Contributions:

To contribute original articles to the HSCW Contributors Blog, click here to email the editor . All requests will be given serious consideration. But please, this is not a place for promoting new products or other services. We look forward to hearing from you!

Thursday, October 18, 2012

Make Your Stories Pop: 10 College Application Essay Guiding Questions



Rebecca Joseph, PhD

Working on the drafts of your personal statements for your college applications? The drafting process is critical and can help make your stories and messages clearer.  Please be willing to draft and re-write to make your essays stronger.
Here are 10 questions to help guide you through the editing process. I hope they can help make your stories pop on the page and help you get admitted to your match colleges and receive lots of scholarship money.
  1. Does your essay start with a story that hooks us in from the first paragraph?
  2. If you start in the past, do you get to the present very quickly? Colleges want to know about the recent you. Great essays can start more recently and weave in past events.
  3. Do you write only in the first person and not spend too much time describing anyone or anything else? Use my one-third-two-third rule. You may not spend more than 1/3 of the essay describing anything other than your own activities and goals.
  4. If you are writing about your community or family, do you get to the present and your life and life works quickly? Can this description only connect to you and your story of who are you and how you are making a difference?
  5. Do you only tell one story and not try to tell your entire life story?
  6. If you are writing about an obstacle or challenge overcome, do you get to how you have responded and made a difference in the life of your community by the second or third paragraph of the essay? Admissions officers want to know who are you and how you make an impact drawing upon your obstacles or challenges.
  7. Do you have a metaphor that goes through the entire piece…does this metaphor reveal who you are and what you offer to potential colleges? You can embed this metaphor throughout out your piece.
  8. Can I close my eyes and picture your story? Does it make you sound unique and not like anyone else applying? Can I see your leadership and initiative and the power of what you will offer a college campus?
  9. Do you tell new stories and qualities in each separate essay your write? Do you make sure to reveal powerful information and core messages that colleges will need to know to admit you and give you money to attend?
  10. Endings-Do you end with a bang? Do you make it clear by the end you have goals and aspirations that drive you. Your endings must be specific for some prompts like the University of California and University of Texas, but can be more oblique and implied in Common Application and many supplementary essays. Do you end leaving the reader with the desire to get to know you more, to see you on his or her campus, and to share your essay with someone else?
Note:
a.       If you are responding to University of California Prompt 1, do you end with how your story has affected your dreams and aspirations—in terms of majors, life goals, and your community?
b.      If you are responding to University of California Prompt 2, do you make sure to connect whatever you writing about to a major activity or project you have done that makes you proud?
c.       If you responding to the Common Application long essay, do you end with a bang. You don’t have to have a formal ending like the UC applications. Do you clearly let us know that you understand the power of your story?




Wednesday, June 27, 2012

Is your kid going to school in Canada next fall? A couple of tips from a parent.

Many students and parents are looking north for colleges.  There are a lot of great colleges and universities across Canada, most, significantly less expensive.  I have a friend whose daughter just finished her freshman year at Mcgill University in Montreal.  Talking with Ann, I learned a lot about going to college north of the border, and some issues I never imagined.   I asked Ann if she could answer some questions about what she has learned, and hopefully give some tips if you or your child is interested in attending college in Canada, or oversees in general.  If you have other questions not addressed here please forward them along.



Q. Your daughter just finished up at McGill, overall was it what you expected?

From the first time we arrived on campus, we found the McGill community to be friendly and welcoming.  We actually arrived at school the day before the dormitory she was assigned to was scheduled to open.  We decided to take our chances and go see if we could possibly move her items in early.  When we came to the dorm and asked we told it was fine.  I cannot imagine this scenario being repeated on campuses in the U.S.

Mary had a great first year at school.  She loved living in Montreal, made great friends and found her classes challenging  and interesting.  We believe it is a great choice for her. 


Q. Tell us about the process of getting a student visa?  Is it complicated?  How long does it take?

McGill did a good job walking students through the application process.  Students and parents were reminded in writing on several occasions to begin the visa process as soon as possible.  When I had visa questions, I contacted the International Students office and was always able to get an answer pretty easily.  We also were required to offer letters from our banks which affirmed we had adequate funds in our account to pay tuition. 

One issue that came up was a strike by the Canadian Postal Service.  The matter was resolved and Mary received her visa in plenty of time.   

Prior to heading to Montreal, we were told to expect to wait at the border to process the visa for a new student.  It took about an hour and a half to complete the process which was a little longer than I expected.  While waiting for process, I made the most of the delay and wandered around and met other parents making the trek north. 


Q.  Is it possible for a student to work in Canada without a visa?

I am not an expert in this field.  It is my understanding that some U.S. students are permitted to obtain on-campus jobs only.  Our daughter will be able to work in Montreal as a sophomore.  It appears as though Canada is less restrictive than the U.S. when it comes to foreign students working while at university.

Q. I know you mentioned cell phones was a problem you never anticipated, what was the problem and what is the solution?

For some reason, I was fixated on the cell phone issue.  In a perfect world, our daughter could have continued to use her iPhone, expanded her coverage to include Canada and kept her same plan and telephone number.  This simply was not the case.  Folks at our local AT&T store could not offer much assistance.  We spoke to other parents in the same situation her simply shook their heads and wished us luck. 

One of the biggest stumbling blocks was the fact that she had an iPhone from AT&T that was locked and could not be opened in Canada.  We purchased a new iPhone that is not locked in Canada.  She ended up signing a three year contract with Rogers and kept her U.S. plan in place.  She carries two sim cards with her and simply exchanges them when she is at the border or airport.  When she was in Canada, we reduced the phone service in the U.S. to a minimum plan.  When she came home for the summer, we dropped many of the features for the Rogers plan.

A word to the wise, avoid the telephone company tents that pop up on campus at orientation time.  Many of them require cash payments for phones and service.  Moreover, the individuals working in the tents are often temporary workers who do not know the plan well.  It would have been better for us to visit a local phone store in Montreal to initiate service.  There was a dispute concerning whether or not we signed up for international texting.  If you remember anything from this article, it is to always sign up for international texting.  If you don't, the bill for the first few days can exceed $400 and lead to the phone service being suspended.  We are able to resolve the dispute and were credited on the account but it took many telephone calls to accomplish.  Consider tying the phone bill to be paid via your credit card each month.  It is a very convenient way to go.    

Q.  You also mentioned banking: again, what was the problem and what is the solution?

We wanted to be able to make it easy to deposit money in her account and make wire transfers without incurring fees which can exceed $40 a transaction.  I opted to keep a TD Bank account in Boston in the same branch as my daughter.  She signed paperwork granting me access to make deposits and track the account on line.  She then opened an account at TDCanada in Montreal.  The banks have an agreement to waive wire transfer fees between the U.S. branch and its Canadian counterpart.  I simply remind the bank each time I wire money and the fee is waived.  


Q. Canada also has an 18 year old drinking age.  What effect does that have on college age kids, and how did you deal with it?

I believe the fact that students can drink at 18 is a positive.   Students can purchase beer, wine and liquor and are able to frequent bars in clubs in Montreal.   Unlike in the U.S., drinking in Montreal is not done behind closed doors and students do not risk being brought up on disciplinary charges for having a beer with some friends.  Students learn pretty quickly that they cannot go out each night and make it to a 9:00 a.m. lecture.  Moreover, liquor is more heavily taxed in Canada than in the U.S. so the cost of a drink is much higher. 

Due to the lower drinking age, Montreal is a popular destination for students from New England.  Our daughter had lots of visitors from home.  Some of her friends' favorite memories of their freshman year is when they visited McGill which is funny considering that they go to school in Vermont and Boston.  I did remind her that she needed to make sure that her friends visiting from home made it back to campus.  No one could be left behind. 


Q.  Any other issues ?

The 2011 McGill Parent Orientation was cut short due to the Hurricane that moved through Vermont and into Quebec.  The storm did not take an expected course and many of us found ourselves saying goodbye rather quickly and jumping in our cars in order to leave quickly, hours earlier than planned.  No one lingered.  As a result, students found themselves stuck in the dorm during a Hurricane.  It was a great way to meet all of the other freshman. 

There are protests going on in Montreal concerning proposed tuition increases.  Many of the college students living in Montreal are on strike and protesting in the streets.  Although McGill students did not opt to join the strikers, the protests in Montreal did significantly impact the campus life.  The State Department cautioned U.S. residents traveling to Montreal about the protests.  To the best of my recollection, I did not receive regular updates from the administration about what was occurring on campus.  Perhaps the administration assumed parents were following these developments in the papers and on the news, but for families residing in the U.S. , the problems received little coverage.  Over time, McGill did put up regular updates on its website and did create a protestor blog which parents could access.  I simply checked the Montreal Gazette web site to stay informed. 

McGill does not bill students during the summer before school begins.  All of our friends had paid room, board and tuition prior to stepping foot on campus.  At one point I panicked and thought she was not registered.  This is not the case in Canada.  We did not get billed for the food service until sometime in October.  Tuition is due at the beginning of each semester and dorm costs are paid monthly.  Unlike the U.S., students in Montreal have access to their dormitories even during break.  It is much more similar to a landlord-tenant relationship that a college dorm arrangement.

Mailing packages from the U.S. to Montreal takes time - some packages will not arrive for 7-10 days.  I once sent a care package for exams and it got stopped at the border.  Turns out the company that sent it for me filled out the paperwork improperly and it resulted in a delay.

This past winter was quite mild compared to others but it is still cold in Montreal in the winter.  Buy the warmest boots and winter clothing that you can find!

Sophomores do not live on campus which means students find apartments with very little parent input.  Our daughter is so excited about her new apartment.  We saw it on google earth and think it looks nice.