[BHS etree] COLLEGE/CAREER: Junior Summer TO DO List

Mon Jun 7 21:06:12 PDT 2004

Contact:  Ilene Abrams  iabrams at berkeley.k12.ca.us

The Junior Summer To Do List is now available in the College/Career Center
for all students who are considering post-secondary education -- whether two
or four year college.  I have also pasted it in below.

The Senior Profile is also available in the College/Career Center.  This is
a questionnaire for students and parents to fill out over the summer.  The
information provided is used by the student's counselor to write his or her
recommendation for private schools or scholarships. Students applying only
to the UC's, Cal State's or community colleges do not need to fill out the
Senior Profile.   For those students applying to private schools, I strongly
recommend that you work on the profile over the summer as you will have much
less time in the fall.  The Profile is due on September 24th for regular
applications and September 10th if the student is applying Early Action or
Early Decision.  

If you have any questions, please e-mail me at iabrams at berkeley.k12.ca.us.
Ilene Abrams, College Advisor

Junior Summer To Do List

Summer is a great time to work on your college application process.  The
more you do this summer, the easier time you will have in the fall.  Time is
the commodity you will have less of senior year and you will wish that you
had started earlier.  (Trust me on this.)

Choosing Which Colleges To Apply To
Check out web sites - look at classes, clubs, calendars of events,
admissions requirements.  Take notes.  E-mail each college you are
interested in so that you can get on their mailing list.  Also, ask each one
(except UC’s and CSU’s) to send you an application.

Read guide books - Fiske Guide to Colleges, The Best 351 Colleges, The
Insider¹s Guide to the Colleges.

Visit Colleges - whether you are considering attending a two-year or
four-year school, you will learn a tremendous amount by visiting.  If you
are considering applying to schools outside the Bay Area but can’t visit
this summer, take student-led tours at UC Berkeley and/or UC Davis, San
Francisco, Hayward and/or Sonoma State, St. Mary’s College, Diablo Valley,
Vista or Laney College.  Remember to ask the tour guide about the things
that are important to you.  The more you visit colleges, the more you will
learn about what is a good fit for you.

Other Important Things To Do
Get organized - Find a file box (a milk crate works well) and set up a file
for each school of interest.  Then keep your notes, communications with the
school, and all of those brochures and other mailings they send to you, in
the file. On the front of the file, staple a paper to keep track of your
communications with the school and mark the date when you send your SAT
scores, your applications, etc.  If you decide you are not interested in the
school after all, just take the file out of your box and recycle the
contents.  In the fall, these files will be extremely useful to help you
keep track of the many details in the application process.

Write a resume. Whether for your application or a scholarship, you will
definitely want a list of your academic honors and awards, extra-curricular
activities, community involvement, and employment to show how productive
you¹ve been over the last four years.

In September, request an unofficial copy of your transcript in D-221 to make
sure that it is correct.  If there are errors, you will have time to get
them corrected before transcripts are sent to colleges.

Start looking for scholarships.  On the back of this page, is a list of
helpful websites. 

If you want to take the September 25 ACT, the regular registration deadline
is August 20, which is before you return to school.  You will need to sign
up online at www.act.org <http://www.act.org/>.

Preparing to Apply
Private Schools
Complete the Senior Profile.  This is due to D221 by September 24th
(September 10th if you are applying Early Action or Early Decision), but the
summer is a perfect time to get it done before school starts.  The Profile
is not needed if you are applying only to UC’s, Cal States or community
colleges.  

Work on your college essay.  After July 1, go to www.commonapp.org
http://www.commonapp.org/ to see the essay topics on the Common Application,
which is accepted by many private and public schools.

Public Schools
If you are applying to a UC campus, start working on your application
essays, with the goal of completing a near-final draft by the time school
starts.  I have listed the essay questions from last year on the back.  UC
admissions officers have indicated that there is a very strong likelihood
that the questions will remain the same this year.
Investigate CSU campuses at www.csumentor.edu <http://www.csumentor.edu/>.
Check out the "Explore Campuses" section to find schools that match your
interests.    

Helpful Websites 

College Search
College Board - www.collegeboard.com <http://www.collegeboard.com/>

Princeton Review - www.review.com <http://www.review.com/>

http://www.campustours.com/

http://www.collegeview.com/

http://collegezone.com

What Can I Do With a Major in ...?
www.uncwil.edu/stuaff/career/Majors/
<http://www.uncwil.edu/stuaff/career/Majors/>

UC and CSU information
UC - www.ucop.edu/pathways <http://www.ucop.edu/pathways>

CSU – www.csumentor.edu <http://www.csumentor.edu>

Scholarships  
Fastweb - http://www.fastweb.com/
Scholarship - http://www.scholarship.com <http://www.scholarship.com/>

Fin Aid - www.finaid.com

College Essay Guides
http://www.essayedge.com/college/essayadvice/

http://camel2.conncoll.edu/admissions/essays/

ACT/SAT Testing 
College Board - www.collegeboard.com <http://www.collegeboard.com/>
ACT – www.act.org <http://www.act.org/>

Test prep – www.cavhs.org <http://www.cavhs.org/>

UC Application Personal Statement Prompts

 Prompt Format. Applicants will be requested to respond to three prompts
utilizing a maximum of two pages (approximate word count: 1,000 words).  The
applicant will be instructed to respond to one of the three prompts with at
least 600 words (an extended response).  The applicant may choose which
prompt will receive the extended response.  The remaining two should be
about 200 words in length each.

Question #1
Focus: Academic Preparation

Rationale: The University seeks to enroll students who take initiative in
pursuing their education (for example, developing a special interest in
science, language or the performing arts; involvement in special programs
including summer enrichment programs, research, or academic development
programs such as EAOP, Mesa, Puente, COSMOS or other similar programs).
This question seeks to understand a student’s motivation and dedication to
learning. 

1. How have you taken advantage of the educational opportunities you have
had to prepare for college?

Question #2
Focus: Potential to Contribute

Rationale: UC welcomes the contributions each student brings to the campus
learning community.  This question seeks to determine an applicant’s
academic or creative interests, and potential to contribute to the vitality
of the University. 

2. Tell us about a talent, experience, contribution or personal quality you
will bring to the UC’s.

Question #3
Focus: Open-ended 

Rationale: This question seeks to give students the opportunity to share
important aspects of their schooling or their lives, such as their personal
circumstances, family experiences and opportunities that were or were not
available at their school or college, which may not have been sufficiently
addressed elsewhere in the application.

3. Is there anything you would like us to know about you or your academic
record that you have not had the opportunity to describe elsewhere in this
application?

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