professional
portfolios
 Education:
Bridget Hotrum
Bridget Hotrum,
owner and director of College Bound Admissions Academy, based in
McMurray, is a family-oriented practice of college admissions,
counseling and financial aid consulting. College Bound helps
prepare students become the best candidate possible for the
college admissions process while helping parents maximize their
financial aid eligibility. For more information contact
724-942-7680 or via the web at www.bridgethotrum.com
Prepare
to Succeed at College
Higher Education Tip
#1: The Importance of High School Course Selection
I recently had the
privilege of doing some transcript review and college planning
reports for several families in Florida, Nevada, New York, Texas
and Georgia. In a very short period, I was astonished to see the
lack of preparation towards a higher education goal considering
the choices these students were making regarding their high
school course selections. I am not surprised by the statistic
that 47% of college students will drop out.
Often we see
students who are interested in meeting the high school
curriculum requirements not realizing the goal is to prepare for
college level work. Colleges are looking for students who are
well prepared, such as reaching beyond the simple ‘requirements’.
When students make the conscious decision to stay in all core
subjects, it shows their commitment to learning.
When selecting high
school courses, develop a plan! Whether you are a freshman,
sophomore or junior, map out your high school course work. Be
deliberate in constructing a path towards your higher education
goal. Here are some tips to help:
Tip # 1: Map out
your High School Courses
Tip #2: Maintain 5
‘solids’ All 4 years of high school (academic solids are:
math, English, science, social science and foreign language).
Tip #3: Be strategic
in taking honors and AP courses. If you are considering taking
honor courses as a freshman, consider what your course load will
look like when you are a senior? 5 AP Courses can be very
stressful to some students!
Tip #4: Explore
interests through electives. Take a variety of electives that
you are interested in learning more about.
Tip #5: Don’t set
yourself up to fail. Become flexible with moving your plan
according to your skills and ability. However, do not take a
light senior course load! This will make you a weaker candidate
for admissions (but more importantly this will not prepare you
for your freshman year of college).
Here are two
commonly asked questions:
Is it better to take a regular college prep course and receive
an A or to take an honors/AP and get a B?
This is a loaded
question with a number of possible outcomes! There is no way to
state a blanket answer other than it is better to get an A in an
honors/AP course. Evaluate your motives! Colleges are aware of
grade preservation, so be careful! Also, determine what level of
selectivity the colleges are demanding to which you may be
applying. If you will be applying to highly selective schools,
you will be competing with kids on an AP level.
I have taken 3 years
of a foreign language; is it necessary to take a foreign
language in my junior or senior year?
Remember, taking 5
solids in all 4 years of high school should be your goal! This
is especially true, again, as the admissions selectivity
increases. Remember to be deliberate in your path; perhaps it
makes more sense to take the first language level again as a
freshman in high school, instead of starting in the second
level? Also remember: do not set yourself up to fail. If you do
not have a love of language and you know you cannot get an A or
B in a 4th or AP level course, consider not taking the course!
|
