| |
|
|
|
| |
|
|
|
| |
 |
| |
|
|
|
|
 |
 |
 |
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
College Success
(Admitted to Univ. of Miami) |
"Typical horror story. Waited until the last night to submit my essay. After submitting, had a storm in area and electricity went out. It went back on at 4 a.m. - the day the essay was due in the mail. So I submit the essay at 4 a.m., order the express and start praying. Somehow you get it back to me by 9 a.m.. And the editor did a perfect job of rearranging my words and cutting out what was extraneous. He was awesome. That was the best money spent in a long time. Thank you so much. I will tell everyone about this site. Thank you."
|
|
|
 |
|
 |
|
|
|
|
Competition
Competition for top private school is tough and appears to be getting worse. Private schools desire well-rounded students with strong interpersonal skills and exemplary academic prowess. Here are some tips on how to encourage such traits in your children.
Building Interpersonal Skills
Since every private school application includes some sort of interview, the process can be made less stressful and more productive if your child is comfortable interacting with adults and has acquired some basic social skills.
It is never too early to begin teaching your child how to introduce himself, shake hands, and look someone in the eye. Even young children can learn not to interrupt, how to listen to others, and how to carry on a conversation. Shy children can be encouraged to interact with their grandparents and close family friends. Be sure that they get some airtime at the dinner table, even if they are surrounded by chattier siblings.\
As your child becomes more adept at talking with you and other adults he knows well, he will learn to become more comfortable meeting new people. Whether or not these skills come readily to your child, you may help to reinforce his efforts, to notice and compliment him on his attempts to overcome his shyness or to reach out to someone. For many children, acquiring these skills takes practice and encouragement.
Improving Reading and Writing Skills
Not all children are future Hemmingways, but there is no question that your child's writing will certainly be considered in his private school application. As a result, it is essential to spend some time looking at and evaluating your child's writing. Can he write a well-organized paragraph with accurate spelling and punctuation? Can he present an idea and then support it with details? Can he write an introduction and a concluding paragraph?
To give you child an edge, talk with his English teacher. Ask her for specific suggestions as to how he can improve. In addition, encourage your child to write thank you notes, postcards, and letters to grandparents and friends. Keeping a trip diary or a journal could provide more experience. Find ways to encourage his efforts at creative writing, posting his stories and poems on the refrigerator. Many elementary and middle schools publish magazines or newspapers.
Participating in those might interest your child and encourage his writing.
You should also encourage your child to read. Comic books and magazines are better than nothing. Some children enjoy having their own subscription to a magazine designed for kids. Research seems to suggest that children who see their parents read a fair amount are more likely to turn into readers themselves.
Your local librarian or a teacher with a real interest in your child can be helpful in suggesting titles or getting your child hooked on a particular series or author. Although you might not share your son's obsession with science fiction or murder mysteries, be happy that he is reading. Talking with him about what he is reading, mentioning to others that he is a great reader, and showing him brief articles in magazines and newspapers can help send the message that you think reading is important.
Choosing Outside Activities
While you should not pad your child's resume with activities that do not interest him, you should encourage between one and three activities that he really enjoys and can master. With a bit of luck, some aptitude, and a good coach, your child can learn some skills, realize that practice and hard work usually lead to improvement, enjoy working with others, and feel good about the experience.
Elementary school teachers have known a lot of different children and might be good at recommending activities that might appeal to your child. Certainly some children need to sample several before they find the right one, but signing up for a new activity every fall is a bad idea. Few children can learn about tenacity, the importance of practice and drill, and the joy of mastery if they are constantly changing instruments or sports.
Finally, many private day schools have extensive summer programs that include both academic and recreational offerings. Having your child attend a summer session at a boarding school might be a wonderful way to look at a specific school and to get a better sense of the boarding school experience in general.
Whatever you and your child choose to explore on the weekends, after school, or in the summer, it is critical to remember that all of these projects should be secondary to your child's school work. Particularly in the most competitive schools, admissions officers are looking first at each child's academic performance and teacher comments. No child should be so overcommitted to outside activities that his school work suffers.
Establishing Good Habits
Here is a brief summary of good habits to encourage in your child to help him become an effective applicant:
- Encourage him to read (comics and magazines are better than nothing).
- Discourage TV.
- Encourage him to write (a diary, journal, letters).
- Pursue a limited number of activities that he enjoys.
- Find ways to encourage him to be at ease with adults.
|
