How to Make Reading Fun for Kids

Summer reading for teens who hate reading | how to make reading fun for kids

What if I told you helping your child develop a love for reading is one of the best gifts you can give?

It will benefit your child throughout her life—teens who love reading have a better likelihood of getting into the college of their choice. (More on that later.)

One of the first questions I ask college-bound students is, “Tell me about the last book you read for pleasure.” 

Usually, there’s a pause. Then they mention a book that’s clearly from a school reading list like “Catcher in the Rye” or “To Kill a Mockingbird”.

“Really? For pleasure?” I ask. 

Once I call them out on it, they usually confess that the last one was a Harry Potter novel from several years ago. 

My bolder students will come out and admit that they “hate” reading.

Over the years, about 25 percent of the students I’ve worked with have been avid readers who truly love diving into a good book. 

Those are the students who’ve been admitted to the most selective colleges, like Stanford, Harvard, University of Chicago, MIT, and similar.

What’s interesting is that when I ask parents if their child is a reader, about 75 percent say their teen “used to be” a reader. 

When I then ask them when their child stopped reading, the most common response is: “Sixth grade.”

Why teens stop reading in grade 6.

There are several reasons why teens stop reading:

  • Screen time
  • Pressure to “be cool”
  • Friends don’t read or talk about books
  • Parents stop reading aloud to them

Yes, I did suggest that parents should continue reading aloud even through high school! 

Why parents should read aloud to their children (even when they’re teenagers!)

Reading aloud to your teen is a great way to model reading and expose your teen to an expanded vocabulary and important ideas. 

It goes back to the James Baldwin quote: “Children have never been very good at listening to their elders, but they have never failed to imitate them.”

Middle School Reading List

To help your child develop a love of reading in middle school, try offering the following books.

6th Inkheart
Cornelia Funke		 The Cay
Theodore Taylor
  Hatchet
Gary Paulsen		 Among the Hidden
Margaret Peterson Haddix and Cliff Nielsen
  Mysterious Benedict Society
Trenton Lee Stewart		  
7th Chains
Laurie Halse Anderson		 Chasing Vermeer
Blue Balliett
  Al Capone Does My Shirts
Gennifer Choldenko		 Supernaturalist
Eoin Colfer
  Code Orange
Caroline B. Cooney		  
8th The Secret Garden
Frances Hodgson Burnett		 Red Kayak
Priscilla Cummings
  Hattie Big Sky
Kirby Larson		 Uglies
Scott Westerfeld
  To Be A Slave
Julius Lester		  

 

What is your teen reading this summer?

I understand that the school year is busy and your teen has a lot of homework. 

That means summer break is a good time for your teen to read! 

Many studies, including this article from The School Library Journal, have shown that students who don’t read consistently over the summer see their reading abilities stagnate. 

Even worse, this effect grows more prominent as they advance into high school.

Not every child naturally loves reading. Sometimes you might need to help them along, and summer is a great time to do so!

Here are 5 tips on how to make reading fun for your kids this summer:

  1. Have your teen set a summer reading goal and keep them accountable.
  2. Have your teen choose their own book to read, whether it’s graphic novels, cookbooks, or romance novels about vampires. . .reading is reading.
  3. Encourage your teen to read a book they enjoy for at least thirty minutes a day.
  4. Model reading for your teen. The more they see you reading, the more likely they are to follow your example.
  5. Have your teen sign up for the summer reading challenge at a local library. This could be a fun form of competition and a way to meet other teen readers.

It’s not too late! To help your teen pick out books to read this summer, we’ve compiled this list from several libraries and organized them by grade. 

High School Reading List

9th Drowned City: Hurricane Katrina
and New Orleans
Don Brown		 We Were Liars
E. Lockhart
  Midwinterblood
Marcus Sedgwick		 Between Shades of Gray
Ruta Sepetys
  Code Name Verity
Elizabeth Wein		  
10th Ready Player One
Ernest Cline		 The Last Lecture
Randy Pausch
  Into Thin Air
Jon Krakauer		 Six of Crows
Leigh Bardugo
  Bone Gap
Laura Ruby		  
11th I’ll Give You the Sun
Jandy Nelson		 Debunk It!: How To Stay Sane in a World of Misinformation
John Grant
  Defy the Stars
Claudia Gray		 The May Queen Murders
Sarah Jude
  In the Shadow of Blackbirds
Cat Winters		  
12th The Short and Tragic Life of Robert Peace
Jeff Hobbs		 Enter Title Here
Rahul Kanakia
  American Girls
Alison Umminger		 Dirt Bikes, Drones, & Other Ways to Fly
Conrad Wesselhoeft
  Game Changers: The Unsung Heroines of Sports History
Molly Schiot		  

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Becoming a real reader can improve your teen’s vocabulary, make them a better writer, help them get into college, and enlarge their breadth of understanding of the world around them. 

What books would you add to these lists? Let me know in the comments below. 

Need a little more guidance?

For one-on-one support and other resources to help you or your child get into (or pay) for college click here.

If you’d like to learn more about helping your teen get into college, don’t miss these posts:

How to Save Time When Seeking Money for College
College Essay How-to: Who is someone you admire?
Get In and Get Money: 5 Tips for College-Bound Juniors

 

7 Ways to Support Your Child Through the College Application Elements

How to support your child during the college application process

There’s a fine line between being overbearing and being just supportive enough to let your child thrive while working through the college application elements.

Knowing when to let go and when to hold on can be hard. But when it comes to our children, we never really let go, do we?

Many parents find it difficult to maintain a balance between providing the right amount of support during college applications and being too involved.

Because of this, I often see parents and children getting burnt out by the college application process.

In some cases, well-meaning parents might inadvertently hinder their child’s odds of getting into the school of their dreams.

When we can support our children through the college application and admissions process, but still allow them to take control and thrive, that’s when families really win.

With the right plan in place, you can help your child in a way that works for both of you!

That’s why I wrote this article.

Here are seven ways parents can support their children during the college application process.

1. Ask your child how you can help.

Some students prefer their parents to be more involved in the college application process.

Some students prefer their parents to be more involved in the college application process.

The best way to figure out how to help your child starts with asking them how, and how much help they want in the first place!

Ask them about specific tasks you can help with and what the best way to make them feel supported would be.

But remember, this process is as new for your child as it is for you. It will be a “learn as you go” type scenario, and your role may change over time.

2. Remember this is their first significant step toward independence.

Your child may have a job, a driver’s license, and other important responsibilities, but the college application process is a major step in your child’s independence.

For many students, this is their first big step in that direction!

This is a great time for your child to gain confidence in their ability to do important things.

You can be there for them as a cheerleader and a shoulder to lean on, but it isn’t your job to be involved in all of the details when your child applies to colleges.

3. Get help and offer resources.

You can be your child’s support system without having to manage every step of the college application process!

To avoid getting over-involved and to increase your child’s chances, consider hiring professional help.

When you leave some of this work to a professional, you can take comfort knowing your child has the help they need, and you can be there to help them in other ways.

Whether it’s tutoring, coaching with essays, or any other part of the college application process, there is help available, and offering this help to your child is a fantastic way to support them.

4. Remember your child isn’t you.

When your child is applying to colleges, you might experience a sort of deja vu from your own college experience. Perhaps you wish you had done things differently, or wish you could do it all again.

Either way, remember that your child’s college application is different than yours.

Projecting your own opinions and experiences onto your child isn’t necessarily the best way to support them.

Let them have their own college experience!

5. Don’t hinder the creative process.

Parents can inadvertently hinder their child’s creative process when they’re working on college application essays.

Perhaps you’re dead set on your child choosing one topic for a college essay when they feel really strongly about another.

it is ultimately their choice!

You can offer your opinion, but leave it at that and don’t force your own ideas onto your child.

Allow your child to explore their creative side. Unique essays and applications help your child stand out.

6. Motivate, don’t dictate.

When you motivate your child during the college process rather than dictating their every move, it helps them establish their independence and feel empowered in their choices.

One way to do this is by encouraging them to make college campus visits and maybe even going with them.

Since you know their preferences and tendencies so well, you can help your teen compare and contrast college options. Walking a campus, touring with a student guide, and speaking with faculty can offer assurance in ways a brochure or website never can.

This is also a way to bond and build great memories with your child!

Don’t miss these other tips for making college campus visits with your child.

7. Just listen.

A parent’s ideal role during the college application and admissions process is best described as the supporter. And one of the best ways to support your child is by just listening.

As tempting as it may be to offer advice and always try to fix things, sometimes your child just needs someone to listen to their fears, disappointments, and successes!

Lending a listening ear can strengthen your bond and provide a critical source of support for your child during this time.

Putting it all together.

Every child, parent, and family is different, and the best way to support a child during the college admissions process can vary.

But when you focus on these key things, you will help make the college application process easier on both you and your child:

  • Speaking with your child about how you can help.
  • Remembering this is their first step toward major independence.
  • Offering professional help and resources.
  • Not hindering their creative process.
  • Motivating, not dictating.
  • Just listening!

If you are a busy parent who wants to help your college-bound child reach their full potential, don’t miss my “Get In and Get Money” Workshop!

Need a little more guidance?

For one-on-one support and other resources to help you or your child get into (or pay) for college, click here.

If you’d like to learn more about helping your child with the college admissions and application process, you’ll want to check out these articles too:

What To Do When Your Teen Hates Reading
4 Tips to Help Your Teen Study Better
Will This Activity Help My Teen Get into College?

 

College Planning Timeline for Juniors: 5 Tips

college-bound high school juniors

 

Junior year of high school marks a turning point in the college admissions process.

When it comes to navigating the college admissions process, having a well-structured college planning timeline for juniors is crucial.

It’s a year filled with milestones.

Researching colleges, developing teacher relationships, visiting campuses…the list goes on. College-bound juniors have a lot on their plate.

And did I mention testing?

Yes—ACT or SAT testing takes up a big chunk of junior year for college-bound teens!

The academic workload in eleventh grade is usually kicked up a notch or two as well.

Juniors are starting to ask themselves questions like, “What’s next?” and “am I on the right track?”

Friends and family also start to ask: “Where do you want to go to college?”

Especially for a junior who is not so sure what to say about their college prospects, junior year can be a bit of a pressure cooker.

I put together these five tips for college-bound juniors who want to get into the college of their choice and get the money to do so at the same time.

5 Tips for College-Bound High School Juniors

These tips will help college-bound juniors (and their parents) make the most of the year as they prepare for college.

1. Take challenging courses.

Colleges want to see that students challenged themselves during high school.

Every student is different, so a challenging course to one junior may be easy to another.

At the same time, juniors should maintain balance. This means taking a mix of courses that allow you to be challenged by course content as well as those that come more naturally.

2.  Research colleges.

When I say “research” colleges, I mean a thorough, consistent gathering of information on colleges that could be a good fit.

During your research, you want to consider how your options would be a good academic fit, social/cultural fit, and financial fit for you.

When it comes to a college’s financial fit, knowing what costs to expect will help you know the steps you’ll need to take to secure the funds to attend.

(By the way, you won’t want to miss this post outlining case studies of how students earned big scholarships!)

Juniors can gather information from college websites, books, directories, and other resources. The goal is to learn about each college at a deeper level.

william and mary for premed3. Get to know teachers.

It’s very likely that your college applications will include teacher recommendations.

The 3 things that qualify a teacher to write a strong recommendation are:

  • The student knows the teacher.
  • The teacher knows the student.
  • The teacher can write well about the student.

If they don’t already have a teacher who fits all of these qualifications, juniors can develop positive relationships with teachers to “qualify” them as recommenders.

In fact, this is an important task for junior year!

Juniors should plan to meet with one or two teachers on a regular basis throughout the year. They may also check-in with teachers after graded assignments, during free periods, or at the beginning of each term.

4. Visit college campuses.

Spring break of junior year is a great time to visit college campuses.

Many other juniors around the country are visiting campuses in the spring as well. Juniors should be prepared by researching and scheduling campus visits well in advance.

Before your campus visit, be sure to review the college’s website and have questions prepared.

(Note to parents: Let your student schedule the visits, not you!)

On the day of the visit, remember to take notes and have an open mind and good attitude. From the moment you arrive on campus, you’re being interviewed!

5. Take the ACT or SAT.

College-bound teens should take either the ACT or SAT in junior year.

If the first test is taken in the winter, it allows time for a retake before summer.

The goal is to avoid taking any standardized test in the fall of senior year.

In my experience working with college-bound students, senior year is already so busy with course workloads, college deadlines, and application essays. Having to take standardized tests too is a big nuisance.

Besides that, retake scores usually go down.

Junior year may come with a lot of stress and unanswered questions. With consistent steps taken throughout the year, it can be pivotal on the path to college admissions success!

And there’s plenty of help available for students and parents.

The fact you’re reading this means your motivation and focus to help your teen get to the front of the line has already moved them a leap ahead of the pack!

All you need now is to create a winning plan to help your teen Get In and Get Money.

If you are a busy parent who wants to help your college-bound junior reach their full potential, don’t miss my “Get In and Get Money” Workshop!

Need a little more guidance?

For one-on-one support and other resources to help you or your child get into (or pay) for college click here.

If you’d like to learn more about getting into college and getting money for college, don’t miss these articles either:

How to Save Time When Seeking Money for College
College Essay How-to: Who is someone you admire?
How to Avoid Overpaying for College

What other tips for 11th grade success would you suggest? Please let me know in the comments below!

5 Key Things To Do The Summer Before Senior Year

a student surrounded by flowers preparing for senior year | things to do the summer before senior year | Compass College Advisory

Ahhh, summer vacation. It’s finally here. You’ve waited all year for a break from high school so you can sleep in, enjoy the sunshine, relax, and kick up your feet.

But for students who are entering their senior year of high school this fall, these aren’t the only things you should be focused on.

Start College Prep in the Summer before Senior Year

As important as it is to enjoy yourself this summer, there are things you should be doing to make sure your transition to college goes as smoothly as possible!

Dedicating just a bit of your summer vacation to preparing for senior year and beyond will pay off in the months to come.

Here are 5 key things you should be doing the summer before senior year.

Put the finishing touches on your college list.

If you haven’t finalized the list of colleges you want to apply to, summer is an excellent time to start narrowing it down.

When you’re creating your list of colleges, you’ll want to compare what they have to offer in relation to what you’re hoping to get out of your college experience.

Some of the factors to consider are:

  • Academic fit
  • Social fit
  • Vocational fit
  • Financial fit

Begin by creating a big list of colleges (maybe 15-20) and categorize each of those schools by your likelihood of being admitted:

  • ‘Safety schools’ are schools you have a higher-than likely chance of being admitted to because your standardized test scores and high school grades are higher than the average for admitted students. But they might not have all the things you want in a college.
  • ‘Likelies’ or ‘matches’ are schools that you have a fair chance of being accepted to (maybe 40-60%) and they have most of what you’re looking for.
  • ‘Reaches’ are schools that will be more challenging and competitive to be accepted into. Often, these schools check off all the boxes for what you’re looking for in a college experience.

Because the likelihood of being admitted to a reach school is lower than that of a safety or match school, you don’t want to include only reach schools on your list—but that doesn’t mean they should be excluded!

Focus on having the highest number of match schools on your list, but include reach and safety schools, too.

Consider starting your campus visits.

When students ask about the best time to visit college campuses, there isn’t one right answer.

If you visit campuses during the summer, you risk not getting a full taste of what campus life would be like during the academic year.But for parents who can’t make college visits work during the rest of the year, summer college campus visits can be a great choice.

Senior year is a notoriously busy time in a student’s life, and adding college visits to that can be next to impossible in some cases. If a summer visit to a college campus is the only time that will work for you and your parents, go for it! Just be sure to plan your visit weeks in advance.

Many colleges have summer visit schedules, and you can choose between:

  • Individual visits
  • Open houses
  • Self-guided tours

Depending on what the college has to offer, you can choose what’s right for you and what visit will give you the best idea of what life at that college would be like for you.

Set goals for the school year.

I advise students to set 3-5 foundational goals for each school year.

These goals help you determine your purpose, stay motivated, be accountable, believe in yourself, and know when to ask for help if you need it.

You can use your list of goals to check in on your progress as your senior year progresses.

What are some goals to include on my list?

Here are a few examples of goals you might want to add to your list:

  • Maintain a _____ GPA.
  • Meet with a teacher after school each week.
  • Increase volunteer hours at _________________ by 1 hour per week.
  • Start a ___________ club at my community center.
  • Complete art portfolio with __ drawings by end of semester.

Pursue your passions and keep building your college resume.

The summer before senior year is also a time to focus on things that are productive, interesting, and challenging.

You don’t need to think about school 24/7, and in fact, I’d strongly advise students NOT do this! Yes, you should put some work into preparing for college, but you also need to take advantage of the time off school to pursue your passions. After all, pursuing your passions is a great way to build your college resume!

Maybe you’re passionate about working with children. Take time in the summer before senior year to mentor or tutor younger students. Or if travel is your passion, consider volunteering abroad where you are not only helping others, but getting life experience and resume material at the same time. Maybe you’re not sure of what your passion is yet. The summer before senior year is a great time to find out! And how do you do that?

By trying new things! Attempting new tasks or activities takes you out of your comfort zone and helps you grow as a person. At the same time, you’re likely to meet interesting people and learn something new.

Begin drafting your college essay…at the end of summer!

As you’ve seen, the summer before senior year is a time to pursue your passions and build your college resume. The experiences you’re bound to have over the summer could prove life-changing, and would make great material for your college essays.  

Waiting until the end of summer to begin drafting your college essays will allow you to give this task the attention it deserves. You’ll also be able to reflect on your summer experiences when you’re writing your essay.

Preparing for college life and beyond.

All of these things help you follow or determine your passion, and by doing that, you help build your college resume and prepare yourself for the life experiences to come.

Summer is meant to be enjoyed, but if you can make the summer before senior year fun AND productive, you’ll set yourself up for more success down the road!

Need a little more guidance?

For one-on-one support and other resources to help you or your child get into (or pay) for college click here.

If you enjoyed this article, don’t miss these posts either:

3 Reasons Why Taking the SAT and ACT Might be a Waste of Time and Money

How To Motivate Your Teen To Visit Colleges…and Survive Visits As a Parent

College Essay How-to: Who is someone you admire?

Pros and Cons of ACT vs SAT: Why Taking Both May Be a Waste

taking both sat and act is biggest mistake

This article was originally published on February 20, 2017, and was updated in 2024.

When parents tell me their children are taking both the SAT and the ACT, my response often shocks them…

“Really? What a waste of time and money!”

On their own, the SAT and ACT aren’t a waste of time or money. But taking BOTH the SAT AND the ACT isn’t the right choice.

In fact, this ends up costing you way more money and taking up more time than it’s worth.

Preparing for college can be hard enough without the extra pressure of preparing for multiple entrance exams.

I wrote this article to not only help your teen avoid some of this stress – but to save valuable time and money, too.

Here are three reasons why taking both the SAT and ACT might be a big waste of time and money:

1. Colleges accept either test

Colleges don’t prefer one over the other! Yep – it’s true.

Decades ago, some colleges required the SAT while other colleges required the ACT. This meant college-bound teens in the 80’s would take either the SAT or the ACT based on where they were applying.

Now, college-bound teens can focus on taking the test that’s best for them because all colleges will accept both the SAT and the ACT – great news for high school students who have enough on their plate already!

2. Teens usually perform better on one test

Rather than taking both tests, I suggest students stick with the test that’s best for them. (More on choosing the right test later…)

Why?

It’s likely the score on one test will be higher than on the other.

Now you might be asking, “but won’t I want to be able to choose the better of the two results?”

But here’s the thing: some colleges request ALL test scores.

In those cases, a student may not want to reveal all of their results!

The best way to avoid sending unfavorable test scores is to take the test that will yield the highest score for the individual student.

3. Taking both tests takes too much time

Let’s say your teen is planning on taking both the SAT and the ACT. They also want to retake one or both tests.

There isn’t enough time!

The testing calendars don’t easily accommodate taking each test more than once.

A high school junior who’s planning to take both tests twice during 11th grade could have a testing schedule that looks something like this:  

6 weeks of SAT prep

November – Take first SAT

January – Retake SAT

6 weeks of ACT prep

April – Take first ACT

June – Retake ACT

You know what I think when I look at this testing schedule?

Junior year is far too important to the spend majority of time prepping for standardized tests!

Don’t you agree?

And don’t forget about the SAT II

Your teen might also have a couple of colleges on their list that request 2 SAT Subject Tests.

The 20 available SAT Subject Tests are also referred to as SAT II — and they’ve only been around since 2005.

College Boards write the SAT Subject Tests AND the Advanced Placement exams. So, when students take an AP course, they’re preparing not only for the AP exam, but also for a similar SAT Subject Test.

If a student has AP exams in May, they’d be better off forgoing the May SAT and taking 2 SAT Subject Tests in June instead.

How to decide between the SAT and ACT

Ultimately, decisions about when to take the SAT or ACT and/or SAT Subject Tests must make sense for the teen’s test-taking abilities and college list options. That’s why doing your research ahead of time and getting to know both tests is essential.

And plenty of help is available for this process.

To discover whether the SAT or ACT would be the right choice (and how to ace either one!), don’t miss these articles:

What sophomores must know about the SAT and ACT
Best tips for Acing the ACT or SAT
When to Retake the ACT

Need a little more guidance?

For one-on-one support and other resources to help you or your child get into (or pay) for college click here.

3 Tips for Dealing with Rejection Letters from Colleges

Rejection hurts.

Let’s face it, any kind of rejection can be difficult to navigate. It can be especially painful when your application to a college you had high hopes of attending is rejected.

Here’s the good news…

As much as it might feel like your rejection letter is the end of the world – it most certainly isn’t! You’ve still got plenty of options for forging a path forward that will lead you to a successful and exciting college experience.

This article will help you to navigate the muddy waters of rejection and move into a more positive and productive mindset.

Here are three tips for dealing with rejection letters from colleges and creating a path for moving forward.

1. Allow Yourself to Feel the Loss

Pretending it didn’t happen won’t help. You’ve just experienced one of life’s setbacks – that’s the reality. And that’s all it is.

Allow yourself time to process and even grieve the loss of what you had hoped for.

Grieving a loss is natural—it’s also an important part of moving forward. And after a period of grieving, it’s time to move on.

Quick Tip: To help make the experience of being rejected from a college a little bit easier on you, remember to manage your expectations BEFORE you hear back. Remind yourself the college application process is incredibly competitive. If you don’t get in, it isn’t because you’re a failure, in other words . . . . It’s NOT about YOU!

2. Don’t Miss Out on Other Great Schools

Just because your top college choice might not be in the cards, doesn’t mean there aren’t other incredible colleges out there that you could attend!

Consider the things that made you the most excited about your top choice school and look for other schools with those same qualities that could still be a great fit for you. Don’t allow the disappointment of not getting into your top choice to overshadow the potential of other colleges being an excellent choice for you.

Likewise, you can check out the list of colleges that still have openings at the National Association of College Admission Counseling. Should you decide to any of these colleges, please also do everything you can to make your essay and application stand out so you’ll know you’ve done whatever you could to get accepted

3. Consider Your Options

When your application is rejected from a college, you’ve got a few options when it comes to moving forward.

But you know what isn’t an option?

Giving up!

Here are some of the things you can do instead:

  1. Consider taking a gap year to improve your application and try again next year.
  2. Remember there is the possibility of transferring down the road. You could attend another great school in the meantime and get some credits there. Eventually, you could transfer to your top-choice (of course this isn’t guaranteed).
  3. Channel your disappointment into motivation and excitement about another great school. Getting a new, stronger focus is going to be key to your success moving forward.

They say when a door closes a window opens. When it comes to your college experience, a window may be opening that leads to the best experience of your life!

Looking for one-on-one support and other resources to help you or your child get into (or pay) for college? Click here!

Common Application: 5 Good College Essay Topics

good college essay topics | best college essay topics | Compass College Advisors

In our recent post, we listed a few good common essay topics on college applications. We’ll tackle each question to provide you with insights on how best to respond. Here’s a few common app essay questions that can give some students a place to start:

1. Write About a Book You’ve Read

If you’re a student who doesn’t “like reading” or doesn’t “have time to read outside of class,” it’s imperative to plan ahead for this question. I advise my students to read a book during breaks or over the summer before senior year.

Get a recommendation from a close friend or local librarian. Many librarians publish a list of popular teen books. Once you’ve chosen a book, ensure it’s at an appropriate grade level and that you finish it.

Remember, the essay response should not be a book report. College application essays come from the heart, so this is a great opportunity to move away from the five-paragraph essay model. The emphasis should be on YOU!

Focus on how the book impacted you. Here are two ways to do that:

  1. Detail how this particular book changed your thinking on a topic or challenged a belief.
  2. Explain what this book meant to you.

Focusing on these aspects keeps the emphasis on YOU.

2. Who Is Someone You Admire?

A Common App essay prompt, a similar question is worded as, “Indicate a person who has had a significant influence on you and describe that influence.” Even if your college application simply asks, “Who is someone you admire?” go further into detail by describing that influence on your identity, interest or talent.

It should only take you about 5-10 words to tell who you admire. Then, the other 150+ words should show why you admire that person. Avoid the low-hanging fruit like historical figures or your parents, and instead, dig deeper.

Consider these questions:

  • What is a meaningful experience I can describe well?
  • What happened in that meaningful experience?
  • Who was there with me?
  • What characteristic of a specific person was most memorable?

These responses will help you write a strong essay that stands out.

3. Why Do You Want to Attend This College?

The third most common question is best answered after a formal campus visit. Schedule a visit through the admissions office and participate in a tour or informational session. Driving by the campus or hanging out with a high school friend who attends does not count!

When responding to this question, here are some quick tips:

  • Gather your notes from your campus visit and review them.
  • Think about the features of the campus that stood out the most.
  • Consider what qualities about yourself match those features.
  • Keep the college features very specific to that college.

These tips will help you communicate effectively to admissions readers, allowing them to picture you at their institution.

4. Tell Me About a Meaningful Activity for You

This question can be challenging because it’s easy to fall into clichés. The key is to think about what makes you unique. Start by free-writing your initial response for about 10 minutes. Ignore grammar and just write.

Does your response sound like you or every other applicant? Avoid common leadership roles and think about what activity uniquely represents you. Once you state the activity in about 25 words or less, the remainder of your essay should focus on why it is meaningful to you.

5. What Do You Want to Do 10 Years from Now?

The emphasis here is on “you.” Be creative and reflect your uniqueness. You don’t have to link the college with your future career.

Avoid being too “over-the-top” or silly. Write a thoughtful response that shows your interests, focusing on being imaginative and honest.

Please share your thoughts in the comments below. We will respond with feedback to help you and other visitors to our site. So, what do you want to do 10 years from now?

For further reading and examples of more of the best college essay topics, check out these links:

Why the College of William & Mary is known as a “Public Ivy”

college of william and mary public ivy

William & Mary is the second oldest college in the country with a long history of liberal arts education and a growing research and science program. Undergrads at William & Mary have numerous research opportunities. A student majoring in government described William & Mary with these three words,  “Tradition. Community. Unique.” For those prospective students seeking this type of college environment, William & Mary has a lot to offer. Although the academic climate is rigorous, students say that cooperation among peers is the norm.

Here are a few quick facts about College of William and Mary:william and mary has active social life

Acceptance: 36%

Freshmen from out of state: 31% (keep in mind . . . it’s a public college, not private)

Most popular majors: biology, government, economics

Housing: Guaranteed housing through junior year

4-year Graduation rate: 84%

Academics: The College of William & Mary is dedicated to a philosophy of personalized education as shown through small class size and extensive student-faculty collaboration. “Classes are difficult and the workload is heavy, but lectures are small and generally engaging,” says one junior. Their joint degree program allows students to spend two years in Williamsburg and two in St Andrews in Scotland and end up with degrees from both institutions.  In addition, 70% of students participate in faculty-mentored research and William & Mary boasts some of the highest numbers for alums with PhDs in STEM.

william and mary for premedSocial:  There’s always something to do on campus, but the town itself can be somewhat “hit or miss”. Popular campus events include Homecoming Weekend, with its tailgate and concert. In their senior year, students can apply to live in a downtown dorm where they put on academic programming for the town. With over 400 clubs and organizations, a student would be hard-pressed not to find something to join!

Financial: College of William and Mary offers university grants and need-based financial aid, with 78% of need is fully met.

What do you think about this college? What else would you like to learn about it? Please post your comments below.

 

When is the AP Exam necessary?

advanced placement exam

Parents often ask me about the importance of taking Advanced Placement courses and the end-of-course AP exams. My best answer is that “it depends” . . . 

How many Advanced Placement courses?

vanderbilt engineering and music programsWhen parents ask me about how many advanced placement courses their teen should take, they are really asking me how many courses their teen should take to “look good” to colleges. Advanced placement courses are about taking a rigorous course load in high school to signal that a student would be academically successful in college. 

Rather than “looking good” to colleges, I believe that students should take the level of courses that are most appropriate for them personally and be true to what their interests are. If a college admits you only because of AP courses you took, it doesn’t say much for how you will fit or thrive at that college.

A reasonable number of AP courses to take is relative to the number of AP courses that your high school offers. Colleges understand that the number of AP courses available vary by high school. If a school offers no AP courses, then students aren’t expected to have AP courses on their transcript. On the other hand, if a high school has a lot of AP courses available, then students should make an effort to take a few AP courses. For example, if a high school offers 10 AP courses and students can take AP courses starting in junior year, then it’s reasonable to have about 3 to 5 AP courses on your transcript. Those AP courses should be in appropriate areas of academic strength for the student . . . if a student is weak in math, it doesn’t make sense to take the AP Calculus courses just for the sake of “looking good” to colleges.

How important is it to take the AP Exam?

In most cases, the AP Exam is not used in college admissions. The exams that students take for college admissions are either the SAT or the ACT. Scores on the AP Exam are most often used to determine the level of courses taken in college. Every college sets its own policies to grant credit for AP level course. For example, at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, a non-engineering student who scores a 4 or 5 on the AP Statistics exam could get 3 credit hours for the Math 1010: Probability and Statistical Inference course. Also, the credit for AP exam scores may not apply towards a major in that same subject area. Complicated, huh?

I have heard many college students say that they regret using their AP credit because they could have benefitted from having that first level course at the college level. 

Where I find the AP exam helpful to take is in preparation for an SAT Subject Test. The AP courses are mostly aligned with SAT Subject Tests. If a student, for example, is taking AP US History (APUSH) and plans to take the SAT Subject Test in American History, then it could be good preparation to take the AP US History exam in May and the SAT Subject Test in American History in June!

When are the 2019 AP exams scheduled?

Here’s a schedule of when the AP exams are scheduled in 2019.

AP Test Schedule: Week 1

TEST DATE MORNING EXAMS (8 A.M.) AFTERNOON EXAMS (12 NOON)
May 6, 2019
  • United States Government and Politics
  • Chinese Language and Culture
  • Environmental Science
May 7, 2019
  • Seminar
  • Spanish Language and Culture
  • Japanese Language and Culture
  • Physics 1: Algebra-Based
May 8, 2019
  • English Literature and Composition
  • European History
  • French Language and Culture
May 9, 2019
  • Chemistry
  • Spanish Literature and Culture
  • German Language and Culture
  • Psychology
May 10, 2019
  • United States History
  • Computer Science Principles
  • Physics 2: Algebra-Based

AP Test Schedule: Week 2

TEST DATE MORNING EXAMS (8 A.M.) AFTERNOON EXAMS (12 NOON) AFTERNOON EXAMS (2 P.M.)
May 13, 2019
  • Biology
  • Physics C: Mechanics
  • Physics C: Electricity and Magnetism
May 14, 2019
  • Calculus AB
  • Calculus BC
  • Art History
  • Human Geography
May 15, 2019
  • English Language and Composition
  • Italian Language and Culture
  • Macroeconomics
May 16, 2019
  • Comparative Government and Politics
  • World History
  • Statistics
May 17, 2019
  • Microeconomics
  • Music Theory
  • Computer Science A
  • Latin

When do AP scores come out?

2019 AP scores will mostly be released in mid-July 2019 .

Good luck!

How is your teen preparing for AP exams?

Get the Best Teacher Recommendation Letters for College

How to Ask for a Teacher Recommendation Letter | Compass College Advisory

One of the qualities that every junior should develop is networking/building relationships with peers and adults. Teachers are important adults both inside and outside the classroom. Junior year is an important time for students to continue developing relationships with teachers. Teacher relationships are important because it is highly likely that the teachers from junior year will be writing recommendation letters for college. Understanding how to ask a teacher for a letter of recommendation is a crucial part of this process.

How to Ask for a Teacher Recommendation Letter

Here are my top 3 tips for how juniors can build good relationship with their teachers:

  1. Meet after school to ask questions and discuss lessons from class. These meetings should be sincere in that students are making an effort to meet with those teachers that they want to get to know or have an interest in their subject area.
  2. Review graded exams or assignments with teachers. This extra action will help not only with building a relationship with you teachers but also help with learning the content better. I especially encourage students who may need extra help with written assignments to meet with the teacher afterwards to understand how to improve their writing.
  3. Request a recommendation for summer program. Applying to a summer program is a low risk way to find out if a teacher can write a strong letter of recommendation for a student. In the past, I have actually had students request a recommendation for a summer program and they were denied acceptance because the teacher didn’t submit the recommendation letter. That was a good lesson for the college applications. The student learned that they should perhaps allow more lead time and/or ask a different teacher!

The wonderful thing about high school teacher relationships is that they often last for years. It’s common for students to go away to college but still return to visit their high school teachers during breaks. I recently had dinner with a high school chemistry teacher and was impressed that two former students stopped by our table to say hello and thanks. The teacher remarked that many former students even from her earliest years of teaching still stay in touch.

Even when meeting after school with a teacher may seem like an extra assignment, it will begin a lifelong relationship.

What other steps can students take to build relationships with teachers?