Articles for High School Counselors

Thesaurus words in college essays … how you can help!

Have you ever had a student turn in an essay draft with a few words that seem way too big?

Are the words different from the words they’ve used in meetings, in writing exercises, or on a quick chat on the phone?

I think we all know the culprit: the thesaurus!

Time and again, we advise our students to ditch the thesaurus: they don’t need it; their authentic voice matters; they should use the words they use every day.

It’s on our Do’s and Don’ts list (as a Don’t) in our book for students! (If you don’t have a copy of our book for students, you can download a free one here). And you can share it with your students!

But to be honest, students don’t always listen. You know why? Because they don’t always trust themselves. Our job, and yours, is to encourage them to trust themselves.

If an applicant uses a thesaurus to find words, rather than trust the words they know and use every day, the essay will not sound like them. In the process of writing, they might even use a few big words incorrectly, and that will never impress an admissions officer.

Either way, it’s problematic. For you. For us. For our students.

We have a few tricks up our sleeves to help reduce the number of awkward/thesaurus/misused words in college essays.

Here’s our best one: We make short and sweet notes in the margin, asking them politely and respectfully to explain what they wrote in the same words they would use to explain it to a friend.

We don’t write all over the draft; that can be overwhelming and fuel more stress.

Here’s an example:

A student used the phrase “the adrenaline was seething through my body” in a very long and winding sentence in an early draft of a personal statement; it didn’t sound like the student who wrote it. In the margin, I asked how he would describe this feeling to a friend. He responded, “I felt a huge rush of adrenaline, and that was incredibly intense.”

Much better. It sounded like the student who wrote it. He liked it, too.

At Wow, we put the student in charge, and make it okay for them to use the words they know, the words they like, the words that make them sound like themselves.

We allow them to make choices, and we make suggestions. But if they don’t take our advice, we leave it alone.

And guess what? Our students write beautiful essays that they are proud of – even with occasional awkward sentences or big words.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Kim Lifton is a MACAC Board Member and President and Co-founder of Wow Writing Workshop, which teaches students and educational professionals a simple, step-by-step process for writing effective college essays, so students can stand out and tell their stories. Kim leads a team of writers and teachers who understand the writing process inside and out. Since 2009, Wow has been leading the college admissions industry with our unique approach to communicating messages effectively through application essays, including personal statements, activity and short answer essays and supplements. We teach students – and we train professionals.

Coming Up

We cover a new topic in our Pro Chats each month – Wednesdays at 1:00 p.m. Eastern! Click here to register for our free sessions!

December 12/08/21 Reflection: 2021 Wrap-up

January 01/12/22 A Taste of the College Essay Experience (a special 60-minute webinar)

Our free gift to you!

And, if you’d like a free electronic copy of our book for counselors, How to Write an Effective College Application Essay, the Inside Scoop for Counselors, download it here.

Date November 23, 2021
Author Kim Lifton

Free College?

There is a lot being written in the press about “Free College” for students. What does it mean? What programs are possibly going to be implemented? Which schools are on board with this effort? We will have a great focused article on this subject in the Spring 2022 issue of LINK for Counselors so stay tuned. The writer of the article, Jim Paterson, a former Counselor, included several sources in the piece. After press time for the article, he received some great information from Martha Kanter, the Head of College Promise. We wanted to make sure we shared that with you too:

(Jim Paterson) First, I know this is probably a very fluid situation, but can you provide your thoughts about what will happen at the national level with support for 2-years of college for free?

(Martha Kanter) Right now, while “free community college” was stalled like so many other critical priorities due to Congressional gridlock, we have overwhelming public support for this to happen from our nation’s students, families, and communities. If enacted, it will be a major step forward to keep college affordable and attainable for all Americans. When we look at the local and state bipartisan support for College Promise, especially over the past decade, these leaders are paving the way forward to fund the first two or more years of college through a Federal-State Partnership. The value proposition has been confirmed many times over in the Promise research and public policy reports that investing in free community college will accrue significant economic, social, and civic benefits for our nation. We will continue our advocacy and look forward to other ways we can realize the Promise at the federal level in partnership with the states. This is a setback but we’re still on the road!

(JP) And, more importantly, since the audience here is admissions officials, college consultants and high school counselors and prospective students and their families, what advice would she have for them about how to find the best opportunity for free college? Are there pitfalls to avoid or problems with any of the programs? If she was speaking to this audience, what two or three tips would she provide — and it can be brief.

(MK) Start by reviewing the 2021 College Promise Catalog of Local and State Programs. It includes comprehensive information about Promise program locations, eligibility requirements, the college(s) committed to the Promise, wrap-around support services provided, whether a student may attend college full or part-time, website, and contact information. The roadblock that students most often encounter is meeting specific Promise program eligibility requirements. Students may or may not be eligible given the criteria individual Promise programs have established – some programs are more targeted or restricted while other programs are more universal and inclusive.

Some tips for college consultants, high school counselors, and prospective students and their families:

Take time to learn about the benefits, locations, and eligibility requirements of Promise programs that you are interested in, especially for regions and institutions where the majority of your students are likely to enroll.
Consider whether the program is offered at both the local and state level (often there are more resources provided if this is the case).
Reach out to visit the actual program, either virtually or in person, to learn as much as you can about how the program is delivered to prospective students

(JP) Are there many or any free college programs kids should be aware of that aren’t designated as College Promise programs?

(MK) Students might also look at opportunities sponsored by companies (e.g., Amazon, Walmart, Starbucks, etc.) that offer to pay for college tuition and fees while students are in college since so many of our nation’s students are learning and working at the same time.

Date November 22, 2021
Author Jim Paterson

College List Spreadsheet with Contact E-mail addresses

When students are looking to contact Admissions at multiple College’s where do they go to get the contact information? Searching for the information can be time consuming and frustrating.

Tiffany T. Grimes of Alamogordo High School in New Mexico has put together a nice spreadsheet of many College’s that her students have applied to. You can copy these over and expand to include other College’s in your area. It makes it easy for your students to e-mail admissions direct to ask any specific questions they may have. It also make it easy for you when you have a question for a specific College. Here is a link: https://www.linkforcounselors.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/College-List.xls-1.pdf

You can also find contact information for any of LINK for Counselors advertisers on our site here: https://www.linkforcounselors.com/colleges/

Date November 18, 2021
Author Jason Bullock

College Swag Request Template

Did you know that many Colleges will provide “swag” for your office and your students if you just ask? This includes pennants, t-shirts, koozies, posters, and many other types of promotional items. It benefits them to get their name out their to prospective students. Oftentimes, all you have to do is to ask for it?

Tiffany T. Grimes, a Counselor at Alamogordo High School in New Mexico has a template of a letter she sends to schools that can be crafted to send out to the College’s in your area. Here is a link: https://www.linkforcounselors.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/College-Swag-Request.docx.pdf

Date November 18, 2021
Author Jason Bullock

College Visitation Form

Many of your students will want to visit College’s to check them out and see if they are a good fit. It is a good idea for them to visit during the week when classes are taking place and they can get a feel for the campus during normal school hours. Unfortunately, there are times when students might liberally take advantage of the opportunity to miss a school day under the auspices of visiting a College for a “College Visit”. JB Jones, a Counselor at Rockwall-Heath High School in Texas, has developed a form you can adapt to your school that students can take when they are visiting a College Campus to get signed and use as an excused absence.

Here is a link to the document: https://www.linkforcounselors.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/College_Day_Visitation_Permit.pdf

Date November 18, 2021
Author Jason Bullock

Find colleges that want you more than you want them

Don’t feed the frenzied fever of the college admissions process.

Families often get caught up in the high stakes of college admissions competition. If you’re willing to look beyond the super selective top tier of colleges, you’ll find that many of them need you more than you need them.

A survey conducted by Inside Higher Ed found that over 75% of colleges were either “very or moderately concerned” about not meeting their enrollment goals this year. These stats are particularly relevant to private non-profit colleges.

It’s the “non-famous privates” that are struggling the most. These small to mid-size privates don’t have the deep pockets that the famous brand name schools have. Without the big endowments, they’re forced to rely much more on tuition payments to cover costs.

Many of these colleges that need students, particularly private colleges, are often willing to offer bigger discounts or may match competing schools’ offers of financial aid. Knowing this tidbit ahead of time can dramatically alter a student’s college list. If you know that your stats are in the top 25% (above the college’s middle 50%), you have: 1) a much greater likelihood of being accepted and 2) a reasonably good chance that you’ll be offered an attractive merit-based scholarship award.

The problem is that most families never look beyond the usual suspects in their geographic region or the name schools nationally. Depending on the student’s academic and extracurricular profile, they may be considered a much more desirable applicant somewhere else, and that desirability is often rewarded with money.

Make your list and check it twice

The biggest response to the competitive frenzy has been an alarming increase in the number of applications submitted by students. It’s called “Application Overkill.” Unfortunately, it is not that unusual to hear of students applying to 15, 18 or even 20+ colleges.

What’s wrong with that?

There is no way a student can apply to that many colleges and do a solid job on each one. What frequently happens is that students focus too much of their time in the beginning on their dream school application. They start the process with lots of energy and labor over each essay. But then they get burned out after that first or second application. When it comes time to complete their applications for their target and safety schools, they don’t do a good job.

The college admissions process doesn’t need to be crazed. If you understand what makes you appealing as well as your financial limitations and you are willing to look at colleges with an open mind, the process can be downright rewarding!

Lee Bierer is the Founder of College Admissions Strategies – Charlotte, NC. She can be reached at lee@collegeadmissionsstrategies.com or via their website at: www.collegeadmissionsstrategies.com

Date November 15, 2021
Author Lee Bierer
Source College Admissions Strategies

What NOT to Do When Struggling with Overwhelming Adolescent Anxiety

Among teens and their parents, anxiety can be a misunderstood condition. While some feel that kids will “just grow out of it,” the research shows that this simply is not the case. Anxiety is a normal reaction to life’s many stresses, but those suffering from anxiety disorders are affected way more by everyday life stress than the average person. In order to deal with this, teens dealing with chronic anxiety must face it head-on. Changes in diet, sleep, and exercise can help teens overcome anxiety, as can finding ways to face their fearful situations. But there are also a handful of things that you should absolutely NOT do when attempting to overcome excessive anxiety. Below are just a few:

Don’t attempt to ignore the anxiety

It may seem logical that the less you think about being anxious, the less anxious you will feel. But as a teen facing chronic anxiety or a parent looking to help their child, it’s important that you face the anxiety head-on and never attempt to ignore it in the hopes that it will just go away.

Don’t try to manage stress with drugs and alcohol

While it’s true that drinking alcohol can temporarily reduce the effects of anxiety (it is a depressant after all), the long-term effects of using alcohol to cope can actually worsen your anxiety. When the effects of alcohol wear off, you can be left in a state of increased anxiety – much more problematic than the one you were in pre-drinking.

“Alcohol changes levels of serotonin and other neurotransmitters in the brain, which can worsen anxiety. In fact, you may feel more anxious after the alcohol wears off,” notes Healthline.com. “Alcohol-induced anxiety can last for several hours, or even for an entire day after drinking.”

If you try to use alcohol to manage social anxiety, it may work at the beginning. Having a few drinks does make social situations more tolerable for some – there’s no point in denying that. But after a while you will come to depend on alcohol to be social, and that’s a bad place to be in if you have social anxiety disorders.

Don’t practice avoidance

For some, the easiest way to control anxiety is to avoid any and all situations that may trigger it. Like alcohol, this works in the short term. If you are anxious about taking a test, just ditching school will help – for a minute. But avoidance is a poor short-term solution to a long-term problem. One of the key strategies for overcoming anxiety is to face your anxiety head-on.

This doesn’t mean you have to jump directly into a stressful situation all at once. You can level up to it.

As a parent of a teen with anxiety issues, it’s vital to legitimize their fears and empathize, but you must not enable avoidance. You’re not doing your child any good by attempting to protect them from every little thing that causes them stress. Encourage your teen to identify their fears and face them in a safe, controlled manner.

Don’t accept generalities

Saying you’re simply scared to go to school will do nothing to help you identify and battle your anxiety. You must be specific. Why are you anxious? Only when you get specific can you begin to come up with logical solutions to your anxiety. Nervous about falling behind in your areas of study? Now that you’ve identified the specific problem, you can offer up a specific solution like employing a tutor to help (prices are typically negotiable if that’s an issue). It’s also worth pointing out that anxiety can also be used as a tool for growth, as this anxiousness can actually push up toward growth by forcing us to come face-to-face with uncomfortable situations and feelings, which can often lead to a new, positive experience.

Anxiety is manageable if you take the steps to confront it head-on and don’t rely on quick fixes like alcohol and avoidance. Get specific about what is causing you anxiety and come up with a game plan to overcome it.

Photo Credit: Pixabay.com

Date November 12, 2021
Author Jason Bullock

LINK for Counselors Survey – Get entered into a drawing for a $100 Amazon Gift Card

We are conducting a brief survey through Signet Research. This helps us determine which content is of most interest to Counselors and also gives us valuable feedback for our advertisers who allow us to provide Counselors with free content.

If you would like to take the survey, here is the link – https://appv2.sibylsurveys.com/s/2vkG4yHbSsed9zsgX/fxLtodeJvRsaX2yxu/3neY1Na8m6LLLM9in/sgckpo5SHmFZBiYDo

Thanks, we appreciate it! The LINK for Counselors team

Guide for Life Curriculum

The State of Arkansas has put together a very nice curriculum that can be used in other states. It is designed to be used by students in grades 9-12. It includes lesson plans in the following areas:

Growth – Guide to Manager Yourself (Includes 10 Lessons)

Understanding – Guide to Know Yourself (Includes 11 Lessons)

Interaction – Guide to Building Relationships (Includes 10 Lessons)

Decisions – Guide to Making Responsible Choices (Includes 10 Lessons)

Empathy – Guide to Be Aware of Others (Includes 10 Lessons)

They have also put together separate guides for younger age groups as well. Here is a link: https://sites.google.com/pdarkansas.net/guideforlifecurriculum/high-school-9-12?fbclid=IwAR0l9RYdLp-36wA4O-7P1ViVA68mZJh03C7wijahC4hHcpZw0XnPhQ1ZE60

10 Questions Your Students Should Ask When Getting Interviewed for a Job

When your students begin interviewing for a job how will they know if the company is a good fit for them? There are questions they can ask to help determine if the company is the right culture fit. Here are 10 good questions your students should consider asking:

1. Why is this position available?

Why to ask it: The answer from this question can tell you a few helpful things: whether this is a new position (which comes with its own challenges), or whether someone left the position because they were promoted, moved laterally at the company, quit, or were fired. Whatever the answer, you will learn something valuable about the job and team you might join.

2. What makes it a great day and what makes it a challenging day at work?

Why to ask it: Rather than a vague question about what a “typical day” may look like, this subtle, yet hard-hitting question will allow you to get a much clearer picture of the highs and lows of the job.

3. When was the last time you promoted someone within your team, and why?

Why to ask it: This question can provide insight into what the hiring manager considers to be the most important traits, skill sets, and achievements to progress within the company. Plus, it also gives intel on career progression within the organization and how often employees are able to move up through the ranks.

4. What are some of the challenges you expect the person in this position to face?

Why to ask it: Every job will have its challenges, but asking about them specifically can help you learn what they may be ahead of time and whether they’re the types of challenges you’d feel comfortable tackling.

5. How is criticism and feedback handled within the team?

Why to ask it: Some managers and teams do a great job of handling feedback and critical discussions in a way that helps everyone grow and evolve, and some just don’t. The answer you receive from this question will help you know what to expect and whether it’s an environment you’d be well-served in.

6. What is the main reason employees stay at or leave this company?

Why to ask it: Not only will this question provide a better sense of a company’s existing culture, it will also offer insight as to how aware the company is about employee experience and if they take employee feedback, such as exit interviews, to heart.

7. Could you tell me if you have any Employee Resource Groups (ERG) and how they might support your Diversity, Equity, and Inclusivity (DI) work?

Why to ask it: By asking directly about ERG’s, you’ll be able to determine if the company is vested and committed to their DEI strategic plans, and if they’re creating programs and policies to support their employees. This question is also an excellent way to determine if your values align with the company’s values and mission statement, and if the company provides opportunities for their employees to grow while being valued as a contributor.

8. What is the company’s approach to supporting the work-life balance of employees, and what are some recent initiatives you’ve put in place related to the pandemic?

Why to ask it: The answers received from this question will help you determine if the company really does support work-life balance and in what ways. Asking about any new things they’ve done as a result of the pandemic will tell you if the company is responsive to the ever-changing needs of its workforce.

9. How does the company determine salary levels or ranges for remote workers and is it at all different for in-office workers or hybrid workers?

Why to ask it: Companies with remote workers have several different ways they might determine salary levels. Typically, it’s based on either the company’s location, the worker’s location, or another metric like national average. Knowing how they calculate their pay rates gives you solid information to make informed decisions if/when you’re negotiating salary requirements.

10. Do you have any hesitancy in hiring me?

Why to ask it: This offers a chance to immediately address anything they might say, and hopefully help the interview move past whatever is making them hesitant about hiring you for the role. Plus, it can provide solid information for how to improve for future interviews.

Information provided by FlexJobs