information can visit www.SylvanMathPrep.com to receive on-the-spot math guidance during homework time and obtain free access to over 700 interactive math lessons for pre-algebra, algebra, geometry and math test preparation for the SAT and ACT.
• Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/SylvanLearning
• Twitter: http://twitter.com/sylvanlearning
• MySpace: http://www.myspace.com/sylvanlearning
• YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/user/sylvanlearninginc
Booklet offers 30 days of math activities, trivia and puzzles
(Baltimore, MD, March 8, 2011) – In recognition of Pi Day on March 14 and to build math awareness, Sylvan Learning, North America’s leading provider of in-center and live, online tutoring at home to students of all ages, grades and skill levels, is offering free math resources to families.
Pi Day is the annual observance of the love of math and the mathematical constant Pi, commonly approximated as 3.14.
To celebrate Pi Day, Sylvan Learning is providing a free new online Math Activity Book with 30 days of math concepts, trivia, questions and puzzles. Parents, students and even educators can log on to Sylvan’s web site to download and print activities and math games.
“Effort and attitude in math matters,” says Judy Ann Brown, Mathematics Program Manager for Sylvan Learning. “Math skills build over time, so missing one early essential component can translate into long-term difficulties that can slow future progress. The Math Activity Book can be used by the entire family, including parents, to open a mathematical dialog that will revive forgotten concepts and practice skills.”
Sylvan Learning is also encouraging parents to play an active role in boosting their child’s math skills by offering the following tips for getting them interested in math at an early age.
Make math connections to everyday life. There are many opportunities for children to see the value of math in everyday occurrences. Think of tasks that you do everyday – rearranging a teenager’s room is a lesson in geometry and equally cutting slices of pie can teach fractions. The more parents talk about math while completing these tasks, the more students will realize its importance.
Involve your children in real-life family decisions. Encourage them to plan a family activity while remaining within the budget. For example, ask your children to plan a night at the movies or create a budget for the family vacation.
Demonstrate your math ability. Think out loud so your child can hear your analytical reasoning. For younger children, count your change or discuss which measuring cup is needed when baking a birthday cake. For older students, calculate discounts when shopping or estimate how much money will be needed to fill up the gas tank.
Mathematize career choices. Casually talk about mathematics while highlighting the types of math needed in your children’s chosen careers. Video game designers, architects, doctors, football coaches, musicians and chefs apply math skills in their daily work.
Praise your children’s academic progress. Tell your children you are proud of their math efforts, even when they struggle. When students are confident in their abilities, they enjoy learning. That love of learning in turn leads to a willingness to try new, academic experiences.
Sylvan Learning’s online Math Activity Book provides 30 days of math writing topics, questions and puzzles. Families can download the booklet and answers by visiting the following links –
Math Book - http://email.internetstrategy.us/SS_Newsletter/misc/sylvan_math_booklet.pdf
Answers - http://email.internetstrategy.us/SS_Newsletter/misc/sylvan_math_booklet_answers.pdf
Parents looking for additional math resources and information can visit www.SylvanMathPrep.com to receive on-the-spot math guidance during homework time and obtain free access to over 700 interactive math lessons for pre-algebra, algebra, geometry and math test preparation for the SAT and ACT.
• Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/SylvanLearning
• Twitter: http://twitter.com/sylvanlearning
• MySpace: http://www.myspace.com/sylvanlearning
• YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/user/sylvanlearninginc
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)