We got to see the inside! A group of CHILLS students and staff toured the groundbreaking 3D BioHome developed by UMaine while on a campus visit Wednesday 10/18!
Brevity…
College application season is upon us, and with it the responsibility to write a letter of recommendation for every student that is applying early. So this edition is going to be brief and to the point.
Red Folder Deadlines
There has been some confusion about Red Folder deadlines and signing up for Senior Visits. When you come in to make your appointment for your Senior Visit, please come with your COMPLETED Red Folder by the deadline below. And please be nice to Ms. Dowd.
November 15 College Deadline: October 31 Red Folder Deadline
December 1 College Deadline: November 9 Red Folder Deadline
December 15 College Deadline: December 1 Red Folder Deadline
January 1 College Deadline: December 7 Red Folder Deadline
Public Speaking Course S2 at URock
Once upon a time, Mr. Steve Moro taught Public Speaking as a member of the CHRHS faculty. He was (deservedly) a legend. When he moved up to teach at URock, we tried to keep the course going, but it just wasn’t the same.
The course was not offered at URock this semester, however, for lack of interest. So I made it a personal mission of mine to populate the course for S2, working alongside URock staff to make this happen.
Well it worked! Monday nights 4-6:45 PM starting 1/22/24 in person at URock.
There is NOTHING that you will do personally or professionally in your life that will not call upon you to speak in public at some point–you may as well be good at it!
I made my own boys take it—non negotiable—and vigorously encourage my students to take it. If you are pursuing a Pathway through UMaine, you are allowed to import one class from another University–I highly recommend that it be this one.
Since there is no FAFSA data…
During my college visits this past summer one thing that was ubiquitous across all types of schools was the Admissions staff FREAKING OUT because they weren’t going to have FAFSA info in time to provide estimated financial awards for early admissions decisions.
Seems that they all went to the same conference or webinar since then, because we are starting to see many colleges add the CSS Profile as a new requirement at schools that typically only require the FAFSA.
For those of you playing along at home, the CSS Profile (which is distinct from the CHRHS Profile) is the exhaustively detailed cousin of the FAFSA used traditionally at schools with large endowments. The more money a school gives away, the more questions they ask. If you think a colonoscopy is invasive, wait until you’re done with the Profile… And you don’t even get the great nap after the procedure.
Here’s a list of schools that require it this year.
If your family income is less than $100K, filing a Profile is free.
The good news is that colleges are finding ways around the late FAFSA
Family Postsecondary History
I continue to be amazed that the majority of my ninth graders don’t have even the most basic understanding of their family’s postsecondary history. We ask about first gen status in our meetings because we differentiate programming based on this distinction. Families for whom a student attending college will be a first have different needs than families in which college has been a given for 5 generations.
If you haven’t talked with your kids about your family’s postsecondary history, make a point to do so at a time that facilitates conversation. When humans don’t know something, they fill in the blanks, without regard for veracity. If you don’t have open and direct conversations with your kids, you leave it to them to guess what your hopes and expectations are.
Kids may assume that parents expect an Ivy because a parent went to an Ivy, or that their parents don’t support them attending college when in fact they do. Education is an important thing for individuals AND families. Don’t leave your kids guessing.
The College Tour on Amazon
What started out as a way to kill time during COVID has become an institution in and of itself.
There are now 10 seasons of The College Tour. Season 9 features Sarah Lawrence in upstate New York and Seton Hall, which is a 30 minute train ride to downtown Manhattan (I visited this summer and liked it for that very reason–a ton of opportunities in the city).
If travel isn’t in the family budget, it’s a great way to do a deep dive into some great schools from the comfort of your couch. I would definitely recommend watching an episode featuring a school that you’re interested in before you go; sometimes that helps you cull out schools that aren’t really what you’re looking for before you take on the expense of a visit.
If you want to check out the myriad ways that we share information about colleges, head here
College Admission: Three Messages You Need to Hear
Admission Math is the Same as Regular Math
Adulting is Hard at Times
Admission is Not Fair
“If you are applying to a number of schools with admit rates of 1 out of 3 or less, expect unpredictability. Don’t get mad about it. You chose that. More here.
If you are applying to a number of schools with admit rates of 1 out of 4 or less, expect turbulence along the way, including deferral and waitlist decisions. Don’t get frustrated. You chose that.
If you are applying to a number of schools with admit rates of 1 out of 5 or less, go back and read #1. A balanced list does not mean you have 12 schools on your list that each have a different admit rate, but they’re all under 20%.”