College Visits:

College Open House/Information Sessions:

Bridgewater State University

Office of Undergraduate Admission

45 Plymouth Street

Bridgewater, MA 02325

College of Education & Allied Studies 

Saturday, October 27, 2018, 9AM to 1PM

Ricciardi College of Business & Bartlett College of Science and Mathematics

Saturday, November 3, 2018, 9AM to 1PM 

Register online HERE!  

UMass Dartmouth

Fall Open House Sunday, November 4 at 9am

285 Old Westport Road, Darmouth, MA 02747

RSVP umassd.edu/openhouse

Western New England

Fall Open House Sun 11/4, Sat 12/1, and Sun 3/10

1215 Wilbraham Rd, Springfield, MA 01119

Register at: WNE.edu/visit or call 413-1321

Stonehill College

Fall Open House Saturday, 11/10

320 Washington Street, Easton MA 02357

Register at www.stonehill.edu/openhouse

Emerson College

Fall Open House Saturday, 10/27 and Saturday, 11/10

120 Boylston Street Boston, MA 02116

RSVP at www.emerson.edu/ugvisit

Special Programs

Bryant University Sales Discovery Program

Compete in the Northeast Intercollegiate Sales Competition, and see how you match up against opponents from the top schools in the Northeast!

Put your skills to the test in this tournament-style competition. Compete for cash prizes, receive individualized feedback and coaching from experienced sales professionals, attend skill and leadership building sessions, network and explore potential internship and job opportunities!

Event Timing: Saturday, December 8, 2018, 10:00 AM- 12:00 PM
Event Address: 1150 Douglas Pike, Smithfield, RI AIC Forum
Contact us at 401-232-6000 ext. 20922; lgarrone@bryant.edu

Lindsay Garrone, Sales Program Logistics Coordinator

Register here: Register Your Team! 

Henry David Thoreau Scholarship for MA high school seniors

Win up to 20K tuition scholarship for Environmental Studies.

Submit an online application by 2/1 of your senior year via

www.thoreauscholar.org

Seton Hall’s sustainable development challenge

1^st place winner $2500 cash plus 10K scholarship to attend Seton Hall University

2^nd place winner $1000 cash prize plus 6K scholarship to attend Seton Hall University

300-500 word statement that describes an innovative approach or idea you have for addressing one of the UN Sustainable Development Goals

All submissions must be received by Sunday, March 3, 2019

For more details and to enter, visit www.shu.edu/UNchallenge

Blog Thoughts

THE COACH’S GUIDE TO COLLEGE ADMISSION

October 24, 2018 by Rick Clark

Listen to the audio version here!

A few months ago I wrote about no longer coaching my son’s soccer team. This fall I have moved on from that 9 year-old boys’ team to my daughter’s 7 year-old squad. Let’s just say it’s been… a transition. The 9 year-olds, especially in those last few seasons, had really developed their skills and understanding of the game. We had progressed to using phrases like “check,” “square,” and “drop.” When they came to practice, they would (generally) listen, execute the drills, and understand what I was instructing them to do.

It did not take me long to remember what it’s like coaching 7 year-olds. In the first practice, one girl literally fell to the ground when I said, “drop” (I’m not sure what she would have “checked”  had I used that term). When I asked them to stand five yards apart and work on two-touch passing, I got a few blank stares combined with distances that left me wondering if it was their understanding of  “five” or “yards” we  needed to work on.

And then we had our first game. It felt like trying to verbally control Foosball players. I found myself calling out from the sideline, “Now you kick it to her, then you kick it to her, and…” Yeah. It didn’t work. On the ride home I realized I needed to re-think my approach and expectations. I decided on three simple priorities for the season: stay “jump rope” distance apart; dribble—don’t kick; and encourage each other.

If you are a parent (or “coach”) in the college admission “season,” I think these goals (pun intended) apply to you as well.

Jump Rope Distance

Clearly, the kids needed to see what five yards looks like, so I brought a jump rope to our next practice and had them take turns stretching it out and holding it. We talked about that being an appropriate separation to keep while you are on the field. At that distance, you can pass to each other and help each other defend. Maintaining that length keeps you from bumping into each other or knocking each other over while trying to get the ball.

As a parent in this process, you are a coach—not a player. You are a parent—not an applicant. Sometimes you may need to go for a walk or drive to re-examine your game plan and check-in: have you recently said something like, “We are taking the SAT next weekend,” or “Our first choice is Purdue”? We have all winced while watching through the slits in our fingers as a coach forgets their role and runs out onto the field, attempting to play for the team. Don’t be that coach! This means asking questions about college essays and making helpful edits or suggestions—not re-writing them with words like “lugubrious” or “obsequious.” This means backing away when you are at a college visit and letting your son or daughter ask their questions of a tour guide or an admission counselor. In a short year or two, they will be on a college campus. They will need to be able to advocate and navigate for themselves. Are you coaching them to be ready for that?

In a recent Washington Post article, Scott Lutostanski discusses executive function skills, which include organization, time management, and planning. He asserts parents need to be disciplined and cognizant of taking opportunities to empower their kids to grow and develop in these areas. Searching for, applying to, getting in, getting disappointed, and ultimately deciding upon a college are all opportunities to help your student enhance these invaluable skills. Don’t steal the ball. Remember: Jump rope distance.

Dribble—don’t kick.  

In practice, I let them simply kick and run after the ball. When they did that, the ball often went out-of-bounds or a defensive player quickly took it away. They realized they were out of control and ineffective. Since then we’ve been focused on dribbling—keeping the ball close so they can cut or change direction when necessary. As a parent/coach, that’s your job too. The college admission process is not Foosball where you simply turn the rod and control the players or the game. You cannot control admission decisions. You cannot control merit scholarships or financial aid packages. You cannot control the competition in any given applicant pool. Slow the game down. Keep perspective. One play at a time. One game at a time. Dribbling allows your team to keep things close and make choices, adjustments, and intentional decisions when the unexpected or uncontrollable happens. Dribble—don’t kick.

Encourage Each Other!

Most of the girls on our team have yet to score a goal. We have made it clear that success is not about scoring. Winning looks different for each one of our players. For some it is making a good pass, while for others it is performing a new dribbling move, or using their non-dominant foot to trap the ball. One of the most gratifying parts of the season has been listening to the players on the bench cheering for their teammates. Some of the loudest celebrations have come after a teammate makes a “jump rope” pass. The entire bench starts chanting “jump rope, jump rope!”

What is winning for your daughter or son in their college experience? Not where, coach (and not what you want!). What do they want to study? What kind of faculty and students do they want to be around? What part of your state, region, or country are they excited about spending their colleges years in? Keep asking them these questions.

I hope you will not make winning about getting in to a particular college. Coach so your son or daughter doesn’t feel like your expectation, love, and approval is tied up in getting in (read: scoring), but rather that your joy is in seeing them find multiple colleges that match their goals. Winning is finding affordable financial options everyone is excited about. Winning is staying connected and supporting your son or daughter—holding them up and celebrating them, rather than achieving a particular outcome.

Game Plan

In documentaries or press conferences, players do not talk about how the coach got them to something (titles, awards, etc.) but how they got them as a person—they built trust, believed in them, and encouraged them relentlessly. Similarly, in retirement speeches, coaches rarely mention championships or trophies, but rather define success by their bond with players.  It’s going to be a great season. Go get ‘em, coach!

How to Write Admission Essays Easily!

Admission essays are the one thing everyone dreads, but also wants to nail in their college applications.They are the most challenging part of the entire application process and students – even the smart and creative ones – often get stumped.

If you’re in that list, then you’ve come to the right place: here is a four-phase guide to make your essay stand out!

Phase one: Pre-Essay Preparation.

You may think you can easily write your application essay because you have been writing academic essays all your life but you’re wrong. Academic essays include an introduction, a thesis statement followed by a few paragraphs of elaboration and evidence to support it, and then comes a conclusion to tie everything together. Admission essays are a completely different story.

They are personal, and involve a great deal of creativity. In order to be able to write naturally, practice writing before you start working on your essay.

·       Write a paragraph a day – this will get the creative juices flowing and set the right flow for writing.

·       Read sample essays before you write your own. This could be your friends’ application essays or online samples , but familiarize yourself with how you’re expected to write.

·       Make notes from your samples. If you liked the way one started, jot that down. Write anything you like or notice, so later you can incorporate that in your essay.

Phase 2: Brainstorming.

This is the most important thing, second only to writing the essay itself. And it involves a lot more thinking than you may have imagined.

·       Let the prompt sink in. All college essays generally ask you a question, or give you one or two main ideas to focus on. While they may not seem challenging, don’t trivialize them. It is easy for students to get lost and forget that their essay is supposed to revolve around the cues given. Your essay isn’t an autobiography.

·       Read the prompt multiple times to make sure it is embedded deep in your brain and comes up every time you think about your application.

·       Reflect. Next step is to think about what you’re going to write, and write down any and everything that comes to your mind. Don’t worry about what fits and what is causing conflicts, just write the points down for now. Give yourself a day or two for this. Take your time to seriously THINK about what you’re going to write.

·       Narrow down what points you’re going to use from the ones you wrote down earlier. This prevents your essay from digressing.

Phase Three: Writing the essay.

Now that you’ve thought a great deal about your essay, it is time to finally write it down.

·       Create a layout first. Your essay needs blueprints too! Have a strategic plan to organize all the information you have accumulated.

·       Know which story to choose. Make sure the anecdote is fun to read and interesting, but also enables you to analyze in the end. The examiner is more interested in your self-reflection, rather than the story. Afterall the whole point of the essay is to make sure your examiner gets to know you. And that cannot be done by reading about an experience; it is done by what that experience made you feel.

·       Be succinct. If you can write something in ten words, don’t beat about the bush and write it in fifty. Make your sentences short and effective.

·       Do not digress! In your layout, decide a key idea to make your essay revolve around. Start with that key point, and stick to it. Don’t get lost in telling tales.

·       Be yourself. Write as naturally as you can. Like how you would actually talk, except with better vocabulary perhaps.

Phase four: Proof read.

This step is not skippable. It is just as crucial as your essay and can make or break it.

·       Let your essay sit for a while. Don’t just write it and then proof read. Walk away, and come back at least two hours later with a refreshed mind.

·       Let your friends read it. Get other people’s opinions too. They may give you a new perspective that you hadn’t thought of. This will improve your essay.

·       Check for consistency. See if the tone is the same throughout your essay. The tenses should not switch by the second half of your essay.

Conclusion

After reading all of this, one thing is crystal clear: good admission essays take time. They are an entire process, not just a mere assignment. You cannot write your essay one night before the deadline and send it in. Take your time and put in all the effort you need to, to nail your college application with this essay!

If you’re applying for college, you will have a couple of friends doing the same thing. Share these tips with your friends to help them out with their essays, so perhaps you can end up in the same university like you had always dreamed of!