Admissions Essay Topic Prompts

Hi everyone! I cannot believe it is already June and 2016 is almost half-way over! How are you coming on those New Years Resolutions? Personally, I have not been keeping them all going strong, but summer is here and I am ready to get back on the band-wagon to a "better me!" What better way to work on those resolutions than by preparing for your future? Today I have compiled some sample topics/prompts that you can use as inspiration for writing your college admissions essay, sample scholarship essay, personal statement for graduate school, or just to refine your definition of yourself!

First, I wanted to share with all of you Juniors or anyone looking to return to college the prompts that the Common Application has provided for this coming year's college admissions application! You can find them here, but if you don't find any of these as inspiring and the university allows you to write about a topic of your choice, read on to get inspired by my suggestions.

Why are your choosing a specific major or career?

What travel experience has impacted you the most?

What will your future look like and how will you get there?

 

Who is your hero and how have they impacted you?

Why is a college education important to you?

How will your talents add to the university's academic programs or campus culture?

What inspires you most in this world?

 Talk about a transformative experience you had in high school/college.

 When you're at the age of 80, what will you have hoped to accomplish in your lifetime? 

What makes you excited to pursue a college education?

Describe how a teacher or coach helped you better yourself.

How have the arts (music, dance, theater, art) impacted your education?

How do/will you give back to your community, currently/in the future?

What is your biggest passion? 

 I hope this list inspires you all to get started on your admissions essay and you work on perfecting them over the summer! In my undergraduate admissions essay, I talked about my passion for community service and how that impacted my relationships with people, and for my graduate admissions essay, I discussed the events that led to choosing the career/program I did!

Your essay gives the admissions committee a better glimpse at what you bring to the table. This is your chance to eloquently brag about yourself and talk about those amazing experiences you've had that fit no where else on the application. 

Do you already have a topic in mind that you plan to write about? Share below so that you can hopefully inspire a peer's essay too! Have a great rest of the week everyone!

enjoy the chase,

skylar

 

 

Making the Most of your Snow Day - HS Edition!

Hi everyone! I hope your week is going well and you are getting excited for the weekend ... I know I am!! Now that we are in the thick of winter, a lot of students across the nation will be facing Snow Days in the coming weeks and what's important is to make the most out of those Snow Days. They should be both relaxing and productive, so I have devised a schedule for a perfect snow day for all you high school students!

8:30 - 9:30am - Wake up, make breakfast and get ready for the day! Obviously, everyone wants to sleep in the morning of a Snow Day, so sleeping until 8-8:30 allows you to get some extra rest, while still being able to make the day productive. Make sure you change out of your pj's too, otherwise you will just want to lounge around all day. While you're eating breakfast, take your time to peruse your Facebook and Instagram so that you can dedicate the rest of the day to your projects and being productive!

Take this time to follow us on Twitter @Chasing_College

9:30 - 11:00am - Work on homework! A typical teenager, when there's the threat of a big snow storm will hold off doing their homework in hopes of getting that day off. So, use this time to work on those last-minute readings, assignments, and projects! If you already completed all your homework and started some projects, then use this time to read a book or catch up on some other projects around the house (cleaning your room, doing laundry, shoveling the driveway, emptying the dishwasher ... etc.)

11:00am - 12:00pm - Complete any college or scholarship applications that you started! If you've yet to submit your college application, take this time to do that today! You won't be interrupted and you can focus on proofreading your essay and making sure all of your information is correct in a quiet house. If you've submitted your application, take this time to search for scholarships at the universities you are interested in and through private organizations. If you need to, start a generic essay about your college goals, plans for the money, and how you give back to your community! (These are common topics on scholarship applications). Use this as your Chasing College time!

Check out my blog post on finding scholarships!

12:00 - 1:00pm - Fix lunch and catch up on your shows! If you've been really productive, then you will want to take a break to eat your lunch and watch tv! Make something simple like a sandwich with chips, a salad, or a box of mac&cheese, then sit down at your computer or tv and catch up on your favorite tv shows, vlogs, or watch part of a movie. This will help you relax and take a breather from a productive and thought-provoking morning!

1:00 - 2:15pm -  Dedicate this time to your hobby! If you want to go for a run on the treadmill, play with your dogs outside, practice your dance routines, or shoot some hoops in your garage; use this time to do that! You want to be productive in a school sense on your Snow Days, but you also want to be productive in the other areas of your life that matter. If you like to paint or draw, you can do that during this time too. Dedicate it to something constructive that you love to do!

2:15 - 3:15pm - Clean up the house! If you are anything like my sister and I when we were younger, we waited until the very last second to clean the house and do up the dishes before our parents came home from work. So take this time to do up the dishes, put all of your stuff back into your bedroom, and tidy up the living room and kitchen. Have the radio playing in the background and it will help keep you motivated while doing those chores!

3:15pm - 4:30pm - Finish up any of your homework that still needs to be completed! Let's face it, a majority of us wouldn't get up until 11:00am anyways on a Snow Day, so use this time for catching up on your homework or any projects if you woke up late. If you need to finish up some projects or found a great scholarship with an upcoming deadline you want to work on, then devote this time to finishing up those assignments and projects! If you're feeling adventurous, you can also use this time to start dinner for your family by making the salad or a side dish to go along with the meal!

4:30pm - Bedtime - Spend the rest of the evening with your family! Treasure this time where you all are home and indoors. Suggest doing a game night after dinner to keep everyone inside and out of the cold. You may also want to volunteer to do dishes or to help your mom or dad with a project they are working on! No matter what though, use this time to be with your family and be in the moment. Share something exciting that happened to you today, like getting a head start on that big research paper or finding a great scholarship you want to apply to! They would love to hear how productive your Snow Day was!!

A Snow Day should be both relaxing and productive for you, so use your time wisely and don't waste it by watching a million re-runs of Keeping up with the Kardashians or something on Netflix! For those of you on the East Coast, there's a snow storm coming today and the rest of the weekend, so let's all hope for a Snow Day tomorrow! Have a great weekend everyone!

enjoy the chase,

skylar

"I Submitted my Application ... Now What?"

Hi everyone! Today I want to talk to you all about what you can do after your college application is submitted that will still make a positive impact on your future college career!

The #1 Myth about applying to college is that once you have submitted your college applications you are good to go ... WRONG! It is so important to stay motivated and continue working hard even into the Winter and Spring of your final year of high school. Colleges will still look at your performance in that last semester because you have to submit your final High School Transcript to them once you graduate. Don't slack off and screw up ... keep your momentum going!

One positive thing you can do after all of your applications are submitted is apply to scholarships! You can check out a "Wish I Knew Wednesday" post about scholarships here, but you should be concentrating on applying to scholarships too. IT'S FREE MONEY -- who doesn't want that? You can focus on one scholarship a week or do a few every other week, but the important thing is to keep looking for available scholarships online and through your High School Guidance Department!

Another way to productively use this time is by looking into different internship and job opportunities for the future. You can look for summer jobs for once May and June rolls around or you can search the classified ads or monster.com to see what jobs lie in the field you're interested in. This may help you in the future with deciding on a concentration within your major or possible just deciding on a major at all! Also, looking for internships can be incredibly helpful for your future-self. Chances are that an internship that is being promoted now will also be promoted and offered next year around this same time. Jot down the internships you find and try to apply to them next year or the year after. Check the criteria for the internship, but if grade or credit level doesn't matter, why not apply to it when you have the chance next year!

Visiting the campuses again in the Spring can be a good use of this time as well. Especially if you need to attend a formal interview for a scholarship, do a portfolio review, or even have an audition for your major. Most campuses offer visit opportunities through the Spring and even after decisions are sent out, they have Accepted Student Days for a in-depth look at life on campus. It may be necessary to wait until you receive your decision, but if you have the free time and its a nice weekend, why not visit one of your top choices!

Taking advantage of a potential career booster would be a great way to spend these first few months of the New Year! Look into opportunities in your high school or your community to work in your future major. If you're interested in studying Education, look into tutoring elementary students during your Study Hall; if you're interested in studying Hospitality, see if the local tourism bureau needs some help planning for a spring festival; if you're interested in studying Art, volunteer at a local art gallery every Saturday. All of these will give you great experience for your future profession. Also, if you are potentially wait-listed or the admissions committee needs to re-review your application, you showing them that you are very passionate about your potential career and that you are already taking initiative to be successful, may help positively sway their admissions decision for you.

Another positive option is to do something that takes you entirely out of your comfort zone. In about eight months you will be venturing off to college which will be such a new surrounding and experience for you. Because of that, acclimate yourself to doing new things and trying what the world has to offer. This could be joining a new club or sports team (even if it is just JV), taking a February/Spring Break trip that emphasizes rebuilding homes or reading 18th Century Russian Literature. Do things you wouldn't normally do and that will help expand your horizons past what you are familiar with. Think about attending a leadership conference or a daily Writing/Drawing campus at a local college. Once you get used to doing new things, your transition into college life will not be as difficult.

These are all just suggestions for making the next couple of months worthwhile in your chase for college. Don't forget to take some time for yourself and to assess how far you've come over the last three and a half years, but also try to do something that will benefit you in the future! If you need ideas or suggestions feel free to comment, e-mail or tweet me and I would be happy to give you some feedback! Have a great rest of the week everyone!

enjoy the chase,

skylar

New Year's Resolutions

Hi everyone and Happy New Year!! 2015 is behind us and we can now look towards all of the great success we will achieve in 2016! Today, I am sharing with you all some great New Year's Resolutions ideas for anyone who is Chasing College! 

First and foremost, let's make 2016 the year where we 
Remove the negative and add the positive !!

You will become a happier and more successful person and student if you consistently work towards adding positive things to your daily routine, your thought processes, and just your general actions towards the world! Here are some resolutions that everyone can get behind in 2016!

1. Apply to One Scholarship Each Week - We could all use some extra money in the new year, so spend one day each week applying to a scholarship that you qualify for! You can spend a few hours organizing your application and essay to make sure that you have the best possible chance of winning the money! I would pick one day and designate that as scholarship day so that you can get into a routine of applying for scholarships each week on that day! This goes for anyone whose chasing college!

2. Seek College/Career Advice - Have genuine conversations with your teachers, coaches, parents, grandparents, and family friends about their college and career advice. Even if it is just talking to them about their experiences or their career journey can be beneficial to you! So, dedicate time and attention throughout 2016 to hearing others' stories and advice that they have for you. 

3. Spend 30 Minutes Doing Something you Love - Mental health is just as important as physical health, so while everyone is resolving to spend 30 minutes a day exercising, you should spend 30 minutes each day doing something you love! This could be exercising, playing a sport, crafting, reading a book for fun, dancing, baking, or catching up on your favorite tv show. No matter what though, this should be something that renews your mind and gives you energy to get your school work done! 

4. Remove Negative People - This is a huge part of the theme: "Remove the negative and add the positive." Having negative people around you can be the huge factor in a great year or a not-so great year, so be sure to surround yourself with the right people who are going to bring positive and supportive energy to you. Now, I realize in high school, you can't always remove those negative people since you most likely go to school with them, but you can try to distance yourself from them and that will help tremendously. 

5. Follow People who Inspire You - Follow people on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube who inspire you in your career goals, your personal life, or in your faith. They don't always have to have direct coordination to your life goals, but following people who are successful and who you can look to for potential future successes can help make 2016 a great year for your career and personal goals! 

6. Attend a Workshop that Interests You - Another way to help you have a great year career and college-wise is through attending a workshop, seminar, conference, or summer camp that interests you. This could be a photography workshop or a basket-weaving class, a seminar on creating wedding up-dos, or attending a Physics Conference. If you are young and still in high school, apply to a summer week-long camp in an academic program that interests you: architecture, writing, dance, or business. This can give you a jumpstart on your career and college search and it may also give you an edge for your college application in a few years!

7. Keep Your Head Up - You have 365 days to accomplish everything you want to this year: get into college, gain acceptance to law school, move away from home, become published, work at an internship, teach a class, and so much more. You will face adversity this year, but keep your head up and know that your chase for college is worth it and will bring you so much success in your years to come!

Here's to a great start to a great year everyone!!

enjoy the chase,

skylar

Wish I Knew Wednesday

"I wish I'd known where to look for scholarships and other ways to access them."
Tyler P., Leonardsville, New York

Scholarships are so important, whether your parents are paying for your education or you are. For myself, scholarships were necessary for affording my education. I am grateful for the Academic Scholarship I received from my alma mater for all four years of my education, but I still needed other scholarships to help offset the cost of textbooks, on-campus living arrangements, and the meal plan. 

Below I am listing some great resources for you to search for different types of scholarships. 

• High School Guidance Office - This is rather obvious, but most schools offer scholarships for a variety of reasons; in memory of alums who have passed, from local businesses, and from the faculty association. In addition, local organizations will advertise their scholarships to that office, so feel free to check in every few weeks to see what scholarship opportunities are available to you!
  
• Fastweb.com - This website has a ton of listings for scholarships. All you do is fill out a profile with what you plan on studying, where you are from, and what extra-curricular activities you are involved in. Then, they match you to the scholarships which apply to you and your high school experiences. Check it out here: http://www.fastweb.com/college-scholarships
  
• Military Organizations - This is a huge area for scholarship opportunities. Some scholarships are eligible for students whose parents, grandparents, aunts/uncles, brothers/sisters, or children are serving or have served in the United States Military. Specifically if you have a veteran in your family who is actively involved in an organization, like the American Legion, you can potentially apply to scholarships for the local organization, as well as, the national organization. (My grandfather is a retired member of the Special Forces and is actively involved in his local chapter, so I applied twice -- one for the local and one for the national. I was awarded two very high amount scholarships from the local and national organization, all thanks to my grandfather who read a Special Forces magazine which discussed the scholarship.)
  
• US Government Websites - The various departments and offices within the national and local government provide scholarships for a variety of students. These could be based on potential majors or based on your performance/interests in high school. My suggestion is to do a simple search on their website of "scholarship" and just see what comes up! One example, if you are a student with a disability, is the list of scholarships that the government consistently updates for students who are eligible, depending on the area of your disability.
  
• Community Organizations - See what your community area offers too! Most churches, if you or a family member is an active member, provide scholarships to students from the congregation. Also, if there is a Masonic Temple, a historical society, a sports organization, or an arts society, check with them to see if they have scholarships available, or if they know of other organizations who offer them. Talk with your coaches, your teachers, and your neighbors to see if they have other suggestions about scholarship opportunities in the community.
  
• Parent's Place of Work - Depending on where your parents or guardians work, they may offer scholarships to employee's children. Whether they are private companies or city/state positions, the Human Resources Office may have information on the scholarships they offer. This information may be available on the company's intranet or in their weekly/monthly reports. It doesn't hurt to simply ask the HR officers to get a definite answer of whether they offer scholarships to employee's children.

I hope my suggestions have provided some great ideas for looking into scholarship opportunities. Whether a scholarship is fifty dollars or five thousand, any little bit counts ... always remember that! You will continuously want to check these resources for new scholarships. Also, you should NEVER have to pay to get a scholarship, so if you have to pay to apply for something, then it is not worth your time or money and it is probably a scam. 

Cazenovia College, Upstate New York

Good Luck everyone on your scholarship search and on your scholarship applications!! Let me know if you find a good one!

enjoy the chase,

skylar