To learn more please contact us at heather.butts@learnforlifeconsulting.com or www.learnforlifeconsulting.com

1. Heather M. Butts, J.D., M.P.H., M.A.
Class #1
In Class Assignments
Homework Assignments

2. Overview
 Who am I?
 Are you committed to applying to college?
 Have you started to think about applying to college?
 Have you visited a college campus?
 When do you think you should start the college
application process?
 Do you have a timeline in place for applying to college?
 Do you have a checklist in place for applying to
college?

3. Why does college matter?
Is college for me?
 2 year vs. 4 year vs. vocational school?
 More education = choices (you can be a mechanic or
own the mechanic shop)
 More education = access to people you otherwise
would not encounter and exposure to new and exciting
possibilities
 More education = higher paying job (upwards of 98%
more money is earned when you have a college degree)
 More education = more education!

4. Timeline - Junior High School
 Create a timeline for the next 4 years
 Make sure your grades are excellent
 Maintain excellent grades
 Start to prepare for transitioning into high school
 Find a mentor
 Take challenging courses: Especially the STEM areas.
26% of students who do not take geometry go on to
college whereas 71% of students who do take geometry
go on to college: http://www2.ed.gov

5. Timeline – Junior High continued
 Take challenging courses in the arts, computer science,
foreign languages
 Start thinking about advanced placement and college
credit courses once you get into high school. Be
prepared to discuss this with your counselor
 Talk to your family or your mentor (remember them) If
your family has not started planning financially, start
looking into financial aid, scholarships and grants
(some of this will depend on the kind of grades you get
in high school so plan accordingly)
www.nces.ed.gov/ipeds/cool/

6. Timeline Freshman-Junior Years
 Do well in school
 Cultivate relationships with mentors
 Begin to visit schools
 Do well in school!!
 Start to research scholarships and grant programs
 Create your resume

7. Timeline Freshman-Junior Years
continued
 Get involved in extracurricular activities you actually
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enjoy
Review your timeline and make sure you’re on
schedule
Create a checklist of “to do” items
Having trouble in a particular area – get help from
teachers, after school programs and mentors
Surround yourself with supportive friends. If your
friends aren’t supporting you then they’re not your
true friends!

8. Junior Year/Summer before
Senior Year
 Review your resume
 Visit as many prospective colleges as possible and
make appointments with admissions counselors and
other counselors (is community college an option?)
 List all the colleges you want to apply to
 Register for SATs
 Take an SAT prep course (I.E.S of course!)

9. Fall Senior Year
 Speak with your guidance counselor and make sure
you’re on track with grades and classes
 Complete your college list and make sure you have a
few safety schools and a few reach schools (your
counselor and family will be able to assist with this)
 Are you applying ED or EA anywhere? What are you
waiting for!
 Start preparing for the college interview

10. Fall Senior Year
 Start identifying who you will need letters of
recommendation from and give them plenty of notice
 Take the SATs and make sure you’re having your scores
sent to the appropriate schools
 Keep filling out applications. Read read read!

11. Winter-Spring Senior Year
 Make sure your counselor has sent in your grades
 Make sure you’ve finished your application and get it
in as soon as possible (some schools have rolling
admission)
 Keep those grades up – some schools want to see
grades through senior year
 Get into schools! Visit schools one final time and
make your decision (wait list issues or no acceptance)
 Thank everyone that helped you during the process
(preferably with actual letters)

12. The College Essay
 Distinguish between short answers, direct questions
and general essay/personal statement
 What does the school want from you – make sure you
give them what they want!

13. College Essay Tips
 Think about what you want to write about
 Do you have a resume? If so take a look at it to refresh
your memory about what you’ve done. What have you
accomplished?
 What makes you unique or different?
 Do you have a favorite book or movie that has had
particular importance in your life?

14. Tips continued
 Other topic areas:
 A trying time in your life that you’ve overcome?
 Very substantial extracurricular activities that you have
or are participating in?
 Someone who has a great deal of meaning for you and
has been a great influence on your life
 Discuss why you want to go to this particular school and
how the school will help you reach your goals/dreams
(and discuss what THOSE are!)

15. Tips continued
 You’re stuck! You need more help deciding what to
write about:
 Talk with friends, teachers, family members, trusted
mentors (don’t forget about your mentors!)
 Keep thinking! As long as you’ve started early enough
you’ll have enough time to come up with a topic

16. Essay Writing Tips
 Start early!
 Write your first draft and the continue to write drafts.
You’ll need several drafts before you can finalize the
essay
 Have someone else read it to make sure it conveys what
you want it to convey
 No typos!
 Read it once more before considering it final

17. Take-aways (make sure you do
this!)
 Make your essay consistent with the rest of your
application (if you have a 2400 SATs and 4.0 average
you’re not struggling in school so don’t write an essay
that says that)
 You can use your essay to explain certain parts of your
application, just don’t repeat what’s already in your
application
 Diversity is great – discuss this if it applies to you

18. Take-aways continued
 Remember – your essay topic says a lot about who you
are and what you care about so choose wisely

19. Pitfalls to avoid
 Don’t try for tricks or something for shock value
 The essay should tell your reader something that the
rest of the application does not tell them
 Don’t go over the word limit (part of this is to test can
you follow directions)
 Don’t make up stories (honesty is the best policy)

20. In Class Exercise #1
 Write 200 words on the following topic:
 Tell us about the neighborhood that you grew up in
and how it helped shape you into the kind of person
you are today.

21. In Class Exercise #2
 Pair up with a partner. One of you will take on the role
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of the interviewer and one will take on the role of
interviewee. Then you will reverse roles. Ask the
following questions of each other:
1. Tell me about yourself?
2. Who in your life has most influenced you?
3. What do you do in your free time?
4. What is your favorite book?
5. Why do you want to go to college?

22. Homework Assignment #1
 List 5 items that you think should be on your college
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checklist.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

23. Homework Assignment #2
 Write down answers to the following Interview Questions.
Practice your answers with someone in your family. Have
them ask you the questions and practice your answers with
them.
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1. Who do you most admire?
2. What is your biggest weakness?
3. What makes you special?
4. What high school experience was most important to
you?
 5. What historical figure do you most admire?

24. Answer to Question #1

25. Answers to Question #2

26. Answer to Question #3

27. Answer to Question #4

28. Answer to Question #5

29. Homework Assignment #3
 Come up with 300 word answers to the following essay
questions:
 1. Write about a local or national issue that has
personal meaning for you?
 2. Select two people that have be role models in your
life and why?
 3. Select a technological innovation of this century and
describe its impact on you and your family?

30. Essay #1

31. Essay #2

32. Essay #3