WRITE, OFTEN Sitting down regularly to write for your application essays helps you maximize your output and manage your time wisely. The most successful Options’ applicants, the ones who have time to make revisions before they meet their deadlines, are the ones who take the writing process one step at a time. These students don’t wait until they’re in the mood to write—or until the last minute—but chip away at their essays a few times a week, working consistently and conscientiously toward a finished product.

Taking the process one step at a time means making regular time for writing, setting aside at least 1-3 hours a week between now and your deadline when you’ll sit yourself down and write, no matter what’s going on around you. This piece of advice is one of the reasons why we hold regular Options Solutions Writing w

Workshops during university application season; we want to give you the time you need to make your best draft, not your first draft, your final copy. Seasoned writers will also endorse a regular writing routine as the key to success. Check out Jerry Seinfeld’s fabulous writing tip for software developer Brad Isaac on this posting (link: http://lifehacker.com/281626/jerry-seinfelds-productivity-secret)  of Lifehacker, a blog devoted to tips for “getting things done.” You might not need to “write every day,” as Seinfeld suggests, but you might like to try out his suggestion for improving your writing by making it a bigger part of your regular routine.

By: Monica Brown

Ryerson University

Thursday, October 8^th 5:00pm

University of Victoria

Tuesday, October 20^th 5:30pm

University of Alberta

Tuesday, October 20^th 7:00pm

University of Guelph

Monday, November 2^nd 7:00pm

Wilfred Laurier University

Thursday, November 12^th at 5:30pm

Concordia University

Monday, November 16^th 5:00pm

University of Calgary

Thursday, November 26^th 5:30pm

We encourage our students to really think about what they are looking for in their education and how they will put their tuition dollars to work.  Usually when we ask students at this time of year, “Why do you want to attend University X?” or “Why is University X your first choice?”- the answers we receive are overly general and tend to be about the university’s aesthetics (“It is a pretty campus.”) or location (“It is close/far from home.”).  Additionally, we find many of our students pick a faculty randomly or by feedback from friends.   We tease them at this point and encourage them “to defend their decision in an educational court of law”- to which they usually smile and respond, “Melinda, I know nothing about the academics there.”  We then set on a mission to change this in two steps.

One we make a list of values or priorities for their education and their post-secondary search.  Values need to be educationally related- such as class size, quality of instruction, range of majors offered, opportunities for coop or internship, international study options, and/or specialized features of the university curriculum.

We then enter a period of research.  We encourage students to move away from the admissions pages of the websites; because at this point, they have selected their courses and have a solid understanding of what marks they need.  Instead, we want them on the FACULTY pages learning more about what it means to study a particular major at a specific university.  What courses will they have to take?  What special opportunities are available?  What values does the site portray?  What students are highlighted?

Early action is non-binding and means a student applies early and hears early and is not bound to attend if accepted.  This is a GREAT option for many reasons. One benefit is that early action inspires a student to get a jump start on their applications.  Another reason is that hearing from a few universities in January can help a student settle and enjoy their last year of high school a bit more.   There are a few early action plans that restrict the number of early action applications (notably Boston College and Stanford), but most universities allow students to apply to as many early action options as they are able.  Early deadlines are usually between November 1^st and November 15^th.  

See here for more information:

From College Board

http://www.collegeboard.com/student/apply/the-application/104.html

A great video from US News and World Report

http://usnews.feedroom.com/?fr_story=9e407c1d24a2aa5550133e384fc68dbee59f8ceb

If you are a Lower Mainland student and you want to live on campus at UBC, remember to apply to UBC EARLY, so you can complete your housing application.  UBC does not guarantee housing to Lower Mainland students.

http://www.housing.ubc.ca/rez_guide/guide_main.htm      

If you are interested in the University of Alberta, also apply early as they do not guarantee first year residence.  It is best to complete your housing application as early as possible.

http://www.uofaweb.ualberta.ca/residences/Prospective.cfm

Many Canadian universities have early deadlines for competitive programs.  BE SURE TO DOUBLE CHECK ALL DEADLINES.  For example, the University of Western Ontario’s full time application deadline is June 1^st, 2010, but the Ivey School of Business deadline is January 13^th, 2010 and the Bachelor of Fine Arts deadline is February 1^st.  Be constantly double checking admission deadlines.

I have just returned from the annual National Association for College Admission Counselling conference in Baltimore, Maryland, and I am very excited to share what I have learned.  I attend this conference every year in order to keep current of trends in post-secondary education. It is the largest college counselling conference in the world, and there were over 5,000 independent counsellors, public school counsellors, and admissions personnel from all over the world attending. 

Some of the fun of the conference is seeing who you run into in the elevator, whether it’s the Director of Undergraduate Admissions for the University of Michigan, Ted Spencer, or an old colleague from Colorado; the conference is a great networking opportunity.  To learn more about the organization visit: http://www.nacacnet.org/Pages/default.aspx.  I will spend the next two weeks summarizing some of the interesting sessions I attended.  This will make the blog a bit US and UK focused for the next little while, but we will then turn our attention to some emerging Canadian issues.

Over the next few weeks, watch for blogs on topics such as:  the use of “hooks” in admissions, learning disabilities and disability services at post-secondary institutions, the use of essays in admissions, picking the right business program, and the changing face of technology relating to the admission process.

The conference also sparked a surprising revelation for me.  Something that I have known but hadn’t really pondered re-emerged on my radar.  It is the idea that all over North America there is a first year retention issue- a major issue.  Students are starting post-secondary studies, but not returning for second year.  In our office, we plan to explore and research this startling fact and will share our findings with you.  Bill Fitzsimmons, the Dean of Admissions and Financial Aid at Harvard, recommended the book:  Crossing the Finish Line: Completing College at America’s Public Universities. The book explores what factors enable students to finish university.  We will be reading it around our office and invite you to join us.   

As a sign off, I will share my favourite quote from the conference with you from Leon Botstein, the President of Bard College:  “When education meets puberty, education loses.”