Follow our very own, Stephenie, on the Homeschool website, as a guest blogger this week at Educational Adventures. In the article blog titled, "Technically Homeschooled," Stephenie shares what it was like growing up in two diverse cultures, and becoming the Educator that she is today; with the drive to keep learning and educating herself. "With my mother’s sacrifices and encouragement in education and learning, I have technically homeschooled myself in many ways."
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Many Early Decision or Early Action student applicants are finding that they've been neither accepted nor rejected, but deferred. A deferred application is considered again along with the applications submitted during the regular cycle. This complex alternative is so tenuous and uncertain that it is impossible to predict the outcome.
If you find yourself in this limbo, here are some guidelines for how to proceed. 1. Don't Panic. Remain calm. Most likely, if you've been deferred your credentials are in the ballpark for getting accepted. If they weren't, you'd be rejected. So that's the good news. However, your application wasn't so far above average that the college wanted to give up a spot in the entering class until they could compare you to the full applicant pool. The percentages vary from college to college, but some students do get accepted after being deferred. 2. Find Out Why You Were Deferred Unless the college asks you not to do so, give the admissions office a call and try to find out why you were deferred. Be polite and positive when making this call. Try to convey your enthusiasm for the college, and see if there were particular weaknesses in your application that you might be able to address. Practice with our consultants before you make this call to the college's admissions office. 3. School Guidance Counselor Your high school counselor can find out some information from the college admissions for you. Contact Lee Academia to find out kind of information they can obtain for you and how you can approach your counselor for the information. 4. Be positive and Be Polite As you try to get out of deferral limbo, you're likely to correspond with the admissions office several times. Try to keep your frustration, disappointment and anger in check. Be polite. Be positive. Admissions officers are remarkably busy this time of year, and their time is limited. Thank them for any time they give you. 5. Send a New Letter of Recommendation Is there someone who knows you well who can really promote you effectively? If so, an additional letter of recommendation might be a good idea (but make sure the college allows extra letters). Ideally, this letter should talk about the specific personal qualities that make you an ideal match for the particular college that has deferred you. Lee Academia can help you decide who to ask for this new letter of recommendation. 6. Send Supplemental Materials Many applications, including the Common Application, provide the opportunity for sending in supplemental materials. Try not to overwhelm the admissions office, but you should feel free to send in writing or other materials that will show the full breadth of what you can contribute to the campus community. 7. Update Your Information Chances are the college will ask for your midyear grades. If you were deferred because of a marginal GPA, the college will want to see that your grades are on an upward trend. Also, think about other information that might be worth sending:
8. Have a Back-Up College or two While many deferred students do get accepted during regular admissions, many do not. You should do all you can to get into your top choice school, but you should also be realistic. Make sure you have applied to a range of reach, match and safety colleges so that you will have other options should you get a rejection letter from your first choice. 9. Letters If you have been deferred but have new information to present to the college, you'll want to write a letter presenting the updates. Contact Lee Academia. They can help you formulate letters to "pursue the waitlist". Remember, the advice above is general and that every college and university has its own policies when it comes to sending in additional documents. Check with your college and work with Lee Academia on this process to make your college years, wherever you attend, meaningful and successful. December - January
One aspect of the college application is the Teacher Letters of Recommendation. Make a good impression on your teachers. They not only grade your work but will one day provide you with recommendations for college and/or work. Don't be shortsighted. Work on establishing good relationships with teachers early. Psychologists say that impressions are formed within the first minute of meeting a person. Even if you're not 100% certain that you want to apply to college/graduate school, it's in your best interest to ensure that your teacher sees you in a positive light. Why? Jobs often require references. Faculty are good sources of references. Also, your grade will be influenced by your teacher's perception of you. Like it or not, perceptions matter.
When Are Impressions Formed? Impressions are formed very quickly when meeting someone. We do this on an unconscious level. We're usually not aware of it. As a student in a class of 20, 40 or more, your teacher likely won't form an impression of you that quickly as he or she may not even notice every student during the first class of the semester. Teachers' impressions of students are formed in the first couple of weeks of the semester. Specifically, teachers form expectations about what kind of student you are -- whether you are studious or a slacker. And they form impressions about what they can expect from you work wise -- will you submit stellar work, adequate work, of sub par work? Why Do Impressions Matter? Impressions can help or hurt you - regardless of whether you are a high school or undergraduate student. If a professor forms an initial impression that you are studious and responsible, that positive view will likely color his or her evaluation of your work. That's not to say that you can hand in shoddy work without facing negative consequences, but that the teacher is likely to appraise your work with the expectation that it will be solid. And a positive expectation can lead to a positive evaluation. Likewise, if a teacher has formed the impression that you are a lazy student, that negative impression can cloud his or her view. Perfectly adequate work may be colored by this negative impression and be evaluated more negatively than is merited. How do you form a good impression? It's simple.
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Stephenie Lee
Stephenie, having been a tutor/instructor/mentor since 1996, discovered her passion and founded Lee Academia Educational Consulting, LLC. after she left the dental and medical field. She loves teaching/mentoring and counseling her students. Her passion lies in educating others and helping them pursue their educational path. Today, certified in College Counseling and with more than 10 years of experience, Stephenie and her team continues to blog about current updated educational news and events. Archives
April 2016
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