Summer 2010 Newsletter

At last, it’s spring : school will be out soon and it’s time to enjoy summer.  I hope this newsletter will give you some ideas about profitable ways to spend the summer before your senior year.

1. There should be time for relaxation and introspection. Before the busy fall begins, give thought about what you really want post graduation? College, a gap year? A year to work?  Determining this now will be a great benefit to you.
2. This summer should answer questions for you. If you think you might be interested in veterinary med. for example, volunteer or shadow a vet at an animal hospital.
3. If you believe you will want to present an art portfolio or audition for theater or music, use the summer to add to your repertoire.  I just returned from a meeting and heard the Admission Chairs of Otis and UCLA Architecture schools emphasize that they require a large body of work to determine admissibility.
4. Complete your community Service and do it with heart…
5. Clean your desk drawers: you will need every bit of space to organize your college applications.
6. Go on a college tour: although many schools will not conduct summer classes on campus, some will do so and you might be able to determine fit by visiting now.
7. Call me for appointments so that we can see each other during the summer.
8. If you study this summer, get a recommendation now while your instructor has your work in his/her mind.
9. Read, read, keep a journal, take photos of things, people important to you, have fun too.
10. Continue to review for you fall SAT and subject tests.

Best regards for a happy and restful summer,

Bonnie

I am visiting colleges in Maine but am around most of the summer. Make an appointment now so that we can brainstorm together.

Fall 2009 Newsletter

Dear Parents:

I presume that now every parent is experiencing the business of the Fall and their children are equally engaged and busy. This is perhaps one of the most stressful parts of the application process as seniors are finalizing their application list, researching schools while still maintaining high grades etc. Knowing that you wish to be helpful and informed, I will outline some of the basic tasks to be accomplished this fall. You will receive these newsletters periodically to give you an outline of what to expect and to assess where your student should be in the college application process.

Most seniors will take another SAT in Oct and some will take two subject tests in Nov. I strongly recommend that all testing (other than senior AP tests) be completed by the Nov. testing. All juniors will take this PSAT this month and their first SAT this Fall. I also recommend that students uncertain about the choice of the SAT or ACT download practice tests from both web sites to determine which one is more suitable.

I attended the UC Counselors’ Meeting and the Cal State Counselors’ Meetings these last weeks and consequently have the most recent statistics about last year’s admission cycle and predictions for this year. As everyone in California recognizes, the dire status of our budget has affected education. There will be fewer admitted freshman both in the Cal States and in the UC Systems. This means that students have to be realistic in their chances of admissions in both systems; their grades need to be stellar and their essays informative. The selection criteria remain the same and students are reminded that their senior course selection must reflect a serious academic effort. Transfers seem to be less impacted by the recent budget crisis.

This fall and summer I went to conferences at colleges in Colorado, the USC conference. I revisited Brown University and this month am going to revisit a number of schools in the Midwest. All of my visits confirm my belief that this is a very talented generation and there are many excellent opportunities for them to explore their gifts and to develop new ones.

Some students who rank at the top of their class will have received a letter from the University of California designating them as ELC: this advantage gives a bit more security to the UC application process. If you have any questions about ELC, you should talk to your student’s counselor at his/her school as the school counselor facilitates the process by submitting the names and GPA’s of their students.

The applications are on line at this time and all students should print out copies to begin thinking about their two statements; they should also get an unofficial copy of their transcript in order to complete the self reported grades. A few schools, USC included, post Part I of their applications at this time; if these schools request such preliminary portions of their application; it is wise to complete them now. Parents are reminded also to complete their taxes early as current tax returns will be necessary for the filing of financial aid applications (FAFSA, College Board Profiles etc. all of which can be completed Jan.2, 2010)

All of my students continue to perfect their Personal Statements and application essays. Usually the process of rewriting takes many weeks but in the end becomes something of a milestone. As most of you know, I teach English 111 at SBCC and know what the colleges expect from students. This is one of my favorite parts of the application process because it gives your student a chance to personalize his or her application and write about his/her own personal strengths and experiences.

Many of you have read the recent articles in the media about the current crisis in Higher Education. Although all college professionals acknowledge that the crisis is real, we all continue to believe there are still good opportunities for your student and that now,more than ever, it is critical to devote the time and care to this important educational decision

Please stay in touch with me and meantime know that it is a pleasure to work with your children.

Regards,

Bonnie R. Corman PhD

Summer Newsletter to Rising Seniors and their Parents

Summer Newsletter to Rising Seniors and their Parents  June 2009

At last, it’s June: school is out and it’s time to enjoy summer.  I hope this newsletter will give you some ideas about profitable ways to spend the summer before your senior year.

1.There should be time for relaxation and introspection. Before the busy fall begins, give thought about what you really want post graduation? College, a gap year? A year to work?  Determining this now will be a great benefit to you.

2. This summer should answer questions for you. If you think you might be interested in veterinary med. for example, volunteer or shadow a vet at an animal hospital.

3. If you believe you will want to present an art portfolio. Or audition for theater or music, use the summer to add to your repertoire.  I just returned from a meeting and heard the Admission Chairs of Otis and UCLA Architecture schools emphasize that they require a large body of work to determine admissibility.

4. Complete your community Service and do it with heart…

5. Clean your desk drawers: you will need every bit of space to organize your college applications.

6. Go on a college tour: although many schools will not conduct summer classes on campus, some will do so and you might be able to determine fit by visiting now.

7. Call me for appointments so that we can see each other during the summer.

8. If you study this summer, get a recommendation now while your instructor has your work in his/her mind.

9. Read, read, keep a journal, take photos of things, people important to you, have fun too.

Best regards for a happy and restful summer,

Bonnie

Make your Summer Really Count

Give yourself time to relax but also some time for introspection. Think about where and when you are truly happy and productive and that will give you a path to choosing a college. Spend some time shadowing some people whose life and jobs you admire. Would you be happy doing what they do? If you are an artist or musician or actor, begin working on your repertoire and ask for a critique of your work in preparation for the Fall. Complete your Community Service and do it with heart; clean your desk drawers as you will need them in the Fall. Read, read, read a keep a journal. Have a happy and restful summer!

Thank-You Note Enters College Admission Game

The New York Times quoted Bonnie in an article on college admissions:

Bonnie R. Corman, an educational counselor and psychotherapist in Santa Barbara, Calif., does not put note-writing on her students’ to-do lists but advises those who want to send thanks to avoid lined paper. Still, she sternly rejected a young woman’s proposal to write on her mother’s personal stationery.

“I asked her, ‘How would I feel if I received a note with someone else’s name?’” Dr. Corman said.

About Dr. Corman

Dr. Corman has a doctorate in Marriage, Family, and Child Counseling, a Masters in English and a Masters in Counseling. A Phi Beta Kappa Ivy League Alumna, she has been a college counselor and school psychologist in an independent school and in a public school. She currently teaches college English. As a psychologist with a special interest in adolescents, she is able to add a developmental perspective on the college application process.

Dr. Corman is a member of the major national and regional professional organizations, on the planning committee of the Harvard Club of Santa Barbara, the former chair of the University of Pennsylvania Club Of Santa Barbara.

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