The Counseling Corner

The Samuel Scheck Hillel Community Day SchoolThe Ben Lipson Hillel Community High SchoolThe Juda and Maria Diener Elementary SchoolThe Henrietta Scheck Middle School

February 2012Shevat 5772

From the College Counseling Office

College Acceptancesas of 3/13/12

Dear Grade 9-12 Parents,

We are pleased to present the February/March issue of The Counseling Corner. This month’s newsletter includes information regarding college acceptances, an insightful article about the revamping of the Common Application, a thoughtful article discussing the stages of adolescence, and much more.

It is with great pleasure that we share our most updated list of college acceptances. We are extremely proud of our Senior Class and look forward to more acceptances later this spring.

Albright CollegeArizona State University

Averett UniversityBabson College

Bentley UniversityBinghamton University

Bowling Green State UniversityBradley University

California State University, Northridge

Drexel UniversityEmerson CollegeEndicott College

Florida Gulf Coast UniversityFlorida International University

Florida State UniversityGeorgia Institute of Technology

Indiana State University

Indiana University Indiana University - Purdue

University IndianapolisKent State University

Northeastern UniversityNova Southeastern University

Pennsylvania State University - University ParkPratt Institute

Rensselaer Polytechnic InstituteRutgers - School of Visual Arts

St. Thomas UniversitySyracuse UniversityTemple University

The University of AlabamaTulane University

University of Central FloridaUniversity of Florida

University of HartfordUniversity of Maryland

University of Massachusetts - Amherst

University of MiamiUniversity of MichiganUniversity of Missouri -

Columbia (School of Journalism)University of North FloridaUniversity of Pennsylvania

University of PittsburghUniversity of South Florida

University of ToledoUniversity of Wisconsin

Vanderbilt UniversityWashington University

Yeshiva University

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College Readiness Course Embarks on Second SemesterThe second half of Hillel’s College Readiness course began January 23 and we are excited to be working with the junior class on their college application process. The new course is providing all students the opportunity to complement their individual college counseling meetings with a writing-intensive course that develops and enhances personal narrative writing skills and research techniques, and allows them to learn from one another in an informative, structured environment.

The book and curriculum of This I Believe: The Personal Philosophies of Remarkable Men and Women has been chosen to help our students connect with their own beliefs and experiences. This I Believe was first created in the early 1950s by Edward R. Murrow and was redeveloped for National Public Radio in 2005. It asks people, both famous and unknown, to express their core principles that guide their lives in just a few hundred words. We are asking our students to read some of these essays and work closely with a curriculum that prompts them to work both individually and in groups to explore and define their own personal credo. It is our goal that by the completion of this semester, our students will not only create their own This I Believe essay but also have their college essay inspired by that same story.

We encourage other students and family members to learn more about this book and program by visiting the website thisibelieve.org.

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The Common App, the all-purpose form accepted by hundreds of colleges and universities, is getting a digital makeover, down to the most fundamental swatches of code, with the end result intended to be a smoother, faster, more intuitive application. (The application itself will still be a rigorous exercise, complete with 250- to 500-word essays.) The new electronic form is scheduled to make its debut in 2013. For applicants who have struggled with the quirks of the form — like when the short essay answers or key details are inadvertently cut off during submission — such changes may seem long overdue.

In the application season beginning to wind down this month, an estimated 750,000 students will have submitted three million online applications. That represents an increase of about 25 percent in only the last year. Meanwhile, teachers, counselors and school administrators are expected to submit 10 million transcripts, recommendations and other school forms through the Common Application’s electronic pipeline this year.

In Common App 4.0, one likely change is that only one question at a time (or at most a handful) will be visible, and the particular answers to each will determine which subsequent questions will be asked.

Another change being contemplated: within the application, students could pose a substantive question (opposed to a technical one, which is possible now) to a rotating team of college counselors. And then there’s the issue in which information that appears on the screen is cut off in the PDF an admissions officer will see. Now a box appears to warn applicants to preview their work before filing.

Acknowledging the millions of tablets now in use, a new incarnation might also make it easier for students to use their iPads.

The number of applications filed through the Common Application portal by the end of this decade could exceed 10 million — and the number of schools accepting it could grow to 1,000 or more. For more information visit the New York Times education blog nytimes.com/thechoice.

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Common App 4.0

Vanessa Donaher Dana PonskyDirector of College Counseling College Counselor305-931-2831 x132 305-931-2831 x151donaher@ehillel.org ponsky@ehillel.org

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The developmental stages of adolescence (ages 11 – 14) can be some of the toughest stages of development not only for the parent but also for the child going through these stages. If you take a look back into your own adolescence, can you remember what you were like? Maybe you were the cool kid who sailed through your early teenage years with no problems or maybe you struggled a bit with wanting more freedom than your parents were willing to give you? Regardless of what your own experience was like, your children will be (or might already have been) going through this phase of development. We offer the following look inside this stage via three ‘typical’ characteristics of this developmental stage so that your child will have a strong system of support to help them navigate this time in their lives in the healthiest manner possible.

Your Child’s ExperienceStrictly Short Term - The brain undergoes remarkable development during young adolescence. The 1. prefrontal cortex (the front of the brain that handles executive functions including planning, reasoning, anticipating consequences, sustaining attention, and making decisions) is not fully developed in young adolescents. This explains why it is often very difficult for a child of this age group to truly relate to parental/teacher reasoning regarding the long-term consequences of negative grades and behaviors

The Quest for Independence – This is the time when young adolescents seek their own sense of 2. individuality and uniqueness. They are searching for an adult identity as well as adult acceptance, while striving to maintain peer approval at any cost. This duality of need in approval oftentimes results in a battle of conflicting emotions in youth of this age, which are showcased through intense mood swings, restlessness and erratic behavior.

Jumping to Conclusions - Adolescents, even with their newfound capacities for logical thinking, 3. sometimes jump to startling conclusions. However, an adolescent may be taking a risk in staking out a position verbally, and what may seem brash may actually be bravado to cover his or her anxiety

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From the School Counseling OfficeParenting Through Adolescent Development

Written by: Whitney Fisch, Counselor, Grades 6-7

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Upper SchoolWhitney Fisch Counselor, Grades 6-7305-931-2831 x142fisch@ehillel.org

Linda FeigenbaumCounselor, Grades 8-9305-931-2831 x221feigenbaum@ehillel.org

Contact Us

Lois Perlman Counselor, Grades 10-11305-931-2831 x152perlman@ehillel.org

Rita Jacobson Registrar305-931-2831 x108jacobson@ehillel.org

Lower SchoolDr. Nancy GouldCounselor, Grades K-5 305-931-2831 x140 gould@ehillel.org

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What Can Parents DoListen – Parents have the opportunity to build trust by being a good listener. Allow your child the option 1. to save face by not correcting or arguing with faulty logic at every turn. Try to find what is realistically positive in what is being said and reinforce that; you may someday find yourself enjoying the opportunity for the development of critical thinking.

Provide Options – Because long-term reasoning is a challenge for this age group, parents can be useful 2. in helping their children weigh their options when making a decision. Rather than making the decision for your children as you used to do when they were younger, this is a perfect time to help your child critically analyze all options before making a decision.

Listen - It can’t be said enough. Adolescents need to feel as though they are being heard and that their 3. issues are valid. Modeling good listening skills for you children will also be a positive way to reinforce communication skill development.

If you have any questions, my door is always open.