College Essay Writing Tips

College Essay Writing Tips Keep up those great study habits that students mastered freshman year! Take advantage of interesting elective classes their high school offers. Try everything from computer science to theater â€" it could inspire a future career. I could be intimidated by racing through books I did not understand. I was not self-sufficient to do my best work on my own and needed a great teacher to inspire me. The paradox of loving to learn is that it requires managing pain. The luckiest people in life develop enduring fascinations and spend time honing their skills and learning new ones. They experience regularly the internal satisfaction that arises from encountering new ideas. I have asked hundreds of high-school students what choices they will make in college that will most shape their success. Students talk about which major they will choose, who their friends will be, or which clubs they’ll join. This might seem a little early on the college planning checklist, but freshman year could be a good time to start talking about post-high school plans. Check out online planning tools to help set academic goals right now that will help teens get the best high school education and be prepared for college. Particularly destructive for aspiring college students is the myth of the “numbers person” or the “word lover,” ignoring the fact that we all have minds and hearts capable of both. You mentoring a student and telling them what high school is really all about can help ease those nerves and get them through some difficult times. We all know high school can be both a cruel and an enjoyable experience. Parents need to be involved in this step, as it requires a good amount of parent information. Completing the Free Application for Student Aid is an important step to qualify for grants, loans, and scholarships. The FAFSA opens on October 1, and all families of seniors should complete the FAFSA as soon as possible. Remember, you’ll do the FASFA each year of college, not just once. Parents and students should work on this together. With its focus on external measures of success, such as grades and test scores, the college-admissions scramble does little to communicate the importance of growth and exploration. For young people to be happy in collegeâ€"and to excel there and the rest of their livesâ€"they need to open themselves to new subjects and ideas that can captivate and motivate them. That process necessarily includes doing things they might not immediately like. Mrs. Grist’s approach to teaching helped transform my college life as well. I arrived at college disoriented by large lectures and huge reading lists. Outside of family, though, no single factor comes close to the impact of a great teacher on students’ success. Former U.S. Education Secretary John King describes how a New York City public-school teacher effectively saved his life after he lost his mother and father. He says that as a young African American and Puerto Rican man from Brooklyn in a family in crisis, he might well have ended up “shot or in prison” but for great teaching. At the College Board, we regularly convene first-generation students on the threshold of college to help them plan their future. These students have been remarkably resourceful in navigating their path to college, yet they have much less to say about how they will succeed once there. They never say that their most important decision will be who their professors are. In general, students are extremely passive about seeking out great teaching. Applying to schools has become an endless choreâ€"one that teaches students nothing about what really matters in higher education. Again, this shows your growth as a person as well as your ability to share what you have learned to help others grow and mature. Students going into high school are often scared and nervous. Most tours are scheduled during the week, so look ahead to see what works best for your family’s schedule. Many colleges also offer self-guided tours that can be printed from their website or followed on an app. Your high school may also allow these visits to be excused absences, so be sure to talk with your school counselor before you go.