What Sets You Apart?
How to Make Your College Application Stand Out from the Crowd

As a senior, I am definitely enveloped by the whole college application process this year…as is every other senior in the US! So – with all these students competing against each other for a limited number of available college/university seats – how do you make sure your applications stands out from the crowd? (Please note – even making yourself stand out does not guarantee admission!)

Of course, one way to stand out is to have been involved in a variety of activities throughout your high school years. But, if you’re a senior and just now getting started, be very selective about what you get involved with – try to get the most impact for your activity. It’s important to show that you have outside activities and are dedicated to other pursuits than just academics.

The biggest way to stand out on a college application is the personal essay; this is your chance to really tell your unique story. Did you have a difficult childhood? Did you have a not-so-great start but turn it around? Do you have truly unusual experiences? Has religion or your ethnic background played an instrumental role in how you choose to live your life? Did you have a life-changing experience? Here is the chance to let the admissions officers know!Another helpful hint is to make sure you have really great letters of recommendation! Select those teachers and people you know are good writers; they need to be enthusiastic in their endorsement of you, and hopefully will steer clear of the generic kind of letter that Admissions Officers see all of the time! Give them lots of time to come up with a great recommendation, and encourage them to stress your academic learning potential and contributions to the university/college.

Take the most challenging classes you can. Even if you have straight A’s – if you’re not taking the “hard” classes, it will make a difference. Admissions Officers want to see that you are challenging yourself and really pursuing higher learning, not just trying to skate through an easier-level class to keep a 4.0 GPA.

But, be forewarned; even if you have an incredibly impressive application, you still may not get into the school of your choice! Schools have different needs and it depends on whether or not you fit what they happen to be looking for at the time. I know a student who graduated 2 years ago – he was the #2 student in his class, had the lead in every musical, was involved in drama, the ASB President, lots of extracurricular activities, etc. He was rejected from Stanford but accepted to Harvard! Go figure.

Whatever you do and wherever you apply – do your best and always have a backup plan! If you’ve dreamed of going to Stanford and don’t get in, don’t give up! There are other equally good schools to attend, and perhaps your experience will be better. Best of luck to us all as we enter this season of preparing for our futures!

How Pet Ownership Helps Children Develop Responsibility

So I usually talk about school-related things, but I know we’re all getting ready to head back to school and are probably on “overload” right now, so I’m doing a 180 for this one!

Fortunately for me, I have always grown up with all kinds of different animals. My Mom always felt it was a great educational tool for my brother and I learn study, learn, and be involved in the caretaking of creatures. Right now, I have an iguana, a desert tortoise, a musk turtle, 2 cockatiel birds, 2 small dogs, 2 cats, 2 Peruvian guinea pigs, and 2 beta fish. In the past, I have had a variety of different kinds of lizards, frogs, mice, rats, chinchillas, dwarf rabbits, and even crabs.

Of course, parents are sometimes reluctant to let their children have pets because let’s face it – we all know how it works…at first, we’re obsessed with our pets – at least for the first few days or maybe even weeks if they’re lucky. Then, once the “newness” wears off, we’re back to our everyday oblivion. Parents usually get saddled with taking over the care of neglected pets, and that’s what they’re trying to avoid!

One suggestion would be to start small. A beta is great, for instance. My beta is in a small fish tank that I can clean very easily. And they don’t eat very much at a time, so the small can of fish flakes lasts pretty much its whole life! And betas come in different varieties and beautiful colors, too. Want something you can hold onto? You might want to look at getting a rat, hamster, or guinea pig. But they do require more cost to setup and daily caretaking.

One part that I always found fun was that my Mom incorporated my brother and I into really learning about each and every one of our animals…where do they originate from? What kind of habitat are they used to? What is the temperature of where they’re from? What kinds of foods do they eat? What’s unique about them? What are their habits? The more you really know about your pet, the more you care and the more vested you are in taking care of it.

In actuality, the frogs and lizards were probably the easiest to take care of. Granted, it was expensive to set up their terrarium, but once we did, it was like its own little eco-system! If your child is getting a pet for the first time, I would suggest you start small and simple and see how they do. And I suggest you look into the local animal shelters. I’m not sure how other places are, but here, our shelters also have birds, guinea pigs, and an occasional reptile…save a life!

Having to take care of a living thing definitely teaches and instills responsibility and global stewardship in children. Animals are becoming extinct left and right – let your child do their part in learning how to take care of living things we share this Earth with – all the while learning valuable life lessons they will be able to use well into adulthood. 

What the heck am I gonna do with my life?!

Like any other senior in high school, I have been looking at colleges and where I might want to go after high school. However, how many of us even know what we want to major in?? It’s great if you’ve got your heart set on some kind of a career or vocation…but honestly, what 17 year-old really knows what they want to do for the rest of their life??

I was suffering great anxiety because I just couldn’t narrow down what it is I might want to do or be “when I grow up”…lawyer? No; doctor? Not interest; teacher? Eh; what to do, what to do!!!

Finally, after talking it out with my Mom and really assessing what I’m interested in, I’ve decided to pursue a career as a Marine Biologist. Last year I had a Marine Biology class and I loved it, and I get along very well with my teacher – I will be his assistant next year. Then I looked into what kinds of jobs I might be able to get, and I was happy that there seem to be a wide variety of applicable positions – teacher, researcher, facility operator/educator, rescue operations, etc. I even saw several government job postings for marine biologists, so that was all very encouraging.

NOW I would finally look into different schools! After all, it’s kind of hard to decide where you want to go if you don’t know what you want to do! Right now, I am looking at universities overseas – primarily Europe. I know, there are great marine bio universities right here in the good ol’ USA, but I’ve always wanted to attend school in Europe and now is my chance.

Besides, I’m young, I’m adventurous…it’s time to go out and see the world; to experience different people, cultures, landscapes, food, etc. while I’m young and have the opportunity.

I’ve very excited and have been researching universities like mad…of course, financial aid plays a big part into where I may wind up going, so we shall see what side of the “pond” I wind up on. 

After going through this process, I can offer a little advice if you’re not sure what you want to do…you really have to do an honest assessment about your interests and what you are good at or could excel at. Let’s face it – if you’re not very good at math and science, then chances are you won’t excel as a research scientist. On the other hand, if you’re not very good at English or writing, then becoming a reporter or author probably aren’t good choices, either.

Be honest with yourself – that’s the #1 piece of advice I can offer you. After you determine what you are actually good at or excel at, then you can look at existing careers and jobs and see if any of them interest you. The next step would be to shadow someone in that job or research it thoroughly online. Do you know what these people actually do everyday? What kind of education is required to get the position you ultimately want? Are there local companies where you might be able to volunteer or intern at to gain some first-hand insight into what they do?

Above all, don’t despair if you really can’t think of anything; there are many, many, millions of people in the world who don’t have “careers”, but have “jobs” and they are perfectly happy people. Make the best choices for yourself, and you will most likely be happy, too! 

Finding Your Calling
Like any other senior in high school, I have been looking at colleges and where I might want to go after high school. However, how many of us even know what we want to major in?? It’s great if you’ve got your heart set on some kind of a career or vocation…but honestly, what 17 year-old really knows what they want to do for the rest of their life??

I was suffering great anxiety because I just couldn’t narrow down what it is I might want to do or be “when I grow up”…lawyer? No; doctor? Not interest; teacher? Eh; what to do, what to do!!!

Finally, after talking it out with my Mom and really assessing what I’m interested in, I’ve decided to pursue a career as a Marine Biologist. Last year I had a Marine Biology class and I loved it, and I get along very well with my teacher – I will be his assistant next year. Then I looked into what kinds of jobs I might be able to get, and I was happy that there seem to be a wide variety of applicable positions – teacher, researcher, facility operator/educator, rescue operations, etc. I even saw several government job postings for marine biologists, so that was all very encouraging.

NOW I would finally look into different schools! After all, it’s kind of hard to decide where you want to go if you don’t know what you want to do! Right now, I am looking at universities overseas – primarily Europe. I know, there are great marine bio universities right here in the good ol’ USA, but I’ve always wanted to attend school in Europe and now is my chance.

Besides, I’m young, I’m adventurous…it’s time to go out and see the world; to experience different people, cultures, landscapes, food, etc. while I’m young and have the opportunity.

I’ve very excited and have been researching universities like mad…of course, financial aid plays a big part into where I may wind up going, so we shall see what side of the “pond” I wind up on. 

After going through this process, I can offer a little advice if you’re not sure what you want to do…you really have to do an honest assessment about your interests and what you are good at or could excel at. Let’s face it – if you’re not very good at math and science, then chances are you won’t excel as a research scientist. On the other hand, if you’re not very good at English or writing, then becoming a reporter or author probably aren’t good choices, either.

Be honest with yourself – that’s the #1 piece of advice I can offer you. After you determine what you are actually good at or excel at, then you can look at existing careers and jobs and see if any of them interest you. The next step would be to shadow someone in that job or research it thoroughly online. Do you know what these people actually do everyday? What kind of education is required to get the position you ultimately want? Are there local companies where you might be able to volunteer or intern at to gain some first-hand insight into what they do?

Above all, don’t despair if you really can’t think of anything; there are many, many, millions of people in the world who don’t have “careers”, but have “jobs” and they are perfectly happy people. Make the best choices for yourself, and you will most likely be happy, too! 

Which Test is Right for Me?

So this past Saturday, I took the ACT test. I took it once already, as an 8th grader, as part of a program for accelerated youth. I scored pretty well, so I knew it wouldn’t be a problem for me to take it as a junior in high school after I had taken so many more courses.

For whatever reason, I score higher on the ACT than the SAT. I’m not sure why; maybe I have a complex about the SAT deducting points for wrong answers, I don’t know. But I thought the test went pretty well and I am confident in all the subjects except maybe a little wary of the science, although I have taken Chemistry and AP Bio, so we’ll see.

What’s the difference between these two tests, you ask? Well, the SAT tests reasoning and verbal abilities while the ACT measures what a student has learned in school. The SAT has 3 components: critical reasoning, mathematics, and a required writing test while the ACT has 5 components: English, mathematics, reading, science, and an optional writing test.

Also, the ACT score is based on the number of correct answers with no penalty for guessing, while the SAT has a correction for guessing. The ACT also provides an interest inventory for students to evaluate their interests in various career options.

But I would suggest taking both and seeing which one you are more comfortable with. I have also heard that for whatever reason, girls score higher on the ACT than the SAT. I don’t know why that is, either, but it would be interesting to find out!

Both tests are accepted by colleges and universities nationwide, as well, so it really comes down to personal preference. For me, I’ve taken a lot of science classes so it’s good to have that portion of the test.

Whichever test you decide to take, make sure you sign up (if you haven’t already) with enough lead time to have your scores in hand when applying for colleges. Although you can turn in your scores after your application, you might as well have everything ready as once so you don’t risk getting your application put aside as “incomplete”.

And as always, check out the test websites – there are always practice tests, tips, and booklets to help you be as successful as possible. I printed out the sample ACT test from their website as well as sample essays and it helped prepare me for my test last Saturday.

Fingers crossed for us all – and if you’re not happy with your first set of scores, keep trying! 

Searching for Scholarships

I will be a senior in high school next year, so finding ways to pay for college is really important to me, right now! Yeah, I know I can apply for loans, but I don’t really want to get myself into debt before I even start school. But what other options are out there?

First of all, let me tell you that you don’t need to pay someone to find scholarship money for you! Chances are they will search the same places you will. But I guess if you don’t want to take the time have the time, or if you won’t have the time, then this would be an option to consider.

There are several sites out there to help you identify, learn about, and apply for various scholarships. One of the most popular is fastweb.com where you can set up a profile and the site will only forward scholarships, internships, and jobs that you may be qualified for, based on the profile answers you select. This is my #1 site. It’s very convenient to have all the information available to you in one place, with links to the actual sponsor website and deadline information, as well. And you don’t need to wait until you’re a senior, either; many scholarships out there are open to students 13 and over!

Another good source would be to check with your local organizations like the Rotary, Kiwanis, Elks Lodge, or others. Oftentimes these organizations will offer scholarships for local students, as well.

Of course, you can always do an internet search for “scholarships for seniors”, and there will be tons of things that come up. It’s time consuming, but worth investigating. Just make sure you double-check the information you come across, as some sites refer to scholarships that are no longer offered.

Worst case scenario, you can always resort to applying for those long-term loans, but definitely try to exhaust all scholarship opportunities first!

The importance of remember those who served

Did you know Memorial Day was originally known as “Decoration Day”? It is a special day of remembrance for those who have died serving our nation. Memorial Day was officially proclaimed on May 5, 1968 by General John Logan, national commander of the Grand Army of the Republic, and was first observed on May 30, 1868, when flowers were placed on the graves of Union and Confederate soldiers at Arlington National Cemetery.

By 1890, Memorial Day was recognized by all of the northern states, but the South refused to acknowledge it, choosing instead to honor their dead on separate days until after World War 1, when the holiday changed from honoring just Civil War casualties to honoring American who died fighting any war. Even today, some southern states have an additional, separate day for honoring the Confederate war dead: January 19 in Texas, April 26 in Alameda, Florida, Georgia, and Mississippi; May 10 in South Carolina, and June 3 in Louisiana and Tennessee.

You may see red poppies on Memorial Day, the symbol first introduced by Moina Michael in 1915. She sold poppies to her friends and coworkers and donated the money to benefit servicemen in need. The tradition spread to France with Madam Guerin visited and learned of this new custom. Ms. Guerin began making paper poppies and selling them in France to raise money for war-orphaned children and widowed women. The tradition eventually spread to other countries.

Unfortunately, traditional observance of Memorial Day has diminished over the years as many Americans nowadays have forgotten the meaning and tradition of Memorial Day. Most people no longer remember the proper flag etiquette for the day. And while there are still a few towns and cities that hold parades, many have not held a parade in decades and some people think the day is for honoring any and all dead, not just the fallen in service to our country.

There are some exceptions, however. Since the late 1950’s, on the Thursday before Memorial Day, the 1200 soldiers of the 3^rd US Infantry place small American flags at each of the more than 260,000 gravestones at Arlington National Cemetery. Then they patrol the area 24 hours a day during the weekend to ensure that each flag remains standing. In 1951, the Boy Scouts and Cub Scouts of St. Louis began placing flags on the 150,000 graves at Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery, a practice that continues to this day.

And did you know that in December 2000, the “National Moment of Remembrance” resolution was passed, asking that 3:00 PM in local time be observed by all Americans “to voluntarily and informally observe in their own way a Moment of Remembrance and respect, pausing from whatever they are doing for a moment of silence or listening to Taps.”

So no matter what you happen to be doing at 3:00 PM on Monday, May 31, set your cell phone alarm and take a moment of silence to remember those who died in service to this country. It’s the least we can do for the sacrifices they made!

How to Take Lemons & Make Lemonade!

Last year, I wrote an article about how I was running for Junior Class President. I really wanted to be President, particularly because Junior year is the time when all the fundraising is done to cover the many Senior events like Prom, Senior Breakfast, Senior Picnic, Senior Gift, etc. But I lost that election.

Worse yet, the student who beat me – by only 20 votes – wound up quitting the Presidency because he could not meet the minimum GPA requirement throughout the year.

I wasn’t really interested in running for Senior Class President, but some friends of mine on the football team approached me and encouraged me to run. They basically said they had realized they “made a mistake” by not voting me in as President for Junior Year…unfortunately, since there wasn’t a President in place, there was pretty much nothing accomplished last year, and no extra funds were brought in.

So, with their encouragement, I decided to run. And guess what? I lost again! But I’m okay with it…like I said, I hadn’t really planned on running in the first place, and the girl who beat me (I don’t know by how many votes) has been in Leadership for four years and really cares about making our Senior Year great, so I know at least she will actually get something accomplished.

And I volunteered all my fundraising ideas, anyway, and it looks like they’re going to use all of them!

So where’s the lemonade in this story? Well, I’ve decided to apply to the city’s Youth Commission. I have no idea if I’ll be selected or not, but being in this position carries a bit more clout since. Youth Commissioners are appointed by the Mayor and represent all youth in the entire city with regards to civic and governmental matters. There is a Youth Master Plan that the Commissioners will be working on. So if I get selected as a Commissioner, it would definitely be more impactful than being Class President.

And even if I don’t get selected as a Commissioner, I still have a couple other things in the works – I’ve applied to be a Bank of America Student Leader, and also applied to the Nordstrom’s BP Fashion Board.

So just remember – when one door closes, there are ALWAYS more doors to knock on!!! Keep all your options open; and don’t be afraid to venture out and try to get something else. J