Graduate School Counseling

An increasing number of students are applying to graduate school and the variety of programs seems infinite. The same principles of good decision making apply to the application to grad school: knowing oneself and distinguishing among choices are vital in making a wise choice. I have helped numerous applicants decide which programs suit them, and then complete the application essays. As the price of graduate school has escalated in the last years, students approach this opportunity with increased care.

Important questions facing graduate students:

• How will attending graduate school contribute not only to my employability but to my quality of life?
• What is the best timing to take the standardized tests?
• How critical is my work history in comparison to my academic history?

Thoughts for Juniors

Many students tell me that their classmates are taking both the SAT and the ACT. There is really no need to do so. Simply download the free practice tests for each and compare your results.  If  you are uncertain about the differences between the tests, do call or email me.

Your College Can Be A Perfect Fit

Whether you’re thinking about attending a university close to home or far away, pursuing the fine arts, or aspiring for the Ivy League, Dr. Corman will help you take control of your future and make one of the biggest decisions you’ll ever face.

Turn your options into opportunities!

• Individualized Attention
• Full Student Evaluation
• Interest Inventories
• Standardized Testing and Coursework Planning
• Expert Essay Review
• Application and Interview Instruction
• Portfolio Development
• Scholarship Research and Assistance

Winter 2009 Newsletter

Dear Parents and seniors:

Happy New Year. I hope everyone had restful and happy holidays. This letter is intended to remind you of a few loose ends which require your attention. I am certain that the next term, your last in the senior year, will be more leisurely than the first. Please remember that senior grades are considered critical by the colleges and although I know everyone would like to relax, second term grades do matter.

For all of you who have applied to Cal State or UC, you should have received confirmation of receipt of your application at each campus. If for some reason you have not, call or email that campus to determine if your application has been received. Occasionally a UC will ask for current grades and if you receive that request, of course reply promptly; otherwise when your first term grades are available, send them to each college/university except the UC and Cal State. Be sure you use only one email account for all of your college correspondence as you will receive admissions notification by email.

To add variety and interest to your senior year, you may wish to take a course at SBCC or at UCSB. Of course you need to have the approval of your counselor for credit; a college course can be a way to keep you energized and interested in the last term of your senior year. Try something new! Open registration at SBCC continues through Jan.26 and the semester begins on Jan.26. If there is any change in your schedule, do notify each college. If you receive an honor or distinction, promptly inform each college as well.

This is the time to apply for financial aid. On the last page of your senior calendar, I have listed the major, reputable web sites. The Fafsa can be filed on line now along with the gpa verification (www.fafsa.ed.gov). Many schools require their own Profile and this should be filed now also. You should not pay for any scholarship application. Merit awards are usually posted in the schools’ guidance office and I encourage students to frequent their school’s guidance office to determine which ones they fit and to also research through the search engines suggested. Do be aware that in these economic times, the colleges are saying that they will be “need aware” not need blind in awarding financial aid.

Personal interviews will take place this month and usually students will be called by a local alumnus, alumna once their application has been received Many schools do not interview but for those who do, I encourage you to take advantage of this opportunity to personalize your application. I am happy to spend time with students practicing a mock interview so that they feel confident.

Please do e mail me or call with questions or concerns. This group of seniors is such a talented group: I feel privileged to have worked with each of them. With best regards and my sincere wishes for the coming year…

Cordially,

Bonnie R. Corman PhD

Fall 2008 Newsletter

Dear Senior Parents:

By this date, the seniors have submitted their UC and Cal State application and have received an acknowledgement that their online applications have been received. Each student has kept a hard copy of his/her application for reference.

As you know, the essays for the UC seem to be the daunting part of this application. Although I value exquisite writing, those essays is informative and does not at a total word count of 1,000 words always allow students to express themselves as creatively or vividly as they wish. The essays give students the chance to have the readers know who they are and what is important to them. Naturally, the essays need to be proofed, several times, for coherence and care and I am more than happy to read them one last time before your student presses the submit key on his/her computer.

Each guidance counselor should now have the secondary school forms and midyear reports for each school and recommending teachers should have their forms to complete for personal recommendations. And finally, students need to request that their final SAT or subject tests results have been sent to each school: since the reports are cumulative, this needs to be done only at the last testing (December testing). If your senior is not taking the Dec.6 test, he/she can go into the College Board and/or ACT website and request his/her scores be sent to each school he/she is applying to.

Now that the first round of applications (UC and Cal State have been filed) students are thoroughly involved in applying to the other universities on their application lists. In some cases, the personal essay which they wrote for the UC works for other schools, but often it does not. I recommend that they spend sufficient time developing, revising essays as they are a critical part of the application. I am always available to work with students on this part of their application and enjoy helping students discover and express their own voice in the essay. The Common Application has a major essay, short essays and most colleges have supplements as well. They vary in their requirements. But many ask rather specific questions of the applicants.

If you have read the LATimes today, there is an article worth your attention. It describes the advantage students will have this year in applying to smaller and out of states schools. The reason is the relative decline in the number of candidates as well as the economically stressful times for many parents. This means that your child may have a slightly better chance of getting into out of state and selective schools. It also is true that the UC and the Cal State schools have threatened to reduce the number of California candidates admitted this year. I remind the seniors of this reality, not to worry them, but to make them more enlightened applicants.

Among all of the things I feel Thankful for this year in particular, it is the enthusiasm and individuality of each of your children. It is a pleasure to be part of their lives especially during this time of their considerable growth.

Do let me know if there is anything that I can contribute to making this process easier or more transparent, do let me know.

I send my best regards for the coming holidays.

Cordially,

Bonnie Corman