Collegewise

When in. . .San Luis Obispo

My weekend camping trip in Big Sur was interrupted by a voluntary evacuation due to wildfires.  So what was supposed to be a second night in Big Sur became a night in San Luis Obispo, and predictably, an impromptu visit to Cal Poly.

I don't expect high school students and parents to have the same sick compulsion to visit colleges that we do (medication and therapy don't help.  It's completely and totally incurable).  But I've visited several hundred colleges, and not many of them are in a town as safe, quaint and college-friendly as San Luis Obsipo.  I think any student or parent, even one who (mistakenly) believes the colleges on the US News Top 10 list are the only ones worth attending, would agree.  So the next time you find yourself in a new town, whether you're vacationing or visiting or voluntarily evacuating, pay a quick visit to a college in the area.  There's a good chance you'll start to see what we mean when we talk about just how many great colleges there are worth (voluntarily) attending.   

What's for Breakfast this Saturday?

Besides a heaping spoonful of ACT questions for lots of students? That's actually what I'm here to talk about-- effective breakfast strategies for a successful test-taking Saturday.

Researchers at Tufts University (that's in Boston) have found that while breakfast is key to boosting mental alertness, a breakfast of fiber-rich oatmeal equates to far better performances on tests. The reason? Whole grains keep your blood sugar and energy levels more constant.

That means, you should skip the Pop Tart on Saturday morning (refined carbs and sugars can lead to energy crashes mid-test), and grab the cylindrical cardboard cannister before taking the ACT. How's that for alliteration?

CTCL - Colleges That Change Lives

The 2007-2008 application cycle is history.  It was an extremely competitive cycle.  More high school seniors than ever before applied to college and they submitted applications to a larger number of schools.  Our students how where they will be in the fall and we extend our best wishes to them for a successful beginning of the next chapter of their lives.  We now turn our attention to our rising seniors; those students who will be applying to college in the fall of this year.  As counselors, we are busy helping our kids compile a list of potential colleges that they will research and hopefully visit before they begin completing their applications.