 as we discussed in Beyond Tuition, Fees, and Books: The Other Costs of College. Think not just in terms of the money but also of gaining experience that is especially relevant to your future plans—and your resume.
Any summer, but especially the summer before senior year, is an ideal time to amass some of the community service hours that are crucial to your college application. We explained in The Why, When, and How Much of Community Service that a majority of college admissions officers treat community service as an important tie-breaker when deciding between applicants who are otherwise equal. The Coaching Educator considers 500 total hours an important milestone, so the advantage of tackling community service during the months when you’re out of school is obvious. Long-term commitment to one thing or a few things is preferable to a more diffuse pattern of activity, and of course a leadership role, however humble, is highly desirable.
For students with interests and aspirations in athletics and the arts, these are opportunities to evaluate skill levels (their own and those of the competition), improve upon their talents, gather information about opportunities, do some networking, and get noticed by the people whose attention they need to attract.
Preparing for the SAT and ACT while actually attending school is a significant challenge, which of course is part of the game. If you’ve already taken it at the usual time during junior year and weren’t fully satisfied with the outcome, a summer retake might be a good idea, and summer practice definitely is if you plan to test again. The summer before senior year is the perfect time to lay a foundation for that next attempt in the fall. Be systematic: Set aside definite blocks of time for study and practice tests, and keep learning how to think in the way you’ll need to think to be ultimately successful on the test.
The summer before senior year can and should be a time of pleasurable intellectual improvement. It’s important to spend as much time as possible reading outside the high school curriculum and outside the triviality that passes for reading material in the internet age. We reported with some distress in Remedial Nation: The Ghastly State of College Preparedness that most high school students who read for pleasure choose material written at middle school level—at most. While college humanities and social science curricula have been dumbed down considerably, they still can be a shock to the system of high school graduates who haven’t challenged themselves. We recommend that you spend the summer before senior year reading about something that truly interests you but on a level suitable for an educated adult. If you know enough about your college plans to be able to read ahead into the collegiate curriculum, so much the better.
The rigor of an applicant’s high school course-work is a major factor in the decision-making of admissions officers and appears to be gaining ground on test scores in that regard (see The New Fashion: Test-Optional Admissions). The summer before senior year can be an opportune time to make up a course in which you under-performed or take a new course that you might otherwise not have the opportunity to take. It can also be a good time to get heavily immersed in a foreign language. Your own high school’s summer school program is a possibility, as are online programs and community colleges.
Many families like to visit colleges during summer vacation, treating them as part of the family outing. This can be pleasant as a sightseeing experience, but we strongly recommend that you treat a college visit as the serious intelligence-gathering mission we described in How to Get the Most Out of a College Visit. The problem with a summer visit is that college life during the summer is not at all representative of what an institution is like the rest of the time. Most of the students are away, and since most students don’t attend summer school, the students on hand during the summer tend not to be typical. Most student activities are suspended during the summer. Most faculty members are away, as are some administrators. Spaces that normally are crowded are relatively empty, including the business district near the campus. Dining options may be different. Visiting colleges during the summer can enable you to look things over in a leisurely way, and it’s true that some people on campus will have more time for you then, but we advise against making such a visit decisive in your selection of a college.
While it’s essential that you use your time responsibly during the summer before senior year, rest and recreation are essential. Your senior year will be far less enjoyable and less productive if you’re already feeling frazzled when school starts. And after all, this is when the preliminaries come to an end and the year of big, life-altering decisions arrives. Then, once senior year is over and college itself is on the horizon, life will never be quite the same again. The summer before senior year, if handled wisely, can help set you up for the next phase.
The college admissions process seems to get more and more complicated, with far too many tasks and deadlines and moving parts. The Coaching Educator can provide direction, support, and peace of mind with our proven methods of helping students stay on target, on task, and on time as they seek admission to the college of their choice and pursue the means of paying for it.
Kari Lerum is an Associate Professor of Interdisciplinary Arts & Sciences and Cultural Studies at University of Washington Bothell, and Adjunct Faculty in Gender, Women, and Sexuality Studies at University of Washington Seattle. She holds a B.A. in Sociology from Pacific Lutheran University, and an M.A. and Ph.D. in Sociology from University of Washington.
Her scholarship centers on the critical study of social inequality, focusing on the intersections of sexuality, institutions, and culture. She teaches courses in the topics of inequality, media, research methods, sexuality, and sex work. Her articles have appeared in a number of sociology and sexuality related journals and edited volumes. She is a consulting editor for Archives of Sexual Behavior, is on the editorial board of Sexuality & Culture, and is a former editor of the "Mediations" section of Contexts Magazine. She also has blogged for Ms. Magazine, Rh Reality Check, and Sexuality & Society (of which she is founder and editor).Fintech specialist, e4, has announced an organisational redesign to create vertically focused value segments for its expanding client base. e4 CEO, Grant Phillips, says that the re-alignment allows the business to clearly articulate its broadened value proposition to its diversified client base.
The Dog at Wingham is a very dog friendly pub with rooms, great local food and lovely walks on the doorstep. Winner of Kent Pub of the year, it is worth checking out with your 4 legged friend!
Have you visited The Dog before? If so, why not consider leaving a review?A nice article in the Journal of Family Psychology (March 2006, Vol. 20, No. 1, 117-126) by research psychologist Scott Stanley, titled "Premarital Education, Marital Quality, and Marital Stability: Findings From a Large, Random Household Survey" presents evidence from a four state survey of over 3000 homes (representing a wide range of economic, ethic and cultural groupings in Oklahoma, Texas, Arkansas and Kansas) that pre-marital counseling helps to make marriages healthy and strong. If this finding was ever in doubt, it should no longer be.
Pre-marital counseling is typically offered as a sort of educational class that engaged couples can attend (or must attend) prior to getting married. It is most always delivered in a religious setting (e.g., the counseling is a pre-condition that priests or other clergy set upon being married within the church). There are secular versions of this counseling however. Classes cover topics like how to handle conflicts, how to come to agreement on marital decisions, and how to communicate well. They range from 1 to 40 hours duration.
Couples in the survey that participated in pre-marital counseling were, on average, 31% less likely to divorce in any given year of their marriage than couples who did not benefit from this counseling. They were also more likely than un-counseled couples to report higher marital satisfaction, lower marital conflict and greater levels of commitment. When results were broken out among groups differing in educational status, it was found that moderately to very educated couples benefited from the pre-marital counseling more than less educated couples in one major aspect only – they were less likely to divorce. The gains in commitment and satisfaction were stable across all educational groups.
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UMich Steel Bridge and Concrete Canoe Competition Video on YouTube
(special thanks to John McCarthy)
Cooperation Partnership - MCCT will be cooperating with the Florida Gulf Coast University Concrete Canoe team next year as both teams will help each other out with constant communication and an open information exchange. Almost like concrete canoe pen pals!
Competition Results - 5th overall, 2nd in oral presentation(!), 3rd in technical report(!)
Sponsorship News - Ann Arbor T-Shirt Company has generously agreed to provide MCCT with their competition shirts in exchange for sponsorship benefits. Check out their link below for great apparel items!
Custom Screen Printing and Embroidery serving Ann Arbor and Detroit!
If you are looking for a fun project for the next academic year, consider joining MCCT!
We are coming off of a very improved and fantastic year and we are looking
for new, energetic members to continue the success and improvement.
You do not need to have any knowledge about concrete to join,
so feel free to stop by and check out one of our meetings.
Our friendly officers and members would be happy to inform you all about