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Choosing Colleges to Apply To - VLOG

4/22/2013

Not sure where to apply? I talk you through choosing colleges before you start the applications process. Save yourself a lot of time and money by doing your research and figuring out which schools are right for you based on:

Location: Close to family? Do you prefer an urban or rural setting? Can you survive a cold climate?

Size: How big is the school's campus and it's student body? What is the teacher to student ratio?

Cost: How much is tuition, plus room and board? Are there scholarships available?
***FILL OUT THE FAFSA!

Interests: How does the school serve your interests? Does it have the major you want and an active alumni network with a demonstrated record of placing graduates in jobs?

Finally - honor your preferences, interests, and abilities. I strongly suggest you think twice about applying and attending a school solely based on factors such as your parent went there, your significant other or best friend is going there, or your sibling is already attending.

Ultimately, you are the one going to class, taking the tests, and calling it home for the next four years. Make sure you choose a school you actually want to be at.

Any questions about how to research schools?
What factors are important to you, when deciding where to apply?

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Get Your Resume Noticed: Part I

4/10/2013

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While it is definitely a good idea to have one or two people to proofread your resume, I would not suggest a resume-writing party. Even though it looks like they are having a great time. Photo: http://www.mticc.com

For Students

Whether you are in high school or college, at some point you are going to need to write a resume. Do not just use a free template found online or through Microsoft Word. Your resume, like any piece of writing, must be tailored to the job you are applying for.

Some basic formatting guidelines include using classic fonts like Times New Roman or Arial in sizes 10-12, black and white only, printed on white or ivory quality resume paper. Although it seems counterintuitive for getting noticed, simple is better.

Basic Organization

CONTACT INFORMATION
At the top, you need to state your full name and contact information, including mailing address, phone, and email.

OBJECTIVE
When you are applying for a specific job, and the hiring committee already knows exactly what position your resume is for, an objective is redundant. It is better to leave it off, and free up some room to detail your work experience.

However, when posting your resume on a job site, or submitting it to a company or organization without a specific position opening, include an objective. Some people advise against including this, claiming it looks dull and "juvenile." I disagree. It is important to explicitly state what job you are applying for.

Objective: To obtain a position as an Office Assistant at Company X.

EDUCATION
Then put your education history. Start with your most recent degree or certification. Include the name of the school, the specific degree and major, and the dates attended.

WORK EXPERIENCE
Starting with your most recent job, list your relevant work experience. Include your title, company or organization name, location, dates started and ended, and a bullet point or two outlining your major duties. You want to keep the resume to one page, so if you are waffling between which jobs to list, cut the ones that aren't pertinent to the position you are applying for.

In other words, if you are applying to be a bank teller, mention that you worked as a customer service representative at a retail store but omit that you worked at a frozen yogurt shop.

However, if there is a believable way to spin seemingly unrelated work experience into relevant past experience, go for it.

SKILLS
Do you speak a foreign language? Are you a computer genius? Refer back to the job description and highlight which of your skills fits the company's needs.

REFERENCES
Here list three past employers, their title, place of employment, and contact information. In some cases you can leave this off and the company will ask for them. Usually a job posting will state whether or not they want references listed. Do not write "References upon request."

Putting It Together

You will get conflicting advice about how to order the information I listed above. My order is intentional and strategic: you state what job you are applying for, your education, your work experience, and skills. A hiring manager is only going to skim the resume anyway; the resume should have a logical flow of information.

Whatever you do, don't lie or even overembellish. Do not put you are fluent in Japanese if you only know a few words or phrases. It's better to be up front about your abilities. Even if someone doesn't test you in the interview, you still might end up in a position that you are not, in fact, qualified for, and will be overwhelmed.

However, that doesn't mean you shouldn't try for positions that seem difficult to obtain. If you believe you are a good candidate and capable of doing excellent work, follow the guidelines I outlined and submit your resume with confidence.

For those already in the working world, I am working on a post that details how to improve your existing resume.

One final (and important!) note: for any student applying to graduate school, a professional resume is not the same as a Curriculum Vitae, or CV. A future post will cover how to write an academic CV.

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Writing The College Admissions Essay

4/7/2013

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There are generally three different kinds of essay prompts given on college applications:

1. The deep philosophical question
2. The experiential question
3. The "Why do you want to go to our school?" question

The Philosophical Question

For its 2012 application, the University of Notre Dame posed the following question:

Gary Gaffney, ’69MS, began doctoral work in mathematics at Notre Dame but left to become an artist, eventually earning two degrees in fine art. His poem “Mil Preguntas (a meditation in 1000 questions)” explores a myriad of topics, using queries both whimsical and profound. Some of our favorites are:

• What is consciousness?
• What is your deepest mystery?
• What’s the last honest question you asked yourself?
• How often has humanity led you to forgive?
• What makes you dream?
• Is being ordinary a failure?
• What can’t you live without?
• Who convinced you about God?
• Can you tell the story of faith put to the test?
• Why should you care about the rings of Saturn?
• What will you never believe?
• What will you always believe?

Provide your own answer to one of the author’s inquires and be sure to tell us which question you select.

Big question, right? The first place to start is to make sure you read and re-read the prompt, which tells us that the applicant only has to pick one of the sub-questions to write on.

How to pick? This is actually pretty simple. Mindful Writing starts with a ten or fifteen minute brainstorming session, to see what your initial thoughts and reactions are. I guarantee you will find yourself reacting to one or two of the options.

Make sure you write about yourself, your qualifications, and why you want to go to the specific school you are applying for, even as you attempt to answer the philosophical question.

The Experiential Question

These questions are aimed at the applicant's unique life experiences and are usually something along the lines of "Describe a time in your life when you overcame a challenge," or "What is your passion and how do you live it?"

If given a choice between philosophical or experiential questions, I advise students to pick the latter. In any essay you want to offer details about yourself, and it is easier to stay focused on that task when writing about your experience.

It is important to pick an experience that was meaningful or transformative for you. Do not write about something just because you think it is what selection committees want to hear. Examples of meaningful experiences range from dealing with illness or death, living abroad, winning or losing, creating something, a hobby or interest, or a relationship.

The "Why Our School?" Question

Warning - this is not the easiest question to pick. Here's why - you are probably applying to more than one school. You don't really love all of them equally. There are probably one or two you really hope to get accepted into, a few you wouldn't mind attending, and a couple of "safety" schools that are better than nothing.

If you are writing the essay for your top choice, it should not be too difficult. You can mention visiting the campus, what the university means to your family, or how its programs and resources would support your future aspirations.

If you are not writing for your top choice, you need to do some research on what the college offers and why it would be a good fit for you.

Final Notes

The Common Application offers choices from each of the three categories outlined above, as well as a "topic of your choice." Ultimately, you need to find a way to write about something that personalizes your application and makes you stand out to an admissions officer.

It's important to remember that there are many equally qualified applicants vying for a limited number of spots at the college of your choice. Not only do you need to write well, but also, you need to write strategically, to have an advantage over other students.*

Graduate school applications require a slightly different kind of strategy, which I will cover in an upcoming post.

*If you need help writing strategically for college admissions essays. contact me about working together. I can help a client get organized in terms of forming a list of schools to apply to, preparing application essays, and looking at available scholarships.

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Using Meditation for Mindful Writing

4/2/2013

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How many times have you attempted to write while checking Facebook, LOLCats, your email, and watching Parks and Rec? How is that working for you?

According to Professor David M. Levy of the University of Washington, the problem is not technology. Rather, we need to learn how to discipline our minds to be attentive in spite of technological distractions. This Chronicle of Higher Education article details how Professor Levy uses 15 minute meditation periods to help his students practice mindfulness.

"So many of those debates fail to even acknowledge or realize that we can educate ourselves, even in the digital era, to be more attentive," he says.

This idea of mindfulness is also helpful for anyone struggling with a written assignment. The worst part is starting. Sometimes after you write your name, the date, page numbers, and the title, you end up staring a blinking cursor, waiting for inspiration to hit.

It won't.

The good news, however, is you do not have to rely on inspiration or divine intervention to get a paper written.

Unlike Professor Levy, I am suggesting a more active form of meditation prior to writing. Before you even sit down to work on a paper, take 15-30 minutes to review the assignment prompt and just start writing. Write anything that comes to mind, including bullet points, questions, and possible sources to check. Make sure to consider arguments and counter-arguments if you are expected to take a stance.

When time is up, review your initial response. Is there an argument in there? If so, it becomes your thesis. If not, turn to your questions. Use these as research prompts, to help you formulate your position. Look up the sources of interest before writing, since they will usually help you be specific and detailed in your paper.

Then you can sit down to start the paper. By now you have a mental roadmap of where your paper is heading.

Mindful writing requires two main steps for most of us:
1. Unplug from all distractions (even email!).
2. Devote a block of time to just thinking about the paper.

Mindful writing is not intuitive for most of us. We are busy and used to dividing our attention to several things at once. Give it a try, or contact me for further help. Writing can be efficient if you start with a rough outline. Then you can get back to "liking" your friend's vacation pictures on Facebook.

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Choosing Colleges to Apply To - VLOG

Not sure where to apply? I talk you through choosing colleges before you start the applications process. Save yourself a lot of time and money by doing your research and figuring out which schools are right for you based on:

Get Your Resume Noticed: Part I

For Students

Basic Organization

Putting It Together

Writing The College Admissions Essay

The Philosophical Question

The Experiential Question

The "Why Our School?" Question

Final Notes

Using Meditation for Mindful Writing

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