College Knowledge

Before we begin the planning process for college, it’s important that we have a common vocabulary. As students begin to research colleges and make decisions about what is right for him/her, this vocabulary will be extremely valuable.

 In this module, your student will:

·      review a list of college terms and their definitions and become familiar with them

 ·      do some preliminary research on one college to familiarize him/herself with putting these terms into practice

 ·      read and analyze a list of the ways high school is different from college, from responsibilities to classes, from instructors to testing and grades

Your student and I will review this work together and refer to it throughout his/her high school career. You will find the list of college terms and the high school/college difference list in your student’s College Made Clear account under Files.

College Readiness:

The more your student can demonstrate these qualities, the stronger his/her application will be and the more prepared for college he/she will be.  Students will ask themselves these questions as we work together:

 Conscientiousness

Are you ready to take responsibility for the consequences of your actions?

 Self-Management

Are you ready to take over the routine tasks of everyday life in the relatively unstructured environment of college?

 Self-control

Can you resist temptations? Are you ready to set limits on the time spent watching TV or interacting on the Internet that can lead to insufficient sleep and disruptions in self-care and studying?

Interpersonal Skills

Are you ready to make friends, deal with roommates and find suitable social activities?

Grit

Are you ready to cope with frustration, disappointment, and failure, and persist in the face of setbacks and obstacles?

 Risk management

Are you ready to have fun without taking too many risks, or too many substances?

 Self-acceptance

Can you accept your faults, tolerate your mistakes and deal with you problems without feeling too guilty or ashamed?

Open mindset/Help-seeking

Are you ready and able to ask for help when things aren’t going well for you?

Our work together will include exploring opportunities to demonstrate these behaviors and highlighting those experiences a student has already had. Not only will this strengthen the application for college, but it will prepare the student more fully for college life.