Guiding Your Students Through the New Common Application

By:  Patrick O'Connor Ph.D

It’s been almost a month since Common Application released their brand new application,

CA4.  With most schools still not in session, August has been a good month for a few students to test out the new version and come across many of the bugs and conflicts that are part of any new Web site, even one that’s been tested for a long time…

…and that’s good news for you and your students.  As you welcome your seniors back for a year of great growth, here are the key areas you’ll want to focus in on with the new Common App.  If you give your students a heads up on these, you’ll avoid a lot of confusion later on down the road.

FERPA Release  Students must sign their FERPA waiver as part of using Common Application.  This year, that waiver is on Common App for all users, and it’s pretty easy to complete.  Students to into their Common App account.  Under Education, they click the My Colleges section, and enter at least one college.  After that, they click Assign Recommenders, and the FERPA form will appear— they complete it by waiving their right, and they’re all set. 

As is always the case, it is important for students to know that once they fill this form and Submit it, the form cannot be changed, even if the student hasn’t sent in a college application.  Students will want to make sure to complete this early step correctly.

Copying and pasting essays from Microsoft Word  The other big issue that’s come up has to do with essays.  Most counselors tell students NOT to type their essays directly into Common App, and with good reason.  Using a word processing program allows the student to check for typing and grammar mistakes using the same tools they have access to for all of their other school work, and that increases the chances the college essays will be proofread correctly.

The challenge comes when students are trying to copy their essays into Common App from Microsoft Word.  Many students report that the essays seem to transfer over smoothly, but when they Preview the essay, they see blank spaces, missing lines, or computer code that turns some (or all) of their essay into hieroglyphics.

The easiest cure that’s been discovered so far is for students to Copy their Microsoft Word essays into Notepad, the very basic word processing program that comes on most PCs.  Once it’s Pasted into Notepad, the computer code from Word is cleaned off; students then hit Copy from Notepad and Past into Common App, and everything is fine. Common App will undoubtedly come up with a better fix, but for now, that’s the best thing to do.

Common App and Naviance  For high schools that use Naviance to keep track of student applications, the new Common App seems to be blending in well with Naviance.  At the same time, this is a new group of seniors, and every high school using Naviance has their own policies about how Teacher Recommenders and College Lists are added.  If you haven’t already done so, put together a list of Naviance procedures, and share those with your students—and set up a time in the computer lab after school to guide students through the challenges they may run into.

There are always a few bumps in the first steps of a new endeavor—either in applying to college this year, or going to college next year.  With a little patience, you can set the example of flexibility that will benefit your students for years to come.

The New Common Application is Here!

By: Patrick O'Connor Ph.D

The New Common Application is Here!

August 1 is the big day, when the new version of Common Application debuts.  Known as CA4, this new version of Common App offers the same benefits of using one basic form to apply to hundreds of colleges, while offering streamlined technological advances, and some new guidelines for the much-heralded college essay.

It’s easy to understand why some students are looking forward to the CA4 launch like Obi-wannabes line up for a new Star Wars film, but there are some important precautions to keep in mind as well:

Keep the big picture in mind  The buzz around CA4 is strong, and applying to college is a pretty exciting thing all by itself.  But thereason you’re applying is because you’d like to attend that college—and that only happens if your application is good, not fast.  Not a single one of the 517 colleges on Common App has an application deadline in August, and no one gets bonus points for being the first to apply.  Before you hit Submit, make sure your work is thorough, thoughtful, and a complete reflection of who you are.

Waive your right to see your letters  This is especially true when Common App asks you if you want to waive your right to see your letters of recommendation.  Many students view this as a great opportunity to exercise their right to know, and check Do Not Waive.  You’re free to do that, but some teachers—and even some colleges—see this as suspect; why would a student not trust someone they’ve asked to write for them?  Besides, you’d only get to see the letters at the college that admits you—and once you’re in, does the letter really matter anymore?  Waive the right, and make your declaration of independence somewhere else on the application…

Big brother can’t help you much now   …like here.  The changes to CA4 are big enough that the well-meaning advice of a sibling who filled out the old Common App can help very little, and hurt a great deal.  This is especially true with the one essay required on the new application—different prompts are used, and the word limit is real.  If you’re looking to make applying to college your own experience, do it here; write your own essay, ask one or two people to read it, and follow these simple guidelines.

Be patient  Common App has worked very hard to make sure all students will have a great application experience on CA4.  They’ve even tested the application several times—just not with hundreds of thousands of students at the same time.  In addition, some colleges are still fine-tuning their supplemental pages, and Common App has said some of these supplemental pages may not be ready by on time (I know—colleges are missing an application deadline.  Ironic, right?)

This is why it’s important to remember everyone means well.  If something doesn’t work, tell Common App.  If a college’s page doesn’t quite look right, DON’T be the memorable student who calls the college and says “What’s up with your Common App supplement?”  You’ll be memorable at that college, for sure—but for all the wrong reasons.  Instead, wait a day; if it still looks bad, tell Common App.

You and Common App have a mutual goal—to help you submit the best possible application.  Keep that in mind, and if the CA4 newness leaves you anxious, wait until August 18 to apply.  CA4 will still be there, no one will have been admitted by then, and a friend or two can walk you through it.

A Common Application Plea to All Students and Parents

By: Patrick O'Connor Ph.D

Counselors who are still in the building will want to take a moment to pass some important reminders on to rising seniors and their families about Common Application.

Nearly all of us now know Common Application is going to an updated version, and most students are aware that this new version is debuting August 1^st. What many students seem to have forgotten in these first few weeks of summer is that all Common Application accounts opened now will be permanently closed on July 1.  This means anyone who wanted to get a jump on the new Common Application is actually working on the old Common App, and they won’t be able to access any of this work come Monday—plus, it won’t be transferred to any new CA account they create on or after August 1.

If students are looking for something to do that will help them move their college applications along, you could once again give them the link to the Common Application essay topics that will be used next year.  These are new topics, which must be between 250-650 words, and can be found athttps://www.commonapp.org/CommonApp/Docs/DownloadForms/2013/EssayAnnouncementFinal.pdf

As I said, you could send this prompt along—but let me encourage you not to.  All of these eager students are to be admired for their advanced planning and industrious view of college applications, but there is some evidence to suggest that all of this early writing is leading to very plain essays.  There’s only so many times a student can revisit the same topic and not lose interest, and that isn’t the kind of writing colleges want to see.  Instead, I would recommend you pass along some solid advice about when and how to pursue a thoughtful essay—advice which directs students to start writing no earlier than August 1. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/patrick-oconnor/i-can-tell-you-nowtheir-e_b_3118268.html

Finally, it’s a good idea to remind students that they have to include their counselor’s e-mail address on Common Application if the student wants the counselor to send the required Secondary School Report, and the student’s transcript.  If you’re going to e-mail them to remind them of the August 1 start date, it’s a good idea to add your name; the school’s official name and six digit CEEB code, and your e-mail address.  This increases the chances these forms will get to you sooner rather than later, and that gives you a fighting chance to get organized...

…and remember to send the reminder e-mail to parents as well as students.  I’d like to say all these hard charging seniors are jumping the gun because they love the idea of going to college, but many of them are doing this because they love the idea of getting their well-meaning parents off their backs.  Since you’re a counselor, you should help them achieve their personal goals—make sure the e-mail goes to Mom and Dad, too.

Things to Remember Come Fall

By: Patrick O'Connor Ph.D

The coast is nearly clear for school counselors, who typically have to be at school a week after the teachers and students are gone.  You’ve kept yourself busy for five days, and you really, really love your students—but you also really, really want to hit the beach, eat some fresh fruit, and remember what it’s like to be among the living.

You’ll need to keep that same attitude when you’re back in the fall.  Life is in high gear for the rest of the world, and many activities will be shaping the lives of our students while they’re away from school, and while we’re away from them.  Summer headlines will be gone and forgotten on the first day of school, but changes in international events, education policy, or cultural trends could impact our students this July in ways that will remain with them this September.

How can we track these life-altering activities without spending the summer glued to CNN?  Buy a notebook when you get sunscreen, and make a few notes every couple of days.  Here are a few events to get the list started:

The Supreme Court and Families Teachers aren’t the only ones who have a different summer schedule, but before the Supreme Court goes on its three month vacation July 1st, it will rule on a host of issues that could impact students.  Two cases involve the legality of same sex marriage; another could impact the way voting rules are made in some states, and the court may even change the role race can play in college admissions.  These rulings could have a strong impact on students’ homes and college plans; look for them to come out in the next week, and keep them in mind when the students return.

Common Core Comes to You  Many states will  implement Common Core standards this fall in ways that could impact students’ schedules, learning, and evaluation.  Many of those plans may already be in place, but more could take shape this summer.  Michigan is a prime example of a state where things may be different in six weeks; the legislature has passed the state budget, and told the Department of Education to spend no money at all on Common Core implementation.  Politics and education have always been an interesting summer couple; keep a close eye on what could be a rocky summer romance.

Common Application, Version 4  High school counselors have been forewarned and workshopped about the changes coming to this very popular college application service, but no amount of preparation can prepare you for every single student’s situation.  In addition, many colleges who usually announce their essays early are waiting until August 1st, the first day CA 4.0 hits the Internet.  Take an hour in late August to review the new system and review the essay questions of the colleges popular with your students.  That will provide the calm you’ll need when the Class of 2014 runs to your door looking more like a zombie invasion than college applicants.

International Events are shaping up to make the summer interesting, as Afghanistan refuses to negotiate with the US unless they also get to talk with the Taliban, and North Korea won’t talk to South Korea without talking to us.  If this sounds like the drama of junior high prom on a global scale, you’re sort of right; still, students are in families with military parents, where the price of peace can be high.  You may be called this fall to serve with soothing if they must answer their call of duty this summer; listen, affirm, and support.

 

A Message to This Year's High School Seniors

By:  Patrick O'Connor Ph.D

This is the third year in a row I received no invitations to speak at a graduation ceremony—e-mail is so undependable-- so I’ll continue the tradition of addressing all of you from here, as you say goodbye to life as a high school student.

First and foremost, congratulations.  Your adventures from ninth to twelfth grade are undoubtedly the most chronicled high school odyssey in world history, thanks in part to your posts on social media (“OMG—I got an A!”) to the zigabytes of video and pictures your parents took at a moment’s notice, much to your displeasure (“Mom, put the camera away—I’m only going to driver’s ed!”).  Combined with the media’s constant insistence that the odds of getting into a good college are smaller than being struck by lightning, it’s easy to understand why graduation day brings more a sense of relief than joy, for at long last, this stressful part of your life is behind you.

And I really hope you keep that part of your life behind you.  There’s no doubt life will bring more situations that will keep you up at night, but you’ll face many more where keeping awake at night is nothing more than an option. The tricky part comes when people around you respond in a way that makes you feel like your only options are panic, drama, and uncertainty.  When those times come, it will be hard to stop and think if there’s a better choice for you—and if one comes to mind, it might be even harder to choose it, for fear of not being part of the crowd.

My advice?  Be strong.

Take a look at the senior year you’ve just capped off (get it—cap and gown?  Capped off?) Last fall, your fellow seniors were completely panicked by applying to college, convinced they were going to fail because they didn’t know the magic words that would compel Harvard to deliver an offer of admission by chauffeured limousine.  That made you a little nervous, until you looked at your first college application, and saw what it really wanted: your name; your address; your senior year classes; some idea about what you’ve done with your life, and some idea about what’s next.  You didn’t have to split an atom; you didn’t have to invent a new dance craze; you just had to show them who you were.

That’s the second part of my advice—be you.  This won’t be easy, and many of you know this. You’re smiling with an understanding that this relief from school is temporary, that college will bring a bigger, faster round of factoid recital that requires even more hoop-jumping and less real thinking than high school—an idea that brings you little cheer, even if you get to play this next round with the help of a beer bong. 

 It’s easy to understand why you might see college that way, but I hope you won’t.  If you’re like most seniors, you’ll look back on applying to college and wonder why you spent half the fall worrying when you should have been writing, why you spent all of Christmas break writing when you should have been caroling, and why you spent the better part of winter waiting for The News when you should have been busy living the dream. 

Those same classmates are swearing college will be different, that they’ll be more focused and organized--but that’s only a hope, when what they really need is a plan.  Be strong.  Be you.  Let the crowd pass by without you.

Beer bong and all.

The Best Counselor Summer Ever

By: Patrick O'Connor Ph.D

The end of the school year is almost in sight.  You’ve seen a few students wearing shorts, the maple keys are starting to sprout into small trees on the far side of the school playground, and budget requests for next year have been returned—denied, but returned.

Welcome to summer!

While your contract may keep you in the office for a few days after the students are gone, your time off is on its way. As is the case with many things, school counselors usually don’t follow the advice they give their students when it comes to June, July and August.  If ever there was a time to practice what you preach, it’s now—so follow these simple steps to come back ready and refreshed in the fall:

Play for at least the first two days of vacation.  I’ve spent the better part of the last two weeks convincing juniors that they really shouldn’t spend all summer working on college essays—not only does that process sound boring, but the essays they write over three months will sound boring, too.

The same thing is true for teachers.  There may be painting to be done, or summer school to be taught, but give yourself some time to appreciate how hard you’ve worked this year, and to remember what it’s like to have concentrated periods of fun.  That may mean sequestering yourself away with a good book, or catching up on Game of Thrones, or spending time with family—but whatever fun means to you, do it, and don’t look back or ahead.

This is June, not New Year’s Eve  I’m also amazed at the number of students who come by my office and swear next year will be different.  They’ll make the Honor Roll, they’ll get to class on time, they’ll eat the cafeteria food without complaint.  These resolutions may not involve smoking, drinking, or spending more time with the family, but they should sound familiar—they are goals that have no plan.

You may have ideas on what you’d like next year to be like, and that’s good—but counselors know that hope is just the start of a plan.  Dream big for the first part of the summer, but then pick a few reasonable goals for next year, and make plans to seek support, measure progress, and assess them on a regular basis.  Every 9^th grader wants to go to Harvard; the 12^th graders who do, do more than hope.  That’s true for growing counselors as well.

Watch your speed  Just like students, some counselors love their work because they go a million miles an hour in a typical work day, doing twelve things at once, usually with a high degree of mastery.  This may be a work habit borne by necessity, but even if it isn’t, you’re good at it, and it gives you a little buzz.

That’s great, but here’s a hint—you’re not at work anymore, and spending 3 “quality” minutes isn’t the same as 15 regular minutes in the eyes of your three year-old child, cat, or hydrangea bush.  We make a living encouraging people to build deep roots in relationships, and we know what happens to those who don’t.  Now is the time to remember what breathing sounds like; what real listening feels like, and what handmade bread tastes like.  If for no other reason, engage in these activities so you have fresh examples to share with your students next fall, when they want to know what it means to be at peace.

Gershwin wrote “Summertime, and the livin’ is easy.” Sing that song.

Dare to Dream, Dare to Do—Take a College Counseling Class This Summer

By Patrick O'Connor Ph.D

This is a tough time of year to be a school counselor.  You are giving every free moment to life at school, running the awards assembly, putting the final touch on next year’s schedules, calling parents to tell them graduation will have to wait until summer school’s over, and consoling the senior whose parents didn’t really want to hear about summer school.  It’s the busiest time of the year, an intense time when you say goodbye to students rich with promise, wish the best to students you’ll never see again…

…and face that quiet moment in your office when the last bell rings, wondering if you could have done more.

I remember that feeling—you can’t help but have it when your caseload weighs in at about 475 students, and you’re lucky to get to know half of them in any given year.  My first few years found me relying heavily on instinct when I worked with the crisis students; knowing what to say to students with low grades or absent parents was a natural part of the counselor I’d become, so it was easy being the go-to guy when things got tough. 

The larger challenge was helping students make college plans that were as big as their aspirations. When less than 50% of your students head off to college, you want two things to happen:  You want to make sure those heading off to college find the best place to succeed, and you want the “less than 50” to grow to “way more than 50”—not because everyone should go to college, but because not everyone who should go to college gets the help they deserve.

Time went by, and I gained a little confidence in helping students with college plans.  Thanks to the patient advice of many, many colleagues, I started to become the go-to guy for college, too, watching a lot of first generation students find their way to—and through—college. Like the end of It’s a Wonderful Life, that’s a story that just doesn’t get old. 

After a while, I became one of those patient colleagues, a little amazed my fellow counselors would ask me college questions, but glad I could help them out, and even more glad I could help their students out. Once I saw how many counselors were looking for help, I begged colleges to offer more training to counselors in college advising, but no one saw the need the same way I did…

…so I started a class myself.

We’re in year five now, and the class is taught through the continuing education programs at community colleges.  The tuition is cheap, and the camaraderie is amazing; 15-20 school counselors giving up one week of an already short summer, digging in to development theory, curriculum development, and college application logistics.  They each leave with a plan and a program to make college access stronger in their buildings, and when they e-mail me their success stories, it’s kind of like It’s a Wonderful Life on steroids.

I’m offering the class again this summer, including an online version that creates a community of learners that’s just as fierce.  I know your summer is short, but if you keep thinking you’d like to do more with college planning, there’s a way to do that now.  You keep telling your students to dare to dream; maybe now it’s the time to lead by example, and dare to do.

I’m at collegeisyours@comcast.net if you’re interested.