Dream Team Chronicles
Volume 7.
March Update!!
Plan, Save, and Pay for College!!!
www.CTDollarsandSense.com is a web portal for Connecticut students and parents to find out how to plan, save and pay for college. The site provides information from five State agencies supporting students and their families: the Connecticut Higher Education Trust (CHET), the Connecticut Higher Education Supplemental Loan Authority (CHESLA), the Office of Higher Education, the Department of Banking, and the Department of Consumer Protection. There is also a Financial Literacy platform on the site that covers Paying for School, Managing Money, and Finding a Career.
Planning for After High School Night
On Wednesday, February 15th, The School Counseling Department hosted a “Planning for After High School” night. Parents were able to learn about many different post-high school options for students and the steps necessary to plan and prepare for senior year applications. Topics covered were: searching for colleges, standardized testing, making an activity sheet, letters of recommendation, writing a college essay, community colleges, military branches, and even technical/trade options. School Counselors will start meeting with juniors to have a personalized planning meeting starting in March. Parents are always welcome to join students in these meetings. Please contact your child’s School Counselor with any questions!
Connecticut SAT School Day
As test day approaches, students can use free College Board resources to get to know the exam and to build on their preparation with targeted review and authentic practice. The College Board, in partnership with Khan Academy, is offering free practice for all students. To access the Official SAT Practice website, visit http://www.SATPractice.org.
*A makeup exam day will be at the end of April
UCONN Early College Experience
College admissions now using social media like never before
BY RON BETHKE
February 21st, 2017
According to the results of a Kaplan Test Prep survey, a higher percentage of U.S. college admissions officers visit the social media pages of applicants in order to learn more about them.
For the 2015 survey, 387 admissions officers from the nation’s top national, regional and liberal arts colleges and universities were polled by telephone between July and August 2015. It was found that 40 percent of admissions officers visit applicants’ social media profiles to research them more in depth, which represents a record high that is also quadruple the percentage of affirmative respondents from when Kaplan first explored the trend in 2008.
Amongst those 40 percent who check social media profiles, most say they “rarely” check social media, with some reporting doing so “often.”
As for the percentage of admissions officers who say they have Googled an applicant to learn more about them, that figure has remained relatively stable over the last two years at 29 percent.
“The growth of social media hasn’t made college admissions a whole new ballgame, but it’s definitely impacted the rules,” said Yariv Alpher, the executive director and head of market research at Kaplan Test Prep. “What you post online can and may be used in your favor or against you, so it’s important to think about what you share. When in doubt, the best strategy may be to keep it to yourself.”
Checking Social Media in Admissions for Some but Not Others
With the current college admissions process, it is clear that certain factors cause officials to look further than the traditional application elements such as GPA, standardized test scores and extracurricular. But why check the likes of Facebook or Google for some students but not others?
Admissions officers identified numerous triggers, some of which are positive, and some of which are negative:
The first main factor identified is Interest in Talents. Some admissions officers say they visit an applicant’s social media page in order to more clearly see a special talent, such as in music or writing. Often, this comes as an invitation from the applicant themselves, with 42 percent of admissions officers reporting an increase in such invitations over the last two years.
Another important trigger in checking an applicant’s online presence can be in Verification of Awards. Sometimes, citation of particularly distinguished, “out of the norm,” or noteworthy awards can trigger an admissions officer to want to verify it on their own.
Checking online for Criminal Records or Disciplinary Action can also be an important tool for admissions officers to utilize if they want to learn more details about any prior incidents of this nature.
Students applying for special Scholarships can also often come under greater scrutiny, as institutions want to be sure that the students who are chosen to receive them are the most deserving. What admissions officials find online can make a major mark on whether or not a student is chosen for a scholarship.
Finally, and perhaps surprisingly, Admissions Sabotage was also reported by respondents as a factor that leads them to check online profiles of applicants. Anecdotally, some admissions officials reported occasionally receiving anonymous tips about inappropriate behavior of prospective students. Sometimes, they’ll dig online to see if the tips have any merit.
To Help or to Hurt Prospective Students?
While 37 percent of admissions officers reported that what they discovered about an applicant online positively impacted their chances of admission, an equal percentage said that what they found negatively impacted an applicant.
Positive findings included discovery of undisclosed leadership roles or community service. On the other hand, negative findings included criminal offenses, photos of alcohol or drug consumption, racial prejudice or any other forms of inappropriate behavior.
One thing is clear: admissions officials are increasingly checking online. Thus, it is of extreme importance for applicants to mind their online presence, not just because it could hurt their chances if mismanaged, but more importantly, because a positive online presence could give their admission chances a huge boost.
A 30-second video illustrating the survey’s findings can be seen below.
2017-2018 Common Application Essay Prompts
Ninth Grade Personality Lesson
Are you an introvert or an extravert? Do you prefer to make decisions based on fact or feeling? On Thursday February 16th all ninth grade students participated in a school counseling lesson to investigate their personality type and explore answers to such questions. School Counselors met with students during their Discovery period and had them complete the “Do What You Are” assessment on Naviance. The assessment asked students to read about different individuals and situations and then to choose which best described them. After completing the assessment, students were given a four letter code, frequently referred to as the Myers-Briggs Personality Code. From this code students were able to investigate certain traits about themselves and how they react to the world around them. Information related to the Myers-Briggs Personality Inventory and what each personality code means can be found at http://www.myersbriggs.org/.
The results from the “Do What You Are” assessment also provided students with a list of careers that are compatible and best suited for their personality type. Students were able to spend some time exploring the various careers that were selected for them. All students then saved two careers of interest to their Naviance account. As a school counseling department, we are encouraging our students to start thinking about their future and what they may want to pursue as a possible career. Through the use of this lesson, students were able to start that process. If you are interested, you can access your student’s results by having them log in to their Naviance account. If you have any questions about this lesson, please feel free to contact your child’s counselor.
Course Registration
Career Center Appointments
The Career Center is a great place for students to explore their post high school options. Mrs. Cyr has been working diligently with our juniors, reviewing, discussing,and exploring career pathways. Please encourage your child to stop by the Career Center to make an appointment with Mrs. Cyr to review their career interest.
Attendance Matters
Wolcott High School has been working hard on reducing the number of absences with our students. Research has shown many negative impacts linked to missing multiple days of school. For example, students who miss more school than their peers consistently score lower on standardized tests, are at a higher risk for dropping out, and are less likely to attend and/or complete college. Students should miss no more than 9 days of school each year to stay engaged, successful, and on track to graduation.
In order to ensure academic and personal success for our Wolcott High School students, an attendance committee has been established to help monitor and prevent chronic absenteeism. What has shown to be effective in addressing this issue is working as a team within the school, home, and community. Parents can help make attendance a priority by talking to their children about the importance of school and not allowing them to stay home unless truly sick. Help your teen maintain daily routines such as completing homework and getting a good night sleep. Try to avoid scheduling medical appointments during the school day. Talk to your teen to find out if they feel engaged by their classes and safe at school. Encourage meaningful after school activities including sports and clubs.
Together we can make a difference to ensure future success for our students. For more information and resources, please visit www.attendanceworks.org. Or contact the Attendance Committee at Wolcott High School at 203-879-8157
Megan Groleau
School Counselor Intern,
Attendance Committee Member
Scholarships
Lifetime Earnings Soar with Education
Masters degree worth $2.5 million income over a lifetime
Updated July 07, 2016
How much more is higher education worth in cold hard money than a high school diploma? Plenty.
A college master's degree is worth an average of $1.3 million more in lifetime earnings than a high school diploma, according to a recent report from the U.S. Census Bureau.
The report titled "The Big Payoff: Educational Attainment and Synthetic Estimates of Work-Life Earnings" (.pdf) reveals that over an adult's working life, high school graduates can expect, on average, to earn $1.2 million, while those with a bachelor's degree will earn, $2.1 million; and people with a master's degree will earn $2.5 million.
"The large differences in average work-life earnings among the educational levels reflect both differential starting salaries and also disparate earnings trajectories," noted the Census Bureau, "that is, the path of earnings over one’s life."
Persons with doctoral degrees earn an average of $3.4 million during their working life, while those with professional degrees, like medicine, law, and engineering do best at $4.4 million.
"At most ages, more education equates with higher earnings, and the payoff is most notable at the highest educational levels," said Jennifer Cheeseman Day, co-author of the report.
The figures are based on 1999 earnings projected over a typical work life, defined by the Census Bureau as the period from ages 25 through 64.
"While many people stop working at an age other than 65, or start before age 25, this range of 40 years provides a practical benchmark for many people," noted the Census Bureau.
AMERICANS STAYING IN SCHOOL LONGER
Along with the financial data, the report also shows that more Americans are staying in school longer than ever before. In 2000, as 84% of American adults age 25 and over had at least completed high school and 26% had continued to earn a bachelor's degree or higher, both percentages all-time highs.
'GLASS CEILING' ON EARNINGS STILL INTACT
The report also shows that while more American women than men have received bachelor's degrees every year since 1982, men with professional degrees may expect to cumulatively earn almost $2 million more than their female counterparts over their work lives. Glass ceiling aside, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that women who graduated from college earned about 76 percent more than women with only a high school diploma in 2004.
Additional highlights from the report show:
- In 1999, average annual earnings ranged from $18,900 for high school dropouts to $25,900 for high school graduates, $45,400 for college graduates and $99,300 for the holders of professional degrees (medical doctors, dentists, veterinarians, and lawyers).
- Over a work life, earnings for a worker with a bachelor's degree compared with one who had just a high school diploma increase by about $1 million for non-Hispanic Whites and about $700,000 for African Americans; Asians and Pacific Islanders; and Hispanics.
- Currently, almost 9-in-10 young adults graduate from high school and about 6-in-10 high school seniors go on to college the following year.
A separate report released last year, "What's It Worth? Field of Training and Economic Status: 1996," said among people with bachelor's degrees, those working full time in engineering earned the highest average monthly pay ($4,680), while those with education degrees earned the lowest ($2,802) in 1996.
Wolcott High School Counseling Department
Email: amobley@wolcottps.org
Website: www.wolcottps.org
Location: Wolcott High School, Bound Line Road, Wolcott, CT, United States
Phone: 203-879-8157
Twitter: @dreamteamwhs
2016-2017 Counselor Breakout
Mrs. Taryn Villano-Corso
Seniors A-D 2017
Juniors A-E 2018
Sophomores A-D 2019
Freshman A-D 2020
Mrs. Alyssa Giedra
Seniors E-L 2017
Juniors F-Ma 2018
Sophomores E-L 2019
Freshman E-L 2020
Mrs. Kelley Brochu
Seniors M-R 2017
Juniors Mc-S 2018
Sophomores M-R 2019
Freshman M-Sa 2020
Ms. Aisha Mobley
Seniors S-Z 2017
Juniors T-Z 2018
Sophomores S-Z 2019
Freshman Sc-Z 2020