Where should you be by now?

Since my students started school in early August, I have them start the college application immediately. I mainly work with low-income, first generation students who will be first in their families to apply to and attend a university. I assign them a college portfolio which must include 3 different type of college applications- a Cal State, a UC, and a private school. I give them this requirement because many minority students would never consider a private school because they are either unfamiliar with the school or think it would cost too much. I tell them, "You will never win the lottery if you don't play, and you will never know if you can get in if you don't apply." If students receive free/reduced lunch then many will get up to 4 free Cal State application waivers, 4 UC application waivers and 6 private school application waivers, plus SAT fee waivers. Sadly, many minority students are not aware of these opportunities because they attend schools that are overcrowded. Often times the ratio of student to counselor is 1:300 making it very difficult for students to get top quality college advisement.

It is October 10th and most of my students are finishing up their college applications and are on their revision stages of their personal statements. They read lots of sample essays and also meet with me one-on-one to get help on finding the right topic or editing their essay to ensure that they answer the prompt correctly. Their college portfolio is due November 6th. This give me and the high school counselors enough time to catch any errors and give students final feedback on personal statements.

Where to start?

Wondering where to start on the college application process? I often ask my students to make a quick inventory of thier interests. Here are a few questions to consider:
1.) What subject intrigues me?
2.) Do I like small group settings or large crowds?
3.) Do I want to live close to home or move away? If I move away, how far am I willing to move?
4.) Is a diverse campus important to me?
5.) Am I planning to join a sport? a fraternity/sorority? a special type of organization?


Many students stress over their major not realizing that the average college student changes his/her major multiple times. If fact, I explain that the first 2 years of college is aimed at taking general education courses and honing in on college level reading, writing, and math skills. Most students end up loving where they attend college, not because of the football program or because of the geographic location, but because of the friendships they acquire while being there.

About Me

I have been a high school teacher for 17 years working with college-bound students and helping them reach their dreams. I graduated from Workman High School, attended UCSD for my B.A. in English Literature, and attended Cal Poly Pomona for my Masters degree in Education. I have also had the opportunity to serve as an adjunct professor at Claremont Graduate School of Education and as a part time faculty member at Pasadena Art Center. I am a fluent Spanish speaker and was the first in my family to attend college. Many of my former students are currently attending or graduated from: UC Berkeley, UCLA, UCSD, UC Merced, USC, Whittier College, La Verne, Brown University, Williams College, Loyola Marymount, and many Cal States. I am also a mother who has one son finishing his 4th year at UC Merced and one son who is a high school senior and has started the ardous journey of college and career planning.