Besides having a little fun and working a summer job, college-bound kids
can make headway for their education this summer.
Stacy Hughes with Neumont University has a rundown of what your high
school student should be doing to prepare for the future.
1. Sophomores – This is a great time to start considering extracurricular
opportunities.
a. Colleges aren’t just looking for a wide variety of experience in any and
every activity, they’re also looking for specific interests, so that they can
get a feel for how your student would contribute to the campus
environment.
b. The summer before the sophomore year is a great time to look for
summer internships, extra classes or summer camps, even special
independent study projects or service work can help.
c. It’s also a great time to visit some of the schools you’re interested in
to get a feel for their campus.
2. Juniors – The summer before the junior year is the time to start
thinking seriously about college scholarships.
a. Starting now, consider scholarship searching a part time job. Every
year hundreds of scholarships go unclaimed simply because nobody
applies.
b. Neumont keeps a list of interesting scholarship opportunities at
www.neumontforums.com.
c. Also check www.studentscholarships.org for a list of ideas.
d. For Utah residents (both recent high school students and adults who
may be considering a career change) we offer a $4,000 scholarship for Utah
residents. You can find out about that at www.neumont.edu/utah.
3. Seniors – Start thinking about college applications
a. Visit www.commonapp.org for this is
a huge timesaver with an
electronic application that can be submitted to multiple colleges at once, so
you’ll only need to write one admissions essay, and you can get started on
that this summer, instead of waiting until the night before applications are
due.
b. Neumont University has a very specific application for admissions, but
we accept the essay from the common application, copied and pasted into
our online application for admissions.
Tips for Completing Your College Application:
1. Don’t use ‘email speak’ answer all questions in full sentences.
2. Make sure you use proper grammar, spelling, and punctuation.
3. Ask multiple people to proofread and comment on your essay.
4. Start early and take the essay seriously, colleges do read them!
5. Remember, your college admissions essay is one of the most
important writing assignments you’ll ever do, use this as an opportunity to
explain why you are a great candidate, or why you may have struggled over
a quarter or two.
4. Wherever you are in the process be sure to consider more than just
the traditional options.
a. Football teams and fraternities are fun, but if you have a specialized
interest, you may want to consider a specialized school.
b. Utah has a wide variety of quality institutions for students who want
more than the traditional big University experience, and if you have a
student who is passionate about technology, I’d highly encourage you to
visit www.neumont.edu/utah to
find out about our unique approach to
educating students with a bachelor’s degree in computer science that has
been called one of the best Returns on Investment for a college education.
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