Last Fall, student participants in the BetterGrads pilot eMentoring Program at Granada High (Livermore, CA) formed a new club on campus unlike any other. The College Prep Club was designed to encourage students – 2400 in all – to see college as an attainable goal.

Since its inception, the College Prep Club 2012 (with “2012″ signifying the year members will graduate from high school and begin college) has significantly improved the college-going culture on campus.

The College Prep Club has been involved in several college-themed activities, including SAT study sessions and College Planning “Expo” nights. Recently, students initiated the Pennant Project, for which club members collect pennants from Granada teachers’ alma maters and ask them about their experience there. The pennants will be displayed in the Granada High library and career center with the intent of further promoting college-going culture by connecting specific schools with students’ teachers.

As part of the BetterGrads Program, members are paired with a BetterGrads mentor, with whom they regularly communicate via phone calls, text messages, e-mails, video chats and monthly group calls with all mentors and mentees. Each month is dedicated toward learning about a different important aspect of college. Curriculum topics have included how to write resumes, how to evaluate which types of colleges are good fits, and, most recently, how to identify personal strengths in scholarship applications.  A special series on the College 101 Blog entitled “Scholarship Stories” complemented last month’s curriculum.

For more information on the College-Prep Club 2012 and the BetterGrads eMentoring Program at Granada High, please read our latest press release (PDF). Visit our “Are we at your school?” page to bring the BetterGrads Program to your school today.

Last week, BetterGrads returned to Granada High School (Livermore, CA) for College Planning Night and the Freshmen-In-Transition (F.I.T.) program. The presentation team included three of our fabulous mentors – Andrea Olson, Andrea Duwel, and Greg Felter – and me.

We spoke about college to bucket-loads of students and parents: nearly 800 over two days. Unlike last year, when we used a more scripted approach to our presentation curriculum, this year we asked attendees to direct the show by slinging questions at us on any aspect of college.

Let the fun begin.

Questions like “How much does college cost?” and “Is there a lot of homework in college?” surfaced dozens of times. We also received a few zingers from left field, which we tried to answer: “Are the dances in college like Stomp the Yard 2?” (what’s Stomp the Yard one?) and “Have you ever been in a fight in college, and if so, what happened?” (no).

Wrapping it all up, we can offer two takeaways (and a cool video) from two inspiring days at GHS:

1. Money (or the lack thereof) is one of the biggest barriers students face when wondering whether they, too, can go to college. We asked the entire freshmen class of over 600 students at Granada High to write down three questions about college. From a random sample of twenty responses, financial questions like “How much does college cost?” and “How do you pay for college?” came up fifteen times, or 75% of the time, second only to questions on academic difficulty like “Is college harder than high school?”

2. Students know what they don’t know and are eager to learn. In three of the four 45 minute F.I.T sessions, we presented for no more than 12 minutes before opening up the floor for questions (in the first session we spoke for about 25 minutes before fielding questions). Tepidly, one or two students would raise their hand as the first volunteer. After the second or third question, however, students invariably raised, waved, or flailed their arms up high, jockeying for the facilitator’s attention to be directed at them and their question. When an entire section of students were reprimanded by a teacher for complaining loudly that we were not calling on them, I couldn’t suppress a smile displaying my contentment. College mentoring organizations like ours should listen as much as more often than we talk.

Finally, video interludes rock. Students seemed to enjoy this message by two members of our national staff and a NYC-based mentor:

Dear High School Matt,

You are about to make the biggest jump of your young life, try not to worry about it so much.  It is a significant transition, but you will soon find that you can handle it, so embrace it as soon as possible.

And I know that you stumbled on UC Davis as your school, but don’t worry about it. You will come to love the school and the town of Davis sooner than your imagine. While it was not an easy decision for you, it will turn out fantastic.

After you get settled in at Davis, get involved as much as you can as soon as you can. Don’t waste your freshman year in a mess of drama, when you could be participating in many productive ways.

Don’t wait to get involved or wait for someone else to involve you. You will learn that in college, and even more throughout your life, no one is going to give you anything. You must go out and advance yourself. Be an active participant in your life.

I know that that isn’t your (our?) strong point, but it is the most important lesson you will learn while at college. Apply for internships early, join a club or two, and be an active member. Don’t wait until your senior year to become seriously involved in politics.

Lastly, there are some things you need to learn academically. First, its not high school, which means you can’t half-ass through your classes or papers anymore. Go to the on-campus service where they edit your papers, because it is free and helpful.  Don’t be afraid of criticism, it is the best way to improve your writing.

The next four years of your life will go by in the blink of an eye, so try to do as much as you can during that time.  And try to enjoy the uncertainty that will reign over your college life. Uncertainty is scary, but it is also exciting, so don’t be afraid of what will come.

Improve your writing, get involved, and have as much fun as you can squeeze into four years.

Good luck,

Future Matt, 2010 College Graduate

This let­ter was writ­ten as part of the Bet­ter­Grads spe­cial series: “Write a Let­ter to Your High School Self.” Con­trib­u­tors are asked to answer ques­tions or con­cerns they may have had in high school, such as “What’s the pur­pose of col­lege?” and “Is it worth it?” If you’d like to sub­mit a let­ter for pub­li­ca­tion, please read our edi­to­r­ial guide­lines and let us know here.

Dear Elizabeth in March 2005,

Even though it’s been five years, I remember what you’re going through all too well. Let’s see…you’re freaking out about passing precalculus, waiting on pins and needles to hear back from colleges, and wondering why senior year has been the complete opposite of the idyllic year promised by yearbooks and teen movies. Am I right? Thought so. You’re downing way too much bad coffee and even worse food (hello, Poptarts are not lunch) and things seem pretty bleak.

The thing is, it will work out. Over the past four years, you’ve studied incredibly hard, earned leadership positions in extracurricular activities, and poured your heart and soul into 14 college applications. You already learned to deal with disappointment when Vassar rejected your early decision application—that still stings a bit, I know. But going through that experience means that you can handle the harshness of the skinny envelope, so you will be able to do it again. Getting accepted is an awesome feeling and getting rejected sucks—but you will look back on the latter experiences and know that you learned way more from them than from the former.

The decision of where to go will come down to two schools and you will feel totally confused and frustrated. You will receive advice from family, friends, teachers, and many others. And then you will surprise many people with your choice because, ultimately, you trust your instincts. You’ll be so glad that you did.

I don’t want to give too much away, but you’re going to have the opportunity to spend more time with your extended family. And that will be one of the greatest gifts of this next chapter—cherish it.

College, like that elusive idyllic senior year, will be very different from what movies and magazines portray. You’ll fall in with a great group of friends at the beginning and then that group will fall apart. Things will seem insurmountably difficult at times before they bounce back and then some. Roll with it, take time for yourself, and don’t be afraid to ask a new college friend if s/he is feeling just as topsy-turvy. She’s going to say “hell yeah! Thank you for saying something.” Phew.

Speaking of friends, share your experiences with friends from home. It will feel strange at first, trying to picture each other’s campuses, classes, and new friends. It will take time for all of you to recalibrate, especially after that first winter break at home when everyone is feeling pulled back and forth between old and new lives. Don’t underestimate the worth of an e-mail, text message, and the oft-undervalued classic greeting card. When you graduate from college in what seems like the blink of an eye, you’ll be glad you worked as hard as you did to maintain key childhood friendships—and maybe wish you’d done even more.

As a freshman, you will map out an extremely specific plan to complete a double major and minor. And then as a sophomore you’ll ride out a series of dizzying revelations and realizations and rework “the plan” to a (different) major and minor—and trust me, you’ll be glad you did. As good as it is that you relaxed on that initially stringent plan, I wish you’d been even more open to different classes and different departments. And when you decide to take a sociology class as an elective, know that you can take a 200-level course that probably would have been more dynamic that slogging through the 101 course when you don’t have to. Just a tip.

You’ll keep a sporadic journal, often just in times of confusion and stress, but try to write in it more often than that. Memories can fade into fuzziness, making even a mundane anecdote committed to paper all the more valuable.

And last but not least, embrace the uncertainty. It’s scary, but it can also be exciting. Try to think of it as possibility instead of the unknown. You are going to suck the marrow out of college life through intellectual pursuits, engaging campus life, exploring a diverse range of extracurriculars, studying abroad, and so much more. I’m proud of you. Now take a deep breath, finish that precalc homework, and go to bed before midnight. Also, tell your parents to buy some stock in YouTube.

Love,
Elizabeth in July 2010

This let­ter was writ­ten as part of the Bet­ter­Grads spe­cial series: “Write a Let­ter to Your High School Self.” Con­trib­u­tors are asked to answer ques­tions or con­cerns they may have had in high school, such as “What’s the pur­pose of col­lege?” and “Is it worth it?” If you’d like to sub­mit a let­ter for pub­li­ca­tion, please read our edi­to­r­ial guide­lines and let us know here.

Dear younger self,

I remember you at seventeen, about to start your senior year of high school as the new student at a private, Catholic school in the Los Angeles. The earlier years of high school were a challenge for you – your mother being diagnosed with breast cancer and constantly feeling out of place within the LAUSD school system. You had too many passions and too little outlets for them. Would college be the solution to your feeling out of place? Would college allow you to make up for the social and extracurricular experiences you missed out on, when you came home early to provide support to your mother because you could not bear to be out when someone you loved so dearly was in such tremendous pain?

You constantly wondered what the following year would bring. You were uncertain as to which school you wanted to attend, but for you, being close to family was essential. Despite this, you knew you were ready to live in the dorms and experience college life to its fullest. Your father whom (unlike your mother) had attended college in the United States (instead of Iran) informed you that it was the best years of his life. Hands down, your high school years had been your worst, so you were hoping for any degree of positive change. You were also hoping for new avenues to explore and people to meet who shared your goals and passions and inspired you in ways you could never imagine…

Looking back, I’m pleased to say your wishes were granted. Perhaps you chose the right college, Occidental College, or it was the college environment and abundance of passionate, driven individuals that you were constantly surrounded by as a whole but something felt “just right”. You were able to pursue many extracurricular activities and meet many lifelong friends. Sure, the academics were much more challenging and stressful at times, but they made you a stronger, more confident individual. Despite the financial burdens, you have to always remember how much you gained as an individual and how your newly-discovered strengths and courage will propel your endeavors at this point in time and well into the future.

In addition to becoming wiser, more intellectual, and socially-conscious, you have made solid ties with brilliant individuals you call your friends and all your feelings of loneliness that haunted you during your most vulnerable times have dissipated… Your journey is, yet again, a truly pleasant one and you are extremely fortunate.

Keep smiling and moving forward…

Love,

Your revived self

Author: Parisa Vassei
High Schools: Taft High (Woodland Hills, CA),  Chaminade College Prep (West Hills, CA)
Colleges: Occidental College, California State University – Long Beach
Now: Grad Student – MS Computer Science, option in Computer Engineering

This letter was written as part of the BetterGrads special series: “Write a Letter to Your High School Self.” Contributors are asked to answer questions or concerns they may have had in high school, such as “What’s the purpose of college?” and “Is it worth it?” If you’d like to submit a letter for publication, please read our editorial guidelines and let us know here.

Over the past year, we’ve asked 500+ public high school students across the San Francisco Bay Area to tell us what questions they have about college and whether they have someone in their life who can answer those questions.

Students have asked all sorts of questions (keep reading to see a partial list), but they consistently report a lack of mentors to answer their college questions.

At BetterGrads, we plan to change that. We believe every high school student in the U.S. should have access to excellent college advising and preparation resources, regardless of their background or the resources at their school. (For more on how we’re working toward this, check out our eMentoring network).

Last month we came across an awesome NPR podcast that inspired us in a big way. The program featured adult women writing letters to their younger selves, offering advice, stories and, perhaps most importantly, perspective. A 22 year old blogger named Cassie Boorn originated the series with a humble request for advice from her slightly older peers. Her idea caught on like wildfire.

We had a conference call with our awesome team, and came up with an idea: how cool would it be to have recent college grads + young professionals + people of all ages share their wisdom by writing a letter to their high school self?

And Letter to Your High School Self was born.

We’ve taken a cue from Cassie: we are asking you to share your wisdom and tell your stories to all of the high school students out there who are walking around in need of guidance for their potential college education.

We’re asking you to write a letter to your high school self. Share the things you questioned about college that eventually were answered. Share your wisdom and advice. Give some guidance to the next generation in regards to college.

There are 4 ways to submit your letter:

• Submit your letter through our submission form
• Link to your letter in the comments
• Share your letter in the comments
• Email your letter to submissions [at] bettergrads [dot] org and we will publish it.

Note: This special series will run for a month, so you have time to write. Also, feel free to write to your high school self at any grade level you choose!

Here are a few of the questions high school students asked us, feel free to address any of these in your letter:

• How do you survive?
• Is it hard?
• What’s the purpose of college?
• Where do I get the money?
• What do graduates remember loving about it?
• What should I look for in a college?
• Is it worth it?

© image by Nick Schwartz

If you’re a high school junior, chances are your inbox and mailbox have been filled with letters from the marketing departments of colleges across the country. I also received those one page letters. And if you do not feel like waiting until the summer before your senior year to figure out whether you should apply to these schools, even better.

And so it was during the spring of my junior year in high school that My Dad and I decided to take a road trip and visit some schools in the area who had been so kind to send us boiler-plate introduction letters. This time, “in the area” referred to schools beyond the city limits of Los Angeles, namely UC Berkeley, UC Davis, Sonoma Sate, and UC Santa Barbara.

Below you will find some observations and tips from our trip should you choose to visit some schools during your spring break.

Call Ahead, but not before 11 AM

On the first day of spring break, my Dad and I left our house in the suburbs of LA at 5:30 AM hoping to arrive at UC Berkeley in time for an 11:15 AM tour. We also planned on meeting up with a family friend’s daughter, a rising senior, to get an inside perspective on the heralded bay area university. Her father told us that we should not call her before 11 AM, as, “most college students do not wake-up until noon.” We thought he was joking until we called Jessica at 10:55 AM only to hear a groggy, half-conscious voice on the other end. While the “noon rule” does not apply to all college students, the best way to avoid any faux-pas is to confirm a visit a few days ahead. Because a non-groggy, well rested college student makes for a much better host / hostess.

Surprises everywhere

Even when your college friend gives you a high level overview of what you he / she plans on doing with you or showing you, be prepared for a surprise or two along the way. One of the most memorable moments occurred when visiting Sonoma State’s admission office. My Dad and I were having a lovely chat with one of the student workers when the conversation transitioned to our weekend plans. Some how the student worker mistook my Dad for a prospective student too. Puzzled, we continued chatting as if we thought nothing of it.

Later that night we drove down the 5 freeway to UC Santa Barbara,  where I linked up with my buddy Jared (we played for our high school’s volleyball team). Though he was two grade levels ahead of me, we managed to keep in touch after he graduated from high school. My dad and I joined him for Shabbat services at Hillel. After dinner, Jared took me to his frat house. We arrived around 10:00 PM and did not leave until 2:00 AM. I will spare the details but can share that there were a lot of people dancing in the backyard and one creepy exchange student who tried to make small talk. The key takeaway from this experience was that I was able to see and experience the collegiate social scene in full and spend some time catching up with a close friend

So, can Cancun and kick Key West. Spending spring break looking at colleges will make for a more worthwhile and rewarding experience.

As Elizabeth mentioned, February is a month filled with opportunities for budding relationships (college acceptance letters) and heartbreak. (sigh…rejection letters).

In some cases, these same letters may force some soon-to-be graduating high schools seniors to revisit a question they once confidently answered months before penning rough draft personal statements. What’s more, the answer to this question may not arrive after one discussion.

The question is simple: “What’s the value of a college degree?” Using qualitative and quantitative analysis, Wall Street Journal columnist Sue Shellenbarger attempted to answer that question. Below you will find excerpts from her December 2009 article as well as some great BetterGrads-inspired commentary.

Finding work you love. College degrees can guide students’ career choices in subtler ways. Jason Wotman, 24, loves his work as a co-founder of Tailwaiters, a Great Neck, N.Y., startup that runs tailgate parties for clients at sporting events and concerts. “It’s mine, it’s my baby. Every step, every ounce of progress, feels good,” he says.

His degree in human and organizational development from Vanderbilt University helped launch him as an entrepreneur, he says. His courses in marketing, human-resource management and leadership equipped him well to size up opportunities and run a startup. “Taking it from an idea to an actual business, I felt like I had the tools,” he says.

BG comments: Jason’s story illustrates how college is an incubator for great ideas. On a similar note, coursework, research grants, and volunteer opportunities prepared our own Kevin Adler to run Bettergrads.

Preparing for a rich, well-rounded life: To Megan DeLamar Schroeder, Texarkana, Texas, planning the college experience based entirely on future income demeans its true value. “The intangible benefits … cannot be reduced to some kind of short-term cost benefit-analysis, as though one is purchasing a piece of property or an expensive sports car,” she says.

She borrowed $40,000 to earn an economics degree from Stanford University in the 1980s, which landed her only an entry-level job at a bank upon graduation. She spent 10 years paying off her student loans. But the experience was worth every penny, she says. The opportunity “to ‘marinate’ for four years in an amazing environment” served as a “springboard to lifelong learning and inquisitiveness,” she says. She will encourage her 10-year-old twin daughters to hew to similar values when they start their college search, she says.

BG comments: What’s the value of “experience” and “intangible benefits?” As Chris Anderson, author of Free: The Future of a Radical Price notes, “Tuition buys direct proximity to ask questions, share ideas, and solicit feedback from academics like [UC Berkeley Physics Professor Richard] Muller. It’s access to the network of other students and the idea exchange, help, and relationships this provides.” That sounds like value to me.

Click here to read the full article and feel free to share your thoughts below.

On Thursday, the New York Times ran an article describing a growing trend among senior citizens: sleep overs! After spending the daytime acquainting themselves with the facilities, retirement communities are offering prospective senior residents the opportunity to take in evening social events and the opportunity to spend the night. For senior citizens, this is a great way to gauge social life and other nuances associated with retirement homes that one could not glean from a brochure. Retirement communities are not the only institutions to offer this opportunity. Colleges do too! I dedicate this post to one of the great (and relatively uncelebrated) pre-college traditions: prospective student overnight visits!

Why you should do it:

College overnight visits offer prospective students (or more cutely known as, prospies) an unfiltered, in-your-face opportunity to experience collegiate social life in a way that guidebooks or facebook photos could never showcase. For example, such visits give prospies an insider view on what it means to be a resident in a college dormitory. That’s important, right? Absolutely! During one overnight visit at a UC school, I learned immediately that most students do not party on campus and prefer the college town atmosphere in the neighboring community. Additionally, overnight visits offer prospies an invaluable opportunity to get a feel for campus life.

Want to learn about the hidden menu options at some of the on-campus eateries? Clueless regarding prime study locations on campus once the library turns into a noisy, packed theatre house during finals time? What percentage of students cook for themselves? Does the school invite prominent leaders for seminars and discussions? Are there students who would enjoy discussing Plato’s Symposium at a party rather than getting plastered like everyone else? Going on an overnight visit provides you with VIP access to all the places where you could be hanging out for the next four years, and gives you the chance to spend time chatting with students who experience the college life now.

How to sign up:

Signing up for an overnight opportunity is easy. Once accepted (Cha-Ching!!!! Woo-hoo!), call up the school’s admission office and inquire about the available dates for overnight visits. Sign up early, as these nights tend to fill up quickly, especially the month before admitted individuals must sign their acceptance letters. Note: some colleges offer overnight visits even before admission letters come out. If you are seriously thinking about a school, spending a night will definitely provide you more information, helping you make a more informed decision about applying to or attending a certain school.

What to expect:

The office of admissions matches prospies with first-year students who have similar interests. Prospies spend much of the daytime shadowing first-year students as they attend classes, eat, study, attend club meetings, and perform other activities that are part of the host’s schedule for that day. If you visit on a Monday, Tuesday, or Wednesday, do not expect the host to take you to a crazy shin dig as these kinds of events tend to take place on Thursday, Friday, or Saturday nights (Also don’t expect anything as extravagant as you will see here and don’t assume that your host will take you to a raging college party if you visit on one of those nights).

How to prepare yourself:

Come in with an open mind!!! If you can, find out about your host’s schedule in advance. Keep in mind that your host is a student, and could be busy on that particular day. Don’t be scared if he or she seems pre-occupied – the host is happy to have you! Be flexible and realistic. This eliminates false expectations, making for a more memorable and enjoyable overnight visit.

Remember, you and your host don’t have to become BFFs overnight. Of course, you would hope that you and your host do get along (you might be spending the next four years of your life at that school – but no sweat off you’re your back if you don’t click with everyone you meet). Don’t forget the purpose of the visit: you are here to see the campus, check out the academic and social scenes, and at the right time, ask the big question: Can I see myself here?

And the golden tip for a successful overnight visit: make sure to bring your host a gift to boost your chances of getting invited back or having a quasi friend on the first day of school. Every college student loves good box of chocolate.

Have any cool college overnight visit stories? Feeling inspired to share them? Do so in the comment section below!

We are delighted to announce FOUR College 101 panels scheduled for this month in the San Francisco Bay Area:

• Oakland Tech High School – 10:30am – 12:30pm, Thursday, January 7th
• Oakland Tech High School – 1:30pm – 2:30pm, Thursday, January 7th
• Richmond High School – 6:30pm – 8:30pm, Thursday, January 14th
• Oakland Tech High School – 6:30pm – 8:30pm, Thursday, January 14th

Each panel will include 3-5 college students and young professionals, who will share their college insights and experiences with students, parents, and teachers. We are honored that Oakland Tech and Richmond High has asked BetterGrads to serve their schools.

Our panels at Oakland Tech are part of a larger program on preparing students for college. BetterGrads’ peer advisors and national team members will be joined by representatives from UCLA, CSU – East Bay, and other education-related organizations. Students and parents from Kennedy High School (Richmond, CA) will join the folks at Richmond High for our special panel on 01/14/10.

Space is still available on the panels for 1-2 more college students / young professionals. Please contact kevin.adler [at] bettergrads.org if interested in participating on these or future panels. For all press inquiries, please contact Lisa Rau: lisa.rau [at] bettergrads.org.