Collegewise

December News for Friends and Family

College Tours

The Irvine counseling quartet of Jennifer, Margot, Allison and Kyle recently returned from a tour of Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, UC Santa Barbara and UWT (the University of Wine Tasting, which was their favorite of the three, by the way).

UCSB alumn Kyle proved to be an adept tour guide for her alma mater, as the counselors are now able to point out the best chili dog stand, the most ideal spot for beach tanning, and of course, the best field for weekend mud football. 

St. Olaf College

Northfield, MN

Have you noticed the recent chill in the air? To me, starting a fire seems like a natural progression from day to evening now—even if it is 60 degrees in California. Perhaps it’s the holidays’ way of letting us know their on our doorsteps. At this time of year, I often wish I lived someplace colder… so I could rummage through the snow on my way to and from work or school. The students at St. Olaf College are just that lucky, and with a holiday tradition now in its 96th year, at St. Olaf, there’s always something to celebrate in December.

Nice Kids Finish First

Good things happen to nice kids. 

During application season, the Collegewise counselors are a little bit like the legend of Santa Claus.  We know which kids have been naughty and which have been nice.  We notice the seniors who were on time for all of their appointments, who always returned our phone calls, and who said, “Thank you so much” after our meetings.  And while we don’t treat them any better or work any harder for them than we do for our few naughty kids, we do notice them.  We’re human, after all.   

College admissions officers are the same way.

5 Things Seniors Can Still Do to Help Them Get Into College

Seniors, whether you've already submitted your applications, or if you're planning one final application assault over the holiday break, here are five ways you can still improve your chances of admission to college. 

1.  Keep working hard in school

We know that might sound like the same old advice, but the truth is that a lot of colleges ask to see your first semester senior grades before they make admissions decisions, and those grades can absolutely impact your chances of admission.  Of all the things you can do to improve your chances (or not do that will hurt your chances), this one is the most important.   

Collegewise Goes Coastal

After a 6 a.m. departure (which is earlier than any of us had been awake on a Sunday morning in a very long time), we hit the road for the three-hour trip up to San Luis Obispo for our first stop, Cal Poly SLO.  After two fast-food stops and minor trauma to Kyle’s forehead, we arrived on campus.  We parked and posed for our first picture in front of the visual and performing arts center, an impressive building that showcased student artwork and was about the size of a city block.  We were all immediately impressed with the natural beauty that surrounded the Cal Poly SLO campus, especially on such a clear autumn day.  Since the students had finished finals the week before, campus was pretty deserted, but that didn’t stop us from exploring.  Our first stop on our self-guided tour brought us to the Student Center.  We were disappointed to see that the bookstore was closed (no Mustang memorabilia!) but our frowns dissipated after making the acquaintance of a friendly senior Engineering major that snapped our picture and pointed us in the direction of some must-sees on campus.