College and Program Visits to RHS

We are fortunate that many college, university and program visitors come to Rosenblatt High School to meet with our students (and in some cases faculty and administration). These are wonderful opportunities for our students to connect with the professionals who can help them find the best possible post-high school and/or summer activities.

This is the complete list of scheduled visitors for the Fall 2016 semester, as of October 20^th; additional visits will still be scheduled:

University of Central Florida              9/12                                         Lunch

IDC Herzliya                                        9/14                                         Lunch

Brandeis University                             9/15                                         Lunch

UMD, College Park                             9/19                                         Lunch

Tel Aviv University                              9/20                                         Lunch

Boston University                                9/21                                         Lunch

University of Florida                           9/22                                         8^th Period

Jewish Theological Seminary              9/27                                         Lunch

Technion Israel Institute                     9/29                                         Lunch

University of Miami                            10/5                                         Lunch

Indiana University at Bloomington     10/7                                         4^th Period

Marymount Manhattan College         10/7                                         Lunch

New York University                           10/7                                         8^th Period

Florida Gulf Coast University              10/10                                       Lunch

The Cooper Union                               10/14                                       Lunch

Pace University                                   10/19                                       Lunch

Vanderbilt University                          10/21                                       5^th Period

Northwestern University                     10/27                                       4^th Period

Syracuse University                             10/27                                      Lunch

Aardvark Israel                                   11/1                                          Lunch

Bar Ilan University                              12/7                                        Lunch

Two Helpful College Programs

There are two community programs coming up that will be very helpful to our DKJA families:


First, the NACAC College Fair at the Broward  County Convention Center is this weekend! Wonderful for juniors, helpful for sophomores and perfect for seniors looking to connect with specific colleges and/or college representatives!

Sunday, October 16, 2016

1:00-4:00 PM

National Association of College Admission Counseling South Florida National College Fair

Greater Fort Lauderdale/Broward County Convention Center

Attended by over 180 colleges!

Multiple free workshops!

Register for free today!  You will receive a barcode at the end of your registration.  Screenshot it or print it and bring it to the fair with you. 

Second, there is a low cost ($40) College Essay Writing Workshop offered by the Community Center for Excellence in Writing (CCEW) at Florida Atlantic University on Thursday, October 20th, 4:30-6:00 PM.  This program date was added just for our families and I strongly encourage students to attend!  It will be especially helpful for seniors who are struggling with their college essays (or have not even started).  Juniors wanting to get a head start on this critical aspect of the college process will also benefit, as will any student looking for essay writing assistance.

You must sign up at least 24 hours in advance, either online or by phone.  Follow the link for the flyer and other program details.

The 3 types of essays: Good, Bad, Risky

If they made a movie about nailing the perfect admissions essay, the title might be: “The Good, The Bad and The Risky.”

The Risky

Let’s start with “The Risky.” One of the favorite stories being passed around by admissions officers these days is a young man’s response to an open-ended essay prompt: “Ask yourself a question, and then answer it.” So here’s what one bold young man chose to write:

Question: Do you play the tuba?   Answer: No.   That was it, his entire essay. You’ve got to admit that was a gutsy move. He was accepted at that college and several other colleges. Students can’t afford to take that kind of risk unless that’s really part of who they are. There are colleges that actively seek students like that young man: He stepped outside the box and to some, and he hit a home run. For others undoubtedly, he miscalculated, because he may be perceived as being cocky and overconfident. In this case, he had strong credentials and very likely would have been accepted anyway, but I am certain that his pseudo-essay was joyously passed around the admissions office. That was an “easy-read!”

The Bad

Common admissions wisdom has advocated that students should avoid the 3 D’s — Death, Divorce and Drugs. The Death Essay is unfortunately more common than we all would like. Don’t think I’m heartless, but it’s very difficult for high school students to say much more than this special person had a tremendous influence and now that they’re gone they will miss them. These essays can be tremendously powerful, but they need to share the “whys” of the loss.

If there is a “typical” divorce essay that colleges receive, it starts with “I was happy until my parents split — now I am unhappy.” Students can take this topic and make it work for them if they talk about how they feel, how it has changed their lives and hopefully what they may have gained through this difficult experience.

Drugs: Some students want to share inappropriate details of their lives. Don’t do it. Even if it’s in the past, drug use sends up a red flag.

Parke Muth, senior assistant dean of admissions at the University of Virginia, has likened college essays to fast food. “Ninety percent of the applications I read contain what I call McEssays.” They don’t do an effective job of setting the student apart from the sea of applicants.

The Good

• Choose your topic wisely, but even if you choose a topic that other people choose, spend sufficient time brainstorming how to own your piece of the topic.
• Don’t try to write what you think colleges want to read. They’ve already read that in the first 50 essays they read today. Find and preserve your own voice.
• Focus on the details when you tell a story. The rule of great writing: “Show, Don’t Tell” still holds true.
• Read your essay out loud to several people and ask them if they believe it sounds like you. It will also help you find and fix the clunky parts that need help.

Written by Lee Bierer, College Admission Strategies 

Published September 2, 2016

'Countdown to College' Column

College Fairs for DKJA Families

There are two outstanding opportunities for our DKJA families to take advantage of the influx of college admission officers to South Florida in October.  I strongly encourage sophomores and juniors (and their families) to attend one or both of these fairs in order to gain exposure to a large number of colleges as well as other important resources in the college search. Seniors who would like additional access to colleges across the country should also attend.

Monday, October 10, 2016

6:00-8:00 PM

Boca Raton Community High School College and Career Fair

Boca High Gymnasium

Attended by over 100 colleges, universities, technical schools, tutoring and test prep agencies and more!

No RSVP necessary!

Sunday, October 16, 2016

1:00-4:00 PM

National Association of College Admission Counseling South Florida National College Fair

Greater Fort Lauderdale/Broward County Convention Center

Attended by over 180 colleges!

Multiple free workshops!

Register for free today!  You will receive a barcode at the end of your registration.  Screenshot it or print it and bring it to the fair with you. 

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to reach out to me at rockmanj@dkja.net or 561-558-2530.  I hope you will take advantage of these programs!

A snapshot of application submission

At this time of year, seniors are feverishly working to finalize the personal elements of their college applications, namely the essays, resume and personal application questions. This of course can generate a lot of anxiety for students and parents as they try to be sure all I’s are dotted and T’s are crossed.  

It should help to know that there are different pieces of each application that are managed separately from each other, and some are not even the responsibility of the student to manage!

Take a look at this representation that shows a typical college application.  There are generally three separate blocks of information that come together to build the complete application.

Please ask if you have any questions about this process.

Block 1:  The Application

GENERATED AND SUBMITTED BY THE STUDENT PRIOR TO THE STATED COLLEGE DEADLINE

-Includes the actual questions and demographic / high school information filled out by the student and submitted directly by the student to the college

-Includes the student-generated essay(s), resume and short answers

-Examples include the Common Application, Common Application Supplements, Coalition Application, Individual School Application (i.e. FSU, MIT, Georgetown, FAU)

 +

Block 2:  The Test Scores

SUBMITTED BY THE STUDENT PRIOR TO THE STATED COLLEGE DEADLINE

(May be submitted before or after Block 1)

-The SAT and/or ACT scores earned by the student must be sent DIRECTLY TO THE COLLEGES FROM THE TESTING AGENCY

-Students must sign in to their College Board and/or ACT account to order and pay for the scores to be sent to each college

-Scores must be sent by the student – the high school CANNOT send test scores to colleges

 +

Block 3:  The School Materials

GENERATED AND SUBMITTED BY THE HIGH SCHOOL PRIOR TO THE STATED COLLEGE DEADLINE

SUBMITTED ONLY AFTER THE STUDENT HAS SUBMITTED BLOCKS 1 & 2 TO THE COLLEGE(S)

-These materials include the high school profile, official transcript, letters of recommendation from teachers, counselor report form and counselor recommendation letter

-While the student must follow the process to request letters of recommendation from teachers, approve the transcript and fill out the necessary forms for the college counselor, submission of the school materials to the college(s) is the responsibility of the college counselor

=  

Complete Application

All 3 Blocks Submitted to the College(s)

Common App Questions?? Here are the answers.

Collegewise is a college advising company founded by Kevin McMullin, and the company has offered a free guide to the Common Application that is well worth reading!  It can be used before beginning the application, as a tool for line-by-line review, or just to strengthen a section or two.  This guide will surely help students get it right the first time!   Click here for access to the helpful guide, How to Make Your 2016-17 Common Application a Lot Less Common.

DKJA Visits UF and FSU

This week a group of juniors and seniors will hit the road and head north for our first college visits of the year!  We are sure to have a wonderful and educational experience, not to mention fun.

Our group will board a charter bus on Wednesday, September 7, 2016 and make our way to Gainesville - home of the University of Florida Gators!  We will spend the afternoon and early evening on the campus of UF, which will include the following:

• Meeting with Undergraduate Admissions Officer (including the representative for Rosenblatt High School)
• Campus tour
• Bookstore visit
• Visit to Hillel and then Chabad for tours, discussions with current UF students, and a BBQ dinner buffet 

·    After a restful night and breakfast in Gainesville, we'll depart for Tallahassee where we will spend much of September 8th on the FSU campus, including the following:

• Meeting with Undergraduate Admissions Officer (including the representative for Rosenblatt High School)
• Campus tour
• Bookstore visit
• Visit to Hillel for lunch, tour and discussion with current FSU students

Of course we'll have time to connect with our DKJA graduates attending both of these outstanding universities.

It's an exciting time for our students - remember that a college visit is the single best way to determine if a school may be the right one for you!