Academic Impact

The aftermath of yesterday's stress baking! It's been kind of a doozy of a week! Making this apple crisp from @sallysbakeblog definitely helped make yesterday a little easier, though. (Not pictured: the salted caramel I made to drizzle on top. If you make this, don't skip it!) Sometimes I need something to focus my attention on and keep my hands busy and baking is often that for me. What do you do when you need to keep worry and stress at bay?... Seniors who are already working with me - don't forget my new Office Hours start this week! Check in with me from 4:00 - 5:00 today or from 3:30 - 4:30 on Thursday. I hope to see you there! #collegeapps #collegeapplications #collegegoals #collegedreams #collegeadvice #classof2021 #classof2021 #stressbaking

I know some of you were working very hard this past weekend, finishing up your early admission college applications. And some of you might be feeling some extra election-related anxiety this week. Either way, I'm here to remind you today to give yourself a break and do something nice for yourself. If you were working on applications this weekend, it's ok to take a day or two off from writing essays and getting application tasks accomplished to reward yourself for all of your ...hard work and recharge for the next round. Take a real break and use whatever time you would have otherwise spent working on your applications and do something you WANT to do instead. If you're feeling anxious this week for any reason at all, try scheduling something into your day that you know will make you feel better. Maybe that's going for a walk with a friend, taking a bath, or even taking a nap. Taking care of yourself needs to be a priority in times of stress! Instead of constantly checking my phone today, I'm planning to sneak away to this spot to read for a little bit. And then I might have all the ingredients lined up to make an apple crisp in case I need to do any stress baking. What are you doing to take care of yourself today? #collegegoals #collegeapps #collegeapplications #anxiety #stressmanagement #collegeadvice #takeabreak #takecare #stressrelief

After this past weekend, so many of you are one step closer to making your college dreams come true! Congratulations on getting your early applications in! That first deadline is always a bit of a doozy, but you made it! After this one, the rest of the application season isn't so bad. Really! You've done a lot of the work, so now you'll pretty much just be writing supplemental essays - and now that you've written so many, what's a few more?? Just one word of advice now ...that you've hit submit - remember not to pin all your hopes and dreams for the future on one school in particular. Your dreams and your future are dependent on YOU, not the college you go to. #collegegoals #collegedreams #collegeapps #collegeapplications #collegeadvice #earlyapplications #highered #disneyquote

Because this is a stressful week, please enjoy this soothing ocean view. Even if you’re scrambling to finish up applications, you can still take a minute to pause and take a deep breath. It’s going to be ok. You can do this. I promise college applications get so much better after this first set of deadlines! #collegeapps #collegeapplications #collegegoals #collegeadmissions #collegeadvice

These words of wisdom from Laverne are especially timely now that, just like Quasimodo, a lot of us are stuck inside! (Though she was encouraging him to go to a large, crowded festival. Please don't go to a large, crowded festival right now!) I'd like to once again remind you that just because your life doesn't look the way you thought it would right now, doesn't mean you can't still participate in it! You can find safe ways to continue doing the kinds of activities you u...sed to do or take on new projects, hobbies, and interests that are safe to do these days. Remember, colleges aren't going to be interested in what you didn't do during the pandemic, they're going to be interested in what you DID do, so do something! Do you have an answer to the question "What did you do during the pandemic?" that's not "Uh, I just hung out"? If not, it's time to find one! Tell me what you've been doing lately! Have you taken up any new hobbies? Have you found ways to continue your regular activities? Have you started something new? #collegeadmissions #collegebound #collegeapplications #collegeapps #collegeadvice #classof2021 #classof2021 #sacramento #sacramentobusiness #disneyquote #disneyadvice

What's everybody reading this week? I recently read the first in the Enola Holmes series, The Case of the Missing Marquess, because the Netflix version had come out and I always like to read the book before I watch the movie. This might be one of those rare times when I actually like the movie better than the book, but both are really good! An old-fashioned mystery with a plucky heroine is one of my very favorite types of books so I had high hopes for this one. ...It's a series directed toward older tweens/teens that center around Enola (alone spelled backwards) Holmes, the younger sister of Sherlock Holmes, whose mother mysteriously disappears. The movie and the book have slightly different endings so it definitely made me want to keep reading the series to find out what happens! Tell me what you're reading this week! #collegegoals #collegedreams #collegebound #collegeapps #collegeprep #highered #collegeadvice #sacramento #sacramentobusiness #books #reading #bookrecs #bookworm #yabooks #currentlyreading

November 1 is right around the corner and that means Early Action and Early Decision college apps are due! I highly recommend getting those apps submitted by Wednesday or Thursday of next week so you don't get caught up in the last minute rush that can sometimes end in disaster. Servers crash and things don't get submitted correctly and you don't want that to happen to you! Giving yourself a few days' buffer means you'll have time to fix any problems that occur or comp...lete any steps you may have overlooked. And make sure you've already requested your transcripts and test scores (if you're using them) because those need some time to get there! #collegeadvice #collegegoals #collegeapps #highered #classof2021 #sacramento

I really needed my house to smell like fall this week, so I made this cinnamon swirl chocolate chip pumpkin bread from @halfbakedharvest and it did not disappoint! How is everybody doing this week? We're getting so close to Early Application due dates and from what I can tell, some of you are feeling just fine about it and some of you are super stressed! For those of you feeling just fine, that's great! But I hope you're feeling just fine because you've gotten your app...lication materials all done ahead of time and not because you've either given up or decided not to care. I know many of you have been so great about being on top of things and getting your essays written well ahead of time and I hope you're enjoying the freedom that planning ahead earned you! For those of you feeling stressed, first take a breath (and maybe have some pumpkin bread and a cup of tea), make a list, and get to work. Write down everything you have left to do before your November 1 deadlines so it's out of your head and somewhere you can see it. Then start working through your list one task at a time. There's still time for you to get those early applications in early! Tell me how you're feeling this week - and if you've been baking any fall treats I should try!

One of the most common types of supplemental essays you'll be asked to write in your college applications is also one of the most deceptively difficult! Colleges often ask you to explain why their campus appeals to you. Here are my Dos and Don'ts for approaching these essays: Be really specific! Why do the things you like about a particular school make it a good fit for you personally? Don't spend any of your limited word space sucking up to the school. You don't need ...to compliment the school or tell them how great it is. They already know that. They want to know why it's great for YOU. Look into the majors/programs you're interested in and speak to the specifics of how it will give you the type of education you're looking for. Don't use rankings, proximity to the beach, or the football team (unless you're going to be playing on that football team) as reasons. Try to have 2-3 "serious" reasons for wanting to attend a certain school. These can include aspects of the major/program you're interested in, unique curriculum available at a school, the mission/values/environment of a school, internship/research opportunities, etc. Then include a "fun" reason, too. Don't include flowery writing here. Keep it simple and straightforward. Keep these tips in mind when writing your "Why do you want to go here?" essays! And if you've already written them, go back over them and make sure you've followed these guidelines. #collegeapps #collegeessays #collegegoals #collegedreams #collegebound #collegeadvice #highered #sacramento #sacramentobusiness

Decisions about where to apply to college and where to go college are extremely personal. It's sometimes hard not to let other people's opinions sway us when we're making important decisions, but it's important to remember that what's right for one of your friends isn't necessarily what's right for you. I'm all for getting input from trusted loved ones, especially parents when it comes to college decisions since they'll likely be helping you out financially. But try not t...o get caught up in worrying about what other people will think of you for going to a certain school or feeling like you have to "keep up" with anyone when it comes to applications. The only person whose opinion matters when it comes to you and your college options is you. I often find myself telling students to put their blinders on and only focus on their own college journeys so they don't get swayed off track by other people's decisions or opinions. Your college application process is about you and what somebody else is doing has no bearing on your college prospects. Focus on what you want out of a college experience and what you can do to get there! #collegegoals #collegedreams #collegeapps #collegeadvice #highered #classof2021

The CSU is application is now open! If you want to stay in California for college, make sure you don't miss this application. Most colleges have January or later final deadlines but the CSU and UC applications are due November 30! (The CSU deadline has actually been extended a few days for this year, but just get it in now and you don't have to worry about that!) There are no essays on this application (yay!) and it's an easy one to complete in an afternoon and then you... don't have to think about it anymore. You do need to be very careful when filling out the Academic History section, so make sure you're taking your time and paying attention to what you're doing. It's important that all of your A-G requirements are accounted for and sometimes the system gets it wrong, so double and triple check this section. You only have to fill out ONE application and then select the campuses you wish to apply to. You do have to pay a separate application fee for each campus, but it's still just one application. #collegebound #collegegoals #collegedreams #collegeadvice #highered #classof2021 #collegeapps #calstateapply

Exploring the impact of a certain event or period of time on a student's life is one of the most common themes of college essays. This can be a great topic because it shows the reader something the students may have been through and what they learned from it or how certain events in their lives shaped them into who they are today. A few things to keep in mind if you're planning to write an essay like this: The reader doesn't know you or your experience, so you have to ...explain it. Show the reader your transformation from who you were before the event into who you became as a result of it. This is your "montage moment." We watch Simba grow up as he walks across that log with Timon and Pumbaa, but the reader didn't get to watch your transformation so it's up to you to show them. Use specific examples! You can still be in the process of learning and growing as a result of the event/period of time. You can show the reader how you're still growing and changing, without having everything figured out. Are you writing a college essay about a transformation? How's it going? #collegeapps #collegeadvice #collegeessay #collegegoals #collegedreams #collegebound #highered #classod2021 #sacramento #sacramentobusiness

Taking a minute to answer a common question today! Early admissions deadlines are coming up in a few short weeks. For colleges that have early admission, the deadlines are generally the beginning of November. Students don't have to submit their applications early, but it may be a good idea to consider. Early Decision applications are binding, meaning that if a student applies to a school Early Decision, they are promising to attend that school if offered admission. Because of... this, students may only apply to one school under Early Decision. It is a binding agreement, so students must be sure that they would attend that school regardless of where else they might be accepted. If you know for sure that you would attend a school no matter what, Early Decision may be a good idea because it will show the school how committed you are to attending. Early Action is non-binding, meaning that it's basically just a way to find out sooner whether you have been accepted! Students who apply Early Action are considered among a smaller pool of applicants and have the benefit of having their applications accepted, rejected, or deferred to the regular application pool. If students are applying to schools that offer Early Action, I usually recommend applying to at least a couple of them so that they can hear back sooner! #collegeapps #collegeadvice #collegegoals #collegedreams #collegebound #classof2021 #collegeprep