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Thomas Paine once said: “Lead, follow, or get out of the way.” General George S. Patton describes it further: “We herd sheep, we drive cattle, we lead people. Lead me, follow me, or get out of my way.”  When it comes to college admissions, schools are looking for neither sheep nor cattle but leaders, and while not every student can be President of the Student Government Association, there are other ways for the college applicant to engage in activities that help develop leadership experience.

“Leadership is a matter of intelligence, trustworthiness, humaneness, courage, and discipline . . . Reliance on intelligence alone results in rebelliousness. Exercise of humaneness alone results in weakness. Fixation on trust results in folly. Dependence on the strength of courage results in violence. Excessive discipline and sternness in command result in cruelty. When one has all five virtues together, each appropriate to its function, then one can be a leader.”
Sun Tzu

Creative Leadership

Whether you participate in the A/V Club, the theater department, Glee club, or other activities that are creative in nature, there are opportunities within that structure for you to lead. Whether you write and perform a one-act play, film a documentary about a topic that interest you, organize a charity event, develop a new dance routine, there are countless ways you can lead.

“The task of the leader is to get his people from where they are to where they have not been.”
Henry Kissinger

Political Leadership

You don’t have to be the most popular person to get involved with high school politics or even the real-world politics of your city or town. High school is a great place to run for Secretary, Treasurer, Chairperson, etc. It’s important to remember that colleges are impressed by students who get re-elected and show consistency, so try to hold the same position or be involved with the same organization for three or four years. If you belong to a private academy, consider joining the Honor Board where you will enforce violations of the honor code, such as plagiarism. Outside your school you can consider getting involved with candidates running for office for the local or state level. Politicians love volunteers who visit voters, stuff envelopes, place signs, make phone calls, attend rallies and provide free help to their campaigns.

Entrepreneurial Leadership

In 2002, Fraser Doherty was only 14 and using her grandmother’s recipes to make jam. People loved them so much that eventually she had to rent a a food-processing factory several times a month to keep out with all the orders.  In 2009, SuperJam made $750,000 in sales. If you prefer the online world, consider the story of teen millionaire Ashley Qualls, she “started her Internet business in 2004, at the age of 14. As a graphic designer and programmer, she put together MySpace layouts for free download on the internet. Teens loved her layouts, and shared them with others. Now, her small business, WhateverLife.com, averages over 1 million hits a month, according to Alexa.com. Also, Quantcast has rated this teen’s business site higher than Oprah’s sites, CBS and FoxNews. According to a CBS interview, her Internet business income is over a million dollars a year. She bought a house for her family and paid cash, moving them out of the 1 bedroom apartment they were living in. Not bad for an initial investment of under $10.”
Source: http://www.suite101.com/content/becoming-a-millionaire-with-internet-business-a151415

While it’s true that most teenagers won’t become millionaires by starting a business, colleges will admire your entrepreneurial spirit whether you work as a babysitter, landscaper, shovel snow, develop a blog, sell stuff on eBay, among many other possibilities. Consider these 10 business ideas for the young entrepreneur: http://www.youngentrepreneur.com/blog/10-business-ideas-for-the-teen-entrepreneur/

“Contrary to the opinion of many people, leaders are not born. Leaders are made, and they are made by effort and hard work.”
Vince Lombardi,

Non-Profit Leadership

In Florida all students are supposed to volunteer during their high school years in order to graduate. This kind of mandatory volunteering does not impress colleges; what will impress them are candidates that have been volunteers for organizations such as Habitat for Humanity for a few years out of their own free will. So whether you have a passion for saving the whales, fighting poverty, working against global warming, leading religious missionary groups, etc, exercising that passion early will give you a chance to get to know that organization and maybe have a chance at leading new volunteers, programs, training, etc. You can also fundraise for worthy causes, such as an undersupplied library, a local class that lacks enough materials, even an animal shelter that needs more water bowls.

“Leadership: The art of getting someone else to do something you want done because he wants to do it.”
Dwight D. Eisenhower

Sports Leadership

It seems obvious, but if you participate in sports you are developing qualities that the great majority of universities love. Let’s face it, everyone loves an athlete, ask the high school quarterback where would he be without his coveted position? Or consider athletes without the highest GPA’s and SAT scores that otherwise might not have impressive profiles for admissions but thanks to their athletic abilities are getting offered full scholarships. Even if you don’t play a sport that helps colleges make a lot of money, your abilities and individual achievements in such sport can still be interesting for adcoms.

“To have long term success as a coach or in any position of leadership, you have to be obsessed in some way.”
Pat Riley

Military Leadership

Nothing teaches leadership like the military, and if you join the Junior Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (JROTC) during high school you can develop self-reliance, patriotism, physical fitness, and achieve a higher rank if you decide to pursue a military career after graduation (as long as you participate in JROTC for 2 to 4 years).  Many cadets participate in activities such as drill, color guard, rocketry or orienteering while at least two-thirds enjoy rifle marksmanship programs. If you don’t live in the United States, consider that countries like the United Kingdom, Australia and Canada have similar programs.

The very essence of leadership is its purpose. And the purpose of leadership is to accomplish a task. That is what leadership does–and what it does is more important than what it is or how it works.
~Colonel Dandridge M. Malone 

In the end, in order to show leadership it is better to excel in one or two activities than to be mediocre in several activities.  Remember the words of James Miller, director of admissions at Brown University: “It’s most important to do something with enthusiasm, passion and commitment.” When planning extra-curricular occupations and think of leadership opportunities, be true to yourself, find things to do that you feel passionate about and everything will come together – leadership, continuance, success in college admission and in life.

If you want to show a college that you’re more than your SAT score and your cumulative GPA, the college interview is the perfect place to do it. While interviews aren’t mandatory, the 30 to 60 minutes you’ll spend with an admissions officer can affect the outcome of your college application.

The great thing about interviews is that they can help you show your warm and shining personality and allow you to learn more about study abroad opportunities or other programs that interest you. Interviews can also help you explain a negative, such as why your grades went south.

Did you know? Students attending music, drama or dance school programs should plan on performing an audition or showing a portfolio.

Interview Tips:

Source: http://www.campusgrotto.com/the-college-interview.html

• Dress business casual. Do not over do it, however do not wear jeans and a sweatshirt. A nice pair of slacks and a jacket for young men will work and a knee length skirt and casual blouse for ladies will suffice.
• Come prepared. Bring your high school transcript and if you have any college credit, bring that transcript as well. Be prepared to explain any discrepancies in your records such as less than stellar grades, or numerous absences.
• Bring a list of questions. You probably have a few questions about your prospective school, so write them down and bring the list with you to the interview.
• Be on time. Make sure that you are early or on time to your interview. Tardiness is frowned upon and any reason you have for being late will just make it sound like you are making unnecessary excuses.

The Art of Interviewing

From people who talk too little to candidates who come with prepared speeches, there are many ways you can look foolish in front of an admissions officer. Your job is to demonstrate you can make an intellectual contribution to the campus, so giving thoughtful answers that sound genuine as opposed to a prepared speech is the best way to go.

You should also avoid chewing gum, letting your parents ask more questions than you do, show disinterest, lie or be rude. Simple things like shaking hands and addressing your interviewer by name can go a long way, not to mention a mailed “thank you” note as opposed to an impersonal e-mail.

It is also imperative to research the college before the interview. Not only will your knowledge of the college impress your admissions officer, it will also help you figure out if this is the right place for you.

College Interview Questions

From “tell me about yourself” to “what did you do this summer,” colleges seem to want to know everything to ensure that you’re a good match for them. Here’s how to approach some of the tough questions:

1. Tell me about yourself.

This question seems easier than it is. How do you reduce your whole life to a few sentences? And it’s hard to avoid commonplace answers like “I’m friendly” or “I’m a good student.” Of course you want to demonstrate that you’re friendly and studious, but try also to say something memorable here that really makes you different from other college applicants. Can you hold your breath longer than anyone in your school? Do you have a huge collection of Pez dispensers? Do you have unusual cravings for sushi?
Source: http://collegeapps.about.com/od/theartofgettingaccepted/tp/college-interview-questions.htm

2. Who in your life has most influenced you?

There are other variations of this question: Who’s your hero? What historical or fictional character would you most like to be like? This can be an awkward question if you haven’t thought about it, so spend a few minutes considering how you would answer. Identify a few real, historical, and fictional characters you admire, and be prepared to articulate WHY you admire them.

Source: http://collegeapps.about.com/od/theartofgettingaccepted/tp/college-interview-questions.htm

3. Why do you want to major in ______________ ?

Realize that you don’t need to have decided upon a major when you apply to college, and your interviewer will not be disappointed if you say you have many interests and you need to take more classes before choosing a major. However, if you have identified a potential major, be prepared to explain why. Avoid saying that you want to major in something because you’ll make a lot of money — your passion for a subject will make you a good college student, not your greed.

Source: http://collegeapps.about.com/od/theartofgettingaccepted/tp/college-interview-questions.htm

4. Tell me about a challenge that you overcame.

This question is designed to see what kind of problem solver you are. When confronted with a challenge, how do you handle the situation? College will be full of challenges, so the college wants to make sure they enroll students who can handle them.

Source: http://collegeapps.about.com/od/theartofgettingaccepted/tp/college-interview-questions.htm

5. What do you do for fun in your free time?

“Hangin’ out and chillin’” is a weak answer for this question. College life obviously isn’t all work, so the admissions folks want students who will do interesting and productive things even when they aren’t studying. Do you write? hike? play tennis? Use a question such as this one to show that you are well-rounded with a variety of interests.

Source: http://collegeapps.about.com/od/theartofgettingaccepted/tp/college-interview-questions.htm

6. What do you see yourself doing 10 years from now?

You don’t need to pretend that you have your life figured out if you get a question like this. Very few students entering college could accurately predict their future professions. However, your interviewer does want to see that you think ahead. If you can see yourself doing three different things, say so — honesty and open-mindedness will play in your favor.

Source: http://collegeapps.about.com/od/theartofgettingaccepted/tp/college-interview-questions.htm

7. Does your high school record accurately reflect your effort and ability?

In the interview or on your application, you often have an opportunity to explain a bad grade or a bad semester. Be careful with this issue — you don’t want to come across as as a whiner or as someone who blames others for a low grade. However, if you really did have extenuating circumstances, let the college know.

Source: http://collegeapps.about.com/od/theartofgettingaccepted/tp/college-interview-questions.htm

8. Recommend a good book to me.

The interviewer is trying to accomplish a few things with this question. First, the question asks whether or not you’ve actually read much. Second, it asks you to apply some critical skills as you articulate why a book is worth reading. And finally, your interviewer might get a good book recommendation!
Source: http://collegeapps.about.com/od/theartofgettingaccepted/tp/college-interview-questions.htm

9. If you could do one thing in high school differently, what would it be?

A question like this can turn sour if you make the mistake of dwelling on things you regret. Try to put a positive spin on it. Perhaps you’ve always wondered if you would have enjoyed acting or music. Maybe you would have liked to give the student newspaper a try. Maybe, in retrospect, studying Chinese might have been more in line with your career goals than Spanish. A good answer shows that you didn’t have the time in high school to explore everything that is of interest to you.

For more college questions, visit: http://collegeapps.about.com/od/theartofgettingaccepted/tp/interview-for-college.htm

Remember always – be true to yourself! College admissions is all about getting accepted to colleges where you will succeed as a student. Don’t get too wound-up in the “game” and create a new persona just to earn a spot in a coveted institution. Let everyone know what makes you unique, and you will succeed not only in gaining admissions offers but also, and more importantly, in finding the place where you will spend four of the greatest years of your life!

What is SAT?

The SAT or Scholastic Aptitude Test is basically a standardized test for students that are interested in taking admission at US colleges and universities. The most important thing to note about this test is that it is owned by the College Board, a non-profit organization in the US. The College Board is of the opinion that SAT is a best medium to analyze whether a particular student is ready for a college or not.

The whole duration of SAT examination is three hours and forty-five minutes. However, most administrations, including materials distributions, biographical portions completion, orientation and more than ten minute of timed breaks, last for about four and a half hours. To appear in this examination, you need to spend $45. If you are not a US citizen, you need to spend $71.

Structure:

With regard to SAT structure, you need to deal with three main sections: Mathematics, Critical Reading and Writing. For every section, you will get a score on the scale of 200–800. Keep in mind that all scores are multiples of 10. For calculating final scores, your performance in all the three sections will be taken into account. Each section in the SAT examination is divided into three portions. You need to solve ten sub-sections, which includes an additional twenty five minute equating portion. You will find this portion in any of the three main sections. The main objective of equating portion is to standardize questions for future SAT administrations. The scores of equating portion are not going to have any impact on your final SAT score.

You will find wide variety of questions in SAT examination ranging from easy, hard to medium. Of course, everything will be dependent on your skill level. If you lack depth in your academic knowledge, you are going to be badly exposed during the test. According to experts, simpler questions normally appear in the starting of the section while tougher questions are there in the final parts of sections.

Critical Reading:

The Critical Reading section comprises of three scored sections. It includes two 25-minute sections and one section of twenty minute. Be prepared to answer questions related to passages and sentence completions. The Critical Reading sections generally start with three to five sentence completion questions followed by passage oriented questions. To attain success in sentence completions questions, it is of paramount importance that you have a proper understanding of sentence structure.

The major chunk of the Critical Reading questions consists of questions related to reading passages. To solve these questions, you need to go through short excerpts on physical sciences, social sciences and humanities. There are few sections that include passages where you need to compare two related passages. Questions are set in such a way that it will test your command over language.

Mathematics:

The Mathematics section is commonly known as the Quantitative Section. It includes three scored sections, pretty much similar to Critical Reading section. Out of three scored sections, one section is made up of twenty multiple choice questions. In second section, you need to solve eight multiple choice questions and ten grid-in questions. There is no penalty attached with grid-in questions. Last section is of twenty minute duration and you need to solve sixteen multiple choice questions.

Before you start preparing for Mathematics section of SAT, keep in mind that you are not going to get any quantitative comparison questions. Therefore, all your focus should be on questions with numerical or symbolic answers. The syllabus of Mathematics section includes scatter plots, trigonometry and algebra.

With some modifications being made to the syllabus of Mathematics section, you need to save time. This has led to the use of calculator programs by many students. The main benefit of these programs is that it helps students in solving problems more quickly. Ideally, you should go for a graphing calculator. With graphing calculator, you can solve geometry questions easily.

Writing

For the writing section of SAT examination, you need to solve multiple choice questions as well as write a brief essay. As a matter of fact, essay subscore offers more than twenty five percent towards the complete writing score. On the other hand, multiple choice questions contribute more than 70 percent. With regard to multiple choice questions, you need to solve paragraph improvement questions, sentence improvement questions and error identification questions. To write an essay, you will be given twenty five minutes.

SAT Challenges:

1-      To clear your SAT examination, you need to have a good fundamental knowledge of various mathematical concepts.

Tackling this challenge: To tackle this challenge, opt for SAT preparation courses. By doing this, you are going to get a detailed overview of fractions, equations, quantitative comparison and geometry related problems.

2-      To taste success in your SAT examination, you need to increase your concentration level.

Tackling this challenge: “Studying for four to five hours at a stretch is not easy. Indulge yourself in extracurricular activities. Take a break of ten minutes in between. This will not only increase your energy level but also refresh your mind,” said Yousuf Kamal who cleared SAT last year.

3-      Verbal section is one section where you can lose plenty of marks if you are not careful.

Tackling this challenge: “To get good score in verbal section, students need to have good vocabulary. Also, they need to practice sentence completion and answering analogy,” pointed out Ritesh Vishkarma of Infozee offering SAT preparation courses in India.

4-      Writing essay is never easy especially if your knowledge of current affairs is pretty limited.

Tackling this challenge: Make sure that you read newspapers and magazines on a daily basis. This will help you in making opinion on topics that are in trend.

Tips:

1-      When solving critical reading section, keep in mind that every single answer choice in the passage related questions comes directly from the text. That’s why, you should never make inferences.

2-      Instead of solving difficult questions first, focus on easy ones.

3-      Check out the pattern of past SAT examinations.

References:

http://ezinearticles.com/?SAT-Test-Preparation—A-Few-Questions-Answered&id=4324806

http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-the-sat.htm

http://collegeapps.about.com/od/sat/f/goodsatscore.htm

I am no fan of the rankings, they can lead to wrong college choices. However, with the new U.S. News College Rankings out last week, South Floridians have a lot to celebrate. Once more, the University of Miami located in Coral Gables, climbed in the rankings. This time, the climb was three spots, which placed UM for the very first time as the most prestigious university in the state of Florida. This is great news for the many south Florida families that want to support their children to receive a great education, while staying close to home. What was now a highly known school for partying and football is quickly gaining recognition as a top research institution where rigor is demanded from students, and talent is developed.

Becoming #1 of the state means that for the first time UM surpassed the renowned University of Florida in the rankings. UF, on the other hand, went down in the rankings to take position 53 and loose its place in the top 50. We have to take this news with a grain of salt, though. The real relevance is to be found on the fact that UM has escalated 20 spots in the last 9 years, which means that the institution has undergone a complete change of paradigm, devoting its attention to academia as the top priority of its President, Donna Shalala. The former Secretary of Health for President Clinton, Ms. Shalala earned higher education success experience while working with the University of Wisconsin, Madison, and also with Hunter College. As explained by The Miami Herald, through Shalala, UM has earned over $1,000 million in a single fundraising campaign, which is unprecedented in Florida. These new funds are being devoted to academia, which directly explains the newly gained recognition as a top research institution in the U.S.

There are several factors that directly affect the rankings, among them the alumni financial contribution to their alma mater. However, it is highly questionable that this piece of information, as many others measured for the U.S. News rankings, are valid when assessing an institution’s academic excellence. This is why many of us in the education industry question the rankings’ validity when assessing a school’s potential to support students into achieving a top education. Another interesting statistic that was used to support UM’s position hike is the percentage of students graduating from the university in six years, which rose from 70 to 80% a few years back. If we were to assess a top Venezuelan institution, such as Universidad Metropolitana de Caracas – UNIMET, by this statistic, would they be in trouble… With “filter” courses such as Calculus I and II, as reported by students, many students end up changing majors and even dropping out of the school. For some of their majors, the graduation rate does not go above 10%. Does this mean that the university is not competent as an institution of higher learning? This can be questioned, as the students who complete these rigorous courses have undergone a great stress test while showing strong academic proficiency, which has prepared them to conquer tough challenges and be more prepared to excel in the future. Nonetheless, this statistic is one taken under consideration when computing rankings.

The additional fundraising measured by the rankings does however benefit students and the school, as a larger endowment usually goes hand in hand with scholarship opportunities. Even international students demonstrating academic proficiency can become eligible for scholarships, which makes UM even more attractive for some top performing students who seek to be recognized and supported for their academic prowess. For many of us, this is still one of the most important aspects when choosing a college to attend, and a topic to discuss when comparing UM and UF, as the first demands about $37,000 in annual tuition, while the second’s costs can be around $5,000 per year for in-state students. We can pay a big ticket price or a small ticket price and still earn a top education. The fact that UM now has a larger endowment directly relates to attracting outstanding students that in the past would not have considered UM due to the lack of financial support.

So the question remains, how do we consider the rankings to make the best college admissions decision? Follow trends to understand if institutions are presenting strong growth and other signs of significant and positive (or negative) change. However, when looking at schools, seek detailed information and the opportunity to find the strengths and weaknesses, away from the numbers, the “look and feel”. These pieces of information will help you learn the most important thing to help your family make the right college decision, and that is your personal fit with the college. If when researching an institution you correlate the information with what your interests, passions, values and academic style is, your chances of success in that school are just a step away.

Al ver nuevas estadisticas del Departamento de Empleo de USA no podemos mas que pensar, vale la pena invertir en la educacion universitaria? Nuestro segmento semanal con Eli Bravo en Actualidad 1020 AM habla acerca del tema, brindando las noticias mas actuales en educacion superior.

Our weekly segment with Eli Bravo in Actualidad 1020 AM discussing if it is worth your while to invest in higher education, and how to make the most of your investment.

Sacandole Provecho a la Educacion Superior

Nuestro segmento semanal con Eli Bravo en Actualidad 1020 AM, respecto a noticias en Educacion Superior en USA. Enterese de lo mas reciente en materia financiera y las ultimas estadisticas en subsidios para la educacion superior.

Our most recent program with Eli Bravo on Actualidad 1020 AM on Higher Education. Review the latest statistics on funds for college education in the U.S. Sorry folks, only En Espanol!

Subsidios para la Educacion Superior