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Outside the Box: Or, Truly Informed About Choices As
20somethings say, back in the day, education entailed an express train ride
from nursery school to college. If you
got on the train, you stayed on it. If
you got off, you stayed off—indeed, many high school graduates simply didn’t
enroll in four year colleges. Back then,
the costs of education were high, but manageable. Supply exceeded demand. Costs are accelerating,
though, with increases of 5 to 10% a year.
And high school preparation isn’t the straightforward answer it was,
even a decade ago. Today, more
investigation of and possibly investment in the choices available on the way to
college make for a better college experience and a better return on a significant
investment in education: more before makes for better after. Further, colleges are
seeing more transfers every year – and more students delaying graduation to
take a break from the educational train [as of last spring, 51% graduated in 5
years]. I see the years of high school
and college as served by a local rather than by an express train: lots of
possible stops and lots of trains to let you back on. These days, there are
myriad connections and opportunities to be made along the way from 9th
grade to graduation from college. Utilizing
those choices in an informed way will
I urge young people and
their families to make informed choices: you need to know that many options are
available at several junctures as you watch your child move through high school
and college. Indeed, beginning as early
as the 8th grade, there are choices: ·
Winter Term 7th and 8th
grade ·
The Outdoor Academy of the Southern Appalachians
10th grade ·
Argo Academy 9th and 10th
grade But
don’t miss the theme with which I began: make high school the place where
choices and paths abound, where the curriculum isn’t cut and dried. For example, Cushing offers 25 choices in
history and social science, 15 in visual arts, 19 in performing and so on. Notice I didn’t mention science or math. There, the program tends to be more
straightforward, but there are also messages one can get from those areas that
are pretty clear. For those not in love
with science or mathematics, high school can be a long and tedious trial. Two things save the day. First is the ambitious side. Most selective colleges – almost all, in fact
– want three years of lab science and math through algebra 2 or pre-cal. So, if you’re an ambitious student, then this
is what you have to do. If it doesn’t go
well, then there’s a lesson there also, because there are literally thousands
of colleges, more than 2500 four year institutions, not to mention choices
abroad. Cushing requires 2 years of
science and math through algebra 2.
While that minimum program might not qualify you for Harvard, there are
lots of wonderful schools out there for which it will be perfectly satisfactory
– if that part of the transcript is complemented by other positives. Abbey Road Summer Programs for High School Students in France, Italy and Spain Acadia Institute of oceanography Adventure Camp for Boys and Girls American Collegiate Adventures - Seville Spain Arizona Private Boarding Residential and Summer School - Oak Creek Ranch School Art History and Painting workshops in France Blue Dorado - Teenage Summer Adventures Broadreach - Summer Adventures for teenagers! Buck's Rock Performing & Creative Arts Camp Camp Search - Summer Camp Search Engine Career Explorations - High School Internship Summer Experience Country Guide - The Experiment in International Living - High Deer Hill Expeditions - Specializing in Wilderness & Service dominica course 16 days on tall ship Elk Creek Ranch & Trek Programs ExploraMar Teen Marine Biology Sailing Expeditions, Baja Foreign Language Camps for Children, in North America International Seminar Series cultural immersion through commu International Workshop of Ceramic Art in TOKONAME HOMEPAGE Italian Passages - Study Program for High School Students JobStar S.F.--Summer Jobs on the Web list of summer academic programs Living Classrooms Foundation see dominca Monterey Bay Aquarium Summer Internships NAGC - Summer & Enrichment Programs Summer Programs NISDA - Nantucket Island School of Design & the Arts Northwestern University - National High School Institute NYU SUMMER - Study Abroad - NYU Urban Design in London OCEANOLOGY - A Marine Biology Program for High School Students Our Summer in Europe Tour 2000 visits seven countries Palomar College Study Abroad Services Perry Mansfield Performing Arts School & Camp Putney Student Travel, Language Learning, Community Service, Silver Bay Association - YMCA Conference Center Skiing and snowboarding in Tignes Sloop Providence - Educational Programs Spoleto Study Abroad is an arts and humanities summer study p Summer in Italy, England for HS students Summer Opportunities for Students The Road Less Traveled, Let the Journey Begin! Voluntary Work Information Service (VWIS) Organisations - Frontiers Foundation Volunteering with Animals or in Conservation VSF Vacances Sans Frontieres Welcome! VSF 2001 Vacances Sans Frontieres 10=14 VWIS (Voluntary Work Information Service) - volunteering worldwide Welcome to Dolphin Research Center! Welcome to the Pont-Aven School of Art wharton summer business institute Once Junior year hits,
the options expand: ·
City Term www.themastersschool.com/CityTerm/index.htm ·
Exchange
programs [dozens] www.csiet.org/ see advisory list ·
Performing
arts schools: ·
www.woolman.org/
Woolman Semester ·
www.kasteelvanvelm.com/
Academic Year in ·
www.islandschool.org/
The ·
School Year Abroad www.sya.org/ And this description doesn’t include summer
opportunities. Remember, what one can
identify as meaningful defines and delineates the individual. Passion makes distinction. So, summer should be about interest, not just
college beamed advancement. Why? Because both the individual and his or her
eventual college plans are best served by doing what is most inspiring. And what better time than summer? The College application process is another
opportunity to make informed choices about getting into college. Use the resources available to you: your
guidance office, the web, and the colleges themselves. College admissions offices are full of
educators; you should ask questions and be confident that they will answer. Even
as you talk with admissions people, read the catalogues of colleges; they
reveal a lot about the nitty-gritty of the school. Of course, sometimes
‘information’ doesn’t lead you to an informed decision. Rumors about the college process, from
parents or kids, are like a giant game of telephone: either factually inaccurate
or taken out of context. How likely is
it that what you hear is what was actually said initially? Navigating college
admissions certainly doesn’t end your educational train ride. The transition from HS to College can be
difficult. There are choices to be made,
and you want them to be informed, just as the rest of the educational process
has been. High school graduates can
investigate post-graduate (PG) years; there are 125 choices in the study in flying fish www.flyingfishonline.com teaching and projects abroad www.projectsabroad.org student conservation association www.thesca.org where there be dragons www.wheretherebedragons.com pacific challenge www.pacifichallenge.org pacific village institute www.pacificvillage.org castle rock www.castle-rock.org
Santa Reparata www.fionline.it/santareparata/welcome.html
Of course, once you’re
in college, the choices for how to proceed expand even further. Semesters abroad, semesters off, and years off
are all viable options and there are a number of resources
refer to www.studyabroad.com and www.transitionsabroad.com and
us which can help you make informed
choices. In
fact, there are 10,000 programs and opportunities serving the college
age population in this country: From Niger
to Namibia (not that far, really), from
conventional study abroad options see above
to a whole range of internship www.bu.edu/abroad
choices. Again, there are plenty of ways
to get off the train. There’ll be another
one along, soon enough. Therefore, you can make
your college choices based not on why Janey fell in
love with the tour guide at that lovely southern college, but on the fact that
Tony’s French – because of the advantage your high school might have with
language immersion – could find a particularly appropriate home at that urban
Midwestern college. He also might be
well served by a semester in Get informed; make sure
you listen to your children hard, and this next few years will be exciting and
fulfilling for them and you. The Time Out Year
Navigating college
admissions certainly doesn’t end your educational train ride. The transition from HS to College can be
difficult. There are choices to be made,
and you want them to be informed, just as the rest of the educational process
has been. High school graduates can
investigate post-graduate (PG) years; there are 125 choices in the See this website for more
ideas. Also below. But the real work begins
in the fall. First of all, of course,
there’s the 13th year possibility.
I am at best a lukewarm supporter of this idea because it prolongs high
school in ways that may be dangerous for those Sams
who have struggled. While a boarding
school experience – all domestic 13th year or pg programs are
boarding [There are approximately 125 of these programs accessible to
Americans. The list is available on my
website: www.whereyouheaded.com ]
– may provide some necessary redundancy of instruction, as well as some useful
athletic exposure, the experience also requires students who may be chafing for
the freedoms of college to endure a year of significantly stricter controls
than they had experienced in high school.
If that’s their choice, fine.
Then it may work. If they don’t
make that choice but have it foisted on them, then there could be problems in
the making. An alternative with at least
exoticism and some comparative freedom in its favor is a pg year in the If the question posed to
that virtual admissions officer actually is asked, the response might include a
mention of a 13th year. But
it is more likely to include mention of what I often call going to college to
get to college. In other words, that
sage advice usually comes down to proving oneself on the same turf, roughly
speaking, that the “true” game will be played.
So, Sam, go to your local community college, get a 4.0, and then
reapply. That’s the advice in a
nutshell. Just as with the “take a 13th
year” advice, there’s nothing wrong with it.
But it contains certain presumptions, and it includes a fatal
possibility. First of all, Sam will get
into community college. We all know
that; there are no barriers to entry.
But Sam has to be very, very careful about what course he or she
takes. This isn’t the moment for
remediation, particularly not in this setting.
I suggest that there are admissions officers out there who would
recommend this course of action but not be so quick to accept it once the
transcript of work appears in front of them.
There is some distrust of the community college system as feeder to four
year colleges in the 49 states that are not And then there’s the
reality. Community college is college;
it isn’t easy, certainly no easier than high school. Moreover, because it doesn’t create the
college model for Sam, community college may be a great solution or a terrible
one, because it continues for Sam the model created in high school. The only
difference is that Sam now goes to community college, not high school. The critical piece here
again is motivation. If Sam cares
enough, he or she will get that 4.0, get it in demanding courses, having
impressed his or her teachers, and present a compelling case to the admissions
officer at Sam’s dream college. But the
final question remains important: does Sam present that case as a transfer
student, or does Sam simply use the grades earned as a credential? If There remains one other
category of choice: Sam can choose to do a Gap Year, to take Time Out, to take
the year “off”. In addition to the more
“traditional” choices here, which might include travel, work, an internship or
two, and some kind of service, there are several academic choices available
that might provide a slightly headier mix than a pg year or community college
could make available. The immediate
danger here is that almost none of these options are credit bearing, so
transferring isn’t even a consideration.
Further, the absence of ascertainable credit means that these options
may be viewed with a jaundiced eye by some admissions officers. But, in the race for individuation and
distinctiveness, the likelihood that Sam will set himself or herself apart by
doing one of these options is increased by their own uniqueness. That’s a good thing, particularly if a solid
evaluation is backed by a strong essay about Sam’s experience. So, where should Sam go? Choices include the following: www.ecla.de/index.html The www.oxtutor.co.uk The Oxford Advanced Studies Program serves
post graduates. Re-entry into American
colleges from this program has been markedly successful. www.ithaka.org This classical and Greek
immersion program has been in existence for at least 25 years. Because of its focus on writing, it has a
real impact on some students. www.fionline.it/santareparata/welcome.html
The Santa Reparata International School of Art is run
by American professors [UT at www.lexiaintl.org Lexia
International is one of the few college study abroad program willing to accept
qualified pre-matriculants. Wide range of offerings, including The above represent only a
smattering of the academic offerings available to students taking time out
before college. Clearly, the most
transferable but non quantifiable study that can be done during this year is
language. Here again motivation is
critical, and it needs to be balanced against Sam’s need to have some American
peers nearby. But if there’s room for
compromise, then Sam could present himself or herself as a newly fluent and
acculturated potential matriculant. And then there are the
non-academic opportunities out there. As
you might expect, these have less immediate admissions appeal, particularly as
they might be applied to offset a chequered
record. But if that record is read as
driven by adolescence, particularly when scores suggest capability, some
opportunities can be particularly impressive.
Here are more choices: www.cityyear.org The best known subset of Americorps www.Americorps.org
. City Year does provide scholarships and a weekly stipend. www.heifer.org This volunteer agency has long
term positions, all subsidized with room and board. www.chinet.org This agency can place Spanish, French and
Italian speakers in good internships in those countries. Also see www.adelantespain.
www.theSCA.org This is the largest
clearinghouse for outdoor options for volunteer work. There are lots of other
programs and opportunities out there, hundreds to be precise. But the above list also has the distinction of
not having any significant costs, with the exception of the two programs that
place abroad. So, there are a number of
directions in which the Sams of the thin envelope can
head. They can elect to take a pg or 13th
year; they can enroll in a community college; they can take summer courses at a
four-year college in a recognized summer program; they can attend an
alternative program for a credential but not for credit; they can do something
entirely different. The point really is
that there isn’t a single solution, a way that’s most right. Rather, the direction needs to depend on the
ways in which it meets the needs of the Sam in question. Two other shibboleths that should be
overturned here are: (1)
The notion
that staying out of school for a year, or, more terribly, for more than a
single year, will damn the Sam forever to a menial existence. College is the goal of most adolescent
Americans. Spending more time in the
real world usually convinces Sam that the four year sabbatical that is college
is a goal worth attaining. So, don’t
limit the vision by insisting that college has to be only a year away. If motivation is the issue, then finding it
has to be the first objective; college will follow. (2)
School has to
be in the Time Out Associates |