An Eye-Catching Admissions Essay

While perusing the internet the other day  I came across an essay submitted by a student trying to gain admission to NYU in answer to the following question: “Are there any significant experiences you have had, or accomplishments you have realized, that have helped to define you as a person?”

The essay opened as follows: “I am a dynamic figure, often seen scaling walls and crushing ice.  I have been known to remodel train stations on my lunch breaks, making them more efficient in the area of heat retention.  I translate ethnic slurs for Cuban refugees, I write award-winning operas, I manage time efficiently.  Occasionally, I tread water for three days in a row.”

The writer goes on to list even more outlandish, spectacular accomplishments in an admissions essay so over the top, it’s obvious this person is making it all up. To read the entire essay, click here, but please be warned that this website is a bit quirky, and somewhat free with profanity. Still, I found the writer’s irreverence refreshing because applying to college has become such a high-stress experience for parents and students alike.

The 2011 College Board’s College Admission and Enrollment Statistics found that in addition to evaluating grades, secondary school record, and standardized test scores, a majority of colleges and universities consider the essay to be important or very important when determining which academically qualified students they will choose. It’s a lot of pressure to place on just one piece of writing. In fact, some  people would argue that the admissions essay requirement is unrealistic and unfair to students.

I think the writer of the NYU essay was trying to acknowledge just how preposterous it is to attach so much importance to one piece of writing. And, more importantly, how the topic of “significant experiences” is just a bit silly, since most young people are going out on their own for the first time, and may be somewhat inexperienced. Still, by flouting convention and satirizing the college application ritual so astutely, this writer shows creativity, clarity, and gumption.

At Champion, we want you to know that we get it. The whole process of applying to college is stressful.  And our writing teachers get it – they are committed to helping students write powerful, persuasive essays; but they also understand that a little humor and a genuinely unique voice are much more important. Check out our website for more on our College Essay prep services, but if all you need is some advice, you can always call us for that too.

Looking for work? You’ll need the skills and the certifications.

Today are delighted to welcome Adam Hastings, Director of the Charlottesville Albemarle Technical Education Center (CATEC), to the  blog. Adam shares his firsthand insights on what it really takes to land a good career and pay in today’s labor market.

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I recently gave a presentation to a group of high school counselors on the importance of industry-recognized certifications. I have been giving this presentation for years, but these days I have some new research to share.

A 2013 report from the American Institutes for Research explores the real value of a bachelor’s degree relative to an associates degree or industry certification. As it turns out, students who earn industry-recognized credentials (e.g. Dental Hygienist or Firefighter/Paramedic) out earn their peers (on average) who earn a bachelor’s degree. Mike Rowe, the Dirty Jobs guy, speaks about this often by calling it the “skills gap” between blue collar and white collar.

On a personal level, this makes sense to me. I attended North Carolina State University–an Ag. & Tech. school–and earned a bachelor’s degree in world literature. What did that do for my paycheck? Nothing. In fact, it didn’t even get me a raise at the job where I worked to pay for college. In order to ever use that degree to earn a good income, I had to go back to school to earn my teaching credential. That credential made me employable; employment made my skill set in literature applicable.

Here in central Virginia, reports often detail the gap between unskilled and skilled labor. Unlike our neighbors in the Shenandoah Valley, our graduates do not have the option to enter unskilled/low-skilled manufacturing or agriculture jobs that earn a living wage because the jobs do not exist in our region. Moreover, while we do see manufacturing increasing, it is advanced manufacturing, where the employees do not do the labor, the machines do. The employees run the machines. This skill set is vastly different than the skill set of the traditional mill, mine, line, or farm work. This skill set requires critical thinking, technical aptitude, mathematical reasoning, and teamwork.

At CATEC, we are heavily engaged in the work of identifying and creating training ladders that mirror career ladders. These two must be intertwined–think of a DNA double-helix model–in a what that allows for employees to access education and training when they need it. Through this work, in partnership with ACPS, CCS, PVCC, and the Workforce Center, I believe that we can truly have an impact on our local and regional workforce.

Adam Hastings is the Director of CATEC in Charlottesville, Virginia where plays a major role in the training of local high school and adult students through workforce development. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in World Literature from North Carolina State University, a Masters of Arts in Teaching from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and a Doctor of Education from the University of Virginia.  You can follow Matt’s insights on education via Twitter at  @AHastingsCATEC and on his blog at http://www.catec.org/catec/about-catec/from-the-director/

Source: Schneider, M. (2013) Higher education pays: But a lot more for some graduates than others. Washington, D.C.: American Institutes for Research.  http://www.air.org/reports-products/index.cfm?fa=viewContent&content_id=2731
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SAT Success: A Testimonial

A few weeks ago, I received the following email, from the mother of one of our Fall SAT students:

“I just wanted to thank you and your fantastic tutors John and Beth for the wonderful job you all did…. We just got [our daughter’s] SAT scores back for the October 5^th test. She raised her total score by 240 points!!!!!!!!! See below. Wonderful job!
·        Critical Reading: +60 points
·        Math: +80 points
·        Writing: +100 points
·        Essay: up +2, from 6 to 8 (top score of 12)

God bless you all!”
– Bonnie

This is the part of my job that I love the most—hearing that our teachers made such an impact on a student’s life is incredibly rewarding. And alleviating some of the stress of the college search process is something our teachers excel at.

Although we’re nearing the end of SAT & ACT season, many of our students are still finishing their college applications. So, we are extending our College Essay Prep SPECIAL until the end of the calendar year (5 sessions for the price of 4); and, for students needing only a few sessions, we are also offering 10% off ALL College Essay Prep sessions.

At Champion, we strive to offer parents and students advice, support, and stellar teaching as you navigate the college search process.  If you’d like to know how we could help you and your student – just give us a call (434-984.2821) or e-mail us at office@championtutoring.com.  We can’t wait to be a part of your student’s success!

– Anna

College Rank and Fit: What Really Matters?

While visiting the campus of MIT in Cambridge, Massachusetts this past summer I noticed a large group of young Chinese students gathered on the steps of a building posing for a photo. They held up a banner announcing that they were from a middle school in Hebei, a province in northern China. Watching them pose I couldn’t help but wonder why a middle school would spend significant time and money to send a group of 12-and 13-year-old children to an American college nearly 7,000 miles away?

This sort of collegiate tourism is no doubt driven by name recognition and reputation, which is in turn driven by a highly publicized, annual U.S. News and World Report college rankings report. For some, these rankings are a resource for assessing a school’s worth, which assumes they contain the wisdom to objectively determine which colleges and universities are the “best” ones. And really, what family American or Chinese, does not want their children to go to the world’s best schools?

This notion that it’s possible to determine which colleges are “best” relies on several premises: first, that specific data exists that can fairly and accurately measure the quality of a school, and second, that it is not necessary to factor in the unique abilities and needs of a particular student into that equation. Let’s examine the first premise. The U.S. News and World Report rankings are based on seven factors: graduation rate, peer assessment, faculty resources, financial resources, and alumni giving rate. It’s immediately apparent how narrow the focus of this evaluation is; the last three factors essentially describe financial might, a higher ranking means more dollars, more dollars means a higher ranking.

Even a factor like student selectivity can be deceptive. The single digit acceptance rates that get so much press and fuel so much student anxiety don’t necessarily reflect a recent precipitous drop in available slots for qualified students. The growing reach of The Common Application, and the relative ease of electronic submission, has greatly increased the number of both qualified and unqualified applicants at the top ranked schools. For the unqualified student it’s the equivalent of buying a lottery ticket, for the qualified student it’s a relatively cheap way to attempt to improve the odds. In both cases these practices drive down a school’s acceptance rate, even though the qualified student to slots available ratio may have only marginally changed, if at all.

As for the second premise, can anyone really predict what schools are “best” for an individual without looking at variables such as: academic rigor, course offerings, quality of instruction, social environment, political culture, town-gown relations, size, location, extracurricular activities, and even the weather? Of course not. College admissions counselors almost universally agree that a school must “fit” if a student is going to thrive, both academically and personally. The good news is that there are many great “fit” schools for any given student, and in some cases, those fit schools may even be among those at the top of the rankings heap.

The key takeaway here is not that a school’s ranking is meaningless, but that the meaning often ascribed is much more limited than those profiting from the rankings would have us believe. Ultimately, ranking is just additional information to consider. Much like seeking a match on an Internet dating site, data only takes one so far; it’s not until you actually meet that person, or walk the grounds of that college campus, will you know that you’ve truly found your fit.

Putting the Fun in Math

Champion Tutoring is blessed with a vibrant, talented group of teachers who are united in their passion for teaching, as well as in their commitment to Champion’s standards of educational excellence.  Moreover, they all value the one-on-one model as an effective, fun & accessible way to enhance classroom learning.   In the coming months we will have the good fortune of hearing from many of them on this blog.               _____________________________________________________

As a math tutor, I am fortunate to work for a company that shares my values and concerns when it comes to students and their education – and this is something that can be surprisingly difficult to find. The focus for me, and at Champion, is to help a student find success and confidence, while having fun in the process.

‘Fun’ is not usually a word that my students relate to math, a subject that brings stress and anxiety to not only students, but often to parents as well.  As a math major in college, and also as someone who’s been teaching the subject for many years now, I know first-hand how challenging it can be. But math is also a subject that is incredibly valuable and rewarding, and it can open a new world of understanding and abilities for a student. It is important for me that the students I work with, no matter their test scores, understand that they can in fact be a “math person”, capable of understanding complex topics that previously felt out of their reach.

This is not an easy process. I share the frustrations of my students who push themselves, and who have yet to reap any rewards for their hard work. When I tell them that the reward will come, I am asking them to trust me – but this process doesn’t happen overnight. Old habits are hard to break, and new skills take time and lots of practice.

Even though my sessions with students are geared to their unique personalities, strengths, and weaknesses, there are certain learning processes that I use with all of my math students. One is to show them that their math homework is not busy work, but rather integral to both their understanding and their grades. Math homework is repetitive on purpose and in our sessions we practice a set of similar problems until students can comfortably walk me through the steps on their own. Another important part of tutoring is allowing the student to lead the way – to tell me what they observe and think about a given problem, instead of my telling them what to do. It is important that students learn to trust their own logic, and see that they are capable of finding their way to the correct answer. My experience working with students over the years has shown me that with determination, and some help, there is always a breakthrough waiting.

And after the sweat and tears, I see the bright, but anxious, young student who I began working with months prior transform into a student with a new level of strength and confidence. At that point, they can see in themselves what I have seen since the beginning – their ability to learn new concepts and take on challenging tasks with success. This is where the fun comes in – a student’s smile when they finish a complex problem completely on their own, their pride in a high test score, the feeling of accomplishing something they never believed could be possible.

Beth Mitchell has over ten years of tutoring experience both here in Virginia and in California. She holds Bachelor’s degrees in Math and Architecture from the University of Washington in Seattle.  Currently, Beth is a graduate student at The University of Virginia’s School of Architecture.

Why Use an Independent Education Consultant?

Today we welcome Jeffrey Smith, owner of Academic Quest College Consulting in Charlottesville, to the blog.  Jeff will be conducting a “Navigating the College Admission Process: the List, The Essay and the Money” workshop for us later this month as part of our Champion Adult Learning Academy Young Adult Series. For more information on this workshop visit our website at www.championtutoring.com

Among the uninitiated a common misperception is that hiring an education consultant is a luxury available only to the privileged. This notion has been reinforced by extensive media coverage of consultants such as the former Dartmouth admissions counselor, who in 2008 was charging $40,000 for a comprehensive consultant package while boasting of sky-high Ivy League acceptance rates. Astronomical consulting bills and intimations of insider admission secrets make for attention-grabbing headlines, but are not representative of the fees charged, or the ethics practiced by the vast majority of educational consultants.

A recent study conducted in cooperation with the Independent Educational Consultants Association (IECA) indicated that 26% of high achieving high school seniors used a consultant to help with the college selection and application process. The study also determined that the national average charge for a comprehensive package of services, which may involve meeting with clients over a one-to-two year period, is about $4,000.

In the Charlottesville area comprehensive packages are available for considerably less, with many consultants offering a wide menu of service options. This, however, can still be a significant sum of money to spend on an undertaking that some think can be adequately completely without professional guidance.

So, what are the specific benefits derived from working with an educational consultant?

1. Time and availability. Public school counselors often have a caseload in the hundreds, and a wide array of duties besides providing college guidance to seniors. Educational consultants, on the other hand, typically accept no more than 15-20 new clients a year, are available throughout the summer, and work evenings and weekends. Students are given a high level of personalized attention that encourages self-awareness and greatly improves the odds of finding a good school match.
2. Knowledge and experience. Most consultants have years, if not decades, of experience in education. Consultants spend 20% or more of their time visiting college campuses and meeting with admissions representatives, doing legwork impossible for most families to accomplish.  In addition to traditional college advising, some consultants, like myself, also have experience working with students who are managing academic and social/emotional issues like ADHD, learning disabilities, anxiety and depression.
3. Alleviation of stress.  There are thousands of websites devoted to the college selection and admission process. Yet sifting through this vast amount of information and determining what is relevant and reliable can be overwhelming. A consultant can streamline this process and pull only the information that is useful for each student’s particular needs.  A consultant can also provide step-by-step guidance and organizational support through every aspect of the process, from college selection to matriculation.  For many families the greatest benefit is having a neutral third-party to facilitate communication and monitor the progress of the multitude of tasks that have to be managed.
4. It’s a sound investment. About one-third of all students leave their chosen school after the first year, so making a wise choice in the first place can save both time and money. Consultants can also give advice about the financial aid process including completing the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), need-blind schools and scholarship availability; advice that may provide an immediate financial return on your consulting investment.

The choice of whether to use an education consultant is a highly personal one, but it can be a very cost-effective way to go.  I suggest looking for a consultant who is a member of the IECA.  All IECA members have agreed to a code of ethics that emphasizes finding a good match for each student, rather than promising admission to a particular school.

At the Tufts University information session I attended this past summer the Admissions Counselor told the audience that the total four-year cost for many small, liberal arts schools is now approaching a quarter of a million dollars (Audible gasp!).  The college decision is undoubtedly a major investment that affects families not only financially, but psychologically and emotionally, as well.  The ultimate benefit of hiring an educational consultant may be that you will have peace of mind knowing you have the best information available to make the right decision for everyone.

Jeffrey Smith has over thirty years of experience as a counselor and educator in both public and private settings.  As owner of Academic Quest College Consulting Jeff has a track record of building positive, productive relationships with students from diverse backgrounds with a wide range of academic and personal needs.  To learn more, visit www.academicquest.net

Adults Are People Too

Last spring, an earnest young woman whom I’ll call “Jennifer” contacted me to ask whether Champion Tutoring helps adults. When I told her that we teach students of all ages, she was relieved. She had just one month to memorize the basic structure and functions of the human brain, and she was freaking out.

Jennifer works for a local rehab facility and wanted to become certified to work with people who had sustained traumatic brain injuries. The certification test was challenging and heavy on the physiology of the brain. Although Jennifer had worked hard in college, it had been 10 years since she graduated. And, as a Sociology major, her science and math requirements had been of the social science variety.  Jennifer wanted to ace this test, but felt ill-equipped to do so.

Many of Champion’s adult students share Jennifer’s discomfort with their subject matter. Some haven’t been in a classroom for decades – others are making a mid-life career shift that’s fraught with its own challenges. One adult student came to Champion for study skills help right before her Master’s Comprehensive Exams. She was one of the smartest, most organized students whom I’d ever met – I knew she was going to ace her Comps, but she felt ten times better after working with a tutor on reading comprehension strategies.

This Fall, as we launch, Champion Adult Learning Academy,  (or CALA, as we are affectionately calling it) I like to remind people that we’ve always nurtured adults. CALA will continue this tradition while also finding new and creative ways to empower adult learners. CALA classes will cover a range of topics, from public speaking to social media and digital marketing. You can read about our current course offerings here.

As we develop future CALA course offerings, we’d like to hear from parents, educators,  and civic leaders about the topics that will be of the greatest benefit to adult learners.  I’ll also be meeting with community leaders to discuss our region’s workforce needs, a topic that is changing at lightening speed.

We are excited about CALA and look forward to hearing your ideas!

What’s With Tumblr?

Today we welcome Erika Gennari, Communications & Business Development Manager, of Storyware (storyware.us), to the blog!  Erika and Storyware Co-founder & CMO, Todd Wickersty, will be teaching “Telling Effective Stories Using Tumblr” at our Champion Adult Learning Academy (CALA) this fall.  We’re thrilled that Erika is here to share her expertise!

A few weeks ago Anna Patchias and I sat down to go over some details regarding the workshop Storyware would be teaching at Champion Tutoring as part of the Champion Adult Learning Academy (CALA) series.

“So, what’s with Tumblr?” Anna asked.

Sort of an open-ended question, but fair enough.  I began recounting a story I heard on NPR a year or so ago.  The speakers were discussing the evolution of the news from the morning and afternoon posts of the past to the 24-hour cable news cycle of today. Basically, the public went from forming opinions about the world based on one news source to choosing which news source matters to them and then basing their opinions on the stories presented on that particular channel.  A guest psychologist explained that this process ended up creating a selective reality of sorts;  since we no longer have a shared information source, we create our own reality based on the information sources that we have chosen.  This has a multitude of serious implications: a disconnected voter base, splintered interest groups, biased news reporting, just to name a few; but that’s not the aspect of the story that makes me think of Tumblr…

What made me think of Tumblr  (which, in case you don’t know, is  a really cool microblogging platform founded by David Karp and owned by Yahoo!, Inc.)  was the idea of creating a reality. When you begin a blog on Tumblr you choose the topics you are interested in. Tumblr then recommends blogs based on your choices.  When I began, for instance, I wanted to have access to all the things I don’t get to learn about in my daily life: ancient arts, biology, cultural studies and other pursuits. My Tumblr feed was filled with fabulous little educational nuggets like a diagram of the evolution of sea creatures adapting to land, followed by a video of someone in Roman garb playing a lute. Over time I edited these back a bit, focusing on the things I really wanted (and needed) to learn about.  I added a few big brands I needed to follow for work, a few local Cvillians who took nice pictures and – voila! – Tumblr created my own little reality.

Tumblr is a unique microblog filled with people and brands that you follow creating a world filled with videos, photography, music and articles specific just to you.  No two feeds are alike.  Every one is creating their own reality every day.

So, I guess that is what Tumblr is all about to me.  And if you are interested in rolling up your sleeves and creating your own Tumblr reality – join us on October 24th at Champion! Details are here.

Erika Gennari was born and raised in St. Louis, MO, graduated from Webster University with a BS in Media Communications and has been working in business development ever since. As Communications & Business Development Manager of Storyware (storyware.us) Erika Gennari has worked with organizations such as The Home Depot, Sony, Lockn’ Music Festival, and Virgin Atlantic to help tell their stories more effectively online.  You can follow Erika – on Tumblr, of course – at http://egennari.tumblr.com/

Why Blog? Why Now?

The last time we posted on this blog was June 2011. I believe social media experts would call that a “less-than-stellar” blogging record.

We started our blog with the best of intentions. We wanted to share our thoughts and expertise about education in and around our community with you.  We found out, however, that blogging isn’t as easy as it seems.  Well, the act of blogging itself – sitting down at the computer and writing – isn’t so hard, but simply throwing words up on a screen didn’t fall in line with what Champion Tutoring is about.  We looked at blogging like we look at all of our work – if we were going to do it, we were going to do it right.  That meant it needed to be interesting and important, it had to truly contribute to the conversation and, of course, it needed to be grammatically correct. All of that, we found, takes time.

Back in 2011 our Director was spending most of his time getting to know our students and making sure they had the best possible learning experience at Champion Tutoring. Today, as Director and Owner of this company, I still meet with each and every one of our students to ensure they get exactly what they need while they are here. That ‘personal touch’ IS what we’re all about: our students come first, and it will always be that way.

So, why are we taking time to blog again? Why now?

As Champion’s owner I talk to parents all day long about their children’s school experiences.  Sometimes a parent just needs to vent, and I’m okay with that.  Often parents feel alone in their struggles. When they are able to talk to me I can actually hear relief (and release) in their voices. It gives me great pleasure to be able to reassure them that there are so many ways – and tutoring is just one of them – that they can help their child.

Tutoring is a wonderful resource, but I think talking is important, too. As a parent myself, I am always comforted when I talk with other moms and dads about my little boy, who just started Kindergarten last month.  In fact, yesterday I stood in the parking lot of Carter’s Mountain Orchard for 45 minutes chatting with another mom about the transition to elementary school.  I was feeling clueless about everything, having just entered this new community at Broadus Wood Elementary School.  I walked away from that conversation feeling happier, and lighter somehow. It occurred to me then just how important talking, and subsequently listening, are.

So here is the answer to my “Why blog now?”question…

I want this blog to be an additional forum for talking with parents, as well as with teachers, administrators and community leaders about how we can best help our children succeed both in and out of school.  With the help of our talented teaching staff, instructors from our Champion Adult Learning Academy (CALA) workshops, other education experts and YOU, our hope is that we can all join in this conversation together.

So there it is. We’re going to do this blogging thing, and we’re going to do it right.  And that is what we are all about!

Summertime Blues?

Many of our students have just begun the final week of classes. Pretty soon, days will be spent relaxing by the pool, at summer camp, or playing PS3—and I don’t blame them one bit! One of the biggest joys of my childhood was those years before I was old enough to get a job. I spent all summer reading books and riding my bike. However, that seems like eons ago now. Things are more competitive than ever for students, especially those who will begin their senior years in the fall.

Today, I read a great article over at the U.S. News and World Report website about the do’s and don’ts of summer. One of the do’s? Get started on that college essay. This isn’t something to take lightly. That college essay is one of the ways a college will get to know you. It’s a chance to tell your story. And, to write a compelling essay, you’d better be willing to invest some time.

The Common Application (the standardized application process used by many universities) has made some changes to the essay requirement. After a four-year experiment that allowed students to write a tome if they so chose, the common app essay will be limited to 500 words. The less words, the easier it’ll be, right? Not exactly. 500 words means your essay needs to be that might together and focused. As a professional writer, it’s much harder for me to write fewer words rather than more. A preview of this year’s common app is already online. Here are the topics to choose from:

*Evaluate a significant experience, achievement, risk you have taken, or ethical dilemma you have faced and its impact on you.

*Discuss some issue of personal, local, national, or international concern and its importance to you.

*Indicate a person who has had a significant influence on you, and describe that influence.

*Describe a character in fiction, a historical figure, or a creative work (as in art, music, sciences, etc.) that has had an influence on you, and explain that influence.

*Given your personal background, describe an experience that illustrates what you would bring to the diversity in a college community or an encounter that demonstrated the importance of diversity to you.

Some are harder than others. But some might fit your personality better. Are you really going to have time to do this in the fall? That’s why it’s a great idea to get started with these essays over the summer. They take time. There are drafts, ideas, and rewrites to hammer out. Here’s why U.S. News and World Report says it’s a good idea to get started over the summer:

“[T]ake a look at essay requirements and begin thinking about how you might use them to tell your story. Starting early means you are less likely to push deadlines as you try to manage the academic pressures of your senior year.”

However, that doesn’t mean they will be taking it easy over the summer. Get started on the college process. Work on that essay. But ride that bike as well. Read some books. Take a swim. And enjoy the summer. Just don’t take your eye off the ball.

Jay Varner, Assistant Director