"How many classes should I take?" It is a common question that students are asking and, in all honesty, the answer depends.

A general rule of thumb for students planning to attend college is that all freshman, sophomore, and junior students should plan to take at least 6 classes each semester. All seniors that are on track for meeting their graduation requirements can decrease the total number of courses each semester due to the demands of other requirements such as college and scholarship applications, but should still plan to take at least 5 classes each semester.

It is important though to remember that 5 classes is the minimum required in order to be considered a Full Time student and is what is required for all LHS students.  Don't forget - being full time is critical for a wide range of reasons - insurance, child support, good driver discounts, etc.

If students are behind on earning their credits, then it may be necessary to plan on taking more classes during a semester or the year.  In order to progress forward with your class, all freshman students must earn at least 5.0 credits to be classified as a sophomore. All sophomore students must earn at least 10.0 credits to be classified as a junior. And, to be classified as a senior, students must earn at least 15.0 credits. (Remember, most students will graduate with more than the 21 credits required!)

Also, please be sure that you double check and make sure you are taking enough classes to be eligible to participate in athletics and other co-curricular activities. (Remember, any school sponsored activity that involves competition requires you to be eligible).

In order to be eligible you must PASS at least 5 of the half credit courses each 6 weeks. If you have questions about eligibility, please stop in the Athletic's office or see me for additional clarification.

Somewhat related to eligibility - the PE waiver provides the opportunity for students to waive having PE as a required class for graduation.  This option is available to students participating in high school athletics including cheerleading and marching band.  (For ease of explaining and writing this, when I refer to sports or athletics throughout this post, please know that it also includes marching band.)  All students must still earn the full 21 credits to graduate from high school, this waiver would simply mean that what has typically been required (1/2 credit of Physical Education) would not need to be included in the 21 credits earned.

The option to utilize a PE waiver is open to any current student (as well as all future, incoming LHS students). 

In order to utilize the waiver, students must successfully complete two full seasons of athletics.  This can be 2 different sports in one year, it could be 1 sport over two years, or even 1 sport one year and another sport the other year.  So, for example, if I participate in both football and basketball in the same year, I could apply for the waiver.  If I participate in football as a sophomore and again as a junior, I could apply for the waiver.  If I participate in football as a sophomore and track as a junior, I could apply for the waiver.

In order to have your sport counted as one which can be used for the waiver, it must be an approved high school sport.  This means that your club sport participation, like club soccer or club volleyball, is not included in the waiver eligibility.  Additionally, team managers and statisticians cannot count their involvement as a season toward the waiver.

Students must complete a "full season" in order to have the sport count which is considered from the first practice through the last event or banquet.  If a student is "cut" from a team, quits, or has an athletic/ activity code violation which requires them to forfeit 50% or more of the season, then that season would not be able to be used to meet the two-season requirement.  If you were to get hurt, the injury will not eliminate the option of having the season count if the principal, coach and athletic director concede that the student actively participated and made contributions in spite of the injury.

Many students asked if it could be a partial waiver because they had already completed one of the PE required courses and would only have 1 season of sport eligibility and the answer is no, there is no ability to mix and match.  If you have already completed a PE course, you can still utilize the waiver to eliminate PE as a required course, but you must complete 2 seasons of sports in order to apply for the waiver.  The bottom line is that 0 seasons of sports = needs PE/ doesn't meet the waiver eligibility requirement, 1 season of sport = needs PE/ doesn't meet the waiver eligibility requirement, and 2 seasons of sports = meets the waiver eligibility requirement and therefore doesn't need PE classes.

Students that qualify for the PE waiver will need to complete the PE waiver form in order to apply to have their PE waived from graduation requirements. You will turn this into your counselor. Also, it never hurts to double check at the end of the year to make sure your waiver appears on your transcript.

Deadlines

Deadlines are real! Often times I worry that the tendency we have in high school to set a deadline and then extend it or accept late materials creates a major problem when it comes to college applications and the rest of the world. The reality is that outside of high school, deadlines are real. If they say you need to have something done by a particular day, then it is essential that you have it done by that day. College applications and financial aid forms fit into this strict rule so this is your friendly reminder to watch your deadlines!

It is really important that you stay organized and submit all application materials to colleges prior to their designated deadlines. There are several schools that have scholarship deadlines of November 1st. (This means that if you want to be considered for the maximum scholarship offering that you need to apply by November 1st.) Other schools have November 15th, December 1st, December 15th, or even later deadlines, but because every school is different it is really important that you stay on top of this and meet the requirements with plenty of time.

I'd like to remind you that college applications is just 1 piece of my job as a high school counselor (and how I am spending this entire weekend). I am more than happy to help you by writing recommendation letters if they are needed by your school, but you need to give me at least 2 weeks notice before you have to have the letter! Being able to outline, draft, edit and revise each letter is important so that I can share all the great things you will bring to the college.

Don't forget, it can also take us 3-5 days to process your transcript release and get it submitted to the colleges you have selected. Some schools (like OSU) hold firm to the requirement that their deadline doesn't just mean that the application has been received by that date, but that all supporting documentation is also in their hands by that particular date. This means that they also need to have your transcript and official ACT/ SAT test scores prior to the deadline date.

With the FAFSA now being based on the 2016 tax returns (for this year's seniors) the FAFSA is now open and ready for you and your parents to complete.  Be sure to do this and submit it to all of your colleges prior to the earliest FAFSA deadline.  Many colleges in Ohio have December 1st deadlines while others might not have deadlines until January or even February.  Just like with college application deadlines, each school gets to set their own FAFSA deadlines and you will need to watch the deadlines carefully so that you do not miss out on your chance to try to qualify for grants or loans.

If you are having trouble figuring out any of the deadlines, stop by to see me and we can look it up together.

Why THIS College?

Why do you like a particular college?  What is it about the school that made it stand out to you and left you with the impression that this would be a good place for you to spend your collegiate years?

Hopefully, you have an idea about what you'd answer for both of those questions for each school that you are including on your list of schools where you are going to apply.  And, let me be clear - you should like something about every college that you are considering and you should feel good about each of the schools if you are applying there!

In addition to mattering for deciding where you are going to apply, your answers to these questions are essential when you are trying to answer college-specific essay questions.  Some colleges will ask applicants to answer supplemental essay questions and often one of these questions relates to what you like about their school.  They may phrase it in different ways, but the bottom line is that they are trying to determine why you believe their school is a good fit for you.

Remember, the admissions officers who work for the school already think their school is great and they know about the wonderful opportunities available so you need to take it beyond saying that they have a great location, outstanding professors, and wonderful weather.  You need to take it to the next level by identifying specific aspects at the school where you can see yourself contributing to the school and offerings that you plan to take advantage of while you are in college.

Good luck in searching for the right college fit for you and for conveying why it's a good fit in your essays.

Sports in College

In high school, participating in sports is very common for students.  Think about it - consider your own life or that of some of your friends and classmates - chances are that you have friends who participate in a range of different sports.  Perhaps you even know someone who is striving for the Purple Blanket award by competing and earning multiple varsity letters throughout their high school career.

While this level of athletic participation is common at the high school level, only a small number of students will be able to compete at the varsity level in college.  Students planning to participate at the varsity level in college, will be looking at NCAA or NAIA colleges.  Athletic scholarships can be offered to students attending NCAA Division I or Division II colleges and NAIA colleges.  NCAA Division III colleges do not offer athletic scholarships for participation.

But that doesn't mean that athletic participation is over if you are not recruited to play a varsity sport in the future!  If sports are a significant aspect of your life, you do not have to give up on the joy of competing and playing.  Most colleges offer a variety of different ways that students can still have sports as a part of their lives in college even if they are not competing at the varsity level. 

Intramurals and Club sports are the two most common ways that most students will continue participating in athletics in college.  Intramurals provide a fun, light-hearted, chance to play.  Some schools will have a ton of intramural options such as lots of different sports (even including non-sports such as ultimate frisbee, dodgeball, quidditch, and inner-tube water polo) and other schools may have varying levels of competitiveness in the sports (such as a relaxed, a moderate, and a competitive basketball league).  Club sports are typically in between the competitiveness of intramurals and varsity sports.  Club teams typically have a coach, travel and compete against other teams at surrounding colleges.  There are lots of benefits to continuing your involvement in athletics in college such as allowing you to get exercise, make friends, relax and have fun. 

If being able to continue participating in a sport is important to you in college or if you are interested in exploring new athletic opportunities in college, be sure to include this as one of the factors you are considering when you explore schools.

College Visits

I want to remind you of the importance of making college visits to individual campuses that appeal to you.  And, actually, even those which don't appeal to you.  Bear with me for a second - I promise I am not trying to waste your time... But here is the thing, you do not know yet what you like or don't like about a college.  How could you?  You have never attended college so it is unreasonable to think that you would automatically know.  But once you start visiting college campuses - near and far, big and small (and somewhere in between), urban, suburban and rural, you will start to develop a sense for what you can find at all colleges and what will fit best for you.  For most of my students over the years, what they have quickly realized after about 3 college visits is what they do NOT like as much and they can then use that information to help narrow down their interests and perhaps find other similar schools to explore.

So what do you do on your college visit?  You will want to ask questions as you tour the school. (Below is a lengthy list of question ideas for you.)  After each visit, review the list to see if there are any other questions you might want to add. Remember, you are visiting campuses to get a feeling for the atmosphere of each place – something you can’t get from a brochure or website.

Questions to Ask During a Campus Visit:
- What activities and services are available to help students get settled (academically and socially) during their first year?
- How big are the classes?
- (Ask students) How easy is it to meet with faculty?
- (Ask students) Are you able to register for the classes you want?
- What is the total cost of attending the college?
- What types of financial aid does the college offer and how do I apply?
- Are all freshmen assigned to an academic advisor?
- Where do most freshmen live?
- Can I take a tour?
- What activities are available for students?
- Who teaches the majority of the courses for first-year students?
- How successful are the college’s graduates in finding jobs?
- What services (such as transportation and shopping) are available locally?
- What is there to do on weekends? Do most students stay on campus or leave on weekends?
- Are the dorms spread throughout the campus or clustered in one area?
- Is there any kind of shuttle service between classroom areas, the library, the student union, and dorms? How late does it run?
- Is there a security system to bar outsiders from entering dorms?
- How large is the campus security police force? Does it patrol the campus regularly?
- What services are offered by the campus health center? How large is it?
- Does the student health center refer students to the local hospital? Is there a nearby hospital? How large is it?

Ask Students:
- How many of your courses are taught by a big-name professor and how many by a teaching assistant?
- Is the teaching innovative and project oriented or is it mostly lecture oriented?
- Do most freshmen class lectures take place in an amphitheater?
- What are the strong majors? What are the weak majors?
- How hard do you have to work for your grades?
- What’s the reputation of the ________ department?
- How adequate for your needs is the campus computer network?
- Do fraternities and sororities dominate the social life of the college?
- What do students do on weekends? Do most go home?
- How is the advisement system? Do you feel your professors really care?
- How helpful are the other students if you miss a class? (Are they willing to share a copy of their notes or review the information covered with you?)
- There are a lot of organizations on campus. Are they dominated by a few groups or is anyone welcome?
- How active is the ___________ (fill in the activity in which you are interested)?

Pay Attention to/ Take note of:
- Are the dorms quiet or noisy? Do they seem crowded?
- How large are the dorm rooms? Is there adequate space and light to study?
- Does each dorm room have access to the internet and the campus LAN?
- What’s advertised on dorm and classroom bulletin boards? What does this tell me about campus life?
- How good is the lighting around each dorm, classroom, and lab buildings?
- Do the buildings and grounds look well cared for or do they need painting and general repair work?
- Is the grass cut and are the grounds landscaped?
- What’s the condition of the playing fields and the sports equipment?
- How is the quality of the food in the cafeteria or dining hall? How are the sizes of the portions? Is it healthy or fast food? Are there meal plans?
- Does it look like there is much to do outside of campus?
- How easy is it to get to places off campus?
- Are there places within walking distance?
- Are there places to get extra furniture, like bookcases, for your dorm room?
- Is there a supermarket nearby to stock up on snacks and soda?
- If you move out of a dorm after freshman year, what are the options in apartment complexes or buildings?

Things to Ask Yourself:
- While waiting how did the staff members that you observed interact with students? Were they friendly or did they approach students – both potential freshmen like you and enrolled students – as if they were interfering with the staff members jobs?
- Was the Admissions office a friendly and inviting place with a great deal of information about the school or was it cold and sterile with little information to pick up?
- What did your parents find out about the career planning services offered to graduating seniors and to graduates? What do the services include?
- Do most of the students seem to be like you or are they completely different? Can you imagine being friends with the people you see on campus?
- How would you feel being in a classroom full of these students? Sharing a dorm with them?
- Do the students try to make you feel at home? Are they happy to answer your questions or do they make you feel like you’re intruding? How do they interact with one another?
- Does the campus seem too big or too small?
- Do freshmen live in their own dorms? How do I feel about living in a single-sex or coed dorm?
- Do you feel comfortable and safe?
- Think about the kind of person you are. Are you a self-starter or do you need someone to motivate you? Do you like being part of a crowd or would you rather be alone or in a small group? How important is it to be near your family? How comfortable are you with challenging courses?
- Compare your offers – financially and what the school has to offer. Make a list of pros and cons of each school and the key reasons for your decisions. Remember some factors may be more important to you than others.

After the Visit/ Interview:
- Write thank you notes to your interviewer and anyone else you met with formally, such as a coach or a professor.
- If you spoke with any students and traded e-mail addresses, send an e-mail thank you.

College Search

 WELCOME back to a new school year! I hope your summer was relaxing and enjoyable. This post is for the seniors. Your year will fly by! Make sure you take the time to enjoy it all :)

As you go through your senior year of high school, the question you will hear over and over again is "Where do you want to go to college?" For some people this is a relatively easy question to answer, but for many, this question can bring with it a lot of fear and uncertainty. Obviously, not knowing if you will be accepted to the college you hope to attend is one area of concern, but for many students even getting started with the application process is a challenge. It can feel overwhelming to know that there are so many colleges out there - colleges you have not even heard of previously - and yet you are being ask to select and apply to the schools which will be a part of your future. I recognize that it can seem overwhelming, but you will be able to get through the college application process.

No matter what grade you are in, when you start the college search – the answer lies in you! I know, that sounds a bit cheesy, but it is true. Before you really start looking for the “right” school it is important to figure out what you WANT in a school and that can only be found by looking in yourself and determining what factors are most important to you.

For example, for some students distance from home may be a big deal. Being close can have it’s advantages – like being able to come home and have a free home cooked meal or a place to do your laundry and also not having to worry about flying half way across the country any time you would want to come home for a visit. Going to school at a college far from home can also have it’s advantages – often a different climate, a new experience and adventure where you can be independent, and no concerns about mom or dad just dropping in unexpectedly. And, of course, there are some students who will elect to find a school that is not too far and not too close. (Remember, that by communicating with your family about what you are looking for in a school you may find that a college outside of your comfort zone is still worth considering because you and your parents may be able to reach some mutually agreed upon ground rules – so the concern that they might come see you or you might come home too often can be eliminated by talking about those issues up front.)

The size of a school is another factor for many students. Small, Medium, Large or somewhere in between – the challenge is that many students will say, “I don’t know” and that is where making a variety of visits to different sized schools can be advantageous. You can explore a small school and see if the experience of knowing lots of people on campus and in your classes is better for you than a medium or large school where you may have a class in a lecture hall with hundreds of other students. As you visit the schools you may find that there are experiences or advantages that a larger school can provide that a smaller school can’t such as a wider variety of clubs or groups for students to be involved. The key is to figure out what size school fits you and then you can narrow your search to explore more schools in that range.  However, it is important to keep an open mind about size because there is only 24 hours in a day so the way you will spend your time is going to be very similar no matter what size of a campus you select.

Other factors that often influence a student’s college decision will include the types of majors or programs offered at the school, their athletic programs – both collegiate sponsored and intramurals, the food, the dorms, the cost (but don’t necessarily eliminate potential colleges simply based upon cost because often the private schools are much more expensive, but also offer a much larger financial aid package to make it competitive and comparable to a public school), extra-curricular opportunities, career placement services and on and on.

Again, I cannot stress the point that everyone is different and what is best for one person is not necessarily the ideal school for someone else. All too often I listen to students who are only looking at the 2 or 3 schools that their best friend or sibling looked at rather than trying to find the school that fits best for them. Also, I truly believe that it is about being a good match – for both you and the college and that there is not 1 perfect school.  You will be successful no matter where you end up attending.

I know, it can be a bit intimidating to search for a school and to try to figure out what you really want in a college and for your future, but it is also supposed to be fun so try not to put too much pressure on yourself to find “perfection” and try to take a step back and figure out what will make you happy. It really can be fun, but I know it is also overwhelming so remember that I am here to support and help you in any way that I can.

Enjoy the process!!

College Admission Decisions

College admissions decisions are already starting to come in for some students. Every senior looks forward to receiving their college acceptance letters. It is an exciting time and reassures you that there is more ahead. Depending upon the schools where you are applying, it is possible that you will hear back quickly or you may be waiting to hear about your status on if you have been accepted or not until sometime in March. I do ask that as you begin receiving your acceptance or, sadly, even rejection letters, to please keep me informed about the decisions. For the vast majority of the colleges, the only way I know about your admissions decision is if you share the information with me.


Remember, the only way to receive an acceptance letter is to actually APPLY to the college! (Just a friendly little reminder for those of you who are struggling to get your applications finished.)

Anxiously Awaiting Decisions

This is a key time for college admissions decisions. Most of the schools that have yet to announce their decisions will be releasing them over the next few weeks. This can be a very stressful time for students. Try to take a deep breath and relax – you have done the best job to put yourself in the best situation possible with your applications. If you are stressing out awaiting the news, feel free to stop in and see me so we can talk about it.

College Credit Plus

In addition to the wide range of courses that we have available here at LHS, there are other academic options available to our students.

The College Credit Plus (CC+) program is an opportunity for high school students to take college courses while still enrolled in high school. Students have the option of completing courses on a college campus, online, or at LHS.

College classes at LHS include both classes that are taught by LHS teachers who are eligible to serve as adjunct faculty through NCSC.

Classes being taught at LHS include:  Calculus 1, Intro to Business, Marketing, English Composition 1, American Government and Politics, Biology I, Chemistry I, Chemistry II, General Physics, American Culture & History to 1877, American Culture & History from 1877, and College Drawing I.

There are a lot of details involved in participating in the CC+ program and students must complete and submit the paperwork before April 1st to indicate their intent to participate in the CC+ program in the following school year.  One new aspect about CC+ is the fact that students are now eligible to take classes during the summer in addition to during the school year.

In order to explain all of the details of the program and to provide you with the forms necessary, students and parents must attend our Academic Options mandatory meeting. If you were unable to attend on Thursay, February 18th, we have a recording of the presentation given at Pioneer this year. You will need to watch the video, see your counselor to gather the appropriate paperwork, and return the required materials to your counselor by April 1. Please follow this link to watch the video of the CCP presentation: https://youtu.be/lR6W_Ee6u3w

If you have any interest in learning more about College Credit Plus, please talk to your counselor!

Test Anxiety

Next week, we will have our semester exams. Are you feeling anxious? Test Anxiety can be common for students - especially with exams since they have such a significant influence on your semester grades. The best strategy to prevent test anxiety is being prepared. It is much more likely that you will be anxious and struggle with feeling overwhelmed if you have not adequately studied and prepared for the test. Unfortunately, for some students, you can be well-prepared, but still struggle with anxiety.

There are a wide range of strategies you can use to help deal with anxiety:

- Research has indicated that spending several minutes before a test to write about your feelings will help decrease test anxiety and improve test scores. The University of Chicago researchers “believe worrying competes for computing power in the brain’s ‘working,’ or short-term memory.”

- Practice putting yourself in testing situations when studying. The more you get used to the experience and feelings of testing the less anxious you will feel when in the actual test.

- Just before the test, avoid talking about the test material with your friends. Chances are fixating on the test material and talking about it with your friends right before the test will only make you more anxious.

- Approach the test with a positive attitude. Don’t go into the test expecting the worst to happen. You can remind yourself that you have studied and know the material.

- Avoid distractions so that you can focus on the test and not on what other students are doing. Do not compare yourself with others and how they are doing on the test.

- Take a deep breath, relax, and do the best you can.

I should also mention that smart testing strategies like getting a good night of sleep, eating breakfast, having all of your required materials (pen, pencil, calculator, scratch paper, etc), getting regular exercise, and giving yourself plenty of time to get to your test on time will also benefit you as a whole and in testing situations.

Professional Day

Winter break is right around the corner! Before we go, we have some exciting things happening here at the high school!

JUNIORS and SENIORS remember Thursday, Dec 17 we will be hosting our first annual Professional Day!! We could not be more excited to bring these experienced, successful professionals into our building to have them answer all your questions!


Here is a schedule of the day:

8:35AM-9:25AM (2nd period)

Auditorium

Business Marketing Panel:  Publisher, Editor, Graphic Designer, Sports Writer, Sales, Advertising

Library

Business Finance/IT/Insurance Actuarial Panel:  Certified Public Accountant, Investment Advisor, Banker, IT/Server Support, Actuarial Manager

Gym

Fire Protection/Rescue Panel:  State Fire Marshal, Helicopter Pilot, Fire Chief/Certified Flight Paramedic, Paramedic, Koorsen Fire & Security

9:30AM-10:20AM (3rd period)

Auditorium

Engineering/Architect Panel:  Architect, Civil Engineer, Mechanical/Industrial Engineer, Chemical Engineer, Biomedical Machine Technician

Library

Animal Science Panel: Vet, Large Animal Vet, Vet Technician, Practice Manager

Gym

Criminal Justice Panel:   U.S. Marshal, Bureau of Investigation, State Highway Patrol, Swat, Lexington Local Police

10:25AM-11:15AM (4th period)

Auditorium

Nursing Panel: Ashland College of Nursing, Nurse Practitioner, BRN, Pediatric BRN Nurse, Flight Nurse

Library

Health Specialist Panel:  Psychiatrist, Endocrinologist, Pharmacist, Dentist, Hospital Administrator, Dean NCSC Health Science

Gym

Chiropractic/Therapy Panel: Chiropractor, Physical Therapist, Occupational Therapy Assistant, Physical Therapy Assistant, Massage Therapist

12:49-1:39 (6th period) 

We will have an assembly for all Juniors and Seniors in the Auditorium:

Marketing/ Human Resource speaker from Grand Rapids, Michigan

“How to win the job….and keep it”
--Kristen Myers-Chatman

We are honored to have each of these professionals willing to take time to share their stories with you! We hope you are too!


Then, on FRIDAY, we will be on our assembly bell schedule for the annual holiday assembly featuring some of Lexington's finest! Make sure you come see if you can pick out your teachers :)
We hope you enjoy what we have planned and have a wonderful break!

See you in 2016!!

Grade Cards & Asking for Help

Today, 2nd six weeks grade cards are being passed out in your 1st period class. This can be an exciting and nerve-racking time! If you are looking at your grade card and saying, "Good job! You are awesome!" Ask yourself: How did I improve over last mark? What did I do differently? Did anything change? It is important to learn from mistakes, but also reflect on little triumphs so we know what works best for us. Congratulations!

If you see areas of improvement in your grades, we have some options at Lex to get extra help. The sooner the better!

• First, and most importantly, talk to your teachers!! They should be your #1 resource when you have questions/concerns about a class. They know where the class is headed and are more than willing to help you! You just need to ask!
• Every Tuesday and Thursday during lunches, we have students in Student Services available to answer questions about homework or upcoming tests. If you have a question, stop down during your lunch to ask and get help. Now is the time to advocate for yourself! Know when you need help and be willing to accept the help. If you don't feel comfortable just walking in, stop by and see me first. We will work something out.
• Another time help might be available is during your study hall. If you have a study hall, come see me and I will look to find another student in the same study hall who would like to help you. 

Again, we do not know you want/need help unless you tell someone - a teacher, counselor, principal, etc. We are all here to help you. Actually, we love helping! Make sure to take advantage of the resources you have all around you :)

If you were the student who was loving your grade card, let me know if you would be willing to help another student. We are always looking for students to tutor during their study hall or after school. If this sounds like something you would be interested in, stop by and let me know! As we have been told, the best way to learn and retain information is to teach it ourselves!! You can make a difference!

Digital Footprint & College Admissions

As a school community there has been a significant amount of time and emphasis encouraging students to be smart about your digital footprint - the information that you are posting and sharing through various social media outlets.  As a component of that we have often mentioned that the internet and social media can impact your college admissions or scholarship offerings.  Below are a few articles that speak to this:

Do colleges look at prospective students’ social media?


Colleges shift to using ‘big data’ – including social media– in admissions decisions


How Social Media can Ruin Your Application


College admissions: Social Media Tune Up


Colleges are spying on applicants by quietly tracking them across the internet  
  (Please note that this article is not specific to social media, but rather how colleges are looking at your level of interest in their school based upon internet related data.)

No matter what grade you are in, this is the perfect time to pause and critically look at your digital footprint and consider what it is saying about you and the impression you are giving to future college admissions officers, scholarship committee members, and potential employers.  Please make smart choices about what you post online!

Demonstrating Interest

It is interesting to stop and think about all of the different factors that play into a college admission decision. When colleges are evaluating all of their applications, one of the aspects that may help set one student apart from another is the level of interest the students have demonstrated. The reason that demonstrating interest is important to a college is that they have a limited number of spots that they can offer for admission. They are trying to find a way to maximize the number of students who they accept that will actually attend their college in the future and they still want to find a way to get the most competitive, involved group of students that they can find.

So what are some of the ways that you can demonstrate your interest in a college?

Meeting with the college admissions reps - when they come to Lex is a great first step. I'll be honest, for this year, admissions officers visiting Lexington have pretty much come to an end with just a few visits remaining, but for the younger students, this is something you should keep in mind for next fall. The reason this is such a significant way to demonstrate your interest is because a lot of kids don’t take advantage of this opportunity so when you do take the time to come and meet with them, you will stand out.

Attend their community nights – many colleges will offer presentations at area hotels or community centers that students and parents can attend. Most of the time you will receive notification about these events directly from the colleges. These events tend to be more common in the fall and spring months so you can always check the college's website for opportunities to meet with them.

Visit their campus! Visiting their school is probably the best way to demonstrate your interest in their college. Because the college visit is such a strong indicator of your interest you want to make sure that the admissions office knows that you are visiting.  The ways to do this are to register for the visit in advance, attend the college information system on campus and participate in the college tour.

I know it isn't always feasible to visit every single school that you are interested in applying to so find other ways to familiarize yourself if you can't make it to their campus. Visit their website. Follow the college on social media.  Read the admissions blogs. Don’t be a pest, but if you have questions, seek the answers by contacting admissions representatives. (And, for the record, you should make those contacts rather than having one of your parents call on your behalf!)

Some schools will offer alumni interviews in the area and if the school you are considering is among them, it would be wise to take advantage of this opportunity as it, again, demonstrates the sincerity of your interest in their college.

Here is an article you might want to read regarding demonstrating interest and campus visits.
What is Demonstrated Interest and Why is it Important

College Essay Writing

I need to warn you this is a VERY long post, but I hope that it will be helpful to seniors as they work on their college essays!

Writing a college essay can be a frustrating, challenging process, but this is your opportunity to put your best foot forward and show the colleges what makes you special. And for all of you who are thinking, I'm just a normal kid from Lexington - there isn't anything special about me to write about I whole-heartedly disagree! You are unique and special - there is not another student within these walls that is exactly like you and there won't be another person just like you in all of their other college applications so you have to help the admissions committee realize what makes you YOU.

When colleges review your application they can read things like your grade point average and test scores, but they still want to know more about YOU – the person behind those grades, scores, and activities. This is your chance to communicate to the colleges who you are and how your mind works. It is important to remember that your essay will be one of hundreds or more-likely thousands that the admissions committee members will read. (Can you imagine reading all of those?!?) Try to interest them in what you have to say and be sure that it is written well so that it will stand out. Think of this as your opportunity to personally introduce yourself to the admissions and scholarship officers reading your application. Be open, honest and real.

Think of your essay as a blind date. You are trying to make a positive impression on someone you don’t really know by showcasing who you are and all of the great things about you. You want them to walk away knowing that you are special and thinking, "Wow, I really want to meet this kid." The best news of all though is that you don’t have to suffer from the nerves of making a silly mistake on this “blind date” – you can perfect your essay so that you can make sure you are putting forth a positive message with a good tone that also shows your ability to think and write clearly and logically.

When you have to write an essay, you need to keep a few important points in mind:

1. Answer the question!

When they give you a prompt or question – be sure that your essay is answering what they are asking! These are smart people – they know when you are just taking a different essay and trying to make it fit for their question. Put in the time to write an essay that answers the question they are asking. Also, be sure that you respond to all parts of the prompt.

2. Show me – Don’t tell me.

Great, so you told me that you are organized and honest… good qualities for their future college students, but are you demonstrating that to them with your essay? Show them what you mean with vivid examples – that will usually be specific, concrete stories to illustrate your point.

3. Did I learn something about you?

The whole point of these essays is so that the college admissions officers will learn something new about you. (And trust me, they are learning something about you – even if that lesson is you didn’t appear to care enough about getting into school to pay attention to details like spelling.) So, step back and look at your essay again – did they learn something about you that they wouldn’t have known prior to reading your essay?

Let me assure you – they really do read the essays! Don’t think you can just throw something down on paper and have it be “good enough.” These are formal essays for an application to a college that will be the launching ground for the rest of your life. I know that it sounds intimidating, but relax and start writing – and editing – and then do some more writing and editing…

One of the biggest challenges as you write your essay is controlling the tone. You want to come across as confident but not boastful, self-assured but not aggressive, accomplished but not perfect. Try to avoid claiming that everything you've ever done has been unbelievably great. Don't be afraid to admit that you are human. Colleges want real, interesting people. Because it's so hard to control the tone of an essay about yourself, you will want to ask several people – teachers, friends, your parents, and even me – to read and respond to your essay. Get a variety of reactions, and then decide how you want to revise the essay. Remember, when getting help with essay revisions it is important to go into it with the thought that you want to get revisions so it can be the best possible essay (instead of going in hoping the editors will just say – good enough.) And yes, that also means you can’t procrastinate and put it off writing your essay until the last possible second.

PICKING THE TOPIC

The first step to selecting your topic is to think about what you want the college to learn about you that will not be apparent in the rest of your application. If you are given multiple questions to select from, it is often helpful to work backwards and focus first on what you want to convey and then identify stories and examples that can illustrate your point. Next look at the various questions you can pick from and think about which of your anecdotal stories fits with the questions.

Remember, it is worth putting time, energy and effort into picking a good and meaningful topic that is powerful for you because the passion you have for your topic will naturally convey itself in your writing. Additionally, many topics that come to mind immediately for you will also come to mind right away for hundreds of other students applying to college. You want to explore a new angle and show how you are different from everyone else. Try to think about what excites and interests you when picking your essay topic. Be careful though, this is not “true confessions” time.

If you are still struggling to come up with topics for your essay or how to go into depth on an essay topic idea, try to write your "5 and 5's".

First, write out the 5 characteristics that make you who you are. Be sure to select different characteristics (so not caring, kind and nice - those would all be 1 characteristic not 3). Then, after you have listed those characteristics, bullet point examples of stories/ times when you have demonstrated them. It is possible that some of your stories of when you show a characteristic may cross over into several of the characteristics. (So, for example, if I had listed caring and adventurous as 2 of my characteristics, I could say that the time I carried a friend on my back while I climbed a mountain would be under both characteristics.) *No, I didn't really do this, it is just an example. ;-)

After you have done that, your next 5 to list would be times when you have changed. These don't have to be BIG changes. Think about specific moments in time when you went into something and then were different after it. This might be a new perspective, mood, value, outlook, or priority.

You can also brainstorm on the following questions:

What do you want me to learn about you in the essay?

How have your personality traits helped you in various situations?

What did you do?

Where did you do this?

What were your responsibilities?

What was your best memory or experience there?

What inspired you to get involved or how did you get involved?

What did you learn from the experience?

How have your experiences changed or impacted you?

Why was this experience meaningful?

How have your experiences shaped your character?

What is significant to you about being involved in these activities or receiving the honors or awards?

How have your activities or experiences impacted you personally?

What is your personal motto in life? How did you come to this?

What is the value of this experience to you?

If you are still completely stuck, go to your family members and friends and ask them to help you identify traits, stories and examples of “That is so YOU” moments. (Those stories that are so perfectly you that it is hard to imagine them fitting or applying to anyone else.)

COMPOSING THE ESSAY
As you consider your purpose, you should focus on being creative and coming up with a plan for your writing so that you do not just ramble. Look back at the question again before you begin to make sure you are fulfilling what the college is asking you to do (list, define, explain, compare/ contrast, evaluate, etc.)

When you are writing your essay, get specific. It is often the small things or experiences in our lives that have the biggest impact on how we feel, think or act. Sharing a specific example that speaks to who you are by illustrating your character, values and background is much more powerful than offering sweeping generalizations about yourself.

One tip is to select a topic that allows you a more narrow response and then you can use your word count to provide details and depth. It can be helpful to describe the scene or the person with sharp nouns and active verbs or by using details that will invoke the senses. How did it look? feel? smell? sound? Don’t just say that "Uncle John was odd." Show us his dog who smashed through closed windows and his unique decorating style of mixing plaid and polka dots.

Be sure to use your voice and stick to the word count. (Hint: I know it doesn't seem like it, but I promise, it is always easier to cut words than to try to figure out how to squeeze more detail in later, so answer the question fully first before worrying too much about word count, but plan ahead enough so that you are at least in the ball park of your word limits... you want to cut 50-100 words out not try to cut 2,000 words.) This is a formal essay so you need to make sure that you are using proper grammar, punctuation and varying your sentence structure.

Whenever possible, start your essay with a catch – something that will engage the readers and compel them to continue reading. And I hope this goes without saying, but don’t lie. Do not make up stories that are not true or genuine. You are the best you there is and this essay is about you so show yourself off and just be careful on tone.

Don’t forget, if you are writing the main common app essay, do NOT tailor the essay to one particular college because all of the schools that you apply to will receive the same version of the main essay. Also, for what it is worth, when you are sending specific essays to individual colleges that are personalized, be sure to double check and make sure you are submitting the right essay to the appropriate college.

REVISING THE ESSAY
Give plenty of time to edit! I understand that this is different than most of the essays you have written in high school, but it is worth writing a draft, walking away from it for a few days and then coming back to read it again to take a fresh look. Many students are stunned at how the essay that they initially thought was great doesn't meet their own expectations when they re-read it with fresh eyes. It can help to read your essay out loud and see if it feels natural and sounds like you. Time to edit and go through multiple drafts is a gift you can give yourself to drastically decrease your stress with the entire college application process.

When you begin reading through your essay again ask yourself:

Does it reveal who you are?

Does it represent your best academic ability?

Does it sound like you?

Look at the overall structure of the essay:

Does it make a stunning point at the beginning and then fizzle, or does it steadily build in interest and intensity?

Have you made clear the relationship between your ideas?

Is the essay well organized?

As you begin to get picky, look at your word choice and make sure you are not overusing particular words. Pay careful attention to the verbs - they should give your reader a clear picture of you in action. Although the essay needs to be personal, you shouldn't overuse the pronoun "I."

The essay also needs to read smoothly. As you revise and refine the piece, be sure that it has an attractive introduction, carefully crafted body paragraphs, and a confident conclusion. Look for clear transitions between paragraphs, and try to vary sentence length and structure.

Please rest assured that I am here to help you with your essays. I will NOT write it for you, but if you are struggling to come up with topics or want help editing, don't hesitate to stop by and see me. Also, the English teachers are awesome resources for editing help too. Good luck and happy writing! :-)

Cut Them Free!

Seniors, as you start narrowing down your college choices, it is important to cut the other schools free. What does that mean?  It means that as you begin identifying which college or the few colleges that are still in the running that it is important for you to notify the other colleges that you do NOT intend to attend their school beginning next year. Please, wait to tell the schools that you will not be attending until you are completely sure that you are no longer considering them. However, I realize that many of you have already decided or have at least narrowed your choice to a smaller group of colleges and you have completely eliminated others from consideration. Those which have been completely eliminated are the colleges I am recommending you notify as soon as possible.

This is important because it allows the college to plan for their upcoming student body and to know if they have room to accept other students off of their wait-lists. Think about your classmates who might be on the waiting list for a school and they want to hear back from the schools as quickly as possible and there are other students across the country in the same situation. Colleges can't begin opening up additional slots until they know which students will or will not be attending. Additionally, if you received scholarship offers from one of the colleges that you have eliminated from the running, this can also potentially allow the college to offer that money out to other students which, again, can help people such as your fellow classmates. Believe me, the colleges will not be angry with you for deciding that you will not be attending their school - they understand that this is part of the process, so just go ahead and take a few minutes to let them know of your intent to attend a different college.

Local Scholarships

The local scholarships are now completely updated and available on the Lexington Student Services Center website.  These scholarships provide a great opportunity for students to earn some additional financial help for college. And, with the scholarships being local, it means that there would be less people applying for the scholarships (compared to national scholarships) which gives you a better chance of receiving one of the scholarships.
Please take the time to carefully read through the criteria for the scholarships to see which ones would be appropriate for you to apply for and then start working. When you go to the Student Services website and click on the SENIOR TIMELINES & SCHOLARSHIPS area you will be taken to the listing of all of the scholarships and it has the link to each scholarship application.
Most of the deadlines for completed applications are coming up in April and May(some are earlier) and no late applications can be accepted. I cannot stress enough the importance of planning ahead and starting to work on these scholarships now!
Also, please pay attention to see if the applications require a written recommendation letter and ask your teacher(s) for a letter as soon as possible - especially if they have not already written a rec letter that you can use for the scholarships.

Academic Options Night

In addition to the wide range of courses that we have available here at LHS, there are other academic options available to our students.

The College Credit Plus (CC+) program is an opportunity for high school students to take college courses while still enrolled in high school. This program has replaced what used to be called Dual Enrollment and PSEO.

Students are still able to go to the college campus to take classes or take classes with LHS teachers that will also give you college credit.

There are a lot of details involved in participating in the CC+ program and students must complete and submit the paperwork before April 1st to indicate their intent to participate in the CC+ program in the following school year.

In order to explain all of the details of the program and to provide you with the forms necessary, all students and parents interested in participating in this program should plan to attend the Academic Options night next week on Monday, February 23th at 7:00pm in the LHS auditorium. This will be a joint meeting for all of the students and parents in Lexington.  Representatives from Ohio State University and North Central State College will attend to share the opportunities available through CC+ with their college. Please see Mr. Secrist if you are unable to attend this meeting as it is mandatory that you attend one and there are other options being provided at local colleges which you can attend if you can't make it to our meeting next week.

 

 

 

I hope that all students and parents interested in learning more about College Credit Plus and ways to earn college credit while in high school will join us Monday, February 23 at 7pm.

How did exams go (a week later)??

How did the first day of exams go? Were you feeling anxious?

Test Anxiety can be common for students - especially with exams since they have such a significant influence on your 3rd six week grades. The best strategy to prevent test anxiety is being prepared. It is much more likely that you will be anxious and struggle with feeling overwhelmed if you have not adequately studied and prepared for the test. Unfortunately, for some students, you can be well-prepared, but still struggle with anxiety.

There are a wide range of strategies you can use to help deal with anxiety:

- Research has indicated that spending several minutes before a test to write about your feelings will   help decrease test anxiety and improve test scores. The University of Chicago researchers “believe  worrying competes for computing power in the brain’s ‘working,’ or short-term memory.”
- Practice putting yourself in testing situations when studying. The more you get used to the experience and feelings of testing the less anxious you will feel when in the actual test.
- Just before the test, avoid talking about the test material with your friends. Chances are fixating on the test material and talking about it with your friends right before the test will only make you more anxious.
- Approach the test with a positive attitude. Don’t go into the test expecting the worst to happen. You can remind yourself that you have studied and know the material.
- Avoid distractions so that you can focus on the test and not on what other students are doing. Do not compare yourself with others and how they are doing on the test.
- Take a deep breath, relax, and do the best you can.

I should also mention that smart testing strategies like getting a good night of sleep, eating breakfast, having all of your required materials (pen, pencil, calculator, scratch paper, etc), getting regular exercise, and giving yourself plenty of time to get to your test on time will also benefit you as a whole and in testing situations.

Good luck in the next three days of exams!

Submitting Test Scores

The college admissions tests (ACT and SAT) are one of the basic components that most colleges consider when evaluating an application. While any scores that we have appear on your transcript, the vast majority of the colleges want to receive the score results directly from the testing agency. You receive the option to send your scores during registration to 4 colleges for free and there is an additional charge for any extra schools you want to send your results to after those initial four.

You can log in to the ACT and SAT websites to review the locations where you selected to send your scores to make sure that every college you are considering has received a copy of your scores. This is an important step as you are completing the application process. So, in addition to making sure that you have completed your application form, written your essay, secured your recommendation letters, and submitted your transcript release form, please make sure that you have sent your official test scores to each of the colleges where you are applying.

Don't forget, not every college will require these tests so it is not the end of the world if you are not a strong test taker. Visit http://www.fairtest.org/ for a list of the over 800 colleges that do not require admissions tests as a component to evaluate the applicant.