Published: Wednesday, March 10th, 2010
American College Planners
March 2010 Newsletter
Summer camps are a great way to show colleges that you are ready for the independence and rigor that comes with independent study. We recently had a student that recieved a Full Scholarship! that she primarily attributed to her experience at a summer camp and their letter of recommendation for her. We'll be sharing information about some great upcoming summer camps. Let us know if you have any suggestions! info@americancollegeplanners.org
WCATY Summer Camp A taste of college, with high school credit
The WCATY Accelerated Learning Program (ALP) is an intense, three-week academic program that gives students the opportunity to take one high school or college-level course at an accelerated pace. ALP is held on the UW-Madison campus from June 20-July 10, 2010. All courses are designed to allow students to earn credit, with school approval, upon successful completion of the program. This program offers both overnight and commuter options. Because of the fast pace of this program, commuter students must commit to attend the evening session. In addition to taking challenging courses, the overnight students live in dorms and all students participate in organized recreational activities. WCATY believes curricular rigor, high expectations, and a student's personal passion for learning must work together to allow talented students to excel. Classes are small, with no more than 16 students, and focus on adjusting the pace and level of instruction to meet students' needs. WCATY knows academic rigor is essential for student success, but we also kn ow that friendships are one of the key reasons students come back.
Application Deadline is May 8, 2010. Courses: "Honors Physics," "Topics in Calculus," "Introduction to Logic," "AP Psychology," "Intro to College Computer Science," "AP U.S. History," "Latin," "Honors Chemistry," "Honors Music Theory," or "Advanced Literary Analysis" or "Honors Statistics." Contact: Carole Trone:(608)262-0589, cjtrone@wisc.edu Web Site: www.wcaty.org Grade Level: Students who have completed grades 9-12 Scholarship: Financial aid Available; contact for details. College Tours via iPhone? Not so Fast!
Colleges across the country are continuing to adapt to social media and technology trends to provide campus tours right on your iPhone! The College of Charleston is one of the first colleges to come up a campus tour with an iPhone app which can be downloaded free to your iPhone or iPod Touch. The app features nearly 60 campus images and at least 18 videos of the campus.
Potential students can also connect to this college and many others through various social media outlets. In fact most colleges encourage students to seek out these outlets to learn more about a college and connect with current and future students who can provide unique insight to campus life.
So what is a college bound student to do? Seek out all available social media resources if you can AND plan a campus visit.
College Visit Tips College visits should be so much more than just a video or a campus tour. Your goal is to find out as much about each college as possible so you know whether the college is the best fit for you. Deciding on a best-fit college is a big decision. Here are some tips to help you plan and get the most out of a college visit.
Plan to make the most of each college visit. Before the visit, set appointments with Admissions, Financial Aid, and Department Heads and Professors. These one-on-one meetings will help you learn more about the college and programs from various perspectives and set you apart from the many students who simply go on a campus tour. To prepare for each of these meetings create a list of questions that are not answered on the college's website or marketing materials and come prepared to answer questions about yourself and what it is about that college that piques your interest. Take notes during the meeting for and organize them for future reference. When you appointments are complete, send thank you notes to show your appreciation for other's time. A thank you can leave a lasting positive impression.
You will spend four years in college not to mention lots of money attending so learn as much as you can about a college before you make the big decision.
Keep Reading! For all students preparing to go to college you know how important it is to keep your grades up and continually improve your academic abilities. Here's another tip that will assist you as you progress through high school and go on to college- keep reading!
While we always recommend reading books that is often easier said than done while the school year is on. At American College Planners we strongly urge our clients to read newspapers on a regular basis especially if you can't always get through books during the school year. Read the Wall Street Journal, the Economist, and the New York Times. Not only will you become versed on current events, you will have access to various opinions and learn to think critically about news items. Another side benefit from reading newspapers is a larger vocabulary.
So keep reading to expand your outlook on the world, your vocabulary, and your academics!
American College Planners Upcoming Workshops
American College Planners is always looking for ways to share our workshop in the community and word of mouth referrals have allowed us to expand in the community. A very special thank you goes out to the Stoughton Parent's Association. After seeing our presentation, they arranged one for the high school and it was extremely popular among the parents. American College Planners would like to thank all of those who have referred us to their school, business, or church. We love helping students go to college and parents to understand the process. If you know of a group that would like to hold an American College Planners workshop, please call (608) 828-4336 or contact us at info@AmericanCollegePlanners.org.
Questions for American College Planners
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