3 Tips for College Admissions Using Basic Etiquette

Have you seen the daily postings of “Do you remember this” on Facebook with photos of old products or tools that were used 10, 20, 40 years ago?  They take many of us back to an earlier time and the things we did or used on a daily basis. But for young people, they may seem irrelevant.  Much like Ann Landers, Emily Post or Miss Manners, wrote about social etiquette for syndicated publications for years, the new age has brought new terms and concerns.  Etiquette has now expanded to “Netiquette,” and the proper uses of the net in business, and I would expand that to say, “Your College Search.”

While many of our forms of communication have changed over the last 20 years with the Internet and cell phones, some of the old manners of business are still the best method to secure a positive outcome whether you are looking for a new job or seeking college admission.  Here are 3 Tips to help you in that process:

1Get Connected – When you make contact with an individual in an admissions office; get their name, a direct number you can reach them by phone for future questions, and an email address.  These are the first steps in building a relationship.

2Be Authentic – Don’t waste their time and yours.  If the school really isn’t an institution in which you could see yourself attending, don’t waste their time and yours.  Identify other schools that are a closer match to the experience you are looking to build.  The questions you ask should not have answers readily found on the school website, so do your homework.

3Be Polite – Use your manners each time you speak with someone in the admissions office and thank them for their time.  However, be sure to send a thank you note following an interview.  While email is good, handwritten is even better!

Basic etiquette is simple but it is so important.  It sends a message about your character, your attention to detail and your value of other people’s time.  Their time is valuable, but so is yours.  Make every effort count.  Get connected, be authentic, and be polite.  Basic etiquette still works wonders!

Opportunities Impacted by Social Media

Do you have a social media presence?  What does it look like?  Universities and employers alike are using social media to “check out” their candidates.  Everything from your email address and voice message to your pictures and comments on Facebook or other social media sites are available for public scrutiny and feed into your public image or “social entity.”  They can make or break your opportunities for admissions or landing that job.

Just as different people have different perspectives on issues, different generations view and address issues differently.  The kind of abbreviated spellings or language that you use with friends is altogether different from that you must use with admissions office staff or potential employers on any emails or text messages.  Coaches, admissions advisors or employers do not want to “wait while your party is located,” when they call your cell phone. Get rid of it!  Be sure your message is clear, concise and professionally appropriate.  Your email address should also be professionally appropriate.

Now ask yourself these questions and consider who may be on the other side of the computer monitor checking you out.  What does your “social entity” look like?  What do you need to do to make yourself more marketable?

Your social media image can provide lots of insight to your character and work ethic.  That’s why institutions now hire people to scrutinize their candidates’ media presence.  The competition out there for college admissions and for the job market is tremendous.  So make yourself more marketable by scrutinizing your own social media before you put it out there for others.

Successful Time Management Begins in High School

Last week I posted a blog about one of the big pitfalls for college freshmen, time management.  The ability to manage time wisely doesn’t magically begin when one turns eighteen or goes to college, and for some it never begins.  For some it becomes a life management problem because the skill is never developed.   But it can be developed and the earlier the better.

High school and college students alike should get in the habit of using a planner or agenda.  Depending on preferences, you might be looking at an electronic or paper product.  Either way, it has to be manageable for you, so spend an hour at a local Office Max, Office Depot or comparable supplier to explore the options.  Cell phones also offer planner tools, so check yours out as you weigh the possibilities.

High school students need to consider the need to plan long term as part of their high school career.  Although the big push for college applications begins in the senior year, the bulk of the work is already finished.  You have already established your “application resume’” through your freshman to junior years.  So, the reality is, a few minutes spent planning each year helps to get you strategically positioned for a successful college admissions process.

  • Freshmen, there are things you can do to prepare and manage your time!
  • Sophomores, there are things you can do to prepare and manage your time!
  • Juniors, there are things you can do to prepare and manage your time!
  • Seniors, you must prepare and manage your time!

Creating a pattern of behavior that develops as part of a plan for good time management will be one more strategic tool you will have in your bag when you head off to college.

For more information on a plan specific to you, contact me.

A Word to the Wise

Over the coming weeks, college students will begin to report to campus.  Freshmen will enter a whole new phase of life and upper classmen will be anxious to return to friends and a lifestyle different from living at home.  Therein lays the message for today.  Consider it a Word to the Wise.  Wise because you have gained enough knowledge and experiences to get you there, but are you wise enough to maintain?

Freshmen attrition rates have been written about in publications for almost 40 years with rates of 13-33% at institutions across the country.  So, in addition to national norms of 6 years for a 4 year degree, the rate at which freshman drop out is alarming.  I can bring it even closer to home and say that in my years as a principal, I have known or known principals in which six of their valedictorians or salutatorians have not only dropped out after freshman year, but lost significant scholarships.  Why this disappointing ending?

For some, economic issues are the culprit, but for many more the issue is time management.  Living at home you have boundaries set by parents and a system of checks and balance.  You also have a daily class schedule that has established timeframes and expectations for every minute of your 7 hour school day.  But college doesn’t run that way.  No one tells you to get up in the morning, no one tells you to go to class, and no one tells you to do your homework.  It’s all on you.  Wow!  That’s a shift!

It seems so natural, but it’s not!  Yes, turning 18 and becoming more independent we are expected to become more “adult” and with that we are expected to make good decisions and demonstrate adult behaviors.  But when you are surrounded by so many new choices, new friends, and new opportunities, the lure to manage time wisely is challenged and therein lies the making of a freshman catastrophe and ultimately a statistic for freshmen attrition.

Wisdom is not just the academic, it is also experience.  Students who have been successful demonstrate an ability to manage their time wisely.  So for those of you going off to college, take a few minutes as the semester begins and evaluate your schedule, evaluate available time, and establish a routine for study habit development.  Protect that time, manage your time wisely and your success!

Your Elevator Speech

If you walked into an elevator, the door closed and you found yourself next to a college recruiter, coach or potential employer and had 30 seconds to promote yourself, what would you say?  When the door opens and they walk away, what would you have said that makes you memorable enough that they want to know more?

The old “Elevator Speech” is a business technique that has been used for decades, but it is still effective.  In fact, for young people who have less experience promoting themselves to future employers or college admissions offices, it is a great way to collect your thoughts ahead of time so that when opportunity strikes, you’re prepared.  I find that when young people are asked to, “Tell me a little about your self,” they get caught like deer in headlights or ramble with no impressive points.

So prepare ahead.  I can help you do that so that the initial meeting or unexpected opportunity can be managed with a prepared and relaxed “30 second Elevator Speech.”  Promote yourself by being prepared.  What will you say in 30 seconds that will leave them wanting more?  Contact me.

Your Image to Others

Do you have a social media presence?  What does it look like?  Universities and employers alike are using social media to “check out” their candidates.  Everything from your email address and voice message to your pictures and comments on the Internet are available for public scrutiny and feed into your public image or “social entity.” Some even check your credit rating.

Just as different people have different perspectives on issues, different generations view and address issues differently.  The one thing we all have in common is we don’t like to wait or have our time wasted.  Does your voicemail ask that we wait while the party is located?  Change it.  Do you make flippant remarks or have blaring music?  Change it.  What works with your friends won’t work with college admissions, college coaches or potential employers.  So set yourself up for success and make sure your contact media is appropriate for your targeted audience.

Now ask yourself the question again and consider who may be on the other side of the computer monitor checking you out.  What does your “social entity” look like?  What do you need to do to make yourself more marketable?  Are there photos, trends, or comments that could jeopardize your opportunities?  Clean it up.

Protect your image to others and manage your social media so that you put you in the best possible position to take advantage of opportunities.  If you’ve had a social media experience that netted a positive result or a learning experience, post your comment above so others can benefit.

Getting the Biggest Return on an Education

When you evaluate the cost or investment in something, sometimes we humans can be a bit short sighted.  So when it comes to evaluating the cost of a college education and your investment of time, you want to make sure you invest well and provide good marketability for yourself.  You also want to reduce the potential of debt after graduation.

There is an excellent article, The Best Values in Public Colleges that ranks 20 of the best universities and reasons for the rankings.  I point this out because there is an additional factor to pay attention to in these numbers and it isn’t printed.  The last column on the chart identifies “Average debt at graduation.”  This is important…many states, like Florida, offer academic scholarship dollars to in-state students based on GPA.  But even with those dollars, the “Average debt at graduation” for students at University of Florida is $16,013.  Maybe your most economical and major specific institution isn’t in-state.  Look at all of your options.

By doing some work up front, you can explore careers, majors and schools that are interesting, make sense and are a natural fit for you.  That’s where I can provide you excellent guidance and steps to creating an effective plan for college and career direction.  Those steps help to lead you to a great college experience, on-time graduation with a meaningful degree that is marketable in a career path geared to your satisfaction and reward.

Getting the biggest return on an educational investment means:

  • Graduating on Time
  • Reduced or No Student Loan Debt
  • Marketable Degree
  • High Degree of Satisfaction in Career Path

Click here for more information on creating a successful high school and college to workplace plan.

Click here for the full article and table – The Best Values in Public Colleges.

2 Points to Ponder – Investment vs. Return

Investment vs. Return is not just about financial planning, it also addresses the impact of your educational investment and return on those dollars.   About a week ago there was an interesting article in the Wall Street Journal, “Reid Hoffman: Searching for Breakout Ideas,” with great questions and answers.  One of my favorites was a question about how people see themselves in their careers.  Hoffman responded with several statements, but most importantly he addressed the need for people to invest in themselves.

It is no wonder that Tom Rath’s book, StrengthsFinder 2.0, has been on the best seller list every single week since it was published in 2007.  People have been out of work or lost in their search for a career path, or they are looking for ways to move forward in a time when there are new rules for employment and jobs look different.   That’s why it is important to pay attention when he addresses the fact that Talent x Investment = Strength.  This applies to students as well as those already in the workforce.

Investment vs. Return is now about investing in you for your own future return.   What can you do for yourself now to position your self better in the future?   What or how much are you willing to invest for a positive return?  This is a call to action.  What will you do?  For help with your plan……take action….click here.

3 A’s for a Successful High School to College Plan

Building a plan for success begins as early as middle school since your grades transferring in to high school will determine the level of courses in your schedule.  But once you are there it’s important to remember that there are 3 A’s to keep in focus.

Active and Targeted Community Service – Get involved with something that moves you.  Identify a community or church organization that needs volunteers, accommodates your school schedule, and allows you an opportunity to participate in something you find interesting enough to want to learn and do more.  These are great career exploration opportunities, so target something and get active!

Authentic Leadership Experiences – Not only should you be involved, but seize the opportunity to take on a leadership role.  It builds character, experience, and can become a critical factor for admissions to universities and colleges.   In order to be authentic, you have to be an involved leader and not just carry the title.

Academic Rigor – Challenge yourself to take the most difficult level courses you can manage while maintaining the highest GPA.  Universities want to see a demonstration of your ability to learn at a higher level.  Slackers need not apply.

Build a plan for success by paying attention to all of the A’s!

Understanding Your Abilities – Part II

The more we understand about our natural abilities, the better we can make effective choices that lead us toward satisfying and rewarding careers and lives in general.  Since abilities can be measured, it only makes sense that once we know what those numbers look like, that we are able to apply them to our daily lives both on the job and in our personal time.   When natural abilities are measured using the Highlands Ability Battery, a series of 19 tasks yield results that measure 21 separate areas and address Personal Style, Driving Abilities, and Specialized Abilities.

Personal Style addresses your comfort in interacting with others.  It also involves the kind of environment that you find most satisfying, the way you replenish your energy level and the level of stress you may feel in certain environments.  It helps to identify the size of organization that you would feel most comfortable and productive.

Driving Abilities have a strong impact on all of us.  They can be measured and help us to understand how we solve problems and the number of problems we enjoy solving in our daily work lives.  They also help us to identify whether we should be considering career directions that are more abstract or hands-on in their orientation as well as our communication strengths and challenges.

Finally, the Specialized Abilities help us to better understand how we take in information. They also provide further information to validate career directions as well as enhance our performance through strategies for learning.

Want to learn more about Natural Abilities,  your specific Natural Abilities and your career path?  Do you need help with identifying and writing an effective Goal Plan?  Contact me at marla@marlabrady.com.